Guilds of Cybertron

The Guilds of Cybertron were a political group that oversaw and administered the caste system and exercised complete control over which caste newborn Cybertronians would belong to for their entire lives.

The Guilds existed since the breakup of the Thirteen, guiding each Transformer onto his "proper path" of employment and life. They took credit for all the great achievements of Cybertronian civilization -- and, indeed, the existence of civilization itself. However, though it is true that the Guilds of Cybertron have existed since early history, they were not always the absolute totalitarian force they would eventually become. The idea to formalize the castes originated with the generals of the militia at Fort Scyk, who argued that they were the best way to keep society stable. Instead, this repressive, constricting social structure lead to stagnation, the loss of interstellar contact, and-eventually-total social decay.