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nevis-the-skeleton · 2 years

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What or who are each Decepticons loyal to in TFP?

Hey ^^! Today the question is: What or who are each Decepticons loyal to in TFP?

Because, it's a question that we can think while seeing the series. The question for the Autobots is not really to ask, because we know what they are loyal to: The Autobot cause.

The Decepticons, on the other hand, is another story. We will see here for each character, because none are really loyal to the same thing.

Megatron: The cause or rather himself...

Sad to say but I sincerely doubt that Megatron is really loyal to his own cause anymore. Let me explain, in the beginning of season 1, he comes back with Dark Energon. So, that originally he had gone to find an army of Decepticons.

But, it seems that rather than the army to definitively defeat the Autobots, Megatron preferred to return with an unknown substance that has the reputation of giving great power, but also very dangerous for the species of Transformers. The leader of the Decepticons no longer really serves his cause, he's only looking for power to defeat Optimus Prime.

Exactly, Optimus, let's talk about him. Megatron has a clear obsession with him, no doubt. To the point that it made him forget the cause, since he kinda chased the Prime to planet Earth. Whereas, technically, the Decepticons somehow won the war (even with the destruction of their planet).

Because, technically, the Decepticons are more numerous, better armed, and not lacking in energon. On the other side, the Autobots are scattered all over the universe, less well equipped, and always in need of food. Normally, the Decepticons should have declared their victory a long time ago. But, they didn't, because for Megatron it won't be a victory until he kills Optimus.

But, there is another problem that adds up, and that is that Megatron doesn't seem to want to kill Optimus either. At least not by any means possible. When Starscream is about to fire a missile, to eliminate the Prime, Megatron stops him, preventing Optimus' death in the process.

Well, so far you tell yourself that he has a little hatred against Starscream, logical, huh, Starscream tried to kill him a little. But, there is something that is disturbing, it's that he prefers take revenge on Starscream, rather than ending the war by killing Optimus who is still on the ground.

I can more or less understand that he doesn't want Starscream to kill Optimus, and that he wants to teach him a lesson for trying to kill him. OK, I can conceive. I think that I too would have a little hatred if someone tried to kill me. It's totally logical.

But, in any case, Megatron does not kill Optimus! He has the greatest opportunity in the world, and he doesn't! Like… WTF, what exactly does he need to decide to kill him? Optimus needs to be up and running, like, to have the perfect fight or what? Seriously, he stopped the Decepticons from winning the war… Clearly. You see the enemy leader down, you kill him, you win the war, end of the story.

That's why I don't think Megatron is ever loyal to the Decepticon cause… Because, if he was truly loyal to it, he would have forgotten his wish for revenge against Optimus to focus on the goals of the Decepticon cause .

No wonder there are so few who believe in the cause, if even the leader is no longer loyal to it...

Soundwave : Megatron

Soundwave doesn't seem exactly loyal to the Decepticon cause, but rather loyal to Megatron. Because, even though Megatron does some shit sometimes, he always follows him. Afterwards, maybe he's actually loyal to the cause, but it doesn't seem like much.

It's for example to Megatron that he made his vow of silence, and not especially to the Decepticon cause. He never disputes a single order, even if it's sometimes a little wonky. And also does everything possible to keep Megatron alive.

He refuses to unplugging Megatron when he was in the coma. He squarely fights Airachnid when she tries to take control and leave without Megatron. Also in RID15 (which is the "sequel" to TFP), as soon as Soundwave gets out of the Shadow Zone, the first thing he tries to do is contact Megatron.

Megatron is his friend very clearly. And even though Soundwave followed him in his idea of revolt, because they had the same ideals, I really feel that he too forgot the real objective of the cause.

Starscream : Cybertron

Starscream doesn't really seem to believe in the Decepticon cause, I feel like he sees it more as a means to achieve his objectives. There are two :

1- Become the leader of the Decepticons or Cybertron (it depends on the ambition)

2- Restore Cybertron.

Already, in the aligned novels, it's explained that Starscream's goal is to bring Cybertron back to the Golden Age. He sees that Cybertron is going badly, and he wants to fix things, which is why he is interested in the Decepticon cause.

Well, it's completely screwed up, since Cybertorn dies… Something he regrets bitterly.

But, it seems like it's a goal he still hasn't given up on. When he discovers the true power of the Omega Keys, and retrieves one, he thinks of a way to bargain with the Autobots or Decepticons.

Then, he thinks about the fact that he could restore Cybertron by himself, and become the leader. Except, that he realizes that he has absolutely no way to succed… He has no army, no energon, and not really any material. So, it's a bit complicated to take control of Cybertron...

Because of that, he returns to the Decepticons, and gives the keys to Megatron. But he's not stupid, he realizes that if he does that he can never rule Cybertron. So that means he's overstepped his dream of conquest and glory. His wish to save Cybertron was apparently outweighing his pride.

Moreover, we see that the save of Cybertorn was really close to his Spark, because he's one of those who is most distressed by the loss of the Keys and the Lock (like Ratchet). Unlike KnockOut (who actually allows himself to make a joke) or Megatron. The two seem to really not care.

Just see Megatron's priority, he would rather cyber-form Earth to hurt Optimus, than save his own planet. Starscream obeys, OK, but at the same time, if he doesn't, he wil be hit. So, well, yes, he accepts. He really doesn't have much choice.

Starscream can't be loyal to Megatron or the cause simply because he sees that it's not the same as before, and he doesn't have hope that it will be again. He, perhaps, never really believed in it. The only thing he had hope for, was that Cybertron would one day be restored and saved.

KnockOut: Opportunist

Honestly, KnockOut clearly doesn't care which side he's on. I think the reason he joined the Decepticons was simply because he saw that was the side that was winning so he figured that was the one he should choose.

In fact, he's a pretty detached character, who kinda doesn't care when things don't work out in favor of the cause. As long as he has energon and security, the rest is a little above him.

He's not a character who's loyal to anything except himself and his own survival. Just see in Predacons Rising. Well, the Decepticons lost, in which case I'm going with the Autobots. Basically.

He doesn't join a side because he believes in ideals. He joins a camp according to what the camp can offer him.

Breakdown: The Cause

I think Breakdown believes in the cause. He knows which side he's on, even when Bulkhead comes to help him against the MECH. He decides to stay a Decepticon, whereas Megatron left him to his fate.

He's not a bad mech, he just fights for the cause, he does his job, without being vicious or sadistic as some can be. So, yeah, he's violent and all, but that's kind of the environment he lives in.

Breakdown is a follower, not a leader or an opportunist. He follows a cause he believes in and that's it. He's not interested in complicated high command stuff, and just does what they asked.

As long as it serves the cause, he does.

Dreadwing: The Cause

Much like Breakdown, Dreadwing is loyal to the cause. He follows when given an order, and worries about his leader, because Megatron is the one representing the cause.

But unlike Soundwave who follows Megatron's orders somewhat blindly, Dreadwing can disobey if he deems it necessary. Like when he goes to look for Megatron, when the latter goes to fight Airachnid and his Insecticon. While his leader had told him not to intervene.

The only thing that can get him out of the cause is his wish for revenge for Skyquake's death. But even that, he tries his best to control. He's an honorable robot, who believes in a cause he always thinks is right. His code of honor shows that, for him, the Decepticon cause is an honorable thing, which must have a certain code of honor and values.

Dreadwing's problem was that he failed to notice that the Decepticon cause was no longer what he had known.

Airachnid: Herself

Well, no surprise. She is loyal to nothing but herself. She was with the Decepticon cause for a while, probably because unlike the Autobots, the Decepticons allowed more things in terms of torture and death.

In TFP, Airachnid is presented as a sadist who took advantage of the war to do evil around her, without suffering the consequences. If she left the Decepticons for a while, it's probably because she had to do things that even the Decepticons thought was overkill.

She's not on any side. And unlike Starscream (who trades with everyone) or KnockOut (who is just opportunistic), she attacks everyone without distinction. She's the one who basically has her own side.

Shockwave: The Science

For Shockwave it's frankly not easy to know. Above all, it seems that he just wants to carry out his experiments without anyone disturbing him. The war was just an opportunity for him to conduct more experiments, and to have access to experiments subjects.

During the war he was able to: recreate the space bridges, create the cortical psychic patch, several diseases, surely many weapons, the Vehicons, the Insecticons, and the Predacons.

The Decepticon cause had more resources, so he joined it. It's logical. It's just Shockwave being Shockwave.

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