So, I finally gave up on avoiding spoilers, because I gave up on seeing the movie, and read the TFWiki synopsis of the movie. Being too lazy to read the 100+ pages of this thread, has anyone mentioned the possibility that Cybertron is Unicron and Earth is Primus?
If Quintessa/Quintus Prime is the Great Deceiver, is it possible that her deception was convincing Cybertronians that they were her creation, when in fact they were somehow abducted from Earth/Primus, and brought to Unicron?
While the claim that Earth is Unicron is a clear nod to
Transformers: Prime and the Aligned Continuity, there's also
precedent for Cybertronians being abducted from their home and brought to live and die on Unicron, feeding him through their violence.
Consider this possible timeline:
- Primus creates the Allspark, and uses it to create the original 13 Primes.
- Quintessa/Quintus Prime, or some other "
Great Deceiver" connected to Quintus Prime, steals the Allspark from Primus and takes it to Unicron.
- Robbed of the Allspark, any Transformers left behind with Primus dwindle, become dormant, or leave.
- Our villain uses the stolen Allspark to cyberform Unicron's surface (possibly by creating "seeds"). This conceals Unicron's true nature, and our villain dubs this new planet "Cybertron".
- Primus hides himself within collected space debris, likewise becoming the core of a new planet - Earth.
- Quintessa/Quintus Prime next uses the Allspark to create a population of sentient beings to inhabit Unicron-Cybertron, and proclaims that s/he is the "Prime of Life." [
Note: This somewhat matches the spirit of the Aligned continuity, in which Quintus Prime was fascinated with creating life independent of Primus, a heresy which led to Megatronus murdering Solus, and Liege Maximo being killed.]
- Primus-Earth, still having that creator-vibe but lacking the expedient device of the Allspark, slowly spawns a new form of life from the organic soup that's accumulated on its surface.
- Chief among Quint's "cybertronians" are a caste of Primes, named after our villain's former brethren. This Dynasty of Primes rules the surface of Unicron-Cybertron under our villain's thrall.
- Our villain, or his/her allies, return to Primus at some point, millions of years ago, and are fooled by his Earth disguise. They use the terraforming technology to convert some of Primus's rocky pretender shell into cybermatter, which they mine and take back to Unicron-Cybertron.
- Under the Dynasty of the Prime's (and indirectly our villain), generation after generation of Cybertronians are squeezed out of the Allspark. They are born from Primus's energy and the cybermatter harvested from seeds sewn on other planets.
- Quint creates a violent world where these Cybertronians fight and die. In so far as Transformers are made of Primus's life-blood/energy, Energon, the cycle of creation and destruction serves to draw Energon from the Allspark, and corrupt it into Dark Energon, which feeds Unicron.
Effectively, the Allspark contains a portion of Primus's energy, which is now powering Unicron-Cybertron, with the Cybertronians not only being used as slaves, but actually being used as "transformers" (like, in the literal, real world sense).
- Disconnected from its source (Primus-Earth), the Allspark eventually begins to run out of juice, and is unable to sustain or replace the Cybertronians that Unicron-Cybertron has been feeding on. (You know that annoying sound when someone hits the bottom of a milkshake? Imagine that on a planetary scale.)
- Ever hungry, Unicron-Cybertron arranges for Quint's false Primes to find alternative sources of energy to replenish the Allspark's life giving energy. A star (the ultimate symbol of life and creation), is deemed a perfect candidate. Under the Dynasty of the Primes, the Cybertronians create Harvester's to collect the life-giving potential of stars and funnel it into the Allspark.
- The Seekers are created to travel through space and find viable candidates.
- Humans emerge on Primus-Earth, the result of Primus-Earth, over millions of years, guiding organic evolution to recreate the work he started with the Thirteen.
- Led by one of the Seekers, one group of Primes arrives on Primus-Earth, but finds it populated, surprisingly, with their fleshy cousins, who are immediately recognizable by the fact that they improbably LOOK A LOT LIKE THEM.
- This group of Primes decide they can't use the harvester to refuel the Allspark, as saving Unicron-Cybertron doesn't justify eradicating their small squishy primitive cousins.
- One of these Primes remains unwaveringly loyal to Unicron-Cybertron, and is determined to do Unicron's bidding by harvesting the Sun and destroying all life on Primus-Earth. The Fallen slaughters nearly all of his brothers, but the last of his cadre defeats him and drives him off Primus-Earth.
- Rather than simply continue on his mission, take the Harvester, and move onto another solar-system to find energy to restore the Allspark, the surviving member of the group elects to deny Unicron-Cybertron his/its prize, and stays on Primus-Earth burying his fallen brethren, and eventually entombing himself with the Matrix of Leadership.
- The Fallen licks his wounds, and eventually returns to Cybertron to launch a war against the remaining Primes.
- Losing Primes to treason or infighting, Quint creates an order of Knights. The knights rebel when they too (at least partially) discover they've been lied to by Quint. They abandon Unicron-Cybertron and flee, in search of their actual progenitor.
- The humans establish actual civilizations on Primus-Earth, and (perhaps at the surviving Prime's behest), use stone and sand to build over the Harvester and the Prime's tomb, concealing them, just as Primus is concealed within Earth.
- The Knights kick around space, searching for the truth and dodging Quint's lackey, Lockdown, who captures and kills many of them, using Quint's cyberforming technology as a weapon.
- The Knights eventually find Primus-Earth and their human cousins, who now have recognizable civilizations. The Knights stay on their true home-world. Hiding from Lockdown, Quint, and Unicron, the Knights only occasionally involve themselves in their human cousins' affairs.
- The remaining Primes likewise discover that they've been manipulated. After a nasty war with the Fallen and his Decepticons, the surviving Primes and their Autobots steal the depleted Allspark and launch it into space, away from Unicron-Cybertron.
- The Decepticons send the Seekers (e.g., Jetfire) out again, this time to find the lost Allspark. Those who arrive on Primus Earth either don't find the Allspark, or they elect not to report back to The Fallen.
- Rather than drift indefinitely through space, land on a desolate rock, or plunge into a star, the Allspark lands safely on Primus-Earth. Having been guided back to its true master, the Allspark begins to recharge (no Harvester required).
- At some point, Sentinel Prime learns a great deal about Unicron-Cybertron's true nature, and is enthralled (possibly by Quint) into saving Unicron-Cybertron. Sentinel Prime takes a ship and sets out in search of Primus-Earth. He finds Primus-Earth, but ends up marooned on its moon.
- His protege, Optimus Prime, last of the Primes, is unaware of Sentinel's subversion or the true nature of Unicron-Cybertron, and continues to stand for freedom (truth, justice, etc.) and valiantly oppose oppression, leading the heroic Autobots in Sentinel's absence.
- Optimus Prime's former friend and ally, Megatron is corrupted to serve the same master as Sentinel Prime and The Fallen (maybe by Quint, maybe by himself - who knows?). Megatron assumes command of The Fallen's Decepticons.
- The war reaches a point where Megatron realizes he needs a decisive edge. He takes off into space in search of the lost Allspark, hoping to succeed where the Seekers apparently failed.
- Realizing the danger that Megatron's success would pose, Optimus sends Autobots out to search for the Allspark.
- With help from The Fallen, Megatron finds his way to Primus-Earth but, like Sentinel Prime, is taken out by the same defense that has discouraged The Fallen from returning.
- Some Autobots eventually find their way to Primus-Earth and are allowed to land safely. Like the Knights before them, they sometimes get entangled in human affairs.
- The Witwiccans find both Megatron and the Allspark, and hide them.
- Bumblebee and Ironhide fight in World War II.
- Having had no luck finding Megatron or the Allspark, Ironhide leaves Primus-Earth. Bumblebee stays behind to continue searching.
- Bumblebee sleuths long enough and hard enough to trace Megatron's last interaction to the Witwickies in the United States. He begins stalking them.
- The Fallen figures out how to bypass Primus-Earth's defenses and sends his new lackey, Starscream, with a group of Decepticons to find the Allspark and the Matrix of Leadership.
- Blackout attempts to hack U.S. intelligence in a direct attack on an American base. Does not succeed. Barricade and Frenzy hack U.S. intelligence through Air Force One, and learn that the Allspark, and Megatron, are being held somewhere, and like Bumblebee, Barricade learns that the Witwickies in the United States are somehow connected to Megatron's disappearance.
- Sam Witwicky posts his ancestor's glasses for sale on the internet, the etching on the glass definitely connecting him to Megatron's disappearance.
- Bumblebee and Starscream's agent, Barricade, both find the glasses online, and zero in on Sam's family. Bumblebee inserts himself as Sam's car to spy on him, while Barricade takes the direct approach. Barricade is surprised to run into Bumblebee, but not
that surprised, since they're after the same thing.
- Bumblebee fends off Barricade and sends out a distress call to his former partner, Ironhide, who leads a handful of Autobots back to Primus-Earth.
- Bumblebee is captured by Sector 7, which unwittingly leads not only the Autobots, but also the Decepticons to their facility. Starscream intends to secure the Allspark for The Fallen, and one-up Megatron in the process.
- Megatron is freed, and the Decepticons rally around him, thrilled to discover Megatron is still alive. Starscream is less enthusiastic. Megatron resumes his mission to find the Allspark for The Fallen.
- The Autobots and Decepticons scramble for the Allspark, with the humans caught in the middle. Having recharged in its time on Primus-Earth, the Allspark has regained its ability to create life, and begins erratically creating new Transformers from whatever is at hand.
- Sam Witwicky makes contact with the Allspark, and briefly, unknowingly, forms a bond with Primus-Earth (who, recall, engineered humanity's creation). Primus-Earth guides his creation to use the Allspark as a weapon, incapacitating The Fallen's servant, Megatron. (But not killing him, because that's antithetical to the Allspark's purpose).
- The surviving portion of the Allspark retains the Allspark's power (because why shouldn't it?). Sam's bond with Primus-Earth begins to drive him wonky.
- Primus-Earth's defenses are fully breached, and The Fallen begins sending Decepticons to Earth en masse to find the Matrix of Leadership. Some of his lackeys find Sam in possession of the Allspark fragment and use it to revive Megatron from stasis-lock. At The Fallen's direction, they try to use Sam's connection to Primus-Earth to find the Matrix of Leadership.
- Optimus, the last of the Primes, is taken down by Megatron.
- Sam ends up with Jetfire, who is eager to repent for bringing the Primes to Primus-Earth with the harvester thousands of years ago, and who deliberately dropped off the radar when he returned to look for the Allspark under The Fallen's Decepticons.
- Possibly guided by Primus-Earth's insight, they end up at the tomb of the Primes, and recover the Matrix of Leadership, which self-destructs.
- Same dies. Primus-Earth connects him to the Primes that came to Primus-Earth years ago, who effectively make him a Prime. Primus-Earth revives him, and Sam uses his power to recreate the Matrix and revive Optimus Prime.
- The Fallen steals the Matrix and tries to restart the Harvester to destroy Primus-Earth.
- Optimus Prime kills The Fallen, and Megatron and Starscream flee, their incredibly powerful master having been destroyed easily by the Prime.
- Languishing in disgrace over his failure, and the loss of his mentor, Megatron retreats into the desert to rust while Starscream continues to fly about doing things, working with Soundwave, Shockwave, and some hood-winked humans to hatch a new plan to save Unicron-Cybertron.
- The uncover intel about Sentinel Prime and his true intentions and recover his technology - components of a massive space-bridge. They orchestrate his retrieval from the moon, and his infiltration back into the Autobot ranks.
- Still serving Unicron-Cybertron, Sentinel Prime betrays the Autobots, and with the help of The Fallen's former soldiers, constructs the space-bridge, and begins to summon Unicron-Cybertron to Primus-Earth for a big meal.
- Sentinel Prime is killed, and Megatron apparently is, as well.
- Unicron-Cybertron is kicked back across space, but Quint now knows Earth is Primus, and sends Lockdown to kill Optimus Prime and sway the humans into his/her service, using the cyberforming technology as a bargaining chip.
- Lockdown orchestrates the humans' betrayal of the Autobots, as well as Megatron's revival as Galvatron. (So, Megatron is reformatted into Galvatron by Unicron, albeit, indirectly.)
- Lockdown dies, but sews enough hints to lead Optimus Prime into the clutches of Quint, who has been guiding Unicron-Cybertron directly to Primus-Earth.
- Quint tells Optimus she's the "Prime of Life" who created him and the other Cybertronians, which is technically true, but omits the part about Primus's involvement. She tries to sell the idea that Earth is Unicron, and that it must be destroyed to save Cybertron.
- Optimus proves very stubborn, and unable to subvert Optimus as easily as she did The Fallen, Sentinel Prime, or Megatron, Quint resorts to outright overriding Optimus's programming to make him believe her.
- Now Nemesis Prime, a servant of Unicron-Cybertron, Optimus leads the attack on Primus-Earth.
- When Optimus comes to his senses, Megatron (now having fully regained his identity), picks up the reigns of the offensive and attempts to help Unicron-Cybertron devour Primus-Earth, enacting the will of his former master, The Fallen.
- The Decepticons and Quint are defeated by the combined heroes' forces. Quint escapes and perpetuates the lie that Primus is Unicron.
- Optimus and the Knights of Cybertron, only having learned half of the truth about Quint and their creation, return to Unicron-Cybertron, unwittingly intending to rebuild their greatest enemy.