starscream wouldn't allow megatrons name to be said -> hes the first one to say his name now
soundwave believes megatron would have done better for the decepticons and just wants energon to repair ravage which is denied by starscream -> megatron is the one to repair ravage and knowledges soundwave as loyal to him
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Starscream as a character we know is someone who is constantly seeking power, and often stuck in a cycle of either attaining it or getting close to attaining it, but ultimately falling flat, usually due to Megatron. But what happens when Megatron is not there? This is the question Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers (2023) presents. I posit that his answer is that instead of falling to Megatron, Starscream, instead, falls to his own hubris. I will examine this argument through classical allusions, particularly those of Tantalus and Narcissus, especially as written in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Tantalus in Greek mythology was a son of Zeus, who had been welcomed to dine with the gods. In some versions of the myth, he ends up stealing the secrets of the gods, and is punished for this. However, in the version of the myth I will be drawing from, he desired to test the gods' omniscience by cutting up his child, Pelops, and feeding the parts to the gods. For this act, he resides in Tartarus, fated to spend eternity reaching for fruit or water, only for it to retreat from him, leaving him starving and thirsty (Credo Reference). Both of these versions focus on Tantalus' hubris, as he attempts to upset the cosmic order by either placing himself at the level of or above the gods, in spite of being mortal and being a guest. In his pursuit of power, he commits the taboo: treachery and cannibalism.
Another thing to note is that this starts the miasma, or the curse, that clouds the House of Atreus until it is resolved by Orestes in Aeschylus' Oresteia. This results in a cycle of violence and revenge that culminates in Orestes' matricide of Clytemnestra. I won't go too into it, but I do wish to highlight the cycle that Starscream herself usually undergoes within the greater Transformers canon, especially Generation 1, wherein Starscream gains power, or attempts to gain power, and is taken down, often by Megatron. These patterns exist to highlight the tragedy of Starscream's character, and is something Daniel Warren Johnson is examining too, especially as Starscream, who was lashed out at by Megatron, now lashes out at people such as Skywarp and Soundwave, and Soundwave’s cassettes. This propagates a cycle of violence that culminates in Soundwave’s coup, and Starscream’s supposed death.
In Transformers (2023), one of the major taboos Starscream commits is the disassembly of Skywarp in order to repair Teletraan-1. While Soundwave also engages in this act, I believe the emphasis is that Starscream did it, or perhaps we have not seen the outcome of Soundwave's participation in this taboo yet (especially as he continues to interact with Thundercracker). The point I wish to make is that Starscream, as a fellow seeker and often put in a group, or 'trine' with Skywarp and Thundercracker, would see Skywarp as even more 'kin' to herself than Soundwave or his cassettes, or Reflector, or any of the constructicons. In the Tantalus myth, it is not just that Tantalus has cannibalized another human, but that he cannibalized his own son to feed to the gods that is so transgressive. It is the violation of this sacred relation, both to his family and to the gods, that lands him in Tartarus, stuck in a cycle of hungering and wanting but never getting his desire. By disassembling Skywarp with the intent not to get more Decepticons healed, but rather to get more Decepticons to be able to outpower the Autobots, Starscream has similarly acted in this transgressive fashion. Skywarp is a fellow seeker, who fights loyally on behalf of the Decepticons. However, in Starscream’s journey to keep power above the other Decepticons, defeat the Autobots, and amass Energon, she becomes increasingly willing to be violent against his own troops to achieve this. By violating this relationship, she becomes hubristic and is thus punished.
Furthermore, going into the punishment aspect: Starscream meets his hubris after a defeat, and Soundwave and the remaining Decepticons confront her. While Starscream tries to get out of the challenge by appealing to the other Decepticons, it is Thundercracker, his other “trinemate” and fellow seeker, who reminds her of what Decepticon honor dictates—that he stand and face his challenger. Soundwave defeats Starscream, and drops her over a cliff. This quite literal fall from grace is the culmination of Starscream’s hubris, and can once again be compared to Tantalus. Tantalus, who seeks out food and drink eternally, only for them to be ripped away, can be compared to Starscream, who in pursuit of power has once again had it ripped away from him due to her own hubris in how he has treated his fellow Decepticons. This comes after a similar cycle with Megatron. We can even push further on it as the Decepticons have been seeking out energy and a means to repair themselves, or food and water, in human terms. Similarly, Tantalus eternally seeks this. By falling in the midst of this search, Starscream’s arc affirms this allusion.
Therefore, by drawing parallels between the Tantalus myth and Starscream's arc in Skybound's Transformers, we can observe that the use of taboo and even the greater picture of the house of Atreus can be used to highlight Starscream’s cyclical hubris and tragedy, and how the taboo of cannibalizing a comrade led to her own punishment via Soundwave and his comrades.
On the Narcissus myth: Narcissus was a 16 year old boy who was seen as very desirable by many people, including Echo, who can only repeat what she hears back to the speaker. He spurns them all, even Echo, who appears as he seeks out connection with someone, but as soon as she embraces him, he spurns her. Later, another spurned lover prays that he will find love, but be unable to grasp it. One day, he stops to drink from a lake, and sees his reflection. He immediately falls in love with it, and out of despair wastes away because he cannot be with it, as he is holding up a facsimile of himself as his true self, wishing to be with it, even though he is already "himself" (Ovid).
I mention his age, as it is a similar age to Pentheus of Euripedes' tragedy, The Bacchae. Pentheus is the young king of Thebes, who has banned Dionysian worship. As a result, many, including his own mother, are driven crazy, and he attempts to persecute Dionysius. Dionysius instead persuades him to spy on the maenads (the crazed women), and is torn apart by them, but not after also falling victim to the same incapacitation as the maenads (Euripedes). Pentheus' story is partially about the transition from boy into man as a ruler, and the hubris that comes about from it as he is stuck between two positions.
Moving onto Starscream, and his parallels to these myths: While Starscream is not nearly as young as either Narcissus or Pentheus, we see her transitioning into leadership with Megatron gone, and failing to properly establish it as we see many bring up Megatron, with Starscream becoming more violent in reaction every time the name is brought up. It is this very transition, along with becoming addicted to the drunken feeling of power, that leads into Starscream's own hubris. This is not because of the transitionary state for either ruler but because of the transgressions—against either gods or their own comrades— that they commit in order to establish and maintain that power in the face of such an unstable transition. Pentheus believes himself above the cosmic order as he refuses to cleave to Dionysius’ influence, yet ultimately succumbs to it, and Starscream treats his companions unjustly, from simply kicking them to dismantling them in order to repair Teletraan-1. Starscream, in this transition, disregards and sees herself as above the other troops, and such transgressions lead to their ultimate fates—being torn apart.
Narcissus’ age can evoke this parallel as well, which was why I went on that tangent. Starscream’s journey, however, begins with the rejection of offered companionship—that of Skyfire’s. Skyfire reassembles Starscream first, and Starscream greets him openly as a comrade before proceeding to shoot Bumblebee. Then, Skyfire asks what Starscream is doing, being horrified at what his friend has become. As a result, Starscream lashes out at Skyfire, attacking him, and during the following battle, lands a near-fatal blow on him. We can identify that this parallels the story of Echo, who embraces Narcissus before she is also spurned, resulting in her retreat and wasting away until she is just her voice, echoing whatever words are spoken. Similarly, Skyfire is spurned, and now is locked in his shuttle mode, “unable to see the stars”. This rejection of kindness and companionship precedes both Starscream's and Narcissus' hubris. It is important also to note that in Dante's Divine Comedy, it is sins born from love that are at the highest level of both the Inferno and Purgatorio, and it is sins that implicitly come from a prioritization of worldly power over love that are at the lowest levels of both. By rejecting love and delving deeper and deeper into hubris, both Starscream and Narcissus thus doom themselves in this way, as they hold worldly power and reflection, respectively, above companionship and compassion. They become their sin as a response to the difficulties of transitioning into a “higher” position.
After spurning Echo, Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection. While Starscream notably does not do this, it is important to see the symbolism of Narcissus' actions. Maria Margaroni writes, in analyzing Cigoli's 'Narcisse à la Fontaine', which depicts the myth,
Narcissus is blind because his eyes can only mirror (symmetrically reproduce) themselves, they can no longer see (acknowledge and confirm the presence of the other). This is why Narcissus's gaze is carefully erased from (indeed, edited out of) the painting. All that remains of it is the moment of hubris, that fatal ex-tension towards the self, frozen and exemplified (Margaroni 74).
He is holding his reflection as something to desire, something to yearn for, instead of as simply a reflection of himself. The reflection is only an image, there is no connection to be truly sought from it. Starscream holds power and control in a similar way, seeing it as an intoxicating substance to yearn and grasp for, but that she can never properly grasp, because like Narcissus, who seeks connection, she completely disregards her companions in this endeavor. In seeking out power, he too no longer acknowledges and confirms the presence of the other, but sees others and tools by which she can gain this power and victory. Thus, Starscream, like Narcissus, has become blind, and all that remains is that moment of hubris. She has made that power his identity, instead of a being who can love and share camaraderie . And it is from this hubris that he goes from being concerned for Thundercracker's safety and getting energon for Soundwave and Skywarp in issue #1, to disregarding both Soundwave and his cassettes, and Skywarp, as only tools on the path to glory for seemingly the Decepticons, but really, himself. As a result, like Narcissus, who wastes away until he leaves behind a singular flower, Soundwave tears Starscream apart, claiming to use these pieces to heal Ravage. From their hubris and destruction, they add to their environment.
These parallels can thus be seen as ways of affirming Starscream's tragic arc, where she falls not to the Autobots or even really to Soundwave, but to her own hubris. The change we see happen over these issues act as an analysis and a study of Starscream's character, and shows the tragedy of the cyclical nature of the character. Having seen this, I look forward to what comes next in Transformers (2023), and know we have not seen the last of Starscream.
So. Who else in the Transformers fandom right now is finding themselves wishing that even the crappy reboot of the IDW comics was back right now if it meant not having to suffer though the current Image comics run??
I mean I swear I never thought ANY Tranformers comics run could be worse then IDW's reboot. But boy oh boy did Image really pull a "Hold my Beer" here. Like DAMN.
I mean Transformers is supposed to be FUN, and semi light hearted. What we're getting from Image though is a fucking snuff film in comics form, where we have to watch all of our favorite Transformers be slaughtered each and every issue. Like fuck me.
I don't know about all of you, but I do not want to read a Transformers book that is basically nothing more then a non stop Red Wedding.
I just wish Image weren't so stupid and would realize that. FUCK....
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