(no subject)
2007 Transformers film:
During production of the live-action movie, writer Alex Kurtzman stated that Starscream would not stray from his treacherous roots as he seeks to overthrow Megatron, and frequently engages in bickering arguments with him. In the film, he is seen vehemently pledging his allegiance to Megatron when the latter breaks free from the Hoover Dam, but unlike the other Decepticons, he does not fight to the death and escapes the planet at the end of the movie. For unknown reasons, he passes up a chance to take the All Spark for himself. Although, it could be that he didn't dare try, with Megatron so near.
As always, Starscream transforms into a jet, in this case an F-22 Raptor. He has a hatred of Megatron and seeks to be Leader of the Decepticons. He is bulkier than most incarnations, due to the size of the Raptor combined with the lack of mass displacement. He maintains a simian body shape with a large, triangular chest, large shoulders formed by the jet's distinctive twin tails, long arms, and small or bird-like feet. His chest is still formed by the jet's nose. The jet's powerful main engines end up on his back, allowing him to leap great heights into the air and take flight, much like a jetpack. They also allow him to control his descent if he transforms out of his jet form in midair. His movements are a combination of acrobatic and avian, grabbing hold of a bridge's bottom to launch himself up into the air and transforming in mid-flight to swoop down upon his prey. His arms store heavy weaponry, with a missile launcher carrying six missiles in his left arm and a high caliber machine gun (probably the jet's Vulcan cannon) in his right. In the movie's video game tie-ins, he is also seen detaching one or both of his wings and using them as short swords (a reference to his depiction in Transformers: Armada). When in Raptor mode he can simulate the appearance of a human pilot, the same holographic model (referred to as "Mustache Man" on-set and in the credits) that "pilots" Blackout and "drives" Barricade.
The official guide to the Transformers video game says he's 31 feet tall (9.4 m), although measuring his Voyager class toy suggests he would stand 55 feet (16.8 m) tall. The Transformers U.K. magazine states he stands 31 feet (9.4 m) tall, weighs 5.3 (short) tons (4.8 tonnes) and can travel up to Mach 3.
The movie prequel comics show Starscream acquiring his Raptor form by scanning an experimental Raptor prototype, which should put him among the 411th Flight Test Squadron based out of Edwards Air Force Base (responsible for testing new F-22s). Movie scenes show him among a squadron bearing "ED" tail markings, placing him at Edwards. However, promotional photos of Starscream released with the movie show sufficient detail to recognize the markings on the fuselage of Starscream's disguise: the tail that forms his left shoulder bears a winged sword enclosed in a shield, denoting the Air Combat Command, as well as the letters "FF 1st FW" indicating the 1st Fighter Wing based out of Langley Air Force Base; a portion of the nose forming his chest shows a reversed version of the "flying fist" insignia of the 1st Fighter Wing's 71st Fighter Squadron. This is inaccurate on two counts, since the 71st still flies the F-15 Eagle; however, this could be a homage to the Generation 1 Starscream's F-15 mode.
Starscream's color is the same as the jet's in the movie and the video game's cutscenes, but when Starscream is controlled by the player or the computer his skin turns green.
Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday:
In the prequel novel Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday it is revealed that Starscream is leader of the Decepticons following Megatron's disappearance during his search for the Allspark. He and a crew of Decepticons travel in the Nemesis to search for the Allspark and Megatron, although Starscream is not keen on finding the latter. His leadership is uneasy at best: Blackout opposes him at every turn (rightly not trusting Starscream and thinking that he would prefer that they never find Megatron), while Barricade tolerates it only as a means of finding Ultra Magnus. Encountering Ghost-1, a human craft of Cybertronian design, Starscream manipulated them into revealing that Megatron and the Allspark were on Earth, then betrayed them. After winning a vicious duel with Blackout for leadership, he launched a full-scale assault on the Autobots. Just as he and Bonecrusher almost killed Optimus Prime, Starscream was severely injured by Ghost-1. In retaliation he destroyed the human craft before retreating. Optimus Prime notes that Starscream's Cybertronian jet mode resembles that of Megatron's.
2007 movie plot:
In the film, Starscream rallies the other Decepticons to battle when Frenzy alerts them to the All Spark's location. He destroys the electrical substation that powers Sector 7's base, allowing Megatron to come out of his deep freeze. Upon being reunited with Megatron, however, he is scolded by his leader for letting the All Spark escape in a manner reminiscent of his G1 counterpart: "You fail me yet again, Starscream."
In the final battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, he is the first Decepticon to arrive on the scene thanks to his jet mode, which he also uses to ambush the Autobots when their human allies mistake him for a friendly Air Force pilot. He aids Devastator and Megatron by firing missiles in his Raptor form at Bumblebee and Ironhide, destroying the former's legs and injuring the latter. Later, he stops Sam Witwicky from fleeing by land with the All Spark, easily disabling both Ratchet and Ironhide in the process; however, he doesn't take the Allspark. When Sam is about to hand off the Allspark to a Black Hawk crewman, Starscream shoots down the helicopter. Later, when a full airstrike has been called in on Megatron and Blackout, Starscream conceals himself among the attacking jets in order to ambush them. He destroys three of the jets, but retreats from the battle after the F-22 pilots regroup and engage him, allowing the jets to complete their mission. There is speculation that Starscream, himself, was one of the jets among those firing upon Megatron and Blackout at the end, but the screenwriters have said fans will have to wait until the sequel to learn Starscream's true role in Megatron's and Blackout's demise.
Note: According to the bio for the Premium Deep Space Starscream toy, Starscream retreated to a nearby power plant to re-energize himself, but this was not shown in the film.
An interlude during the end credits shows Starscream leaving Earth's atmosphere, leaving questions about his role in a sequel. He can be heard speaking, though his words are not clear nor subtitled. While early into the film's release it was mistakenly thought the sounds heard were Starscream transforming himself to leave orbit, actual stills of the scene show no such transformation and a comparison of his dialogue with Megatron at Hoover Dam make clear that it was his voice as he departed Earth. Exactly what he says still remains unclear. The bigger contenders for his words include, "I'll be back", "I need to go back now", "Out of time", "Cybertron", and a likely candidate of their Cybertronian language being spoken. Whatever the take may be, there are three clear syllables. It is possible that he is leaving to summon Decepticon reinforcements to Earth, as Optimus Prime also sent out a message summoning the surviving Autobots in the universe to Earth at the end of the film.
Trivia:
* The card back of Protoform Starscream's packaging features a him with a completely different, earlier head sculpt. What's more, this head design is featured on his protoform body in IDW's movie prequel comics.
* His protoform was not the only design to get a new head. The earliest concepts of Starscream's head were more skull-like and oblong in shape. This was, of course, redesigned to look more "like a samurai helmet." Unlike the redesigned head of Megatron, Starscream's earlier face only shows up in ONE piece of media: the book Look and Find Transformers.
* Starscream seems to be able to fly while out of his jet form, using the F-22's engines on his back. Whether this is his actual robot form or a form between his robot and jet forms isn't known, though it appears the latter is true, as seen when he attacks the other F-22s.
* On-screen in the actual movie, Starscream has only one short conversation with Megatron and a total screen time of less than 10 minutes.
* It has been suggested that, following his attack on the F-22 squadron over the city, Starscream was able to hide among the survivors and take part in the attack on Megatron shortly thereafter. This theory is speculative; while it fits the character of the G1 Starscream from the '80s, there is nothing actually on the screen to suggest it (except for the fact Starscream is nowhere to be seen following the strike and is later seen leaving Earth's atmosphere). (Roberto Orci was asked, but refused to give a definite answer.) In The Reign of Starscream the first issue reveals that during the battle, he was highly tempted to fire on him, but that kid (Sam) beat him to it before he could fire. Whether this will be retconned is unknown.
* The Sector Seven online ARG used the "Masterpiece" version of Generation 1 Starscream to represent the "real" Starscream who had infiltrated Earth. A lot of Generation 1 cameos were made in this manner. Make of that what you will.
* Even though Starscream has only two lines of dialogue, José Sant'anna, who played the G1 character in the Brazilian dub of the original cartoon, was re-cast to play the role in the movie. However, his voice was so heavily modulated that only someone with a really good ear could recognize him. Go figure.
* Speaking of two dialogues, most of his lines are Cybertronian. He begins his role with speaking Cybertronian ("This is Starscream: All Decepticons mobilize") and ends with saying another Cybertronian line that isn't subtitled. Of course, he could have been talking to himself (as he does when he reaches Sector Seven) or even cursing, but it is also possible that he was summoning some Decepticons to the Earth, just like Optimus does to Autobots. This leaves doubts about what will happen in the sequel.
* He's probably the only Starscream that hasn't died or suffered grievous bodily damage. Yet.
* The only Starscream who wants to get rid of Megatron for the good of his species rather than out of any personal hatred (OK maybe a little personal hatred).
* Probably the only Starscream who is actually competent enough to be a good Decepticon leader (after all he did take charge of them during the countless centuries while Megatron was absent).
* In the second season of Beast Wars, the reason for Starscream's ability to survive beyond death was revealed - a mutation in his spark had rendered it indestructible (making Starscream literally immortal). Maximal experiments to replicate this effect resulted in the creation of the insane monster Protoform X, later called Rampage.
During production of the live-action movie, writer Alex Kurtzman stated that Starscream would not stray from his treacherous roots as he seeks to overthrow Megatron, and frequently engages in bickering arguments with him. In the film, he is seen vehemently pledging his allegiance to Megatron when the latter breaks free from the Hoover Dam, but unlike the other Decepticons, he does not fight to the death and escapes the planet at the end of the movie. For unknown reasons, he passes up a chance to take the All Spark for himself. Although, it could be that he didn't dare try, with Megatron so near.
As always, Starscream transforms into a jet, in this case an F-22 Raptor. He has a hatred of Megatron and seeks to be Leader of the Decepticons. He is bulkier than most incarnations, due to the size of the Raptor combined with the lack of mass displacement. He maintains a simian body shape with a large, triangular chest, large shoulders formed by the jet's distinctive twin tails, long arms, and small or bird-like feet. His chest is still formed by the jet's nose. The jet's powerful main engines end up on his back, allowing him to leap great heights into the air and take flight, much like a jetpack. They also allow him to control his descent if he transforms out of his jet form in midair. His movements are a combination of acrobatic and avian, grabbing hold of a bridge's bottom to launch himself up into the air and transforming in mid-flight to swoop down upon his prey. His arms store heavy weaponry, with a missile launcher carrying six missiles in his left arm and a high caliber machine gun (probably the jet's Vulcan cannon) in his right. In the movie's video game tie-ins, he is also seen detaching one or both of his wings and using them as short swords (a reference to his depiction in Transformers: Armada). When in Raptor mode he can simulate the appearance of a human pilot, the same holographic model (referred to as "Mustache Man" on-set and in the credits) that "pilots" Blackout and "drives" Barricade.
The official guide to the Transformers video game says he's 31 feet tall (9.4 m), although measuring his Voyager class toy suggests he would stand 55 feet (16.8 m) tall. The Transformers U.K. magazine states he stands 31 feet (9.4 m) tall, weighs 5.3 (short) tons (4.8 tonnes) and can travel up to Mach 3.
The movie prequel comics show Starscream acquiring his Raptor form by scanning an experimental Raptor prototype, which should put him among the 411th Flight Test Squadron based out of Edwards Air Force Base (responsible for testing new F-22s). Movie scenes show him among a squadron bearing "ED" tail markings, placing him at Edwards. However, promotional photos of Starscream released with the movie show sufficient detail to recognize the markings on the fuselage of Starscream's disguise: the tail that forms his left shoulder bears a winged sword enclosed in a shield, denoting the Air Combat Command, as well as the letters "FF 1st FW" indicating the 1st Fighter Wing based out of Langley Air Force Base; a portion of the nose forming his chest shows a reversed version of the "flying fist" insignia of the 1st Fighter Wing's 71st Fighter Squadron. This is inaccurate on two counts, since the 71st still flies the F-15 Eagle; however, this could be a homage to the Generation 1 Starscream's F-15 mode.
Starscream's color is the same as the jet's in the movie and the video game's cutscenes, but when Starscream is controlled by the player or the computer his skin turns green.
Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday:
In the prequel novel Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday it is revealed that Starscream is leader of the Decepticons following Megatron's disappearance during his search for the Allspark. He and a crew of Decepticons travel in the Nemesis to search for the Allspark and Megatron, although Starscream is not keen on finding the latter. His leadership is uneasy at best: Blackout opposes him at every turn (rightly not trusting Starscream and thinking that he would prefer that they never find Megatron), while Barricade tolerates it only as a means of finding Ultra Magnus. Encountering Ghost-1, a human craft of Cybertronian design, Starscream manipulated them into revealing that Megatron and the Allspark were on Earth, then betrayed them. After winning a vicious duel with Blackout for leadership, he launched a full-scale assault on the Autobots. Just as he and Bonecrusher almost killed Optimus Prime, Starscream was severely injured by Ghost-1. In retaliation he destroyed the human craft before retreating. Optimus Prime notes that Starscream's Cybertronian jet mode resembles that of Megatron's.
2007 movie plot:
In the film, Starscream rallies the other Decepticons to battle when Frenzy alerts them to the All Spark's location. He destroys the electrical substation that powers Sector 7's base, allowing Megatron to come out of his deep freeze. Upon being reunited with Megatron, however, he is scolded by his leader for letting the All Spark escape in a manner reminiscent of his G1 counterpart: "You fail me yet again, Starscream."
In the final battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, he is the first Decepticon to arrive on the scene thanks to his jet mode, which he also uses to ambush the Autobots when their human allies mistake him for a friendly Air Force pilot. He aids Devastator and Megatron by firing missiles in his Raptor form at Bumblebee and Ironhide, destroying the former's legs and injuring the latter. Later, he stops Sam Witwicky from fleeing by land with the All Spark, easily disabling both Ratchet and Ironhide in the process; however, he doesn't take the Allspark. When Sam is about to hand off the Allspark to a Black Hawk crewman, Starscream shoots down the helicopter. Later, when a full airstrike has been called in on Megatron and Blackout, Starscream conceals himself among the attacking jets in order to ambush them. He destroys three of the jets, but retreats from the battle after the F-22 pilots regroup and engage him, allowing the jets to complete their mission. There is speculation that Starscream, himself, was one of the jets among those firing upon Megatron and Blackout at the end, but the screenwriters have said fans will have to wait until the sequel to learn Starscream's true role in Megatron's and Blackout's demise.
Note: According to the bio for the Premium Deep Space Starscream toy, Starscream retreated to a nearby power plant to re-energize himself, but this was not shown in the film.
An interlude during the end credits shows Starscream leaving Earth's atmosphere, leaving questions about his role in a sequel. He can be heard speaking, though his words are not clear nor subtitled. While early into the film's release it was mistakenly thought the sounds heard were Starscream transforming himself to leave orbit, actual stills of the scene show no such transformation and a comparison of his dialogue with Megatron at Hoover Dam make clear that it was his voice as he departed Earth. Exactly what he says still remains unclear. The bigger contenders for his words include, "I'll be back", "I need to go back now", "Out of time", "Cybertron", and a likely candidate of their Cybertronian language being spoken. Whatever the take may be, there are three clear syllables. It is possible that he is leaving to summon Decepticon reinforcements to Earth, as Optimus Prime also sent out a message summoning the surviving Autobots in the universe to Earth at the end of the film.
Trivia:
* The card back of Protoform Starscream's packaging features a him with a completely different, earlier head sculpt. What's more, this head design is featured on his protoform body in IDW's movie prequel comics.
* His protoform was not the only design to get a new head. The earliest concepts of Starscream's head were more skull-like and oblong in shape. This was, of course, redesigned to look more "like a samurai helmet." Unlike the redesigned head of Megatron, Starscream's earlier face only shows up in ONE piece of media: the book Look and Find Transformers.
* Starscream seems to be able to fly while out of his jet form, using the F-22's engines on his back. Whether this is his actual robot form or a form between his robot and jet forms isn't known, though it appears the latter is true, as seen when he attacks the other F-22s.
* On-screen in the actual movie, Starscream has only one short conversation with Megatron and a total screen time of less than 10 minutes.
* It has been suggested that, following his attack on the F-22 squadron over the city, Starscream was able to hide among the survivors and take part in the attack on Megatron shortly thereafter. This theory is speculative; while it fits the character of the G1 Starscream from the '80s, there is nothing actually on the screen to suggest it (except for the fact Starscream is nowhere to be seen following the strike and is later seen leaving Earth's atmosphere). (Roberto Orci was asked, but refused to give a definite answer.) In The Reign of Starscream the first issue reveals that during the battle, he was highly tempted to fire on him, but that kid (Sam) beat him to it before he could fire. Whether this will be retconned is unknown.
* The Sector Seven online ARG used the "Masterpiece" version of Generation 1 Starscream to represent the "real" Starscream who had infiltrated Earth. A lot of Generation 1 cameos were made in this manner. Make of that what you will.
* Even though Starscream has only two lines of dialogue, José Sant'anna, who played the G1 character in the Brazilian dub of the original cartoon, was re-cast to play the role in the movie. However, his voice was so heavily modulated that only someone with a really good ear could recognize him. Go figure.
* Speaking of two dialogues, most of his lines are Cybertronian. He begins his role with speaking Cybertronian ("This is Starscream: All Decepticons mobilize") and ends with saying another Cybertronian line that isn't subtitled. Of course, he could have been talking to himself (as he does when he reaches Sector Seven) or even cursing, but it is also possible that he was summoning some Decepticons to the Earth, just like Optimus does to Autobots. This leaves doubts about what will happen in the sequel.
* He's probably the only Starscream that hasn't died or suffered grievous bodily damage. Yet.
* The only Starscream who wants to get rid of Megatron for the good of his species rather than out of any personal hatred (OK maybe a little personal hatred).
* Probably the only Starscream who is actually competent enough to be a good Decepticon leader (after all he did take charge of them during the countless centuries while Megatron was absent).
* In the second season of Beast Wars, the reason for Starscream's ability to survive beyond death was revealed - a mutation in his spark had rendered it indestructible (making Starscream literally immortal). Maximal experiments to replicate this effect resulted in the creation of the insane monster Protoform X, later called Rampage.