G'Day all,
I go by Verno on most Transformers message boards, but you might also know me as
Rh1n0x from DeviantArt.
7 years ago I set out with a simple goal -- To create greater links between the
Generation 1 and
Beast Wars eras in Cybertronian History -- and what I've created is called:
The Transversal Continuity
Or just the
TVC for short.
Beast Wars is what first got me interested in
Transformers, way back when in 1996. As I grew older and came to understand the links between
Beast Wars and the
Generation 1 Universe(s), I dreamed of a day when Hasbro would fill in the blanks in the story; answering the questions -- the
hows and
whys -- that remained unaddressed.
Questions like "
Where did the Maximals and Predacons actually come from?", "
Why was Ravage granted amnesty?" and, of course, the big one -- "
What events led to the end of the Great War?". But it soon became clear that these questions would ultimately go unanswered.
This is the reason I started writing -- to answer the questions myself.
The
Beast Wars story didn't simply carry on from where a previous Transformers story or Universe had left off. Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio (the lead Writers of Beast Wars) crafted a backstory for the
Beast Wars universe by drawing on aspects of the myriad of Transformers stories up to that point. While the
G1 Cartoon/1986 Movie Universe was certainly at the core of the backstory, the
G1 Marvel Comics and
G2 Marvel Comics were certainly referenced in the creative process, so in order for me to fill the holes in the
Beast Wars history, I too had to reference these diverse sources in what I produced -- and this is what makes the Transversal Continuity different.
The word
transversal means "A line that intersects many other lines", and so with this amalgamation of previous Transformers stories going into create one history of the
Beast Wars universe, the word seemed perfectly suited.
The first question that was dying to be answered was that of the end of the Great War and the signing of the Pax Cybertronia. For this, there came:
The
TransWarp Saga
The story, which is set during the final climactic months of the Great War, is made up of 4 parts:
Each reveals a different aspect to the conflict.
TransWarp: Csirac - is the story of a Maximal Scientist,
Csirac, who is kidnapped by the Predacons and made to work towards their ends. Can he thwart the Predacons from the inside and help bring about the end of the War?
TransWarp: Ravage - follows the fortunes of Ravage. With the Decepticons having folded after the Hub Assault, on which side will he find safety and purpose?
TransWarp: Primal - is the story of the Xelor, the first TransWarp-capable ship -- a ship that can traverse both Space and Time. With the power to change history, will this force the Predacons hand into surrender?
TransWarp: Maxim - tells of Maxim, a brave Maximal that fate, and Primus, has grander designs for.
With the Great War now accounted for, it was time to go back and examine where the Maximal Faction actually began. For this:
Transformers: Rise of the Maximals
Set towards the latter stages of the Great War, a ceasefire is in effect between the Autobots and Decepticons as they try to maintain an unsteady alliance against the Cybertronian Empire.
But as Autobot cargo ships traveling between Earth and Cybertron begin to come under attack from an unknown enemy, Grimlock tries to uncover the identity of the assailants -- with the help of some familiar faces.
The TVC Universe drew not only from the G2 Comics (with the involvement of the Cybertronian Empire and the Swarm) but also of Furman's
Alignment story. Though not officially recognised as canon, aspects of the story were perfectly suited to continue on in the TVC -- namely the death of Megatron at the hands of the Liege Maximo. But what happens to the Decepticons without Megatron?
Transformers: Con
You think G1 Megatron left the message on the Golden Disk? Think again...
With the major history covered, it was time to focus in on specific characters from the
Beast Wars themselves, and in doing so, reveal more of contemporary Cybertronian society -- a society divided under the Pax Cybertronia, and no story demonstrated the divide better than:
Transformers: Honour
In essence, it is an origin story for
Dinobot, but it also reveals the truly dire situation the Predacons find themselves in on a 'peaceful' Cybertron in the years following the Great War.
To follow on the Spotlight nature of the stories, next came:
Transformers: X
X, as in
Protoform X -- I needn't say anymore.
I'd love for some new readers to cast an eye across some (or all (if you've got the time)) of the stories. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions that might spring to mind whilst you're reading. As I said earlier, this is 7 years worth of work (and this isn't all that the TVC has to offer).
Stories such as Honour and X remain unfinished at this point. All the details are locked away in my head, but I promise I'll put pen to paper one day and exorcise them.
There are also new titles to be added to the
TVC family in the coming months, so stay tuned.
Cheers, and happy reading!
- Verno.
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
