Cybertronian Database

zombieheroine:

In Transformers: Prime we know several things about Primes, but very little is actually explicitly stated, so I wanted to gather up some pieces to make a point.

My understanding based on the series is that Prime is an institution of its own, a totally independent and limitless position of power above and outside all other institutions of power in Cybertronian society. 

Primes are leaders. Exceptional individuals who wield great powers, like mythical swords and the Matrix. Optimus seems to have become unquestioningly the leader of the entire Autobot army just by being a Prime. He has the final word in everything, he is the highest ranking bot in every situation, he can call on his entire species like call them home or to battle, and he also is the spokeperson for them, considering he has made first contact with humans on Earth. There’s no question of the absolute, tremendous power that a Prime has.

In the end of the first season, Ratchet explains to the children how Optimus came to be a Prime in the first place, and he mentions that Megatron and Orion went to see the High Council, the governing power of Cybertron. High Council, as far as we know, is the government with power to make laws, but considering how concentrated Cybertron’s power was in their previous system, we can easily make the assumption that the High Council is also the court system, and most likely the law enforcement is also under it. Ratchet tells the children that Megatron went there to make demands and be named the next Prime, but that Orion was “truly worthy” of the title before the Council.

However, I argue that the Council is completely irrelevant in this matter. Based on Ratchet’s description they seem to be the ones to *see a worth of true Prime* or *give away a title*, but based on all the other things that we know of Primes, I say that the Council can merely make a recommendation of some sort. In other words, they can name a candidate, a bot who may set out to test if they can become a Prime. The High Council doesn’t make the decision who becomes a Prime, but who may try, and even that might be a formality with no real power behind it.

Only Primus himself can truly appoint a Prime. 

We know that Primus created the first thirteen Primes, the now mythical first creations, the ones before everything, and all other Primes that came after them are the same. During the Unicron arc of TFP the “power of a Prime” is brought up, and later again when the Starsaber is introduced. The power of a Prime is not just Optimus’ skill in battle (albeit considerable), or just his physical strength, it’s something that allows him to defeat the Chaos-Bringer, Primus’ counterpart, and wield mythical weapons left behind by the previous Primes. It comes from within him, and manifests itself in pure energy.

We know that this power comes from the Matrix of Leadership, and that the Matrix was granted to Optimus directly by Primus after he went to Cybertron’s core to face him. This is also the instant that Orion Pax changes his name to Optimus Prime, as well as gets an upgrade, transforming an ordinary bot into a Prime. Even though we are led to believe (by Ratchet’s narration) that Orion was named a Prime by the Council, we are very clearly shown that the actual transformation into a Prime happened before Primus. 

Now, based on this I argue that the institution of a Prime is entirely separate from all other bodies of power. It is divine, and since only Primus can make someone a Prime, it would make sense to think that only Primus can unmake a Prime.

It is a position of absolute leadership, granted by Primus. There are no rules or laws for a Primes.

Prime is independent, unchecked, unchallenged and absolute.