Ark (Transformers)
Encyclopedia
The Ark is an Autobot
spacecraft
in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive.
classifies it as a "Vanguard-class Deep Space Interceptor", with a crew complement of as many as 300.
Which Autobots were on board the Ark varies with different tellings of the story. In all storylines the following Autobots are among the crew:
In the television series the Ark was crewed by:
In the Marvel Comics series the Ark was crewed by:
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 Decepticon
s 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
.
, was headed into the path of the asteroid belt
. Optimus Prime
led a specially selected group of Autobot
s on board the Ark to clear a path through the asteroids so that the planet could pass safely. The Ark was specially constructed for this mission. The Autobots successfully cleared a path for Cybertron, but were attacked by the Decepticon
s, and were too low in energy after clearing the asteroids to fight back effectively. Prime instead chose to order the Ark to crash into what was then the lifeless third planet in our solar system
. The spaceship crashed into what is today called Mount St. Hilary, where the Autobots and Decepticons on the Ark lay dormant for four million years, until in 1984 the volcano erupted and activated the shipboard computer which then revived the Transformers on board. (Mount St. Hilary is fictional, although it was presumably modeled on the real-life Mount St. Helens
, which erupted in 1980).
The Autobots then used the Ark as their base on Earth until, under the command of Grimlock
, the Ark was repaired and launched back into space. It served as the Autobot's base until the battle against Unicron
, when Grimlock drove it into the Chaos-Bringer's head. The craft was repaired and stolen by Shockwave
and Starscream
. However, they had a few stowaways: Megatron, Ratchet and Galvatron from an alternate future. In the ensuing fight, a stray shot hit the highly volatile nucleon stored on the ship causing a massive explosion, forcing it to once again, crash into the Earth; this time somewhere in northern Canada
.
The specific design of the Ark changes throughout the run of the Marvel series, the variation usually attributed to different artists' ideas of what it should look like. However, the Ark always maintained a thickened, spade-like shape with three or more massive, circular engine ports.
who had been stored in the Ark during Spike’s absence, and in the ensuing fight with Megatron, Maximus threw himself into the anti-matter conversion chamber, causing the ship to explode. Both Megatron and Sky Dive escaped.
The Ark appears as a character in the book Transformers: Dark of the Moon The Junior Novel
.
comics it is assumed that the Arks history is roughly similar to that of the animated version, crashing on Earth with Optimus Prime, Megatron and their forces on board. After the defeat of the Decepticons a second Ark vessel was built, with the Autobots, the captive Decepticons and several human representatives on board. It was destroyed by rogue elements of the military being indirectly manipulated by Shockwave
. The original Ark was destroyed when the Autobots Ratchet
and Brawn
set it to self destruct when it was attacked by Bruticus
.
's machinations. A group of seven human ambassadors known as the Magnificent Seven (including Sparkplug Witwicky) were casualties of the explosion.
would discard the traditional story of the Ark crashlanding on Earth with the deactivated Autobots and Decepticons inside in favor of having both sides already having infiltration units on Earth, the Ark would still appear. Here it was not the name of one ship, but a series of them, with Ark-19 being the name of Prowl
's ship and Ark-27 being the ship Optimus Prime takes to Earth. A vessel named Ark-17 was also mentioned by Oprimus Prime. Also the Spotlight issue on Nightbeat
reveals the ancestry of the name. The original Ark was a vessel launched to try and chart space around Cybertron. It disappeared with all hands. Spotlight: Galvatron
revealed it had actually been investigating an anomaly believed to lead to a dark mirror of the Matrix; Galvatron flew it into this anomaly and the crew were "claimed" by the Dead Universe. It is suggested that the crew of the Ark were turned into zombie-like monsters similar to Galvatron.
IDW Publishing also published a design collection titled The Ark. This 208 page book features the animation models from the original 1980s cartoon and was created by Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster.
series, taking place in prehistoric Earth, references the Ark towards the end of the series. The Predacon Megatron
discovers it, and hijacks Teletraan I using access codes he found on the Voyager Golden Record
, left behind by the original Decepticon Megatron.
Blackarachnia (To Silverbolt): "Oh, it's no legend, Jo-Jo. Eons before Maximal or Predacon even existed, your ancestors, the Autobots, launched this ship containing their finest heroes. It was attacked by Decepticons and crashed here on Earth. When it (the volcano the Ark was lying in) explodes in 1984, our ancestors will awaken and start the Great War. "
While Megatron's ancestors, the Decepticons, and those of the Maximals
, the Autobots, slept in stasis lock, he fired his weapon upon the face of Optimus Prime, disrupting the time flow in the universe. The Maximals foiled his plan, by placing the spark of Prime within Optimus Primal
, once again changing his body. Repairs were made on Prime, and the Maximals used the Ark as their own base, both to safeguard the Transformers within from Megatron, and because their own ship had recently been lost. However, Megatron later penetrated the Ark once more, absorbing the spark of his ancestor just before mutating into his dragon form.
The Ark was nearly destroyed again by Megatron when he discovered and reactivated the Nemesis. The Maximals were able to activate (with the help of Dinobot II on the Nemesis) a shuttle found on board (that according to Blackarachnia, "The history records never mentioned a shuttle!" with Rhinox replying "History's still being made!"), and used it to both stop the Nemesis and return home, after re-sealing the cave. They also returned the spark of the original Megatron to its rightful place.
The Ark would remain until its emergence in 1984.
, the Autobots travel across interstellar space in a large spacecraft, then travel to Earth in protoform mode. This ship would appear in Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday
, the prequel novel to the 2007 live-action film, called The Ark. Here, it was the vessel bearing Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Jazz in their search for the Allspark. It is described as being spherical in shape, and its weapons systems and shields are superior to its Decepticon counterparts. It is also said to be able to hold approximately 350 Transformers.
The Ark appears in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. In 1961, a Cybertronian spacecraft crash lands on the far side of the moon. Known as the Ark, it was the last ship to escape a Cybertron devastated by war. Piloted by Sentinel Prime
, it carried "the Pillars", technology that could save the Cybertronians once and for all, but was hit by Decepticon missile fire. On Earth, the crash of the Ark is detected by NASA, and President John F. Kennedy authorizes the mission to put a man on the moon as a cover. By 1963, the Decepticons have raided the ship and taken hundreds of Space Bridge pillars from it, leaving only five, including the Control Pillar. Russian probe Lunar Four notices this. In 1969, Apollo 11 lands on the surface of the Moon to investigate the Ark and find the crew dead. The astronauts take samples from the ship before leaving. Somehow, the Russians manage to get their hands on an engine part from the ship and bring it to Chernobyl
where it is experimented upon. Later, in 2011, Optimus Prime and Ratchet travel to the Ark and retrieve Sentinel and five Space Bridge pillars after finding the engine part at Chernobyl and learning of the truth behind the Apollo missions. The Ark is abandoned after this.
The Orion was once a powerful warship during the Cybertronian Wars. When they were over, all of the Orions weaponry was stripped except for one cannon. It then served as a cargo ship for Optimus Prime and his maintenance crew. While being chased by Decepticons, the Allspark sent the Ark pummeling through the space bridge where it ended up above Earth. It then fell right into Lake Erie
, which laid for fifty years before its crew reactivated. After making friends with humans, the Autobots decided to leave the Ark and settle on a surface base.
When Lugnut and Blitzwing
arrived on Earth to find the Allspark, the Autobots decided to repair the Orion and leave the planet. But they instead up its remaining cannon on the Decepticons.
When Megatron was fully revived, Ratchet managed to reactivate the Orion and the Autobots were prepared to leave Earth until a missile took out the engines, causing the ship to crash into a volcano crater.
Later in the series, the Orion is revealed to be the vehicle mode of the giant Autobot Omega Supreme.
The ship went unnamed throughout the cartoon itself (with the comics incorrectly referring to the whole ship, instead of just its online computer as "Teletran-1"), but was given its official name in the book Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II. This book also revelaed that it was but one of many identical-looking ships that each transformed into giant warriors called Omega Sentinels (with one of which being Omega Supreme). Each of these ships bore a resemblance to the Ark in shape, but only the Orion bore its iconic golden color scheme.
Shatterd Glass story, where the Decepticons are heroic and the Autobot the villains, the Ark and Nemesis appear as well. The Ark is purple in color, but otherwise is shaped like the Generation 1 ship. Launched from Cybertron in 2009, the Ark was commanded by Rodimus. Among the crew of the was Beachcomber, Big Daddy, Blaster, Brawn, Elita One, Goldbug, Ratchet, Seaspray, Star Saber and Swoop.
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
in the Transformers Universe. It has appeared as a central fixture of the Transformers storyline ever since its creation, as the Autobots main method of transport to Earth and as a base once they arrive.
Crew of the Ark
Transformers: The Ultimate Guide by Simon FurmanSimon Furman
Simon Christopher Francis Furman is a comic book writer, particularly associated with of a number of notable Transformers comics for Marvel UK, Marvel US, Dreamwave, and most recently, IDW...
classifies it as a "Vanguard-class Deep Space Interceptor", with a crew complement of as many as 300.
Which Autobots were on board the Ark varies with different tellings of the story. In all storylines the following Autobots are among the crew:
- Optimus PrimeOptimus PrimeOptimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
- Leader - Autobot Cars
- BluestreakSilverstreakBluestreak is a character in the Transformers mythos. For trademark reasons his name had to be changed to Silverstreak in 2003. Trademark was returned to Hasbro again in 2010.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
- HoundHound (Transformers)Hound is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. He is sometimes referred to as Autobot Hound for trademark purposes.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
- IronhideIronhideIronhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
- JazzJazz (Transformers)Jazz is the name of a fictional character from the various Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a music loving robot and talks with a slang accent. He is also a good friend of Optimus Prime's...
- MirageMirage (Transformers)Mirage is any of several distinct fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Mirage is one of the single most re-used names in the Transformers series, and is almost entirely synonymous with characters possessing Formula One racing car alternate modes.-Transformers Generation 1:Some...
- ProwlProwl (Transformers)Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
- RatchetRatchet (Transformers)Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
- Sideswipe
- SunstreakerSunstreakerSunstreaker is the name of two fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. The first is one of the main Autobot cars from the original Transformers series...
- TrailbreakerTrailbreakerTrailbreaker is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers toy line and animated television series. Due to trademark issues, newer toys of the character are named Trailcutter.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
- WheeljackWheeljackWheeljack is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Wheeljack is the mechanical engineer and scientist of the Autobots in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara and Hasbro. His...
- Bluestreak
- Autobot Mini-Vehicles
- BrawnBrawn (Transformers)Brawn is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. All are tough Autobots who turn into offroad vehicles.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
- BumblebeeBumblebee (Transformers)Bumblebee is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. In most incarnations, Bumblebee is a small, yellow Autobot with the altmode of a compact car.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
- CliffjumperCliffjumperCliffjumper is the name of several characters from the Transformers line of toys. His name is usually associated with an Autobot whose toys are often red repaints of Bumblebee toys.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
- GearsGears (Transformers)-Transformers: Generation 1:Gears is anti-social, a self-proclaimed misfit. His tech spec indicated he acted this way to cheer others up as they attempted to cheer him up. However, his portrayal in the animated series indicated he tended to annoy his comrades with his constant complaining...
- HufferHuffer (Transformers)Huffer is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. All are Autobots who turn into trucks. Huffer was first introduced in 1984, and was voiced by John Stephenson in the animated series The Transformers....
- WindchargerWindchargerWindcharger is a fictional character and was one of the original toys in the Transformers line when Hasbro started producing them in 1984.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
- Brawn
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:
- DinobotsDinobotsDinobots is the name of several teams of characters in the fictional Transformers Universe. The groups are made up of several robots, each of whose transformed mode is that of a dinosaur or similar prehistoric animal. They are called Dinotrons in the Japanese version; and ' in the Japanese dub of...
- GrimlockGrimlockGrimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
- Slag
- SludgeSludge (Transformers)Sludge is a fictional character in the Transformer toy line and fictional series. Sludge is a slow witted but powerful Dinobot. Sludge's strength is considered to be second only to Grimlock's in the Dinobot faction...
- SnarlSnarl (Transformers)Snarl is the name of several different fictional characters in the various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Snarl is one of the members of the Autobot sub-group called the Dinobots led by Grimlock...
- SwoopSwoop (Transformers)Swoop is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers fictional series and toy line. He was first introduced in 1985 and was voiced by Michael Bell in the animated The Transformers series.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
- Grimlock
Animated Series
Although it is universally referred to as "the Ark" in all other media, the Autobot spacecraft is never actually named on screen in The Transformers animated series - it is simply referred to as "Autobot Headquarters" in the dialog.The Ark left Cybertron when constant battles between the Autobots and Decepticons had left the planet in an energy crisis, with Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
and a contingent of Autobots 4 million years ago in search of the fuel Energon. Shortly after launch, it was attacked by the Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
s 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
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
(according to the Marvel comic book).
In the Earth year 1984, the volcano erupted, jarring Teletraan I
Teletraan I
Teletraan I is the name of several fictional characters in several Transformers universes. Teletraan I is usually the Autobots' computer on board their spaceship called the Ark.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
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
Skywarp
Skywarp is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy line. He is usually depicted as a black or purple Decepticon jet with teleportation powers.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
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
Starscream
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
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
Trypticon
Trypticon is a fictional character in the Transformers toyline.-Transformers: Generation 1:Trypticon is the Decepticons' principal command base. He has three modes: a city, a mobile battle station, and a Tyrannosaurus rex. In each mode, he has a variety of weapons...
.
Marvel Comics
Cybertron, having become a rogue planetRogue Planet
- Literature :* "Rogue Planet" , a Dan Dare story that ran in the original Eagle comic from Volume 6, Issue 48 to Volume 8, Issue 7* Rogue Planet , a 2000 novel set in the Star Wars galaxy- Other :...
, was headed into the path of the asteroid belt
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
. Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. Prime is the leader of the autobots, a faction of transforming robots from the planet Cybertron. The autobots are constantly waging war against a rival faction of transforming robots called Decepticons...
led a specially selected group of Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...
s on board the Ark to clear a path through the asteroids so that the planet could pass safely. The Ark was specially constructed for this mission. The Autobots successfully cleared a path for Cybertron, but were attacked by the Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...
s, and were too low in energy after clearing the asteroids to fight back effectively. Prime instead chose to order the Ark to crash into what was then the lifeless third planet in our solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. The spaceship crashed into what is today called Mount St. Hilary, where the Autobots and Decepticons on the Ark lay dormant for four million years, until in 1984 the volcano erupted and activated the shipboard computer which then revived the Transformers on board. (Mount St. Hilary is fictional, although it was presumably modeled on the real-life Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is south of Seattle, Washington and northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a...
, which erupted in 1980).
The Autobots then used the Ark as their base on Earth until, under the command of Grimlock
Grimlock
Grimlock is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. He is usually portrayed as a tough leader who turns into a mechanical dinosaur...
, the Ark was repaired and launched back into space. It served as the Autobot's base until the battle against Unicron
Unicron
Unicron is a fictional character from the Transformers universe and toyline. Created by Floro Dery, he was introduced in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie as the film's main antagonist. Unicron is a prodigiously large robot whose scale reaches planetary proportions, and he is also...
, when Grimlock drove it into the Chaos-Bringer's head. The craft was repaired and stolen by Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
and Starscream
Starscream
Starscream is a fictional character in the Transformers franchise. He is one of the most prolific characters in the Transformers fictional work, appearing in almost all incarnations of the story. Starscream is usually portrayed with the same characterization...
. However, they had a few stowaways: Megatron, Ratchet and Galvatron from an alternate future. In the ensuing fight, a stray shot hit the highly volatile nucleon stored on the ship causing a massive explosion, forcing it to once again, crash into the Earth; this time somewhere in northern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The specific design of the Ark changes throughout the run of the Marvel series, the variation usually attributed to different artists' ideas of what it should look like. However, the Ark always maintained a thickened, spade-like shape with three or more massive, circular engine ports.
Generation 2
The Ark was repaired and relaunched with Megatron at the helm. This time Spike Witwicky and Sky Dive stowed away before the launch. Spike merged with Fortress MaximusFortress Maximus
Fortress Maximus is the name of several fictional characters from several of the various Transformers universes. Fortress Maximus appeared in the season 4 finale of the US Transformers animated series voiced by Stephen Keener. He was one of the stars of the Japanese Transformers: Headmasters...
who had been stored in the Ark during Spike’s absence, and in the ensuing fight with Megatron, Maximus threw himself into the anti-matter conversion chamber, causing the ship to explode. Both Megatron and Sky Dive escaped.
Books
The Ark is mentioned by name in the 1984 children's book Battle for Cybertron.The Ark appears as a character in the book Transformers: Dark of the Moon The Junior Novel
Transformers: Dark of the Moon The Junior Novel
Transformers: Dark of the Moon: The Junior Novel is an adaptation of the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon written by Michael Kelly. For younger readers the violence featured in the movie is scaled down considerably and the book features a different ending than the one seen in the film to...
.
Dreamwave Productions
In the DreamwaveDreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
comics it is assumed that the Arks history is roughly similar to that of the animated version, crashing on Earth with Optimus Prime, Megatron and their forces on board. After the defeat of the Decepticons a second Ark vessel was built, with the Autobots, the captive Decepticons and several human representatives on board. It was destroyed by rogue elements of the military being indirectly manipulated by Shockwave
Shockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
. The original Ark was destroyed when the Autobots Ratchet
Ratchet (Transformers)
Ratchet is the name of several characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ratchet was named after the character of Nurse Ratched from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The name Ratchet is almost always portrayed as...
and Brawn
Brawn (Transformers)
Brawn is the name of several fictional characters from the various Transformers universes. All are tough Autobots who turn into offroad vehicles.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
set it to self destruct when it was attacked by Bruticus
Combaticons
The Combaticons are a group of Decepticon military vehicles in the assorted fictional universes of the Transformers.- Transformers: Generation 1 :...
.
The Ark II
A second Ark ship appeared in Dreamwave's G1 backstory. Following a mass defeat of the Decepticons, all the Transformers were to return to Cybertron on the newly-constructed Ark II, but when it was launched, it promptly exploded, as a result of ShockwaveShockwave (Transformers)
Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon in lieu of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save a single robotic eye...
's machinations. A group of seven human ambassadors known as the Magnificent Seven (including Sparkplug Witwicky) were casualties of the explosion.
IDW Publishing
Although the Transformers Comics by IDW PublishingIDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
would discard the traditional story of the Ark crashlanding on Earth with the deactivated Autobots and Decepticons inside in favor of having both sides already having infiltration units on Earth, the Ark would still appear. Here it was not the name of one ship, but a series of them, with Ark-19 being the name of Prowl
Prowl (Transformers)
Prowl is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series. "Prowl" is one of the most re-used American names in the assorted Transformers series, and its use has become almost synonymous with Autobots who possess a police car alternate mode...
's ship and Ark-27 being the ship Optimus Prime takes to Earth. A vessel named Ark-17 was also mentioned by Oprimus Prime. Also the Spotlight issue on Nightbeat
Nightbeat (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:Nightbeat is described as a tough, street-hardened detective who is not above resorting to dirty tricks in order to further his investigations...
reveals the ancestry of the name. The original Ark was a vessel launched to try and chart space around Cybertron. It disappeared with all hands. Spotlight: Galvatron
Galvatron
Galvatron is the name of several fictional Transformers, most often the recreated version of Megatron, the Decepticon leader. He was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in the 1986 Transformers movie, and then by Frank Welker in season 3 and 4 of the animated television series. Since then, other Transformers...
revealed it had actually been investigating an anomaly believed to lead to a dark mirror of the Matrix; Galvatron flew it into this anomaly and the crew were "claimed" by the Dead Universe. It is suggested that the crew of the Ark were turned into zombie-like monsters similar to Galvatron.
IDW Publishing also published a design collection titled The Ark. This 208 page book features the animation models from the original 1980s cartoon and was created by Jim Sorenson and Bill Forster.
Beast Wars
The Beast WarsBeast Wars
Transformers: Beast Wars is a Transformers toyline released by Hasbro between 1995 and 2000, and a Daytime Emmy Award winning full-CG animated television series spawned by it that debuted in 1996...
series, taking place in prehistoric Earth, references the Ark towards the end of the series. The Predacon Megatron
Megatron (Beast Wars and Beast Machines)
The Beast Wars and Beast Machines version of Megatron is the main antagonist from the aforementioned parts of the Transformers animated series, toy lines, and multiverse...
discovers it, and hijacks Teletraan I using access codes he found on the Voyager Golden Record
Voyager Golden Record
The Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for...
, left behind by the original Decepticon Megatron.
Blackarachnia (To Silverbolt): "Oh, it's no legend, Jo-Jo. Eons before Maximal or Predacon even existed, your ancestors, the Autobots, launched this ship containing their finest heroes. It was attacked by Decepticons and crashed here on Earth. When it (the volcano the Ark was lying in) explodes in 1984, our ancestors will awaken and start the Great War. "
While Megatron's ancestors, the Decepticons, and those of the Maximals
Maximal (Transformers)
Maximals are a faction in the Transformers series by Hasbro. They are generally depicted as respecting all life and following a path of peace before war. They follow the tenets of the Pax Cybertronia. The Maximals are opposed by the Predacons...
, the Autobots, slept in stasis lock, he fired his weapon upon the face of Optimus Prime, disrupting the time flow in the universe. The Maximals foiled his plan, by placing the spark of Prime within Optimus Primal
Optimus Primal
Optimus Primal is a fictional character from the Transformers toyline, and the leader of the Maximal forces and the main protagonist in the Beast Wars television series. He is sometimes called Optimal Optimus...
, once again changing his body. Repairs were made on Prime, and the Maximals used the Ark as their own base, both to safeguard the Transformers within from Megatron, and because their own ship had recently been lost. However, Megatron later penetrated the Ark once more, absorbing the spark of his ancestor just before mutating into his dragon form.
The Ark was nearly destroyed again by Megatron when he discovered and reactivated the Nemesis. The Maximals were able to activate (with the help of Dinobot II on the Nemesis) a shuttle found on board (that according to Blackarachnia, "The history records never mentioned a shuttle!" with Rhinox replying "History's still being made!"), and used it to both stop the Nemesis and return home, after re-sealing the cave. They also returned the spark of the original Megatron to its rightful place.
The Ark would remain until its emergence in 1984.
Transformers: Cybertron
The Transformer's scour the universe for 4 sources of power left over from Primus in order to save Cybertron and the rest of the universe from a massive black hole left over from the battle against Unicron. The four cyber planet keys (Japan: Force Chips) are located on 4 different planets Earth, Velocitron, Jungle, and Gigantion (Japan: Earth, Speedia, Animalia, Gigalonia) each with native Transformers that migrated when the cyber keys were scattered. However, the Decepticons wish to obtain the 4 cyber keys in order to rule the universe. The cyber keys in combination with the Omega Lock would be used to awaken Primus' full potential. With Primus' power merged the four Cybertronian ships: Atlantis, Ogygia, Lumeria and Hyperborea (Japan: Atlantis, Mu, Lemuria, Pangaea) into an ancient ship of legend. It is used by a reawakened Primus to destroy the black hole. It is then separated into the four ships, so the Autobots could connect the universe with space bridges. This ship was known as Noah in the Japanese version of Transformers: Cybertron, Transformers: Galaxy Force and the Ark in the English version.Transformers film franchise
According to a post by Roberto OrciRoberto Orci
Roberto Gaston Orci is a Mexican-American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Orci was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. His mother had left Cuba for Mexico after Fidel Castro came to power. He is the older brother of screenwriter-producer J....
, the Autobots travel across interstellar space in a large spacecraft, then travel to Earth in protoform mode. This ship would appear in Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday
Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday
Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday, is a prequel novel to the Michael Bay Transformers film. It was written by Alan Dean Foster, based on a story by David Cian.-Plot summary:...
, the prequel novel to the 2007 live-action film, called The Ark. Here, it was the vessel bearing Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Jazz in their search for the Allspark. It is described as being spherical in shape, and its weapons systems and shields are superior to its Decepticon counterparts. It is also said to be able to hold approximately 350 Transformers.
The Ark appears in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. In 1961, a Cybertronian spacecraft crash lands on the far side of the moon. Known as the Ark, it was the last ship to escape a Cybertron devastated by war. Piloted by Sentinel Prime
Sentinel Prime
Sentinel Prime is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. First mention of Sentinel Prime was in issue #65 of the US Marvel Comics Transformers series, where he was mentioned to hold the Autobot Matrix of Leadership before Optimus Prime. Sentinel Prime has since...
, it carried "the Pillars", technology that could save the Cybertronians once and for all, but was hit by Decepticon missile fire. On Earth, the crash of the Ark is detected by NASA, and President John F. Kennedy authorizes the mission to put a man on the moon as a cover. By 1963, the Decepticons have raided the ship and taken hundreds of Space Bridge pillars from it, leaving only five, including the Control Pillar. Russian probe Lunar Four notices this. In 1969, Apollo 11 lands on the surface of the Moon to investigate the Ark and find the crew dead. The astronauts take samples from the ship before leaving. Somehow, the Russians manage to get their hands on an engine part from the ship and bring it to Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
where it is experimented upon. Later, in 2011, Optimus Prime and Ratchet travel to the Ark and retrieve Sentinel and five Space Bridge pillars after finding the engine part at Chernobyl and learning of the truth behind the Apollo missions. The Ark is abandoned after this.
Toys
- Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Autobot Ark with Autobot Roller (2011)
- A toy replica of the Ark that opens into a playset that fits Cyberverse Legion Class figures. Comes with Legion Class Autobot Roller, which transforms into a Lunar roverLunar roverThe Lunar Roving Vehicle or lunar rover was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program during 1971 and 1972...
.
Transformers Animated
There is a ship in this 2008 Cartoon Network TV Series called the Orion that is based on the Ark. The Decepticon ship Nemesis is much bigger and powerful in this series. The Nemesis chases the Orion to Earth where it shoots the ship down. The Nemesis also crash lands.The Orion was once a powerful warship during the Cybertronian Wars. When they were over, all of the Orions weaponry was stripped except for one cannon. It then served as a cargo ship for Optimus Prime and his maintenance crew. While being chased by Decepticons, the Allspark sent the Ark pummeling through the space bridge where it ended up above Earth. It then fell right into Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, which laid for fifty years before its crew reactivated. After making friends with humans, the Autobots decided to leave the Ark and settle on a surface base.
When Lugnut and Blitzwing
Blitzwing
Blitzwing is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers series. He is always depicted as a Decepticon with two alternate forms, that of a jet and that of a tank...
arrived on Earth to find the Allspark, the Autobots decided to repair the Orion and leave the planet. But they instead up its remaining cannon on the Decepticons.
When Megatron was fully revived, Ratchet managed to reactivate the Orion and the Autobots were prepared to leave Earth until a missile took out the engines, causing the ship to crash into a volcano crater.
Later in the series, the Orion is revealed to be the vehicle mode of the giant Autobot Omega Supreme.
The ship went unnamed throughout the cartoon itself (with the comics incorrectly referring to the whole ship, instead of just its online computer as "Teletran-1"), but was given its official name in the book Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II. This book also revelaed that it was but one of many identical-looking ships that each transformed into giant warriors called Omega Sentinels (with one of which being Omega Supreme). Each of these ships bore a resemblance to the Ark in shape, but only the Orion bore its iconic golden color scheme.
Transformers: Timelines
In the Fun PublicationsFun Publications
Fun Publications is a publishing company that runs the Transformers Collectors Club and G.I. Joe Collectors Club under licensefrom Hasbro. Besides releasing comics, Fun Publications releases exclusive toys and runs conventions for their clubs....
Shatterd Glass story, where the Decepticons are heroic and the Autobot the villains, the Ark and Nemesis appear as well. The Ark is purple in color, but otherwise is shaped like the Generation 1 ship. Launched from Cybertron in 2009, the Ark was commanded by Rodimus. Among the crew of the was Beachcomber, Big Daddy, Blaster, Brawn, Elita One, Goldbug, Ratchet, Seaspray, Star Saber and Swoop.