Thirteen

Guess the one on fire!

“	We are the 13, the first, the forgotten, each of us serving a function vital to the survival of the universe. Each of us designated a Prime and given a function to serve during the long march of infinity.	”
—Vector Prime, "Vector Prime: In the Beginning"

The Thirteen are said to be the first Transformers created by Primus, in imitation of Unicron's transformation abilities. Rumored to be huge and powerful like their creator, legend has it that each was designated a Prime, and given an aspect of the multiverse to guide over, as well as manning Primus's physical form -— planet Cybertron. But power corrupts, and many of the Primes betrayed one another -— with one even siding with Unicron —- until few remained, secretly aiding or manipulating the next generations of Transformers.

Canon Members

Members of the Thirteen vary by tradition, some faiths claiming one set, and others entirely different Transformers. Among the rumored members are:

1. Prima, the first Matrix-bearer and first Transformer born of Cybertron, leader of the Thirteen. He was a warrior of light who used a Star Saber with the Matrix as its hilt.

2. Alchemist Prime, co-founder of Cybertronian civilization/Maccadam – proprietor of Maccadam’s Old Oil House – supposedly one of the Thirteen and with a bar that exists outside the normal flow of space-time. Mostly claimed by drunk patrons of Maccadam’s.

3. Alpha Trion, rumored to be the third and have the ability to see the past, present and future, and who is said to hold the Covenant of Primus and the Quill. Some say he maintains a close relationship with Primus through Vector Sigma – closer still, now that they have merged into Vector Trion.

4. Amalgamous Prime – The joker of the Thirteen and the first Shifter, unpredictable and easygoing. He was the first Cybertronian with the ability of transformation, granted him by his Transformation cog, which became the basis for the cogs in all subsequent Transformer life.

5. Solus Prime, the fourth and a female weaponsmith. The first to identify as a female Transformer, Solus Prime created many of the ancient weapons used by the Thirteen, such as Prima’s Star Saber or Megatronus’s Requiem Blaster.

6. Liege Maximo, the manipulator.

7. Luminous, bringer of Light. One of the few rumored Thirteen to be seen in modern times (TFUMUX exclusive).

8. Megatronus, formerly the guardian of entropy and warrior of darkness, now a herald of Unicron known only as The Fallen. The truth of his original name has been lost to history and time, stricken from all records.

9. Quintus Prime, the scientist.

10. Vector Prime, the guardian of space and time who spent most of his life outside the multiverse, observing it and occasionally stepping in to help.

11. Micronus Prime – claimed by the Mini-Cons. Disavowed by most bulk Transformers.

12. Onyx Prime, also seen as a manipulator and associated with Transformers with bestial altmodes.

13. Impulse, created last. The “fastest mech alive”, his knowledge and understanding of speed allows him to manipulate it in ways unknown until recently (albeit in other ways).

Apocryphal Members

· The Last Autobot, the guardian of Cybertron. Said to slumber beneath the planet, destined to rise during Cybertron’s darkest hour.

· Logos Prime, the mad traitor. Wasn’t created a Prime but stole their power to make himself omniscient, driving himself insane.

· Nexus Prime – First combiner. Legends of “Nexus Prime” have only appeared in the last couple dozen cycles. Some speculate the entire idea was created by Swindle to sell merchandise.

History

MUX continuity

Legend says that Primus created the Thirteen to defeat Unicron. According to the story, The Thirteen succeeded, and Unicron's defeated form was cast by them into space, only to return in 1997. One Shall Rise, Part 1

Notes

• Transformers: The Ultimate Guide asserts that all of the Thirteen were destroyed in the early battle between Primus and Unicron, but the statement was disproved by the book itself, since it recounted how The Fallen was not destroyed but exiled to a transdimensional prison from which he later escaped. Fun Publications comics would later depict Vector Prime as the sole surviving member of the Thirteen, and then go on to introduce Nexus Prime as a co-survivor alongside him.
• The Ultimate Guide made mention of a rumor on Cybertron that Maccadam — proprietor of Maccadam's Old Oil House — was supposedly one of the 13 and that his bar existed outside the normal flow of space-time. The prose story "Prime Spark" confirms the latter half of that rumor, depicting the bar as a multiversal nexus of sorts, but it makes no revelations about Maccadam himself. Aaron Archer declared that when the full identities of the Thirteen would be revealed, Maccadam would not be among them. Moral of the story: rumors are dumb.
• In Hasbro Q&A on October, 2009 from The Allspark Forum, The Thirteen are referred to as "the Original Epic Warriors of Cybertron" by Hasbro.
• The notion of the Primes being originally huge is similar to early Revenge of the Fallen concepts where the Fallen dwarfed Optimus and was almost the size of a pyramid, as evident from Defiance #4 and the novelization.
• The Aligned Continuity-War for Cybertron, etc.-depicts the full list of Thirteen as Prima, Vector Prime, Alpha Trion, Solus Prime, Micronus Prime, Nexus Prime, Onyx Prime, Alchemist Prime, Quintus Prime, Amalgamous Prime, Liege Maximo, Megatronus, and Optimus Prime. Other incarnations-such as seen in Fun Publications-have substituted IDW characters, the Last Autobot, and Logos Prime for various members, while also hinting at a connection between Alchemist and Maccadam.
• In "Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations", James Roberts came up with a completely different creation story for IDW Publishing's Transformers, just because he can. There is still an original group of Transformers and a war caused by treachery, but in that version the traitor is another god named Mortilus.