Warning! This post contains SPOILERS forTransformers #13Remarkably, I actually feel bad forStarscreamnow, one of the most popular villains in all ofTransformerslore. Typically, Starscream is Megatron’s second-in-command and air commander of the Decepticon Seekers. However, he’s usually depicted as incredibly disloyal, often trying to sabotage and backstab Megatron to take his place and gain even greater personal power. That said, Starscream’s brand-new origins have just been revealed, and I can’t believe I now hold a degree of sympathy for this classicTransformersfoe.
In previous continuities, Starscream is usually pretty slimy even before he joins the Decepticons. However, the new Energon Universe reveals alternate origins in Daniel Warren Johnson’sTransformers #13. In the present, Starscream is expectedly awful leading the Decepticons in Megatron’s absence. Case in point, he cruelly kicked Soundwave’s minicon Ravage, which came back to bite him withSoundwave beating and nearly killing Starscreambefore taking over. However, this new issue confirms Starscream was once far kinder.Formerly known as Ulchtar, I found myself completely taken by surprise by this cartographer whose darkness only emerged after the loss of his friends during Cybertron’s Great War:
With Jetfire having just left Cybertron to find a way to save their planet without war, Ulchtar losing his other friend duringa firefight between the Autobots and the Decepticonswas naturally quite painful.As such, it’s no wonder that Ulchtar eventually picks the side of the Decepticons, especially with the reveal that it was none other than Optimus Prime who killed Genvo. Furthermore, Genvo being a Decepticon himself likely influenced Ulchtar’s decision, especially once Megatron finds his future second-in-command in the rubble.
Ulchtar Lost Everything When Megatron Found Him
Lost And In Need Of Purpose
I found this new first meeting between Megatron and Starscream to be quite fascinating and unique. Completely directionless and without purpose, Ulchtar doesn’t yet have the drive or treacherous ambition he’s known for as Starscream. Instead, he’s tragically grieving over the loss of his friend who chose a side when he did not, as his clan had thus far been neutral in the Great War.
This is something Megatron himself takes great advantage of.Having already inspired Genvo to take up arms for his cause in the past, Megatron similarly offers Ulchtar a place by his side, offering him a way forward beyond his grief (however dark it might be). As such, I find this new origin to be as surprising as it is brilliant.
Starscream’s New Origin Reveals That Transformers' Despicable Villain Was Once Heroic
Fans get a look at Starscream’s past in the preview for Transformers #13, learning that he wasn’t always the despicable villain of the modern day.
The present-day relationship between Starscream and Megatron has yet to be fully defined in the new Energon Universe’s canon. After all,Megatron is MIA (having been held captive byG.I. Joe’sCobra Commander). However, I can easily imagine Ulchtar perhaps growing bitter towards his new commander as his dark ambitions grow, gradually turning him into the Starscream fans are more familiar with in the present.
Starscream Was Born Out Of Desperation & Vengeance
It Makes Me Wonder About What Might Have Been…
To put it simply, Starscream was born out of a dark combination of grief, desperation,and the desire for vengeance stoked by Megatron himself, having transformed to literally put a gun in Ulchtar’s hand.As such, it’s a tragically genius new origin for the classicTransformersvillain, one that has surprisingly made me more sympathetic to Starscream than I ever thought I would be. That said, it also makes me wonder what might have been.
Seeing how Ulchtar and his clan had been neutral at the time, perhaps Starscream could have become a truly great Autobot had the tragic circumstances been different. Before Genvo’s death, Ulchtar was shown respecting and valuing the lives of Cybertron’s “turbosects” while most saw them as simple pests. Of course, this is starkly contrasted to the present-day Starscream who cruelly kicked Soundwave’s beloved Ravage.As such, I’d love to see more of Starscream’s past in future issues following his recruitment to the Decepticons. It would be fascinating to learn more about how treachery and cruelty gradually became his primary functions.
Transformers #13is now on sale from Skybound & Image Comics.
Transformers (2023)
Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
