#transformation cogs

Dear Conversion Catalytic,

They were granted alternate modes, shaped by their forms and thoughts. D-16 became a tank, Orion Pax a truck, Elita-1 a motorcycle, and B-127 a car.

What did he do with them?

My brother thinks he gave them to the Quintessons, but what use would they have for a bunch of t-cogs?

A bit I was sitting on post TFONE now that we had a far superior Amalgamous Prime design to work with.

It’s my take on a conceit from Prime’s ancillary media that was never resolved, with the Mutacons getting their combination problem fixed and the returning of Amalgamous’ Cog.

Mercury was a Mutacon that briefly worked with the Autobots in the Prime prequel novels, but she was never given a design, to my knowledge, so this was my interpretation. I have a character model of her I’ll post later.

Dear Sanguine Searcher,

How a Transformer Transforms was never really nailed down before, but TFONE reintroduces a semi obscure concept in that Transformation is controlled by a Cog, and without it, one can’t Transform.

How a Transformer changes form in older material was never really clear, and frankly the cartoon writers didn’t particularly care. They’re space robots that turn into cars, animals and objects, how much more complicated can you make it?

Most instances regarding how a robot Transforms in the 80’s cartoon referred to loose ideas about special circuits, or quirky by products of Transformation such as “Dinosaur Transform Static” unique to dinosaur type Transformers, but otherwise nothing too specific. The cartoon would later on make a point that the Autobots’ ancestors invented Transforming as a stealth tactic during one of the various prehistoric wars prior to Megatron’s time, though there was no mention of specific inventions to do so.

Cogs were brought up as a plot device post movie, … but there was a catch. The original T-Cogs were limited to Metroplex and Trypticon, special gizmos that allowed THEM to Transform to Robot Mode, with a few episodes devoted to both factions stealing the other MetroTitan’s Cog to get a leg up in a fight. Unicron also required the Cog of one of the giants to facilitate his recreation, implying he too needed one to Transform. The cartoon seems to suggest the Cogs were unique to the giant Transformers, but that the Cogs weren’t entirely cross compatible, leaving Metroplex and Trypticon stuck in half way modes if they used each other’s.

Action Masters famously robbed Transformers of the ability to change, as the miracle fuel Nucleon changed their “Figure Alteration Systems” into “Energy Storage Reactors”. No mention of Cogs yet again, but retroactively it could mean a Cog is mutated by Nucleon into a tank to store Nucleon.

How Transforming was controlled was revisited in Beast Wars, where Maximals and Predacons used onboard computers to automate the process. Beast Machines would return to the idea of Transforming being a process that is learned, with the now Techno-Organic Maximals devoid of onboard computers needed to find a meditation still point to convert from Beast to Robot.

Presumably, thinking of it retroactively again, techno organic Maximals have no Cogs, while Vehicons likely still do. They’re shown to still have onboard computers anyway. Coincidentally, earlier Japanese media would also mirror Beast Machines, where young Transformers that migrated to Planet Master hadn’t learned to Transform yet, and through rigorous training and technological advancement, learned and evolved a new way to Transform in Headmaster technology to adapt to Master’s harsh terrain.

Indeed most media was content to ignore Cogs being a component, as the older stuff never really used it anyway on regular Transformers. James Roberts’ Proto-MTMTE fan fiction would introduce a separate concept called a “Morph Core”, a cluster of nerves connected to the brain module that controlled Transforming, and while the IDW comics would recycle the name, it still referred to the Cog in the end. It wasn’t until Aligned that concepts started getting streamlined, with the idea of a Cog controlling conversion being revisited there.

Today, via Aligned, all Transformers require Cogs to change form. As part of an initiative to make Transformers into more obvious living organism like us, rather than just space robots, the Cog is … somewhat confusingly referred to as a biological organ rather than a piece of machinery. How that differs from other body parts that are implied to be mechanical in nature anyway I have no idea, but the point is the Cogs are treated as special, they control Transformation and the ability to Scan new Vehicle or Beast Modes, and can’t simply be rebuilt from scratch if lost or damaged. If a Transformer looses one, another Transformer has to donate theirs like a human would donate a kidney to another. TFP would famously depict this where Bumblebee and Starscream would loose their Cogs as part of a scheme by the human terrorist organization MECH, who required a Cog to build their own Transformer. T-Cogs, as a biological component, mean that all Transformers’ genetic code constrains the schematics for a T-Cog, as Starscream would learn when his Clones all could still Transform when he couldn’t. Starscream would later harvest a Cog from a dead Clone to replace his own, though with how often Megatron bragged about Decepticon science, I imagine they had the power to build a functional Cog from scratch anyway.

MTMTE era IDW would have their own spin on the matter, where Cogs had a religious and political bent, being connected to religious figures in Amalgamous Prime and Adaptus, but also many Action Master type TFs, now “Monoformers” would reject their Cogs for political reasons due to Functionism. A one off Decepticon was so repulsed by Transforming, he was whittled down into a base form lacking kibble, and made other Transformers wear mode locks so they wouldn’t compulsively Transform in front of him.

As an aside, there’s moments like this that makes me wonder if Roberts genuinely hated Transforming. So much lore centered around how intrinsic Transforming is to Cybertron culturally, and yet hardly anyone Transformed on his stories that it was routinely used as a running gag… You can’t tell me that’s not a little unusual for a Transformer fan.

RBA would also introduce an off shoot of the Cog, a Mul-T-Cog that allows the wearer to assume three Vehicle Modes, but not all at once, as the user needed to make a wise choice on which form to use on a mission. Japanese media also has the “Super Transform Cog”, but as of writing, we don’t know exactly what that is.

TFONE would mostly go back to the mechanical nature of the Cogs, no real mention of biology, but retain that all Transformers have them upon activation. The Miner class had theirs removed before becoming online, creating a simple to understand Cogless vs Cog social structure where those who can’t Transform not having many rights or job opportunities under Sentinel, mirroring IDW and obscure Aligned concepts.

Also kind of ironically mirroring IDW, Sentinel, despite The Fallen’s Cog, never actually Transforms into Vehicle Mode, going back to that clunky idea of Transforming being intrinsic but having some who don’t even try.

Orion, Elita, D-16, and B-127 all got Cogs of Primes, donated by Alpha Trion from Prima, Alchemist, Onyx and Micronus, and later on Megatronus, with Cogs being restored to the Miners by Optimus. Where these Cogs come from isn’t clear, though my assumption is Sentinel kept the Cogs of the Miners in storage for some reason, and they came out of storage to their rightful owners once the Matrix was restored. There’s a popular theory the four having ancient Prime Cogs might give them special powers, though nothing has been officially stated. It’s said in TFONE in particular that the Cogs unlock the built in potential of a Transformer, which we see with how Optimus and Megatron evolve as they gained their Vehicle Modes, though at the same time, upon getting Megatronus’ Cog, Megatron does appear to evolve further, so it’s a bit unclear if this is his genetic potential or if Megatronus Prime’s influence took over. Optimus similarly only displays certain attributes like his Axe when he gets Zeta’s Matrix, so we’ll have to wait and see if this gets played up at all in story or in toy form. I still say a better Mini-Con like version of the Prime Master gimmick would be cool for a further TFONE toy line. Like an Onyx Prime Cog that unlocks a Dragon Cannon on Megatron’s arm for example or Optimus sprouting Prima’s sword when Prima Prime’s Cog is plugged in. Admittedly I’m kinda surprised Action Masters haven’t been revived through the Cogless in toys, like having a drill accessory that becomes a dinosaur buddy for Orion or a jet pack that becomes Laserbeak for D-16. Hint, hint, Hasbro.

Dear Head Scratcher,

Hidden on obscure colonies and backwater worlds, the Titan Masters were the stuff of legend—following their reappearance, Optimus Prime dispatched his best warriors to prevent the Decepticons from seizing control of their awesome powers.

Lord Zarak was a Titan Master in name only, a power-hungry Nebulan possessed of no particular abilities. Coveting the might of one of the ancient Titans, he cut a deal with Apeface, promising the Titan Master a new triple-changing body in exchange for the secrets of their kind. With Apeface’s help, Lord Zarak successfully tracked down and unearthed a Titan, ousting its original Titan Master, and taking his place as head of the city. Two of Zarak’s toadies—including Krunk, who you also mention—became the heads of Apeface and the mercenary Snapdragon; they too had no particular powers or merits as individuals.

Let me see, now… ah yes, Dynamus. The Evolutionary Mode Switch you mention allowed Quickswitch to tap into the full potential of his conversion cog—for comparison, a typical Cybertronian only makes use of 10% of the steps their cog is innately capable of performing. With Quickswitch already possessing a prodigal number of modes, he was best-suited to take advantage of the full suite of movements offered by Dynamus, to change form with unparalleled speed. The Titan Master Flameout, in case you were wondering, had a similar ability to Dynamus’, only far deadlier in its application.

As for the rest… the Power of Primus is beyond my ability to define; it is all-encompassing, without limit. Sovereign was a mysterious and enigmatic Titan Master indeed, known by many names over the millennia. But he was not the only one to leave his mark on history. Ancient datatracks housed inside the newly-reawakened Fortress Maximus revealed the existence of four Titan Masters composed of heavy elements, whose powers—like Sovereign’s—surpassed the rest. I will endeavor to tell you their stories.

With the interstellar space bridge network having been taken offline by Galvatron, Optimus Prime used his new Laserport technology to take a team to Velocitron, to participate in the Speedia 500 and win the power of the elusive Thunderclap. It was Hot Rod who came first in the race, but to the young Autobot’s surprise, his own body was transformed into that of a Titan Master: for Thunderclap was none other than himself, his incredible superspeed allowing him to step outside the normal passage of time. In a flash, he escaped the Decepticons by retreating into the distant past, becoming the Titan Master of legend—but not before glimpsing a future where he would one day take on the Power of the Primes, and become a Prime himself.

Meanwhile, Magnus Prime remained behind to defend Cybertron—now cut off from the sorely-needed support of the colony worlds—from Galvatron’s forces. The Decepticons had already secured a Titan Master possessed of unmatched strength, Powerhouse, who in myth had been known as the dreaded Thunderwing, a monstrous hulk who menaced Cybertron in the planet’s early days. Merged with the Decepticon Tidal Wave, they became a walking natural disaster, unleashing a devastating seismic storm that ripped open the ground beneath Fortress Maximus’ feet, and threatened to tear the whole planet apart.

Knowing as we do that the DJD exists to root out cowardice and treason in the Decepticon ranks, has any version of that group been tasked with eliminating the most treasonous coward of the all, Air Commander Starscream? What's their track record in the task, multiversally speaking?

Dear Slippery Seeker,

Surely by now you know that Starscream is hard to catch, harder to implicate, and most difficult to kill (well, for any substantial length of time)! As a result, the summary judgements you imagine aren't as common as you might think—but I will recount to you one instance where Starscream tangled with Megatron’s enforcers.

When they came for him, he didn’t even try to deny the allegations, having himself long lost track of his various misdeeds. Instead, he offered to pay Tarn off. Of course, no amount of money could buy mercy from Tarn—so instead, Starscream promised to supply the leader of the D.J.D. with enough morphcores to feed his addiction indefinitely, even producing one on the spot for him. Tarn was tempted, and appeared to seriously consider the offer… but when he sampled the morphcore, he immediately deduced that it was counterfeit, quickly 3D-printed by Swindle for this ruse of Starscream’s.

Tarn aimed his fusion cannons at Starscream’s head, but the Seeker just laughed. This cheap spare-part scam was itself only part of a subtler gambit: Starscream had recorded everything, and was prepared to transmit the footage across all Decepticon channels. That one moment of hesitation… it would have been enough to show everyone that the incipient D.J.D. were ordinary mechs, with ordinary vices, who could be bargained with. Perhaps they could have corrected that impression, with time and creativity… but Tarn knew how Megatron would react, knowing that he had given even the slightest thought to exonerating Starscream over such a trifle.

Tarn is described as a "voracious consumer"- but was he always like that? I only ask because Megatron seems scrupulous with his seconds-in-command. Somebody who could be swayed with a fresh batch of T-cogs seems like a weak link he wouldn't tolerate long...

Dear Addiction Acolyte,

It is true that Tarn's addiction worsened over time. I think Megatron never learned of the full extent of Tarn’s dependency. By the end of the war, he was rather disconnected from the low-level operations of his Decepticon Empire, and he evidently trusted Tarn to manage his Decepticon Justice Division with only minimal oversight. In fact, he had never even personally read the infamous List that terrified his rank and file… at least until his own name ended up there.

From Megatron’s perspective, Tarn’s very existence was a way to deeply hurt his old foe, Optimus—this was more than enough to satisfy him, above all the atrocities Tarn perpetrated in his name. Tarn could have been a worthless soldier, disloyal and incompetent, worthy of inclusion on the List himself… so long as he wore the badge, his purpose would be fulfilled.