Question: In what fictional work does the planet Cybertron feature?

Cybertron





Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro.[1]   In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" (first shown on Japanese Galaxy Force packaging, although "Cybertron" is the Japanese name for "Autobot") pronounced as Sabertron セイバートロン Seibātoron.[2] Cybertron is populated by mechanical self-configuring modular lifeforms of variable size who can transform into all kinds of machinery. These are called Cybertronians, or Transformers.[3]
Locations
Iacon
Iacon is the name of the largest city on Cybertron, in the various Transformers media. It is best known as the hometown of Optimus Prime and the Council of Autobot Elders. The city was protected by a great dome, and was the last city-state to fall to the Decepticons, after which the Autobot resistance moved into the tunnels and bases beneath its surface. Iacon appeared throughout the US and UK Transformers comic as the main base of the Autobot resistance on Cybertron.
"And There Shall Come... A Leader", a flashback story in the 1985 UK Annual, shows Iacon as home to the Autobot Council of Elders based in the Celestial Temples, who include Emirate Xaaron, High Councilor Traachon and Councilor Tommandi. The city itself is protected by a great dome, and is the last Autobot outpost to hold out against Megatron's advancing army of Decepticons. During the story, Prime’s troops destroy the main expressways into Iacon, halting the Decepticon advance.
In the 1986 UK Annual, another flashback story, "State Games", details pre-war Cybertron and the buildup to Megatron’s uprising. After the failure of a global ruling body known as the Overlords, Cybertron has been divided into various independent city-states, all of which are now facing overcrowding and a lack of resources. Iacon is the largest and wealthiest of these city-states, and the home of Optimus Prime. Inter-state gladiator matches increase the tension between Iacon and lesser city-states such as Tarn and Vos, and eventually a botched act of sabotage leads Tarn and Vos into civil war with each other. The survivors are united by Megatron, and blame Iacon for standing by and, falsely, starting the conflict in the first place.
In the Target: 2006 storyline (UK #66 to #88), Iacon is revealed to have been conquered by the Decepticons and its dome is a broken shell. Emirate Xaaron now leads the Autobot resistance movement from secret bases beneath Iacon’s surface.
The Autobot resistance moves out of Iacon and into the city-state of Kalis in the "City of Fear" storyline (UK #164 to #169), but are back in Iacon by "Yesterday’s Heroes" (UK #252 to #254, US #60). Whether Iacon survives Unicron's attack in "On the Edge of Extinction" (UK #319 to #322, US #75) is not made explicit.
City-states
Tarn – second largest city-state and hometown to Megatron. Shockwave was the city's ruler until war broke out between Tarn and Vos, and both city-states were destroyed by photon-missiles (detailed in the text story State Games in the 1986 UK Annual).
Vos – hometown to Starscream, who was figurehead of the ruling dictatorship.
Polyhex – ruled by Lord Straxus, Polyhex contains the Decepticon citadel Darkmount, the Smelting Pools (used to melt down Autobot prisoners), the Dead End (a shanty town for Cybertronian down and outs), and was the site of the first Space Bridge. The Autobot resistance in Polyhex was led by Perceptor before he traveled to earth (detailed in The Smelting Pool storyline in UK #66 to #67, US #17). Polyhex was originally ruled by Warlord Trannis until he was assassinated by the Wreckers and replaced by Straxus (detailed in 'Cybertron: The Middle Years' text story in UK #83). Following Straxus' defeat, Polyhex was later ruled by Ratbat and then Thunderwing.
Kalis – briefly home of the Autobot resistance and situated above Megatron's stellar engines. Before he was stranded on earth, Megatron's plans to turn Cybertron into a 'cosmic dreadnought' had progressed as far as building the engine reactor. This was discovered by the Autobot scientist Flame, and a series of failed attempts to fire the engines destroyed parts of Kalis's surface before the reactors were destroyed and Flame killed. During Flame's attempts to activate the engines he used an army of 'zombie' Transformer corpses, animated by a computer signal, to protect his experiments and turn Kalis into a ghost town (detailed in the City of Fear storyline, UK #164 to #169).
Tyrest – neighboring city-state to Kalis, and home to the Jekka Amphitheatre – one of the old gladiator arenas used briefly by the Decepticons and an alien called Zabra for illegal interplanetary death-matches (detailed in the Deadly Games storyline, UK #170 to #171).
Helex – capital city of the Decepticons, Helex was home of the Triumvirate until they were killed and replaced by Megatron (detailed in The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire, UK #213 to #214).
Stanix – one of the first city-states to come under control of the Decepticons, Stanix was ruled by the Decepticon scientist Megadeath. He planned to use neutron bombs to destroy the Autobots' forces while leaving the buildings and cities of Cybertron intact. His plan was sabotaged and the bombs detonated in Stanix, after which the region was referred to as the Acid Wastes. Stanix is located near a small town named Yuss, and not far from Boltax's Laboratory (detailed in The Magnificent Six text story in the 1990 UK Annual)
Geography
The Boltax Laboratory – home and origin of the Underbase. The laboratory is protected by a series of traps, but was breached by Megatron, forcing Optimus Prime to launch the Underbase into space (detailed in The Underbase Saga, UK #196 to #197 and US #48). During the story showcasing the laboratory, housed inside a mechanical mountain, it is revealed that Boltax himself is the entire facility. He uses several avatars to guard the laboratory and interact with welcome guests.
The Manganese Mountains – a range of mountains used as a hideout for Fortress Maximus's band of Autobots before they left for Nebulos (mentioned in Transformers: Headmasters #1, Ring of Hate).
The Sonic Canyons – according to the Transformers: Universe entry for Siren, these canyons are located in southern Cybertron and echo with the sound of underground machinery.
Transformers: Generation 1
Cybertron is described in the first issue of the Marvel comic book as being the size of Saturn, which would logically mean it possessed incredibly dense gravity, and yet it did not, possibly as a result of its hollow structure, honeycombed as it is by tunnels. However, in later depictions the art suggests Cybertron is much smaller, particularly during the attack by Unicron (detailed in On the Edge of Extinction in UK #319 to #322, US #75), where the scale differences between humans, individual Transformers and the ‘planet-sized’ Unicron suggest Cybertron to be closer in size to the earth's moon, as depicted in the cartoon continuity.
Cybertron has a metallic surface, although whether this extends to the core is debatable: in The Legacy of Unicron (UK #146 to #151) and later in Primal Scream (UK #259 to 261, US #61) it is revealed to have originally been ‘space junk’, the composition of which is unknown. The atmosphere is breathable by carbon-based life, but liquid water is rare enough on the planet that its existence is in doubt. Cybertron previously orbited Alpha Centauri, but was later thrown out of orbit and sent wandering through the galaxy.[4]
Marvel Comics
Before the Big Bang, an older universe existed, which was destroyed - consumed - by the fallen deity, Unicron. In the void of nothingness left in the universe's wake, Unicron slumbered, his work done... but Unicron had not been thorough enough, and tiny particles of the old universe that remained reacted with one another, birthing the current universe we know today. When Unicron awoke, his task began again, as he consumed world after world, until the sentient core of the universe responded by creating a guardian to battle Unicron – the Lord of the Light, Primus. Unfortunately, while Primus proved to be a physical equal, he was unable to outmatch Unicron in power. In a bid to save the worlds that they were destroying with the ferocity of their battle, Primus shifted the conflict to the astral plane, though he fared no better there than in the physical world. In a final gamble, Primus returned to the physical universe, with Unicron following on his heels, eager for the kill – unaware that Primus was luring him into a trap. Rather than materializing back in their corporeal forms, Unicron and Primus's consciousnesses became imprisoned in two metallic asteroids; Primus had sacrificed himself in order to capture Unicron.
However, Unicron was not beaten. After millennia, Unicron was able to psionically reshape his asteroid prison into a massive metal planet, and from there further developed his prison to be capable of transformation into a robot form which mimicked his original appearance, allowing him to continue his attempts to once again destroy all of creation. Primus followed suit, crafting his asteroid into a similar metal world – Cybertron. However, he did not wish to make the mistake of simply re-engaging Unicron in personal combat, as he believed their battle would continue to be a stalemate given their previous conflict. Instead, he gave birth to a race of beings called Transformers, possessed of transforming powers like Unicron's, and he bestowed upon them the Creation Matrix, a genetic Matrix that contained his essence, as capable of creating life as Unicron was of destroying it. Ultimately, the Matrix was intended by Primus to be a weapon intended to destroy Unicron, which would be wielded by Primus' creations against the evil entity. To hide his creations from Unicron before he felt they were ready to face him, Primus went into a hibernation-like sleep, his massive visage nestled at the planet's heart.
Knowing nothing of their true origins or the destiny they were to fulfill, the Transformers eventually splintered into two factions – the politically dissident Decepticons, who waged war on the peaceful Autobots. Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, schemed to turn Cybertron into the ultimate weapon, a warworld that would wreak havoc across the galaxy, and the resulting war knocked Cybertron out of its orbit and set it adrift in the universe. Around four million years BC, Cybertron's path brought it into the Sol system, heading directly for the asteroid belt, which threatened to heavily damage the planet. Autobot leader Optimus Prime led a contingent of his warriors aboard the Ark to destroy the rocks in Cybertron's path, but once they had succeeded, they were attacked by the Decepticons, causing all involved to be trapped in stasis on prehistoric Earth.
While the Autobots and Decepticons aboard the Ark were trapped in stasis, life on Cybertron continued. Consequently, the young warlord Trannis took control of the Decepticon army on the planet, and led a fierce campaign against the Autobots, reclaiming the cities they had taken, levelling the capital city-state of Iacon, and executing the Autobot council of elders, save for Emirate Xaaron, who fled with his troops and continued to fight. Xaaron formed an elite Autobot strike team, the Wreckers, who succeeded in assassinating Trannis, only to have the conflict escalate when the even more dangerous Lord Straxus took his place, forcing Xaaron and his men into hiding, fighting a guerilla war from a number of "Autobases" across the planet, headed up by Fortress Maximus and Perceptor, among others. Maximus's team, however, soon abandoned Cybertron, tiring of war and seeking peace on the planet Nebulos.
When the Transformers stranded on Earth were reactivated in 1984, the Decepticons succeeded in getting a message to Cybertron, and Straxus responded by arranging for the construction of a space bridge between the worlds. In a confrontation with Blaster aboard the bridge, Straxus's body was destroyed, leaving him a severed head, which in turn forced him to attempt the mental possession of Megatron's body. Megatron did not take kindly to this, and retaliated by destroying Straxus, leaving the Decepticon fuel auditor, Ratbat, as Cybertron's local Decepticon commander.
Little of import occurred on Cybertron in the immediate future as, more and more, the war spilled over to Earth, with the Autobot and Decepticon commanders summoning more and more warriors to the planet. Ratbat's death in the Underbase affair allowed a triumvirate of three Decepticons – Siezer, Legonis and Octus – to established themselves as rulers on Cybertron while Scorponok led on Earth, but following their destruction by Megatron, and his own subsequent disappearance, their appointed replacement, Thunderwing, took control and dispatched the Mayhem Attack Squad to track down the Autobot Pretenders. When the ensuing battle resulted in the malfunction of a teleportation portal, Grimlock, Bumblebee and Jazz found themselves at the core of Cybertron, bearing witness to the visage of Primus, and learned of his legend from the ancient "Keeper". The Keeper was then struck down by the Mayhems, and the battle that followed briefly awakened Primus, who unleashed a single scream that was heard on the fringes of known space... by Unicron.
As Unicron bore down on the planet, he sent an agent, Galvatron, ahead to sow terror in his name. But Galvatron chafed in Unicron's service and instead awoke Primus, who possessed Emirate Xaaron and teleported every Transformer back to Cybertron in order to unite them, as Unicron attacked the planet. Although Optimus Prime was able to use the Creation Matrix to destroy Unicron, it seemed that Cybertron was to meet its end by other means - tremors and storms began to pervade the planet, which seemed to be tearing itself apart, forcing the remaining Autobots and Decepticons to flee. In actuality, however, the final wave of Matrix energy released in Unicron's destruction had begun a planet-wide rebirth, which was then guided to conclusion by the Last Autobot, restoring and regenerating Cybertron, which the Autobots then occupied.
The above is the story of Primus as related in the United States in Marvel Comics but the story was originally told in British comics. The Primus story is recounted three times under Simon Furman - in order: Transformers UK #150, Transformers US #61, and US #74, and while the Primus/Unicron battle and ultimate solution are always the same, the background to their fight differs in each telling.
The first (told by Unicron) has Primus and Unicron leading armies of similar beings at the dawn of the universe. The second (told by the Primus Chamber's Keeper) had the two as the last of their respective pantheons and Primus needing to stop Unicron before he could pass on from this realm. The third, told by Primus, has Unicron destroying the previous universe and trying to end the current one, with Primus being formed by the "sentient core" of this universe to stop him.
By the third re-telling, the idea that Unicron and Primus were related to similar entities had been dropped and was not picked up again.
In the sequel series to the original Transformers comics, more of the history of Cybertron and the Transformer race was revealed, as Optimus Prime discovered that they had once possessed the ability to asexually reproduce by "budding". This was an ability that ceased to function and was forgotten as part of Primus's design, but a group of Cybertronians discovered it and unlocked it within themselves. They continued to multiply beyond the intended limits of their race, diluting their essences until all that remained were single minded killers arrogant in their own supposed superiority - and The Swarm, a dark, destructive byproduct of the reproduction which ventured into space and destroyed other worlds and races, just as these "second generation" Cybertronians left Cybertron under the command of Jhiaxus, and began colonising other planets. When the Swarm returned with the intention of consuming Cybertron, the world of its origin, Optimus Prime used the Matrix to purify it.
Animated series
In the TV series, Cybertron is a planet once used by the Quintessons as a factory with assembly lines creating soldier ("military hardware") and worker ("consumer goods") robots. (Note: This seems to contradict material presented in the first two seasons of the series. The whole series is full of apparent contradictions and inconsistencies.) Following a rebellion which drove the Quintessons off the planet, the workers became the Autobots and the soldiers became the Decepticons. These two factions eventually engaged in civil war, which forms the basis of the various Transformers stories. Some time between the Quintesson occupation and the Autobot/Decepticon war, Cybertron entered a "golden age", with the planet becoming an actual gold color. The energy demands of the war eventually returned Cybertron to its original coloration.
Cybertron, as presented in the original The Transformers animated series, was considerably smaller than the planet Earth, though how much smaller it was presented as was inconsistent, as were many other things in the series. Entirely metallic on the surface, some of the lowest levels of Cybertron consist of rock and dirt, suggesting a natural beginning to the planet. Its gravity is light enough that humans are able to traverse the surface without any trouble, and it possesses a breathable atmosphere. Water is not uncommon on the planet – lake and rivers have been shown to exist, albeit sparingly. Cybertron is orbited by at least two unnamed moons, but its own place in the cosmos appears unfixed – in 1984, it was clearly shown to exist outside of the Milky Way galaxy; however, nine million years prior, Starscream and Skyfire had been able to fly from the planet to Earth under their own power, suggesting that it may drift freely through space, and had been passing through the Solar system at that point, going on to drift out of the galaxy over the ensuing millennia. Cybertron's moons did not appear until the animated feature The Transformers: The Movie, and no explanation for their existence was given. The moons were also depicted as being mechanical in nature much like Cybertron with metallic surfaces. Unlike Cybertron however, the moons do not appear to have any detectable atmosphere, as Daniel Witwicky, a longtime ally of the Autobots, was required to wear a mechanical "exo suit" that presumably included its own air supply and means to keep organic life forms pressurized against the vacuum of space, something that is not required by humans on Cybetron.
In the first episode, "More Than Meets the Eye Part 1", the dome structure of Iacon retracts to reveal a launching pad for the Autobot spacecraft the Ark. After Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Decepticon leader Megatron journeyed to Earth, crash landing four million years ago and entering emergency stasis lock, Shockwave keeps the planet in stalemate until Megatron awakens in 1984. Cybertron's point of origin within the galaxy was never revealed in the original cartoon, but originally required a dimensional space bridge in order to return to the planet from Earth. Later stories depicted the ability to travel to Cybertron via the use of three interstellar Transformers; Skyfire, Astrotrain, and Omega Supreme. During the first two seasons of the original cartoon, Cybertron was brought into the solar system, and twice was close enough to Earth to be seen by the naked human eye.
Travel between Earth and Cybertron became roughly a half a day's journey, as depicted in the 1986 feature film The Transformers: The Movie. The Decepticons have conquered the planet by 2005, and Cybertron is seen to have at least three moons, two of which are consumed by Unicron. In the aftermath of Unicron's attack on Cybertron, and subsequent defeat, the Autobots are able to reclaim the planet, forcing the Decepticons to retreat to Chaar, a blackened husk of a world. In the final part of "The Rebirth", Vector Sigma absorbed the energies of a near-supernova sun, energizing Cybertron and bringing about a new Golden Age. Unicron's head became an artificial satellite for much of the third season, after his body was destroyed and was reactivated at during the episode Ghost in the Machine, though it appears to have gone dormant again afterwards. It is unknown what became of Unicron's head when Cybertron was moved into near-Earth orbit during the "Rebirth" episodes, but by the time of Beast Wars it is shown that it no longer orbits the planet.
Transformers: The Headmasters
While the American Transformers series was concluded with the three-part miniseries, "The Rebirth" (set in 2007), in Japan it was opted to continue the series, and so "The Rebirth" was disregarded in favour of producing Transformers: Headmasters, a full-length 35-episode series set in the year 2011.
In 2011, it was discovered that the release of the energy of the Matrix by Optimus Prime to cure the Hate Plague had much more far-reaching consequences that anyone suspected. With the Matrix's energy depleted, Vector Sigma's balance – previously tilted in favour of the Autobots by the existence of the Matrix – was reset to neutrality, allowing the Decepticons, bolstered by their new Headmaster troops, to freely invade Cybertron (known as Seibertron in Japan). Eventually, this forced Optimus Prime to sacrifice his life by merging with Vector Sigma in order to stabilise the computer before it destroyed Cybertron from within.
Not long thereafter, Vector Sigma developed a new metal alloy dubbed Cybertonuron, which enticed Galvatron into another raid on the planet. However, the Decepticon Headmaster leader, Zarak feared the power that Galvatron would gain from the alloy. To prevent either him or the Autobots from obtaining it, Zarak arranged for his Headmasters to plant bombs at the core of the planet; Vector Sigma's chamber. The Autobots were unable to stop the countdown and the bombs detonating, tearing Cybertron apart and leaving it a charred uninhabitable ruin drifting in space.
Dreamwave Productions
Dorling Kindersley's Transformers: The Ultimate Guide included illustrations and descriptions of Cybetron’s surface, including an image of Iacon itself. The Guide, first published in 2004, drew on both the Marvel comic continuity and the then recent depictions of Cybertron and Iacon from the Dreamwave Transformers: The War Within comic book series.  This included elements such as the Stellar Galleries from the latter series, not documented in the original Marvel run. It also depicted Cybertron in a fully realized 'robot mode' as Primus, something never even hinted as a possibility before in the original toyline or comics by Marvel, but which became a reality in Transformers: Cybertron, which was the first television series to not only depict Cybertron as having the same transforming capability as Unicron, but also showing it occurring within the show.
IDW Publishing
In the IDW comics, Cybertron orbits Lambda Scorpii and has been rendered mostly uninhabitable by the war. While Transformers can survive on the surface, they cannot live there indefinitely.
Simon Furman, creator of the Primus backstory for Transformers, has stated there will be "no Primus. No Unicron" in the IDW Generation 1 comics, and that if Cybertronian prehistory is featured it will be different from previous takes;[5] IDW's publisher confirmed there will be a story featuring Transformer prehistory.[6] While a character exclaims "Primus!" in Megatron Origin #4 (by a different writer), Furman stated in his blog comments "doesn't necessarily mean it's G1 Primus. There are still no plans to do feature [sic] Primus (as was)". He does say it is possible a different being called Primus could have existed.[7]
Toys
Transformers 2010 Creator Primus
To be released in late 2010 as part of TakaraTomy's "Transformers 2010" promotion, which celebrates the year in which the third season of The Transformers was set in Japan, this figure is a redeco of the Cybertron Primus figure. Unlike the Unicron figure being released under the same promotion, no remolding is visible in the pre-release photos. The figure is redecoed such that the planet mode is now predominantly Cybertron's classic metallic silver, in place of the previous blue and white, with gold spires replacing the black ones of the original version of the figure.[8]
Beast Era
The Cybertron of the Beast Wars era is set some 300 years in the future of the original Transformers G1 continuity, drawing on elements of both the animated series and Marvel comics. With the aid of humankind, the Autobots were finally able to succeed in defeating the Decepticons, some of whom were granted amnesty. Subsequently, new energy-conservation methods resulted in what was termed "The Great Upgrade", a planet-wide upgrade of Autobot and Decepticon into new, human-sized, more energy-efficient forms, leading the races to rename themselves "Maximals" and "Predacons", respectively. Transformers are now created through the use of "protoform" technology – produced in Maximal and Predacons facilities nicknamed "The Matrix" and "The Pit" respectively (after the respective Transformer afterlives), protoforms consist of an endoskeleton surrounded by a nanotech gel that reconfigures with the scanning of an alternate mode. By this time, it is apparent that Cybertron has settled into orbit around a star again, and has acquired a new moon.
Cybertron's robot mode, Primus was never seen or mentioned in the original U.S. Transformers television series, the writers of Beast Wars included Primus to the television mythos with mention of Primus by the Transformers in that series, and the creation of the Covenant of Primus in the series finale.
The expanded fiction of the Botcon and OTFCC comic books suggest that Primus experimented with a small planet before actually transforming himself into Cybertron. This world, named Protos, was where he created the first 12 Transformers, each of them themed after an animal of the zodiac. Later, Primus created the Original Thirteen Transformers.
Primus appeared with Alpha Trion in the Transformers: Universe comic, bringing back Optimus Primal and guiding him in his battles against Unicron allied Decepticons.
Animated series
Cybertron's governing structure during the Beast Wars era is based upon the Pax Cybertronia (Peace of Cybertron). The peace on Cybertron is maintained through a treaty known as the Pax Cybertronia, which – perhaps unfairly – ranks the Predacons as second-class citizens, with the Maximals in control of the planet. Each side is governed by a council;the Maximals governing body is known as the Maximal Imperium while the Predacons' version, the Tripredacus Council, operate out of a satellite orbiting the planet or star, quietly working to their own agenda... an agenda that was sorely disrupted by the rise to power of the renegade, Megatron, who stole a ship and escaped to prehistoric Earth with the intent of altering time.
There are many distinct areas of Cybertron.  Ranging from locations on the surface, to any of the number of buried ruins. In The Reformatting, the first episode of the Beast Machines TV show, the Maximals discover the remains of Iacon on Cybertron, deep beneath the planets current surface. The episode suggests that in the intervening years between the end of the G1 / G2 series and the start of Beast Wars, the inhabitants of Cybertron have built over older city-states with new cities, in a similar manner to an onion skin.
As alluded to in Beast Wars, there is a giant amusement park near the northern pole of the planet. Orbiting Cybertron are a number of structures, such as starports and bases. The Tripredicus Council is established on one of these orbiting bases. There are also a number of communication satellites.
Beneath the cityscape surface of the planet lies layer upon layer of earlier civilizations. One entire Autobot era city lies just beneath the surface. Beneath this city lies ruins of older Cybertronian civilizations, all ending in the rocky core of the planet. It is here that the Oracle of Vector Sigma lies. It is also here that the techno-organic core can be accessed.
In the two groups' absence, Cybertronians had undergone another modification called the "Quantum Cycle Upgrade", in which they were individually fitted with alternate mode scanners so they would not have to rely on external mechanisms to do the job for them. Striking fast and hard, Megatron unleashed a transformation-freezing virus on the populous and deployed a small army of "Vehicon" drones, who extracted the sparks of the virus's hapless victims. Their shells were then used to create more Vehicons, and so it continued until the entire population of Cybertron had their sparks removed, and all that remained were the Vehicons, united under the singular, guiding intelligence of Megatron, who, for all intents and purpose, was now Cybertron itself.
Megatron's perfect technosphere was shattered with the return of Optimus Primal's Maximals, arriving in their intended time period to discover Megatron's mastery of the planet. Reformatted into new technorganic bodies by the Oracle – the shell program that now surrounded Vector Sigma that enabled users to commune with the afterlife dimension called the Matrix – the Maximals subsequently discovered that Cybertron had indeed been an organic world before it acquired its current metallic shell. Uncovering the planet's gelatinous, organic-matter core, Primal believed that the Oracle had charged him with restoring the organic to Cybertron, only for a failed gambit involving the Key to Vector Sigma and the Plasma Energy Chamber to show him the error of his ways - the Oracle did not desire one element to dominate the other, but for a techno-organic balance to be achieved. Even as the body-shifting Megatron attempted to absorb the entire planet's sparks into his own, creating a singular consciousness, his and Primal's final battle saw them tumble into the planet's core, where Primal initiated a planet-wide reformatting, transforming the entire world into a techno-organic paradise.
Transformers: Robots in Disguise
The Transformers: Robots in Disguise version of Cybertron is never seen (save for once in a flashback in "Ultra Magnus" and "Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion"). The entirety of the series takes place on Earth. It is unknown what cities, or Autobots and Predacons that could be there, but it is presumably a still living planet. Whether or not it is Primus is unknown. Primus was not mentioned at all, nor Unicron, but Vector Sigma and Alpha Trion exist, as well as the All Spark.
The little information on Cybertron established in the series is that Cybertron was located near or orbiting a larger ringed world, and had an asteroid prison colony in which dangerous Decepticon and Predacon prisoners were interred. At one point there were a series of civil wars, in which Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, both creations of Alpha Trion, fought side-by-side. Following the wars, Magnus was honored, but Vector Sigma selected Optimus as Autobot leader and bestowed on him the Matrix of Leadership. The Predacons on Cybertron were ruled over by a council, of which Megatron was a subordinate, though he once claimed to be "leader of the Predacons and future ruler of the galaxy" and that he was already "ruler of many worlds".
Unicron Trilogy
Cybertron is the home planet of the Transformers in the three television series, Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon and Transformers: Cybertron. In the miniseries, Cybertron, Primus' material body, is inhabited by Mini-Cons as well as Autobots and Decepticons, who are unaware the Mini-Cons were weapons forged by Unicron. The war between the Autobots and Decepticons is escalated by Megatron's attempt to gather them. During the escalation, the Mini-Cons liberate themselves and leave the planet in a mass exodus, leading to a four million years (one million years in the Dreamwave comic) stalemate between the two principal forces. Ten years of peace follow Armada (2002–2004) and then Energon (2014). After Cybertron's climax, the planet has an atmosphere more suitable for humans and organic wildlife.
Animated series
According to Hasbro, Cybertron orbits the star Alpha Centauri and is about the size of Saturn. At some undefined point in Cybertron's ancient past, it was attacked by Unicron, who was fended off by the planet's guardian, Omega Supreme. Omega and four other guardians subsequently entered stasis below the planet's surface, guarding a reservoir of "Super Energon" for its use in the future. Few other facts from this Cybertron's history are available - it is not clear when the Autobots and Decepticon began warring relative to this event. The presence of a sentient energy core named "Primus" at the heart of Cybertron in the Armada/Energon universe suggests its history is some variation of the Primus/Unicron legend. An American-written trading card suggests a story similar to that of the Dreamwave universe - Primus and Unicron are twin heralds, but Unicron turns on Primus and fells him, casting his body into the orbit of a nearby star (alpha Centauri). The card does not state that Primus became Cybertron, but it can be assumed with some degree of certainty.
Long ago, Cybertron was peaceful, until the evil Decepticons waged war against the Autobots. Both sides fought for control of the planet, each ruling one half. Eventually, a mysterious, unclarified "cataclysm" struck the planet, following which the small race of robots known as the Mini-Cons emerged. It would later be discovered that the Mini-Cons were creations of Unicron – currently orbiting Cybertron in a weakened state, disguised as a moon – who had implanted his cells within Cybertron, where they grew and hatched into the Mini-Cons; presumably, then, the cataclysm was caused by Unicron's implantation of his cells. The larger Transformers on Cybertron soon discovered that the Mini-Cons possessed power-enhancing abilities, and began to war over the small robots (it is unclear if the Autobots and Decepticons were already at war, or if it was the emergence of the Mini-Cons which began the conflict).
Through a complicated instance of time-travel, however, the Mini-Cons had the seeds of souls and sentience planted within them at the moment of their creation by a group of time-displaced human children, and as they came to think and feel for themselves, they sought to fulfill their own destiny, by going to Earth to find the humans. The Autobots agreed to aid the Mini-Cons, preferring that they be free and not subject to anyone's will, but the Decepticons still sought to control them, and attacked the launch of the Mini-Con ship, which was crippled as it escaped through a portal, causing it to crash-land on Earth, where the Mini-Cons remained dormant for a million years until they were awakened by the very humans they had come to find. The signal released by their awakening brought the Transformers on Cybertron to Earth in pursuit of them.
Some time into the conflict on Earth, several Autobots and Decepticons followed Optimus Prime and Megatron's teams to Earth, where the battles eventually culminated in Megatron attaining possession of the three Mini-Cons weapons. Returning to Cybertron, he used the weapons to cut a swathe of destruction across the planet, quickly establishing control over the vast majority of it. However, the sudden escalation in the Autobot/Decepticon war caused by the Mini-Cons' reawakening had resulted in a vast increase of the hatred and "negative energy" that powered Unicron, who soon shed his moon disguise and attacked the planet in his re-energized gargantuan robot form. Cybertron took heavy damage from the planet-eater, but by rescuing the Mini-Con weapons from within his body, the Transformers were able to briefly halt his rampage - until Megatron (now Galvatron) challenged Optimus Prime to a final duel, the ferocity of which began to awaken Unicron once again. In the end, Galvatron sacrificed himself to break the circle of hate, leaving the Decepticons allied with the Autobots, working together to restore their shattered world.
As part of the rebuilding program, the Autobot-Decepticon alliance entered into a partnership with Earth's governments to mine Earth and the Sol system for the energy-rich mineral known as Energon. Over the next ten years, Cybertron was steadily restored as "Cybertron Cities" were built in strategic positions on Earth, its moon and Mars to gather Energon and keep the planet rich and healthy.
Following Megatron's resurrection through the power of Energon, he began a quest to restore Unicron to life, under his control, which eventually led him to move the planet-eater's body through a spacebridge into the vicinity of Cybertron itself. After a series of attacks on the planet, during which Primus's chamber was penetrated by Terrorcons, a reaction between the negatively charged Energon within Unicron's body, and the positive Energon used by the Autobots caused a rupture in space, leading to a new sector of the universe where the planets consumed by Unicron had been recreated. A series of battles followed which eventually resulted in Unicron's restoration and destruction, save for his consciousness, which continued to exist within Megatron.
Guided by Unicron, Megatron gathered the remnants of his army and attacked Cybertron once more, using the destruction as a cover for his true motive – to acquire the power of the Super Energon, which transformed into Galvatron. With the aid of Sixshot, the Decepticons were then able to seize control of Cybertron's computer systems, enshrouding the surface of the planet in a poisonous Energon gas that kept the Autobots at a distance while the Energon Towers were used to propel Cybertron through the spatial rift, into the new region of space. Its motion slowed by a giant-sized, Primus-empowered Optimus Supreme, Cybertron was liberated from the Decepticons when Galvatron turned his attention away from it, using the Super-Energon to grow to colossal size himself and departing the world, heading out to find Unicron's spark, drifting in space.
When Galvatron was subsequently possessed by Unicron's spark, Primus used the Super Energon to create a foundling sun, into which Galvatron plunged himself, preferring to perish than to allow himself to be controlled. But, while appearing to be the end of Unicron's threat, in truth, it was the beginning of a much greater danger...
Primus's plan to contain Unicron's spark within the Energon sun was doomed to failure – close to a decade later, the sun collapsed in on itself, turning into a gigantic black hole which threatened not merely Cybertron, the fabric of reality and the multiverse itself, causing ripples throughout space and time that disrupted history, causing inconsistencies between the Cybertron animated series and its predecessors.  Many Transformers were forced to depart for Earth while the Autobots search for the Cyber Planet Keys to save their world. Over time, it would turn out Cybertron was a dormant Primus. After the destruction of the black hole, Primus turned back into Cybertron with cities, atmosphere for humans, roads and wildlife.
In 2006, a toy of Cybertron was released as part of the Transformers: Cybertron toy line. The toy transformed from planet mode into Primus, the Transformers creator. Of the many cities sculpted into the toys surface, one, painted in gold, clearly resembles the illustration of Iacon from The Ultimate Guide.
Toys
Cybertron Supreme Primus
Released in the Cybertron toyline as described above, it is actually a triple changer, transforming not only into Cybertron's planet form and Primus' robot form, but also into a large world-ship, a spaceship the size of a planet.  Many of its parts can only be moved using the included Omega Lock, which must be used to move the upper half of the planet mode out of the way so the lower half can transform.  The Omega Lock has 4 slots of the Cyber Planet Keys included with other toys and has a small light that turns on when the Lock is inserted into any of the ports on the figure.  A key hole is also located on each of Primus's arms and activates two non-firing double-barreled blasters on the toy's wrists.[9][10]
While the figure is identical in both its Japanese and American releases, the American package comes in original style packaging, and the Japanese also included a battle-damaged Unicron head in its initial release.  The Unicron head has half of the face removed, exposing a skull-like vestige underneath. Later releases of Primus were sold without the Unicron head, and the last versions of Primus instead included four Mini-Cons who were planned to be parts of the Cybertron line, but were late and so were included as bonus figures. These four Mini-Cons would later appear as Mini-Cons in the Transformers Classics line. Although the four Mini-Cons had no personal biographies, they would get some characterization on the Transformers Collectors Club web site. This toy was designed by Takara's Takashi Kunihiro[11] and released in Japan several months later with no alterations or deco changes.
Transformers live-action films
According to Transformers: The Movie Prequel comic book by IDW Publishing, Optimus Prime and Megatron co-ruled Cybertron. The Allspark is responsible for giving life to the Transformers. When Megatron begins a war to control it for himself, Optimus sends it into the depths of outer space in the hope that he can defeat him quickly. The war drags on, and Optimus sends Bumblebee to retrieve it, because its absence will cause the planet to shut down. It would later be revealed in the third film that Sentinel Prime was the Autobot leader when the war began and was seemingly killed as he attempted to flee Cyberton with a super weapon. Optimus then took over full command, with the rest of the events likely playing out the same way.
Cybertron's upper layers seem to have a lot of interlocking hexagonal shapes, and several battles near the end of the war took place there. Sentinel Prime used these geographical features to his advantage when he attempted to escape Cybertron aboard the Ark. Later on, Sentinel Prime attempted to teleport Cybertron via the space bridge-forming pillars from his ship, the Ark in order to acquire Earth's resources to re-energize Cybertron. However, Bumblebee destroyed the master pillar and Cybertron collapsed as it was going through, presumably destroying Cybertron forever.
Geography-wise, the surface of Cybertron is a mystery. Large rivers of liquid criss-cross the planet, though whether this is lava, molten metal, or possibly energon is anyone's guess. In more urbanized areas, such as the city of Tyger Pax, the stone and lava seem to be covered over with steel or other refined metal. However, these incidents took place during the war, so it may have been the result of the devastation Cybertron saw. This liquid is even on the tops of buildings. Internally, Cybertron has similar features to the inside of a Transformer, including gyroscopic joints. While everyone had abandoned Cybertron, the twin Autobot Skids and Mudflap hung out there for a while, and Starscream began organising an army there in secret. The location on Cybertron that is named after Primus is surrounded by the Rad Zone and Uraya.
IDW Publishing
Cybertron was a world created by a device known as the AllSpark. With its power, it created a race of dimensional travelers, the Thirteen Primes, and made Cybertron suitable for their habitation. The Primes soon discovered that while the AllSpark's power was vast, it was also finite, needing to be recharged. The universe soon provided the answer, for a nearby star went nova, recharging the AllSpark. Though the Primes could travel dimensions, they needed help locating stars and harvesting their energy. The AllSpark responded by creating two things to help the Primes. The first gift was the second race of Cybertronians, the Transformers, who could change their forms. The Thirteen Primes ruled over the Transformers with their descendants, forming the Dynasty of Primes, to protect the AllSpark and Cybertron, while seeking out stars to harvest. The Dynasty even shared their dimensional traveling abilities with the Seekers, those tasked with finding stars. Once they found a star, the Dynasty would follow with builders to forge a harvester to drain a star of its energy and send it to the AllSpark to form energon. The second gift the AllSpark gave the Dynasty was the Matrix of Leadership, a key which contained the essence of the AllSpark and powered the harvesters. The Dynasty of Primes recognized the potential for destruction the harvesters presented, so they decreed that any star system which supported life was to be spared.
One day, the Dynasty of Primes and their attendants came to a world to harvest its star. Just as the harvester was completed, the Primes discovered primitive but sentient creatures. Twelve of the Primes upheld the sanctity of life, but the thirteenth despised the creatures as insects and sought to steal the AllSpark's power for himself. What followed was the very first battle of Transformer against Transformer, as the rogue Prime and his loyalists waged war against the Dynasty of Primes and their loyalists. The rogue Prime murdered eleven of his brothers, but the twelfth stole the Matrix and hid it a tomb forged from the bodies of his brothers, sacrificing his own spark to seal the Tomb. The rogue Prime, now known as The Fallen, dispatched the Seekers to find the Matrix. When he returned to Cybertron, he brought his war there as well, killing the rest of the Primes and destroying his brothers' sarcophagi to prevent them from returning. However, he expended much of his power in this process and withdrew to his own sarcophagus to heal. It was there that he learned that he'd made two mistakes: First, the spirits of his brothers were able to seal him in the sarcophagus, preventing him taking over Cybertron. Second, the warriors of the Dynasty had managed to save a single orphan, hiding him from the Fallen. The Dynasty of Primes passed into the realm of legend.
Eventually, what little the Transformers knew of their origins would be lost to time. A new society arose, known as the Autobots. The Autobots were a peaceful people, led by Optimus Prime, head of the Science Division, and Protector Megatron, head of the Defense Force. The two leaders created a balance; Optimus was fair while Megatron was firm. Their world's main cities included Tyger Pax, Metrotitan, Simfur, and the capital city of Trypticon. Another area of importance was Burthov, where the Science Division had many facilities. In time, the Autobots began work on a dig near the Simfur Temple, discovering the remains of the Twelve's sarcophagi and the intact sarcophagus of The Fallen. At the same time, unknown alien hostiles attacked Cybertron. Megatron had Optimus remove the intact artifact to his quarters to better protect it, allowing him to come under the influence of The Fallen.
As Megatron began to grow more aggressive, Optimus discovered that he was the orphaned Prime hidden away when the Dynasty fell. Megatron raised an army, the Decepticons, and sought to take the AllSpark to conquer the universe. However, most of the early Decepticon forces left on the Nemesis with The Fallen and Soundwave to seek out the harvester. With the number of Megatron's Decepticons now diminished, Optimus assumed his proper title and raised his own army of Autobots. In the war that followed, Cybertron was decimated. Prime eventually sent the AllSpark through a wormhole into deep space, and Megatron pursued it. Both were lost. Without the AllSpark's power, Cybertron became a dead world. The Autobots and the Decepticons scattered across the galaxy, hoping either to create a new world or locate the AllSpark and restore Cybertron. A number of Transformers remained, with the Decepticons centered in Trypticon (now a Decepticon capital), but this didn't last long.
Titan Magazines
Note: Information in italics occur in the alternate storyline where Megatron won the battle for the Allspark.
Cybertron's status was unknown, with everyone abandoning it as it began to die. However, Stockade and a group of Decepticons remained, staying alive by using Nucleon. Stockade believed they could renew Cybertron by summoning a new power source, one related to the AllSpark. They succeeded in summoning such an energy being, which did enter Cybertron to renew it and to everyone's horror, announced itself as Unicron, the Anti-Life! 
The possessed Cybertron was swiftly altered into a scarier-looking form with a large mouth and grasping prongs, turned hostile to those on it, and warped to the Sol system. The Autobots and Decepticons were able to destroy Unicron, but Cybertron was left in its transformed state and seemingly in the Sol system, as well as continuing to be dead and powerless.
When the Autobots were ordered off American soil, they regrouped under Cybertron and began working on the teleportation engines that Unicron had left there when he transformed the planet. Using these, they were able to make a decisive strike by teleporting the entire Decepticon army to Cybertron, then teleporting Cybertron to the far reaches of space. With the engines now burnt out and no energy on the planet, the Decepticons were marooned there, at the cost of the Autobots never being able to go home.
Portrayal in the live-action films
In the early-21st century live-action film trilogy directed by Michael Bay, Cybertron is depicted much in the same way as in the source material: the homeplanet of the Transformer race. As described in the first film, the AllSpark is the origin of life in Cybertron, and over millennia, its population grew and developed a global state, peaceful and just, remaining so for eons until the war for possession of the AllSpark broke out. The war was so devastating that it ravaged the planet until it was consumed by death, and the only way to restore Cybertron to its former glory was through the retrieval of the AllSpark, which is the premise from which the film series start and progress to its climax.
In the climax of the first film, Transformers, the AllSpark is destroyed to kill Megatron, rendering the restoration of Cybertron impossible. Optimus Prime declares Earth the new home of the Autobots.  Cybertron is not shown as a perfect metallic sphere, but a mountainous husk of a planet with large tree-like spires. A region under Decepticon control had dead Cybertronians shown either hung from them, or left on the "branches" that have been ravaged by war.
In the second film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Cybertron was mentioned by Optimus Prime when he told Sam that Earth must not share the same fate as Cybertron: "Whole generations lost".   Given these statements and the continuous arrival of both Autobot and Decepticon forces on Earth, it is unclear if Cybertron is even populated by its people at this point.
In the third film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Sentinel Prime attempts to use his space bridge pillars to transport Cybertron right next to Earth while simultaneously conquering Earth to use humans as slaves to rebuild it. When the transport is interrupted about halfway through, the transported half of Cybertron collapses in on itself and appears to be destroyed.
Cybertron is never seen or mentioned in the fourth film, Transformers: Age of Extinction, though the Autobots dealt with Lockdown, who works for the Transformers' creators, possibly indicating that Cybertron was indeed destroyed. 
It was later revealed in Transformers: The Last Knight that Cybertron, while extremely damaged, was still intact enough to remain the base of Quintessa, the creator god of Optimus Prime and all Cybertronians. Quintessa piloted the planet to earth, where she intended to use her magic staff (which was taken by her twelve guardian Knights of Iacon to be given to the human wizard Merlin), to drain the energy of Unicron (revealed to be the core of Earth itself) and thus restore Cybertron. To this end, she commissioned Megatron and brainwashed Optimus Prime into retrieving the staff so that she could destroy the planet. In the battle for the staff, Quintessa used its power to begin pulling the planet's continents back together, with the exoplanet's landmasses scraping away entire continents as it repaired itself. Luckily, Optimus Prime, freed from his brainwashing, managed to help Merlin's descendant, Vivian Wembley and Cade Yeager in stopping Quintessa's plan, saving the Earth and defeating both Megatron and the Cybertronian goddess. Despite stopping the draining of the Earth's energy, enough was siphoned back into Cybertron to allow it to be rendered habitable and life-supporting once more, allowing the Autobots to come home at last. Cybertron and Earth's fate were also forevermore joined in their destinies by this event, and both humans and Autobots began to rebuild their worlds together.
Transtech
In this universe, the Autobots and Decepticons are political factions and Cybertron is a peaceful planet and is considered a multiversal hub, as well as a gateway in between universes. This Cybertron never had a Great War. In one of the oldest dimensions in the multiverse, one Cybertronian city, Axiom Nexus, is a hub for travelers from other dimensions. According to New Arrivals Coordinator Silverbolt, it is a city "unlike any other in the multiverse". To continue its harmony, all Megatrons, Primes, and "MacGuffins" are considered illegal.
Some travelers arrive here by their own design. Others, however, arrive by accident, and must be processed and given identification bolts. These "offworlders" are seen as inferior throwbacks by many of the proud and technologically advanced TransTechs, and permission to travel outside the borders of Axiom Nexus to the rest of its native Cybertron is granted to a very scant few. As such, its inhabitants have a culture all their own, composed of markets and gangs.
Shattered Glass
In the Shattered Glass universe, Cybertron was a peaceful planet whose inhabitants pursued only science and social harmony until the obsessive researcher Optimus Prime rose from the ranks of civilization and began a civil war. This prompted the mathematician Megaron to lead a resistance to retake Cybertron and restore freedom. This Cybertron never broke free of its orbit and continues to revolve around a sun. True to its backwards universe, Cybertron can a frightening and arbitrary place whose natives are born from the Omega Terminus and possess Embers instead of sparks. Following actions taken by Nexus Prime, this Cybertron manifested an evil incarnation of Primus, who later assumed robot form. This forced the noble inhabitants to depart and colonize a New Cybertron.
Transformers Animated
In this series, Cybertron (サイバトロン, Saibatoron) is shown as a large planet that's surface is completely covered with metal. Large towers on the surface of the planet are clearly visible from space. Nothing organic has yet been seen on this planet leading to speculation that it is a machine itself. Back in the Great War, the Autobots managed to drive the Decepticons from Cybertron after throwing the Allspark through a space bridge. It is usually seen in flashbacks. Recently, in Season 3, scenes on Cybertron have been in present times. They include Blurr's arrival on Cybertron after being transwarped from Earth. Another is the Cybertronian high court meeting to discuss Wasp, the accused Decepticon spy. The real spy, being Shockwave, also leaves Ultra Magnus wounded on Cybertron, being found by Ironhide.
Transformers: Prime
This version of Cybertron is depicted as having become a lifeless world by the end of the War for Cybertron video game and tie-in novel Exodus. Primus resides in Cybertron's core and creates life through the Well of All Sparks. However, the Well requires the Allspark to function and with it removed during the Great War to prevent capture by the Decepticons, Cybetron became a barren wasteland. At the end of Transformers: Prime, Cybertron is revived when the Autobots use the reconstructed Omega Lock on the underside of the Nemesis. The series' finale movie, Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising, focuses on Optimus Prime and Wheeljack on Optimus retrieving the Allspark from space while Unicron uses Megatron's body to attempt to destroy Primus/Cybertron. In the end, Optimus succeeds in defeating Unicron and returns the Allspark to the core, but sacrifices himself in the process.
In the sequel series, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Cybertron is once again home to a prosperous civilization, though Megatronus attempts to extract the Allspark and merge it with the Anti-Spark to destroy both Earth and Cybetron at the conclusion of the first season. In this continuity, Earth and Cybetron are linked, and since it is discovered that Unicron and Primus reside at their respective cores.
Video games
In Transformers: War for Cybertron, Cybertron is an Energon lacking planet with many buildings and bridges destroyed. There are several locations from the Generation 1 universe include the Decagon and the Iacon Vaults. According to the teaser trailer for War For Cybertron, Cybertron is a satellite of Alpha Centauri. Several times in the game Transformers will exclaim "Thank Primus!" though he doesn't appear in the game. However the Core of Cybertron, (Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.) may actually be Primus, but is credited simply as "Cybertron" in the game's end credits.
In the Decepticon Campaign, Megatron forces Omega Supreme to open the door to Cybertron's core and travels there with his minions. Upon arrival, Megatron infects the core of Cybertron with dark energon. Cybertron is then shown being fully corrupted by dark energon. In the Autobot Campaign, Optimus is given the task of removing the dark energon from Cybertron's core by the Autobot Council. Optimus and his team first attempt to rescue Omega Supreme from the Decepticons, who is being tortured by dark energon. The Autobots manage to free Omega Supreme and rely on Ratchet to repair Omega Supreme to the point of opening the gateway to Cybertron's core.
During their journey to the core they encounter a corrupted space worm, which later attacks the Autobots when they reach the core. Once the worm is destroyed, Optimus speaks with Cybertron's core. The core informs Optimus that it can repair itself, but it will take several million years, time in which Cybertron will become cold, barren, and lifeless. The core then tells Optimus that if he carries a small piece of the core with him, the core will still survive while it repairs. Optimus accepts the burden and the core relinquishes the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. In Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, the Autobots and Decepticons depart Cybertron.
Animated series
By the time of the Transformers: Prime animated series, the known remaining inhabitants of the planet are a swarm of scraplets – an apparently native 'robotic flesh' eating type of creature – and an Insecticon drone while it continues its attempts at self-repair, though Ratchet hints at the possibility of other Insecticons or possibly even other Autobots having remained behind. It is revealed that eons before the Autobots and Decepticons existed, Cybertron was also inhabited by the Predacons, powerful dragon-like Transformers that became extinct on Cybertron due to an event referred to as "the Great Cataclysm" by Shockwave long before recorded Cybertronian history began. Cybertron's core is stated by Ratchet as being Primus himself during the season one finale. Vector Sigma is also tied into the Matrix of Leadership and Primus, being claimed to be a form of 'memory backup' for all who have possessed the Matrix, though the manner in which this is achieved is left unexplained. Jack and Arcee journey to Cybertron in order to use the Key to Vector Sigma to download a copy of Optimus's backup memory. It is unknown if Cybertron has or even retains an atmosphere by this time.
Jack wears a high tech space suit for the trip to prevent any dangers from befalling him, such as lack of oxygen. However Arcee, the scraplets, and the insecticon drone they encounter on the planet seem to have no difficulties surviving on the planet. In later episodes of season two the Autobots find out that Alpha Trion had hidden Omega Keys, artifacts meant to restore Cybertron, to Earth. However, these keys ended up in hands of Starscream who gave them to Megatron in order to restore his place in the Decepticons. When the location of the Omega Lock, a machine meant to channel power to the Keys, was discovered on Cybertron, the Autobots and the Decepticons traveled there and started a battle over the Keys. The Autobots managed to get them all, but when the Decepticons threatened to expose Jack, Miko, and Raf to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere, the Autobots had to hand over the Keys. But when the Decepticons attempted to use the Omega Lock to transform Earth into a metallic planet, Optimus had no choice but to destroy the Omega Lock and leave Cybertron uninhabited forever.
However in the series finale "Deadlock", with Megatron's rebuilding of the Omega lock and his death at Bumblebee's hands, the Autobots are able to use it to reactivate Cybertron, restoring life to their home world. In the television film finale to the series, Predacons Rising, Cybertron is once again threatened by Unicron, who possesses and enslaves Megaton to eradicate the world. At the same time, Optimus leaves Cybertron for the Theta Scorpia star system to retrieve the Allspark, the key to regenerating new life on Cybertron and Shockwave and Starscream clone Predacons to raise an army against the Autobots. When Unicron arrives, he duels the Autobots and sends them retreating and defeats Predaking, the first Predacon cloned (now rogue), and defeats him, heading for the Predacon burial ground Predaking guarded. Once he arrives, he defeats both of Starscream and Shockwave's Predacons; Skylynx and Darksteel, and proceeds to turn the Predacon corpses into undead Terrorcons so they can assault Cybertron's core at the Well of AllSparks.
In an attempt to stop him, the Autobots team up with Predaking and his brethren (whom he has now taken control of as their king) along with Knockout, who changes from Decepticon to Autobot in order to combat Unicron's legion. The Predacons lead defense of the Well, but are overwhelmed and dragged along as Optimus returns to confront Unicron, eventually tricking him into opening the Allspark's empty container, which sucks his spirit inside, destroying his undead Terrorcons and freeing the Predacons so that they may do away with Starscream, who oppressed and abused them. Freed from his control, Megatron also disbands the Decepticons, having been changed for the better by Unicron's oppression, flying away to start a new life. Optimus, having merged with the Allspark by placing it within the Matrix of Leadership then says a fond farewell to his teammates and flies into Cybertron's core, giving back Cybertron the ability to create life at the cost of his own. As new sparks emerge from the Well to repopulate Cybertron as new transformers, Optimus Prime's spark is seen one last time before it flies away.[12]
After the restoration of the Well of All Sparks, Cybertron once again returned to a period of peace and prosperity. Statues commemorating various figures in the war were constructed. Lieutenant Bumblebee settled into a new life on the planet as a street patrol officer, but eventually returned to Earth via space bridge on the orders of a ghostly Optimus Prime. Cyberton is also ruled by a new Autobot High Council, who placed a bounty on Bumblebee's head for his illegal use of a space bridge and sent Jazz to Earth to respond to the distress signal from the Alchemor. After capturing Ped, Jazz promised he'd smooth things over with the council, but later Drift and Fracture (and their Mini-Cons) arrived on Earth to capture Bumblebee. The High Council also took to blaming Optimus Prime for the war for Cybertron, and effectively banished anyone who spoke out against the injustice, including Ratchet. It was eventually revealed in the third season and the series finale for Robots in Disguise that the High Council, consisting of Decepticon infiltrators Cyclonus, Cyberewarp, Skyjack, Treadshock, and Riotgear had brainwashed the population of Cybertron into serving them so that they could secretly rebuild the Decepticon Empire. To that end, they commissioned Steeljaw to free Soundwave from the Shadowzone to try to contact Megatron to lead the Decepticon forces while unaware that Megatron had permanently left the Decepticon business to start a new life. They also used a brainwashed invasion force to try and attack Earth, but thanks to the combined efforts of Bumblebee and Optimus' teams on Cybertron and Earth, respectively, the invasion was thwarted and the High Council defeated. Bumblebee's team returned to Earth to serve as Cybertron's first interplanetary ambassadors and protectors on Earth, while Optimus turns down the potential idea of leadership and his team (Ratchet, Jazz, Bulkhead and Windblade) became the new temporary High Council.[13]