Zeta Prime

Zeta Prime (ゼータ・プライム, Zeta Puraimu) - was the leader of the Autobots before Optimus Prime. He was also originally an officer in the Elite Guard before being named Prime. Under pressure from the various guilds of Cybertron he oversaw the rise of the caste system that came to dominate Cybertronian society, a policy which brought him into conflict with Alpha Trion, and ultimately led to the archivist's self-imposed exile in the Iacon Hall of Records. By the time of the rise of the Decepticon movement time had robbed him of much of the fire which had made him an effective military leader, and this left him out of touch with the people he claimed to represent.

"So be it Megatron, I leave you to your own futility."
 * —Zeta Prime thinks himself untouchable.

Appearance & Biography

 * Voice actor: Troy Baker (English), Not Known (Japanese), Not Known (Portuguese), Not Known (French), Not Known (Russian), Not Known (German), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (Serbeian), Not Known (Swedish), Not Known (French Canadian), Not Known (American Spanish)

Vehicle Mode
Zeta Prime adapts the vehicle mode of a Cybertronian Truck.

Friends/Allies

 * Autobots
 * Alpha Trion
 * Optimus Prime
 * Bumblebee
 * Bulkhead
 * Prowl
 * Ironhide
 * Ratchet
 * Wheeljack
 * Warpath
 * Omega Supreme
 * Rodimus
 * Wreckers
 * Ultra Magnus
 * other Autobots

Enemies

 * Decepticons
 * Megatron

Abilities
Zeta Prime had the abilities Ammo Beacon and Warcry.

Weapons
Zeta Prime carried a Neutron Assault Rifle.

History
When Megatron launched a raid on Trypticon Station, and Starscream joined the Decepticons, Jetfire and Jetstorm escaped to warn Autobot leader Zeta Prime that the Decepticons had access to Dark Energon. Zeta Prime sent a large group of Autobot soldiers to guard the Energon Bridge that Jetfire and Jetstorm knew Starscream and his crew would be reactivating in order to refine an endless supply of Dark Energon for the war effort, ordering that all Decepticons would be shot on sight, but they were unsuccessful. After the Decepticons began manufacturing Dark Energon in mass quantities, Megatron led the attack on the Autobot capitol of Iacon, intending to take the Omega Key, a tool that would allow access to Cybertron's core. Megatron's plan was to pump the powerful Dark Energon into the core in the hopes of reviving the planet and restoring it to what he claimed would be its "former glory". He found the Omega Key's resting place...but it was gone, Zeta Prime having anticipated Megatron's plan and taken it under his personal protection himself. Megatron simply declared that he would take it from Zeta, who appeared several more times via holographs during the missions, warning the Decepticons to turn back before it was too late and Zeta would be forced to execute them.

Megatron's team managed to fight their way to Zeta Prime's chamber in the Iacon Vaults, where he was in control of a mechanism that not only rendered him invincible to all attack, but allowed him to create holographic energon clones of himself and manipulate the ceiling to crush the Decepticons. However, the device had a fatal flaw — it generated tremendous heat, requiring the core to periodically open up in order to cool down, allowing Megatron and his Decepticons to damage it. As Zeta Prime's machine crumbled around him, he prepared to engage Megatron head-on himself, long and stale, but Megatron proved himself a greater challenge of Zrta to take on. Zeta attempted to put an end Megatron by squaring into his spark chamber, but he dodged it to fast instead, the Decepticon leader threw a punch into his spark casing, forcing Prime to release his grip on the Omega Key and drop it. As Megatron gloated in his victory, the "key" started to flash and beep. Zeta Prime laughed, mocking Megatron for heeding the words of his misinformed spies. The device Megatron now held in his hands was not the Omega Key itself, but merely the device that activated the Key. Zeta said that Megatron would only have to wait for the Omega Key to come to him.

Zeta Prime was taken to Megatron's Kaon Prison Complex, but elsewhere on Cybertron, Omega Supreme, guardian of Iacon and, as it turned out, the true Omega Key, was activated with a mission: Destroy Megatron.

After the defeat of Omega Supreme and the corruption of Cybertron's core with Dark Energon, rumours spread through the Autobot camp that Zeta Prime was dead. A young soldier named Optimus was forced to take temporary command of the Autobots and lead the defensive efforts of Iacon. After Starscream was defeated in the Decagon's communications tower, a message, seemingly from Zeta Prime, was played to all Autobot frequencies. Zeta reported his location, and claimed that he had acquired information vital to the Autobot war effort. Ratchet warned that it was an obvious trap, despite the confirmation of his unique ID signature, but Optimus determined that if there was a chance Zeta was still alive, the Autobots must try to rescue him.

Allowing themselves to be captured, Optimus, Bumblebee and Sideswipe were imprisoned (and then broke free), only to learn from Megatron himself that he had orchestrated Zeta Prime's message, their capture and their subsequent escape, so that Megatron could talk to Optimus in a situation he controlled. After being captured and escaping again, Optimus' team freed the remaining Autobot prisoners and Air Raid (who had helped orchestrate their first escape), then set off to find their leader. Eventually, Zeta Prime was found, being tortured by Soundwave in his laboratory. After Soundwave was bested by the Autobots, in desperation, the Decepticon drew energy from the injured Zeta's spark itself, mortally wounding him, though Optimus took a final bullet from Soundwave for his erstwhile commander. Optimus promised to bring Zeta home, but with his last breath, the Prime said that while he appreciated the noble sentiment, it was already too late. Zeta Prime, leader of the Autobots, was dead.

Optimus took Zeta's body back to Iacon, presented it before the Autobot High Council, and begged them for guidance in these desperate times. The leader of the Council stated that they existed only to choose Primes, and that it was the Primes who led the Autobots. When Optimus responded that there were no Primes left, the Council leader asked if Optimus would still reject his true calling. The Council said that for too long they have watched the Primes fall to greed and pride, but Optimus was one leader whose wisdom and courage inspired and transformed the lives of those around him. Charging him with the mission to remove the infection of Dark Energon from Cybertron's core, the council bestowed leadership of the Autobots onto Optimus, a burden and responsibility he accepted. He was now Optimus Prime, the last Prime.