THE OFFICIAL
Jim Lee TF Universe
T E C H N I C A L
F A Q
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Written by: Jim Lee (of course!)
jimlee@princeton.edu
http://www.princeton.edu/~jimlee/tf.html
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DISCLAIMER
The aim of this FAQ is to inform the public and myself of
how the Transformers Universe works (according to me!) on a
rational and semi-scientific basis.
This FAQ is purely for informational purposes and the author does
not accept any responsibility for any harm or damage caused
to anyone or anything because of the content of this FAQ (however
unlikely that may be).
TRADEMARK INFORMATION
All specific names included herein are trademarks and are so
acknowledged: Hasbro, Inc.
Any trademarks not mentioned here are still hypothetically
acknowledged.
COPYRIGHT
This article is copyright 1997, Jim Lee. All rights reserved.
Feel free to keep a copy on your websites or whatever, as long as
I am credited as the author. (It is my version of the
Transformers, after all.)
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever been in the midst of an epic battle between good
and evil, when all of a sudden you say, "Hey, how can Megatron be
a huge 'con, but turn into a little gun?" Well I don't know
about you, but when this happened, it threw my tidy little
Transformers world for a big loop-de-loop and killed my enjoyment
of the Transformers. This FAQ is my attempt to record all the
justifications and plausible reasons I could come up with for
anything and everything that crossed my Transformer-obsessed
mind. Enjoy it, and if you don't, well, go chew on a microchip!
CHANGES FROM PREVIOUS VERSION
- 5/26/97 nothing yet!
FAQ AVAILABILITY
The Technical FAQ can be obtained from my website, the Temple of
Primus, at http://www.princeton.edu/~jimlee/tf.html. Well, at
least until I drop out of school! For extra reading, check the
real FAQ by Steve Stonebraker.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Anatomy
1. Why are Transformers humanoid in form?
2. But why do they have specialized organs (i.e. Do they
really have tongues like the G2 comic showed?)
3. Why do (most) Transformers have 5 fingers?
4. Is a Transformer's brain in its robot head or its
vehicle cockpit?
5. Are there female Transformers?
II. Physiology
1. How do Transformers like Megatron and Soundwave change
size?
1.1. Explanation of subspace theory
1.2. The case against subspace
1.3. Variable quanta theory
1.4. Justification of variable quanta theory
2. Can all Transformers change their sizes?
3. How do Transformers "feel"?
4. How do Transformers remember?
III. Communication
1. Why do Transformers "speak" at all? Can't they
communicate via radio waves or something?
2. How do Transformers always/sometimes/never know each
other's names?
IV. Linguistics
1. How did the Transformers get their names?
2. Ok, I can buy that, but what kind of Cybertronian
translation would Bumblebee, Beachcomber, and other
Transformers with Earth-specific names have then?
3. What about the Transformers that have fancier names
like Optimus Prime and Megatron?
V. Weapons of War and Destruction!
GET ON WITH IT
I. ANATOMY
1. Why are Transformers humanoid in form?
As with all life, the Transformers are evolving. And as
evidenced by the likes of Ravage, Laserbeak, and Sky Lynx,
not all Transformers are humanoid in form. However, it
may be argued that the humanoid form is more versatile
than, say, a quadrupedal form. For example, Ravage
probably has difficulty operating computer panels because
of its lack of versatile appendages. Why not a quadrupedal
form with arms then? Of course, this would also work.
However, it would mean the consumption of extra body
resources to keep fully operational. Thus, evolution might
favor the most efficient, yet versatile body forms. This
argument works on the same principle as to why humans have
evolved as a bipedal species rather than quadrupedal
animals like dogs and cats.
This evolution would have been accelerated by the
Transformer civil war. As the war wore on, it would stand
to reason that only the strongest and ablest Transformers
would survive, thus explaining the predominance of bipedal
Transformers. (Which only makes the talents of the
quadrupedal Transformers that much more impressive.) Thus,
in my view, I see Transformers such as Ravage and Steeljaw
as earlier stages in evolution. Shockwave as well because
of its gun arm. Then perhaps Omega Supreme with its claw,
and then eventually fully versatile hands. Note: this
does NOT mean that these Transformers are older than the
others. No more so than a newly born lizard could be said
to be more "advanced" than a 10 year old human. They
simply represent different levels of evolution.
2. But why do they have specialized organs (i.e. Do they
really have tongues like the G2 comic showed?)
Yes, Transformers do have specialized organs such as noses,
tongues, teeth, eyes. One of the definitions of life is
that an external stimulus is registered, and an organism
reacts to it, whether it be a pinprick to the skin, or the
stupor of alcohol. However, there is a limit as to how
much information an organism can process. For example, why
do we only see in the short electromagnetic bandwidth that
we do? Why can't we see in infrared like dogs? Or hear as
well as bats? Transformer evolution has followed the same
reasoning. Despite the wonder of their technology, a
Transformer can only process so much information.
It would further benefit an organism if there existed
specialized organs that could process certain information
better than other parts of the body. For example, our nose
can breathe better than our skin, even though our skin
surface is made up of millions of pores. But a tongue, you
say? Hmm... Well, it IS a really freak occurrence of
convergent evolution, yes, but it's not impossible.
3. Why do Transformers have 5 fingers?
Unlike tongues, there does exist a fairly believable reason
that so many Transformers have 5 digits on their hands.
As explained in any basic biology book, it is surmised that
to utilize tools, primates had to develop an opposeable
thumb digit. The same reasoning may be applied to the
Transformers. Unfortunately, I don't know if it was ever
proven as to whether or not 4 fingers and 1 thumb are
better than, say, 3 fingers and 1 thumb. If it hasn't,
then chalk that up to convergent evolution as well...
4. Is a Transformer's brain in its robot head or its vehicle
cockpit?
Yes. :) Evidence from the comic and cartoon continuity
point to both. I surmise that on Cybertron, the "cockpit"
housed the majority of the sensory area in vehicle form and
the head in robot form. In other words, they had two sets
of sensory processors, though not equal in capacity. For
example, in vehicle mode, olfactory sensors aren't as
important as visual and surface sensors to see where you're
going and who's shooting at you. In robot mode, you
probably get a more "dilute" sense of vision because
instead of using radar or its Cybertronian equivalent,
you're looking in your immediate vicinity. As far as where
the "brain" is, I'd say it's in the robot head. In other
words, a Transformer would be more likely to die if it gets
shot in the head than in its windshield.
5. Are there female Transformers?
NO. As the Transformers do not reproduce sexually, there
is no need for female Transformers. To be fair, this means
that there are also no MALE Transformers, either. There
are just Transformers. Period. Why then do they refer to
each other as "he" or "she"? Simple. When the Ark
explored Earth after being reawakened in 1984, it studied
Earth languages as explained in Section IV (below). From
its study, it determined that living beings were usually
referred to by the pronouns "he" or "she," and inanimate,
genderless objects as "it." The idea of sexual
differentiation among species being a foreign concept, the
Ark was unable to differentiate between the two and used
them interchangeably at first. After the Transformers met
Sparkplug, and noticed he referred to his son as "he," they
adopted this for themselves.
After spending more time with humans, the Transformers came
to understand the differences between human genders, and
simply adopted the gender their personality seemed to match
most. The fact that the "female" Transformers have
somewhat feminine shapes is thus purely coincidental, and
perhaps a reason a particular Transformer might identify
itself as female. Generalizing the male physique as more
"rugged," the same is true for the "male" Transformers.
II. PHYSIOLOGY
1. How do Transformers like Megatron and Soundwave change
size?
In both the show and comic, Transformers such as Megatron
and Soundwave shrink down from tall robotic modes to small
human-scaled mechanical forms such as guns and tape decks.
How do they do this? The current prevailing theory is
subspace. However, this idea is refuted below and the idea
of variable quanta is supported.
1.1. Explanation of subspace theory
Subspace theory puts for the idea that Transformers
shunt mass into a pocket of space known as subspace.
This applies both to body mass, as well as to weapons
and other accessories (you know, those pieces we
always lose). Each Transformer has its own
individual pocket of subspace in which it can store
anything it chooses. A way of looking at it is that
a three-dimensional object may rotate itself such
that it reveals the smallest surface area possible in
two-dimensions. To a two-dimensional being, then, it
would have changed in mass. Subspace just says
additionally that not only shape can be changed, but
_mass_ can be changed in this sort of fashion. No
theoretical explanation is put forth -- it's
pseudoscience.
1.2. The case against subspace
Subspace theory is wrong in my TF universe. Why, you
ask? Especially when it's the most commonly held
belief on a.t.t? Several reasons. Assume
Transformers have the ability to shunt mass to a
subspace pocket. The consensus is that this applies
to weapons/accessories as well. It follows then that
Transformers can use this ability on inanimate
objects such as guns, armor, etc. This being the
case, why would Transformers bother shooting each
other in a war? Just get near your enemy, and shunt
his butt into subspace. If you've got total control
over your subspace pocket, he can't get out! Ahh,
you can imagine the answers to this question...they
have a unilateral pact not to do this, they can't
shunt THAT much mass. Well, who's to say how much
mass one can or can't shunt. Prime's trailer is
bigger than him, for chrissake!. And when Omega
Supreme's rocket half takes off, assumeably subspace
theory says he folds his track into subspace -- a
good half of himself. Or, one might say they never
thought of this. Well, as Blades says, "War's a
dirty game." In 4 million years plus of fighting,
I'd think someone would do it if they could.
1.3. Variable quanta theory
Ok, you say. Then what's your half-baked idea?
Well, actually it's not mine. It's the Nixtr's. :)
Variable quanta theory states that Transformers
change size by compacting the subatomic structure of
their bodies. A large portion of every atom is
space. Electrons move around the nucleus -- ok, this
is high school chemistry here. What if that space
could be removed? Volume would then change.
Ahh, but what about mass you say? The classic
counterpoint to this idea? Volume could be compacted
but multi-ton robots would still retain their
incredibly large masses, and thus a normal human
would not be able to lift or handle them? It has
also been pointed out that this violates Planck's
constant. All well and good. But what if mass is
not retained? That is, mass in the strictest sense.
Mass, by common definition, is the amount of matter
in an object. But how does one "know" how much mass
is in something? By comparing it to something else
of known mass. Thus, though a man could lift a large
girder in space with his finger, he might not be able
to change its motion due to his smaller mass (and
thus lower momentum, assuming both are at relatively
the same speed). But what if this shrinking isn't
actually a contraction of atomic space, but on an
even smaller scale? Particle physics has shown us
that protons are composed of yet smaller particles,
quarks. It is not inconceivable that quarks have yet
further substructure. Most attempts to "disprove"
variable quanta have focused on physical "laws," and
yet it would be arrogant to say that the unified
field theory is the end all, be all of physics.
In MY universe, then, as matter is contracted at the
subatomic level, other forces besides the four
fundamental forces come into play. Yes, forces that
have yet to be discovered. Perhaps the elusive
graviton particle exists, and at such close
compaction of subparticles, has the effect of
reversing what we might perceive as "mass."
1.4. Justification of variable quanta theory
Ok, why go through this lengthy discussion. The
point I'm trying to make is that while many claim
that subspace theory is elegant and explains it all,
one can say the same about variable quanta theory.
Subspace theory is elegant because there's nothing to
explain because we CAN'T explain it. Whereas tighter
packing of material is something that is conceivable
in our minds, in a sense. The problem comes about
because we feel we can disprove variable quanta
theory with CURRENT ideas. I personally think that
Transformers having the ability to compact parts of
their body makes a good deal more sense than having
the ability to put anything they want into their own
magical pocket. It explains why the war wasn't over
in two nanoseconds as well. As for weapons and
accessories, either they are compacted as a result of
being within the locality of some field that causes
the shrinking of their bodies, or the weapons are
stored inside them ala Robocop's gun being stored in
his thigh.
2. Can all Transformers change their sizes?
NO. If they all could do it, surely they would, for it
would be a definite advantage in battle (e.g. shrink down
to avoid a swing of an axe or sword, go between opponent's
legs, enlarge, and take off opponent's head module).
While only some Transformers have the ability to change
size, these same Transformers may not have the ability to
control how much they change size. Thus, Megatron may not
be able to become a medium tall Megatron, and so forth.
Again it is possible that others may be able to. Not all
humans can pat their tummies and rotate their hands over
their heads at the same time. And of those who can, not
all of them can control it enough to be able to stop and
switch on a dime.
The fact that not all Transformers can change their sizes
also supports the idea of Transformer evolution. Of the
oldest Transformers, some could do it (i.e. Megatron,
cassettes, Soundwave). After four million years of
evolution, those who had this ability and could control it
survived and became much more widespread. When the
Micromasters were introduced in the comic series, they said
they downsized to be more energy efficient. In this case,
the Transformers turned the tables and shrunk the size of
their _robot_ modes, a clever tactic that may have selected
for their survival. A larger vehicular form may have been
retained for utilitarian purposes. (It's much harder to
run over a Decepticon when you're the size of his foot.)
3. How do Transformers "feel"?
It is necessary for any organism to "feel" in order to
understand the stimulus that is disturbing it so that it
may respond accordingly. While Transformers can't feel in
the sense that their skin gets deformed easily by pressure,
they do have other means. Pressure in their metal skin can
lead to electrical currents which could be detected by
their nervous system. Their bodies would then be able to
categorize sensations as painful, pleasurable, or what not.
In addition, they probably do not have full physical body
sensation. For example, when one develops a scab, sense of
touch is lost there. With Transformers, the problem is
compounded by the nature of their bodies. They have
wheels, extra armor plating, etc. The Transformer would
probably be unable to "feel" a tire. Rather, it would
detect the tire's status through sensors hooked up the
hubcaps or whatever part was connected to the tire. In
other words, tires and parts like it can be likened to
jewelry people never remove (e.g. you can feel your wedding
ring, but you don't feel THROUGH the ring even though it's
a part of you [well supposedly...]). For the individual
who is working on his own Transformer in the garage in this
century, the sensors would most likely be piezoelectric.
Piezoelectric sensors are ceramic materials that conduct
electrical current when pressurized. It's what the navy
and army are so crazy about for smart materials. Cool,
huh?
4. How do Transformers remember?
It would seem that all Transformers, not just Soundwave,
should have a photographic memory. To some extent, this is
true. As sensory input is digitally processed, memories
should be crystal clear. However, in the course of a
lifetime, new experiences require storage. Transformer
evolution has solved that problem through "fuzzing." As
new experiences are accrued, old memories become fuzzed.
The procedure is similar to that of storing computer images
on the computer. You can have the perfect "gif" format, or
the more fuzzy "jpg." While gifs store all the colors and
patterns in a picture, jpgs decode the picture according to
a algorithm that essentially says that the less clear the
picture is, the less disk space it takes. A more recent
example is wavelet technology (ask a comp sci guy for more
details). Thus, in Transformers, older memories are fuzzed
out until they eventually fade out. Naturally, important
events may be stored in better condition. For example, I
don't think any 'bot or 'con will forget the Unicron War,
no matter how old they get. It's just the relatively
unimportant ones that get degraded. This explains why old-
timers like Kup often have trouble remembering exactly how
they wormed their way out of previous predicaments.
III. COMMUNICATION
1. Why do Transformers "speak" at all? Can't they communicate
via radio waves or something?
Yes, as metallic beings, Transformers can use their own
bodies as electromagnetic wave transmitters. This method
of communication would travel at the speed of light and
thus theoretically surpass vocal speech in quality and
speed. HOWEVER, by the very nature of this method,
eavesdroping is very easy. The safeguard against this
would be encryption. However, as hackers claim, every code
is made to be broken. Thus, vocal communication
demonstrates its utility. A spy would have to be in very
close proximity to a conversation in order to eavesdrop.
Thus, vocal communication came about as a means of
localized communication that would be harder to eavesdrop
on. So it would be a case of reverse convergent evolution,
if such a term can be used.
2. How do Transformers always know each other's names?
In the global conflict of the Transformers war, it would
probably be necessary to identify yourself quickly as
friend or foe on the battlefield. Besides their insignia,
they have small emitters that broadcast, "Me Blaster, me
Autobot" or something like that. And of course, should it
be damaged, or deliberately stopped from broadcasting (like
in a sneak attack), then the others might not know who the
robot is. This explains why in some episodes, Transformers
know right away who the other one is even though they
haven't been back to Cybertron or Earth or what not, and in
other cases they don't know jack who the other robot is.
IV. LINGUISTICS
1. How did the Transformers get their names?
The native language of the Transformers is Cybertronian,
presumably a binary language of some sort, and thus the
Transformers originally had only Cybertronian names.
Before the activation of the Transformers on Earth,
however, the Ark sent out a probe to investigate the native
life predominant on the planet. Though the probe
mistakenly took mechanical constructions as lifeforms, it
would be able to discern the meaning of written language by
observation. For example, it would note that a vehicular
lifeform (a car) stops in front of a stop sign. Thus, the
Ark could assign a meaning to the grouping of letters "s"-
"t"-"o"-"p". As the probe circled the planet, it would
note the similarities in the responses of "life" to
different words (for languages other than English), and
thus understand that different words could have similar
meanings and model this as a function of planetary
geographic location. The Transformers merely adopted a
name more suitable for communication with life on this
planet, as this was the original purpose for their adapting
to Earth modes. Which explains why in Japan the
Transformers have Japanese names. :)
2. Ok, I can buy that, but what kind of Cybertronian
translation would Bumblebee, Beachcomber, and other
Transformers with Earth-specific names have then?
Though Cybertron is vastly different from Earth, there
are surely analogies between surface terrain and lifeFORMS.
In the case of Bumblebee, for example, there surely exist
annoying little lifeforms whose only purpose in life is to
sip energon. And as far as Beachcomber is concerned, it is
likely that a solid, though porous, planet such as
Cybertron must experience dynamic geological forces that
shape its surface. Thus, Transformers such as Beachcomber
have names that reflect related, if not exact, forms.
3. What about the Transformers that have fancier names like
Optimus Prime and Megatron?
The leaders of the Transformers were held in high reverence
by their followers [Starscream excepted :> ]. It would
make sense that they were given more elaborate names.
Thus, leaders or commanders such as Ultra Magnus had longer
honorifics. When the Ark probed Earth before reanimating
the Transformers, it deciphered Earth languages and
determined that a sizeable majority were descended from
Latin and thus determined an appropriate translation.
V. WEAPONS OF WAR AND DESTRUCTION!
This section is devoted to explanations of how some of the
Transformers' weapons may have worked. If you're curious
about one, let me know.
Here are some I bothered to think about.
1. Cliffjumper's glass gas
The embrittlement of metal as hydrogen gas diffuses
through the structure, with the kinetics somehow souped
up
2. Starscream's null rays
Essentially a glorified short circuit that disrupted
electrical neural pathways. Same goes for Blaster's
electroscrambler.
3. Grimlock's (and other Dinobot's) thermoswords
The edge is a monofilament nearing one molecule in
width, thus enabling it to cut through almost anything. (
geocities.com/temple_of_primus)