Transformers is a franchise spanning from 1980 to the present. It started as a toyline in the 1980s and then became a comic book series, animated TV shows and movies, and live action movies, all of which are still being made today, with the trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts immediately attract mass attention.
Transformers main plot involves the titular “robots in disguise”, whose home planet was devastated by a war between the Autobots (commonly known as the good guys) and the Decepticons (commonly known as the bad guys). This war rages over decades and across the galaxies, eventually leading to Earth, where the Autobots try to help defend the planet. The franchise has a large number of characters, with the older G1 Transformers TV shows and comics feature more characters than today’s movies, which generally only focus on a portion of the many robots.
But are Transformers aliens then? Or robots from an alien planet? Of course everyone has questions… Let’s discuss some of them together.
Can Transformers Get Pregnant?
Not in the way we do. After Primus’ creation, early Transformers could reproduce using a mitosis-like ability, forming energetic liquid metal from within their bodies. But once Primus thought the population was high enough, he erased this ability from their memory. As a result, their ability was rediscovered over time, but with consequences. The further the generations were made with this process, the more machine-like they acted, with less emotional capacity.
The exact way they reproduce is not discussed in today’s lore like most Transformers shows are made for children. But it is widely believed that they still reproduce asexually in some way.
Fun fact: Transformers also have no gender, but are often referred to as “he” as their build generally matches the human description of male (with the same viewer demographic), though a few Transformers in the series have been labeled as female by the series considered people.
What is their religion?
The aforementioned Primus is the creator/god figure of the Transformers universe, whose origins generally go back to the creation of the universe itself. They also have religious themes like the Allspark, a dimension where all sparks (human equivalent of souls) exist, have existed, or have been created. This also intersects with the term “The Matrix”, where sparks from deceased Transformers last forever.
Their religion therefore has a very similar structure to many other religions that people may be familiar with.
What do transformers eat? Do they eat?
Kind of? But a little bit not. They need Energon to survive. It is a substance that, once mined in a liquid, pumps through the Transformers. It’s like their food, their blood, their source of energy. It is also said to be used to power their weapons and ships, so it is a multi-purpose mineral. So the search for Energon is an important part of the Transformers series, in which any faction of the war that has more Energon will be better off than the other.
What is a prime and why is Optimus One?
In many iterations of Transformers, the title of prime is a high level of respect and authority one can be bestowed upon. It is also technically used to identify the leader of the Autobots and gives them the responsibility of taking care of the matrix of leadership (another important relic of their past). In most lore they are not born primes but given the title but in some lore they are born that way so the true definition of born skill vs earned title depends on which series in the franchise you are watching .
Do Transformers Sleep?
Again, yes and no. Many animated films and series for children show the Transformers sleeping, but in other lore they are not necessarily asleep. However, as the lore gets closer to the present, they are increasingly shown dormant in the media, perhaps using this tool to appear less strange to the public.
Instead, they have something called “stasis lock,” a form of coma that a Transformer can fall into if badly injured.
What is the average age of a transformer?
Transformers can live up to seven million years in most lore, although the recent 2018 cartoon suggested they had lived for over 65 million years. Still, that’s not canon in all franchise media. While they live exponentially longer, their age ranges for different life stages are also longer, as characters like Bumblebee are seen as younger, teenish characters, but are millions of years old.
In all, the Transformers are made to look very different from us, but their culture isn’t far removed from Earth’s. And even if their physical properties are very different, as humans we still understand machines and cars, which gives this idea of an alien species a more relatable quality. Still, Transformers the lore has changed over the years and as the franchise continues to expand there will be more changes to come.