Starscream was Megatron's right-hand and a secondary antagonist in the Transformers Prime series. He dreams of seizing leadership of the Decepticon faction for himself, and has even succeeded on a few occasions, only to have it taken away by Megatron. Though not physically powerful by Cybertronian standards, Starscream is arguably more dangerous than Megatron as he is power hungry, egotistic, cowardly, paranoid, unpredictable and willing to kill on sight even if it includes his own men. Starscream's role in the series often changed from time to time. He is also noted for being the first and only Decepticon to have permanently killed a member of Team Prime.
History[]
War for Cybertron[]
For the last thousand years of the Great War, Starscream was in charge of an orbital facility that had the capability of producing Dark Energon, though they maintained only a small stockpile because of its unpredictable and uncontrollable nature. The station's force of neutral soldiers were no match for Megatron's invading forces, while Starscream and Jetfire's repeated warnings that no one could control Dark Energon had no effect on Megatron's determination. Instead, Megatron tempted Starscream with knowledge of his past, reminding him of his demotion from Sky Commander to a mere guard over an all-but-derelict station, and offered to let him join the Decepticons, something Starscream scoffed at — at least, at first. Starscream attempted to destroy the station's stock of Dark Energon before the Decepticon leader could reach it, but failed, and watched, first with amusement as Megatron entered the storage chamber...and then with shock as Megatron infused himself with the substance and bent it to his will within moments. Starscream quickly volunteered his services for the Decepticon cause, causing Jetfire to label him a traitor and leave to warn Zeta Prime . Megatron sent him with Thundercracker and Skywarp to Cybertron to reactivate the Energon Bridge. Starscream performed the mission successfully using his trademark style, flair, and modesty, never mind Megatron's taunting and unreasonable impatience, or Thundercracker warning him of the danger of certain courses of action, or even Skywarp cluing in to his constant insults.
During the Battle of Iacon City, Starscream led the Decepticons' aerial squadrons and Brawl led the Decepticons' ground assault, while Megatron, Soundwave, and Breakdown went behind enemy lines and tried to secure the Omega Key. When Megatron's group met up with Brawl, Starscream refused to send Dark Energon bombers, saying that he wouldn't let Brawl waste anymore of "his ships". Megatron took issue with Starscream dubbing the bombers his, and overrode Starscream's refusal. Later that evening, while looking for the "real" Omega Key, they ran into it: Omega Supreme. Starscream assumed Megatron was killed when Omega attacked a dropship Megatron was heading for and declared himself Decepticon commander. Shortly afterward, Megatron managed to communicate with Starscream and ordered him to attack Omega Supreme, getting the massive Autobot off of Megatron's back. By the time Megatron's group were heading for the Autobot turrets, Starscream was ready to sound a retreat, which Megatron overrode with the threat of marking any retreating Decepticon as "kill on sight". Fortunately, Megatron arrived moments later and managed to defeat Omega Supreme, making the retreat unnecessary. Later on, he was present at the Core of Cybertron as Megatron corrupted it with Dark Energon.
As the Battle of Iacon continued, Starscream fought through Jetfire and Silverbolt, and attacked Optimus' group in the Decagon. However, the Air Commander was injured by Optimus' Energon Axe and forced to retreat. The wound was apparently bad enough to cause him to sit out the remainder of the conflict.
Fall of Cybertron[]
Under Megatron's orders, Starscream and the Combaticons ambushed and captured Optimus Prime under the ruins of Iacon during the assault on the Ark. Starscream's gloating on how he defeated Megatron's arch-nemesis would earn him a blast from the Decepticon leader's Fusion Cannon. Starscream's luck would take an uphill turn, however, for Megatron was soon crushed by Metroplex, leaving him the new leader of the Decepticons. At the urging of both Prime and Metroplex, Starscream ordered the Decepticons to retreat.
Starscream's reign as a leader was lackluster at best. He used most of the Decepticon's energon and supplies to further his own ego and cover the Decepticon bases with portraits and effigies of himself and constantly broadcasting self glorifying speeches to his troops. Anyone who wasn't on board with Starscream's reign was thrown into the prisons of Kaon. Needless to say, the prisons were full to bursting as barely a handful of Decepticons had any faith in their new leader. When the Autobots acquired the entire energon supply the Decepticons kept in the Sea of Rust. Starscream sent the Combaticons to stop the transport. When the transport was out in the open, Starscream ordered an assault on it, despite the fact that the anti-aircraft gun was still functional. As the Decepticons suffered heavy losses, Starscream aborted the mission and ordered a full retreat. The Combaticons ignored the order and brought the transport down, at the cost of half the energon on board. Despite the fact that the Combaticons had saved the mission he had abandoned, Starscream accused them of failing and had them arrested.
Later, Starscream decided to have a coronation for himself (despite the fact he had been in charge for some time now). Though sadly it was not to be, as a newly rebuilt Megatron crashed the event and took his crown back from the would-be king, much to everyone else's elation. Luckily, the Air Commander escaped Megatron's wrath, swearing revenge.
Seeking the means to get back at Megatron, Starscream made his way to Shockwave's lab. He came across Grimlock and promised to free him and his team if they would serve him. The Dinobot 'kindly' refused the offer by throwing him into the control panel, freeing himself. This apparently knocked Starscream out as he didn't get back up. What happened to him afterwards is he got up, apologized to Megatron and came back in the ranks of the Decepticons, since most of the Decepticons that might have arrested him were cut to pieces by a rampaging Grimlock.
Transformers: Prime[]
Starscream is part of the main group of Decepticons in the 2010 computer animated series Transformers: Prime. This version is depicted as a much darker character, constantly plotting his rise to becoming the Decepticon leader and mercilessly killing Autobots, as evidenced when he terminates Cliffjumper in the series premiere.
He has displayed a contempt for Decepticons who do not choose a flying alternate mode, such as Knock Out. Throughout the first half of season one, Starscream serves as the Decepticons' leader after Megatron is critically injured and placed on life support (aided in his injuries by Starscream's attempt to assassinate him). However, once Megatron revives, Starscream is beaten and punished, returning to his position as second-in-command.
Following Megatron's attempt to exterminate Starscream, as well as his further humiliation at the hands of the Decepticon Airachnid, Starscream leaves the Decepticons to strike out as an independent in season two. His attempts to eradicate the Autobots and Megatron range from siding with the human terrorist organization M.E.C.H. (resulting in his loss of flight for most of season two) to cloning himself into an army, all of which end in failure, and he becomes more comedic in his ineptitude.
He eventually gains a powerful Iacon relic known as the Apex Armor, and also manages to obtain speed-enhancing Red Energon, though he loses the former to the Autobot Smokescreen. After learning of the Omega Keys, powerful Cybertronian relics that can be used to revive Cybertron, Starscream decides to steal the Keys from the Autobots and rejoin the Decepticons, at which he succeeds. Upon rejoining, Starscream regains his old position as Megatron's first lieutenant after the destruction of Dreadwing (at Megatron's hands), and is instrumental in the kidnapping of the Autobots' human allies, the creation of the fortress Darkmount on Earth, and the destruction of the Autobot base.
In season three, Starscream is forced to share his high-ranking position with Shockwave, and tries to earn Megatron's respect by finding the Autobots before his rival, which results in an outbreak of energon vampires when he foolishly combines Dark Energon with unstable Synthetic Energon, resulting in the loss of over half of the Decepticon forces. Starscream is also distrustful of Predaking, the Predacon cloned by Shockwave to hunt down the Autobots, a feeling which is proven correct when Predaking shows he is sentient and capable of transforming. It is also he who suggests terminating the Predacon soldiers they have been creating, and blaming it on the Autobots, later causing Predaking to turn against them.
In "Deadlock", Starscream and the Decepticons fight the Autobots, and later witness Megatron slay Bumblebee by shooting him multiple times, causing him to fall into the Cybermatter. After a while he comes out fixed and having his voice regained by the Cybermatter, and stabs Megatron in the chest using the Star Saber, killing him. Megatron lifeless body then falls off the Nemesis, down to Earth. Starscream, Shockwave and the other Decepticons then retreat.
In the TV movie Predacons Rising, which functions as the finale to the animated series Transformers: Prime, Starscream is shown to share leadership of the Decepticons with Shockwave, who constantly has them move labs to avoid detection. Starscream also helps to command two Predacons, Skylynx and Darksteel, wich they have cloned as a part of their scheme to rebuild the Decepticon army, and is witness with Shockwave to the arrival of Unicron (possessing Megatron's upgraded and resurrected body). Starscream is among those to try and flee when Unicron attacks, but is betrayed by Knockout, who sides with the Autobots. When Megatron is freed from Unicron's control, Starscream is eager to rejoin him, but Megatron rebuffs, saying that he has lost his taste for inflicting oppression, and that the Decepticons are no more. Starscream then eagerly attempts to reinstate himself as leader of the Decepticons, but is confronted by Predaking, Skylynx and Darksteel, who are intent on revenge for their cruel treatment at his hands. Starscream's fate is left ambiguous.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)[]
Starscream himself however survived, and after reformatting his body, hid until he could regain his full power. This led the Autobots to believe he was dead and allowed him to operate incognito. At some point after his escape, Starscream began to take interest in the Weaponizer Minicons as part of his plans for revenge and galactic conquest and promptly began hunting them down, hiring an Insecticon, and two mercenaries named Roughedge and Shadelock to help him find Minicons on Earth. He also came into possession of Megatron's Dark Star Saber and promptly took control of it, though the sword began rejecting him and he could not access its full power. Nevertheless, he still desired minicons as part of his goals and ended up having Fixit, Jetstorm and Slipstream brought to him when they were captured by mistake. After learning that his old enemy, Bumblebee, was on Earth, he threatened to terminate the Minicons unless Bumblebee surrendered to him. Bumblebee promptly did so in order to secure their release.[3]
He was last seen being attacked by Predacons Predaking, Darksteel, and Skylynx in Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising before returning to Earth in "Mighty Big Trouble" in a redesigned form based off his Generation 1 and Transformers: Animated counterparts. Starscream arrives on Earth and retakes the Dark Star Saber from Clawtrap. His team is composed of Roughedge (a former Autobot), Shadelock, and an Insecticon, called Razorhorn. In "Mini-Con Madness", Starscream explains how he survived the Predacons and how his lair's defenses had destroyed Darksteel and Skylynx with the weapons of Darkmount's Fortress. Then he finds the lab where the Mini-Cons were and how he gained his old body type.
Eventually he and his bounty hunters returned to earth to hunt down Buzzstrike, Bashbreaker, Aerobolt, Windstrike, Sawtooth, Tricerashot and Lancelon to make him self incredibly powerful in order to finally kill Megatron in revenge for his cruelty towards him using the Dark Star Saber which he acquired from the bottom of the oceans as a weapon and was finally able to capture most of the min cons and prepared to merge with them when bumblebee and Fix-It got aboard his ship to stop his plan and he obtained the last and successfully merged with all seven only for Aerobolt to break free thanks to a signal disrupter from Fix-It. Starscream flew clear and engaged the now merged Optimus Prime and Aerobolt while Shadelock and the bounty hunters tried to flee but were defeated by the Autobots. until the Autobots managed to drag him in to range, Starscream was left unconscious from the separation and he, the bounty hunters and the Dark Star Saber were taken back to Cybertron aboard Prime Force One to face justice at long last.
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