IDW Publishing Forums

Iacon_Pax · Transforumer Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 664

Could anyone, briefly, bring me up to speed on what the theories of Cybertronian evolution are in the IDW-verse?

The recent talk of the lifespans and (relatively) short-term memories of their cultural history in other threads got me thinking about this.

If memory serves, the Sunbow cartoon suggested there really was no evolution. The Quintessons had their own evolution, and then they built the Autobots and Decepticons.

Beast Wars/Beast Machines has techno-organic origins to Cybertron, but I really don't recall where the race of Cybertronians came from.

The Marvel comics had Primus creating them.

I believe the Eugenisis prologue "Liars A-D" showed them kind of rising out of pools of metal, suggesting that bodies had formed with crude mechanical systems. While this isn't canon, it's possible it has some influence on James Roberts' take on things, since I believe it came from the same fan-group that he was active in (or not...).

I really didn't pay enough attention to Dream Wave to know their take, and still refuse to buy any reprints lest Pat Lee get a penny of it (though I really want to read War Within).

So,what is IDW's version of their origins? Or do we not know?

Personally, I'm kind of entertained by the idea of Cybertron now, in RiD, as it is recreating itself, going back and showing us its evolution of life in a very sped-up manner. This to me would be life evolving, but not carbon-based. We get the Rock Lords that we saw last issue, being made of Cybertronian "metals," but essentially organic. No gears or anything like that. This eventually evolved into rudimentary transformations (think an armadillo rolling up), which then leads to evolving moving parts, like gears and what we think of as mechanical components, then leading to what we would think of as robots, and then the "realization" (not invention) 12 million years ago of the ability to transform.

It's evolution. It's up to each individual Cybertronian to decide whether they view it as natural, directed by a Transformer "God," or directed by alien species. Watching it unfold around them in RiD, however, could add interesting religious theories and groups to the political goings-on within that book.

So, stepping back, I'd love to been educated by people here on what it is that we DO know of Cybertronian evolution within IDW, and then also hear what form other people would like to see it take (as I've mentioned my preference above).

Sprite · Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 7:03 am Post subject:

It's been hinted that they evolved from organic beings, but that particular plotline might long since have been dropped. It was in Spotlight: Nightbeat, I believe.
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Kirjava · Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 9:36 am Post subject:

Called back to in Revelations as well.
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Iacon_Pax · Transforumer Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 664

Yeah, I'm looking through the tfwiki right now, based on your mention of Spotlight: Nightbeat (which I read a ways back, but need to reread those spotlights, as Gorlam Prime really interested me, but I pretty much forgot about it).

According to how the wiki presents it, it seems more like Nightbeat was wondering whether Cybertron MAYBE evolved similarly... though it's a safe bet Furman was suggesting it had, based on the inhabitants later renaming their world Cybertron.

That would still be accurate and in continuity, based on ongoing #31 taking place there, right?

Still, what we see of Cybertron in RiD now, as it's re-evolving, seems more metallic than biological organic...

Sprite · Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 10:11 am Post subject:

Yeah, that's why I said "hinted".
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Grimlock Badass · Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 6:36 am Post subject:

ultramagnus1 · Transforumer Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Posts: 8423

Going back to the dark days of 2011 we had hints that Cybertron was originally an organic world which evolved into the Cybertron we know and that Gorlam Prime was similar but not as far advanced as Cybertron.

There was even a crazy theory that they may be the same planet in a different timeline (ME). Add in Revelation (Spotlight Hardhead) and the "shudders takes a drink of cider " Heart Of Darkness which again explores this idea without coming out and saying it.

The whole idea of this could be dropped as I have a feeling the origin of the TF will be explored properly in MTMTE and maybe RiD too.
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Kirjava · Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 9:22 am Post subject:

ultramagnus1 · Transforumer Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Posts: 8423

Iacon_Pax · Transforumer Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 664

I think I need to free up some time to re-read some of these stories. I read them a year or so ago, but pretty much flew through all the IDW stuff. My IDW Collection hardcovers are making me go back and appreciate it all... even the stuff I though was, uh, sub par, let's say, previously.

ultramagnus1 · Transforumer Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Posts: 8423

hook line and sinker · Transforumer Joined: 01 Oct 2010 Posts: 3303

ultramagnus1 · Transforumer Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Posts: 8423

Iacon_Pax · Transforumer Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 664

I read it about a year ago, and really didn't particularly enjoy it... just felt like a lot of wasted potential, from a couple writers that maybe weren't in quite the right milieu... I just figured that I wasn't appreciating it fully because I was still getting caught up on all the storylines, so figured rereading it now might lead to more enjoyment.