The Ark Crew: How and Why?

[grahamthomson]

A topic for thoughtful discussion: How did the original crew for the Ark* come about?

*Marvel's storyline, of course.

[bertie]

You're suggesting each member was chosen for a reason?

Given that they were initially supposed to clear an asteroid belt, surely the ability to point a gun at a rock would be the only qualification?

[primenova]

The only ones with that reason that make sense are

Ironhide, Trail Breaker

but why woudl you take a medic & your leader - but we have a few confusing stories back in 1984 for the reason why they left. Which ever one you look at does confuse it - comic/cartoon

leaving for enegry, destroy the asteroid - but the Autobots did leave first.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

"I shall lead a specially selected group into space." - Optimus Prime

Hmmm.

He took with him (we are told), his most trusted advisor (Prowl), the fastest Autobot over short distances (Windcharger), the strongest Autobots (Grimlock, Brawn), his best medical officer (Ratchet), his chief mechanical engineer (Wheeljack), some spies and saboteurs (Jazz, Mirage, Bumblebee), an architect (Grapple), some scouts (Hound, Gears), etc.

He didn't take any Autobots with massive asteroid-destroying firepower (even his warriors tended to have weapons such as glass-gas, magnetic powers, flares, flame-throwers, extinguisher rifles and black light weapons), nor any really capable of flying in space. He left the likes of Warpath and Cosmos behind.

So in answer to Graham's question... damned if I know. The crew sounds more like one picked for establishing a colony on a new world rather than one fit for blowing up asteroids.

Martin

[primenova]

But 10 autobots where on the Ark without bodies - the Ark did contruct 5 right away, but then it took Wheeljack/Ratchet a while to build 5 more bodies for #53. Having a group of characters around without bodies in the middle of a battle does sound weird & how would they get bodies in case of sudden need for extra troops?

[Deleted]

They didn't take Grimlock with them if I recall. He and the other Dinobots were on Earth doing battle with Shockwave before the Ark crash landed - or did they arrive after the Ark crash landed (its been a while since I last read the early issues).

My reasoning is that Prime went into the Cybertron branch of Woolworths and ordered a Pick 'n' Mix of Autobots!

[legios]

Mar 31, 2010 19:58:21 GMT @zudobug said:

They didn't take Grimlock with them if I recall. He and the other Dinobots were on Earth doing battle with Shockwave before the Ark crash landed - or did they arrive after the Ark crash landed (its been a while since I last read the early issues).

Grimlock was in fact on the Ark. He was one of five Autobots whom Aunty rebuilt as Dinobots to fight Shockwave when he landed on Earth.

This is an interesting question actually. Made more complicated by the fact that we don't necessarily know, from the comic alone what these folk did back on Cybertron. After all, we know that Jazz was Prime's Special Operations Commander on Earth, but did he fill that role on Cybertron or was he just a Special Operator reporting to a a commander who is long dead by the time he awakens in 1984? Was Mirage head of Autobot Intelligence, or did he become head of Prime's Intelligence service on Earth because he was the Autobot with the most experience in that field?

That said, there is one Autobot who is a logical candidate for the Ark's expressed mission profile. Bluestreak - he is a gunner and so presumably used to using heavy weaponry. He seems to be a sensible choice for a mission to blast asteroids with large guns.

Karl

[primenova]

Looking at UK #[7/8/27 flashbacks] & 53

all following Autobots where stored in those crystal on the Ark
Grimlock, Slag, Snarl, Sludge, Swoop
Tracks, Smokescreen, Hoist, Grapple, Skids

[Gav]

I imagine they were all selected using the 'Andrew WK' system, which was utilised on Cybertron (shown in issue 237) at the time of the launch. Those Autobots who were able to party the hardest were chosen for the dangerous mission into the stars. Except Huffer. He was chosen as the designated driver.

[primenova]

Talking about Huffer [that he is the nearest one to Rattrap in Beast Wars & Ratchet in Animated] - what are peoples views [maybe start a new thread] for the same reason of this thread but aimed at Beast Wars & Antimated - or even RID, Armada which are harder to apply it too.

[Nigel]

Wheeljack's engineering skills may have been useful if it was found there was some need to physically move asteroids rather than blast them out of the way. Similarly Grapple, though there was obviously less of an architectural need than an engineering need or else he wouldn't have been on a crystal. (Nothing to do with the toy being released the next year, oh no.)

Windcharger's powers of magnetism may have been useful for moving asteroids with high iron content.

Prowl, as strategist and logician, would have been able to determine the best course of action for disposing of asteroids, forecasting likely trajectories of explosions, collisions, etc - Wheeljack would also assist in this.

Ratchet - well, someone might have hurt themselves. Anyone ever see a hard hat on the Ark?

[Deleted]

Maybe they had another job to do besides the task of asteroid blasting. This other job was never mentioned but it would explain why certain Autobots were taken aboad.

[Deleted]

Maybe it was standard procedure in Cybertron's past to bring medics, scouts etc just in case their ship crashes or they get lost (as is what happened lol)

[grahamthomson]

Maybe for reasons unknown it was destined to always be a one-way mission and, like Martin and Dave have suggested, the crew were to set up a new colony somewhere?

[Shockprowl]

What a brilliant thread! I remember pondering this years and years ago!

I'm liking alot of folkes' suggestions. Top in my head is the fact that Prime planned for the worst and assembled a group that could-

a) handle the mission (the other warriors would have been able to opperate large weaponary, perhaps under Bluestreaks guidance),

b) consisted of his top, most trusted, troops (Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Ironhide- it was an important mission after all),

c) had a couple of specialists (Wheeljack, Huffer, Trailbreaker with his sheilds), and

d) had some kick-ass hard-core troops (the Dinobots) just in case it all went pear-shaped.

Plus, Prime's always struck me as the hands-on type, so he'd want to lead such an important mission himself.

What I don't get is why Megatron took such a small group to try to take them out! Yes you could argue he took his most trusted (Soundwave, Ravage), and maybe he wanted Shockwave along so he could keep an eye on him, but only taking 3 warriors (Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp) to attack a great big fook-off Autobot ship?

[The Doctor]

I always assumed the Ark was just one of a fleet of vessels and so the Autobots would have all sorts of space missions going, and we just so one of them.

Young Ralph never really thought much about the crew complement though! I really just assumed the crew had been selected in a tearing rush for the emergency mission to clear the asteroids.

-Ralph

[jameso]

I think it was a rush job mission. They were the best of the ones closest to hand.

A much more interesting story would be that somehow there was an understanding that it would probably end up being some kind of exploration/settlement mission though.

[Bogatan]

Well Prime makes sense as a hands on leader, his was the main priority. As this was the last ditch option to save the planet, relying on the Arks on board technology would be a big risk. In the event it wasn't just a case of sitting at a computer shooting stuff tHe crew could have been made up of bots who could do whatever was needed, even if that meant getting out and hitting them with a hammer. Brains to work out ways to destroy stubborn rocks. The muscle for the physical labour. Bluestreak in case computer targeting failed.

And the rest were bored and thought a day trip was just the thing.

Andy

[grahamthomson]

I do hope Ironhide packed enough cucumber sandwiches!

[The Doctor]

If only some guy had worked up a whole backstory to the Ark mission and put it on the interweb:

www.theunderbase.co.uk/fiction/ArkBk1.pdf

*cough*

-Ralph

Also:
www.theunderbase.co.uk/fiction/ArkBk2.pdf

[Shockprowl]

Oh, I'll read those later.

[grahamthomson]

Print them out and devour them post haste, Shockprowl! Highly recommended, so they are.

[Shockprowl]

Yes- yes I will! Or I will die in the attempt!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Apr 8, 2010 19:41:39 GMT Shockprowl said:

Yes- yes I will! Or I will die in the attempt!

Ha ha! I see what you did there.

Martin

[Andy Turnbull]

The Ark crew seemed a bit of a mish-mash. Aside from Ralph's explanation in the excellent Ark books I have a theory.

Autobot High Command predicted a fairly high chance the Ark would fail in it's mission and Cybertron would be destroyed. With that in mind they crewed the ship with the best and the brightest and sent it off so that if they failed in their mission and couldn't save Cybertron they would colonise another world. The fact of this probably only known to Prime and Prowl. The Transformers would live again thanks to the brain banks and the Matrix holder being on board.

They couldn't abandon Cybertron as without the civil war engaging the vast majority of the Decepticon war machine, the Decepticons would simply have left the planet and spread to the stars and the Autobots would be hard pressed to contain their threat.

Andy

[The Doctor]

That could work.

-Ralph

[grahamthomson]

That is an interesting theory! And would explain the point of taking the Matrix along.

Perhaps that's why Megatron himself went to attack the Ark.