Ark

The Ark is an Autobot spacecraft in the fictional Transformers Universe. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide by Simon Furman classifies it as a Vanguard-class Deep Space Interceptor, with a crew complement of 300.

Crew of the Ark
Which Autobots were on board the Ark varies with different tellings of the story. In all storylines the following Autobots are among the crew:


 * Bluestreak
 * Brawn
 * Bumblebee
 * Cliffjumper
 * Gears
 * Hound
 * Huffer
 * Ironhide
 * Jazz
 * Mirage
 * Optimus Prime - Leader
 * Prowl
 * Ratchet
 * Sideswipe
 * Sunstreaker
 * Trailbreaker
 * Wheeljack
 * Windcharger

In the television series the Ark was crewed by:


 * Hauler (Only appeared in one early episode)

In the Marvel Comics series the Ark was crewed by:


 * Grimlock
 * Slag
 * Sludge
 * Snarl
 * Swoop

Animated Series
Although it is universally referred to as "the Ark" in all other media, the Autobot spacecraft is never actually named in The Transformers animated series - it is simply referred to as "Autobot Headquarters."

The Ark left Cybertron when constant battles between the Autobots and Decepticons had left the planet in an energy crisis, with Optimus Prime and a contingent of Autobots 4 million years ago in search of the fuel Energon. Shortly after launch, it was attacked by the Decepticons on the Nemesis (another spaceship that was not named as such in the original series). The Nemesis attached itself to the Ark using tractor beams. The Decepticons, including their leader Megatron, boarded the Ark and attacked. During the battle, the Ark was damaged and crash landed on Earth, into the side of a volcano in what one day would be called Oregon (according to the Marvel comic book).

In the Earth year 1984, the volcano erupted, jarring Teletraan I back to life. Sending out a Sky Spy satellite, the computer scanned assorted Earthly vehicles and machinery to form alternate modes for the Transformers. Skywarp happened to be in the path of Teletraan's reconfiguration beam, and once reactivated, dragged the other Decepticons into the beam, allowing them to be reconstructed. As they departed the Ark, Starscream opened fire on it, disobeying Megatron's orders, who cautiously opted to have the Decepticons save their energy until further sources were found. The blast dislodged some of the rock face above the Ark, and the resulting collapse knocked Optimus Prime's body into the path of the beam. The Autobots lived again.

Although the Ark was severely damaged in the crash, preparations were made to launch it again following the apparent destruction of the Decepticons. When the ship was nearly ready, the Decepticons re-emerged, prompting the Autobots to stay on Earth, using the buried hulk of the Ark as their base of operations. Following the construction of Autobot City in the early 21st century, the Ark shared duties as the home base for the Earthbound Autobots, but it's clear that Autobot City was regarded as the bigger threat to the Decepticons. In 2006, the Ark was destroyed by Trypticon.