What is Transformers One about?
Transformers One introduces the idea of “staying on protocol” as a challenge to viewers. It’s that message that you’re more than meets the eye. You have potential. But it’s easy to get swept up by what society expects of you. It’s easy to limit yourself. To toil away in the equivalent of the mines rather than embracing your calling and passions. You have a spark. And you should embrace your ability to transform and grow. When you do that positively, you end up like Optimus Prime. When you let the negative emotions win, you become like Sentinel Prime and Megatron. Your emotional and mental health is important. Be good rather than selfish. Inspire through truth rather than deception. Also: dictators are bad.
Cast:
- Orion Pax/Optimus Prime – Chris Hemsworth
- D-16/Megatron – Brian Tyree Henry
- Elita-1 – Scarlett Johansson
- B-127/Bumblebee – Keegan-Michael Key
- Alpha Trion – Laurence Fishburne
- Sentinel Prime – Jon Hamm
- Airachnid – Vanessa Liguori
- Starscream – Steve Buscemi
- Darkwing – Isaac C. Singleton Jr.
- Soundwave – Jon Bailey
- Iacon 5000 announcer – Steve Blum
- Written by – Eric Pearson | Andrew Barrer | Gabriel Ferarri
- Directed by – Josh Cooley
Transformers One plot summary and analysis
Set-up
- Initial shot of Iacon City has skyscrapers going from ground toward sky, and from the “sky” pointing towards the ground.
- Could be overthinking this, but the story solidifies around the opposing views, and thus the enduring conflict, between Optimus and Megatron. Even at the end of the movie, the Decepticons take to the surface of Cybertron, while Optimus and the Autobots stay below in Iacon. So the skyscrapers feel like a visualization that foreshadows this societal divide between the two sects.
- It’s actually pretty common for movies to use the opening shot to visually summarize the central conflict/idea. For example, The Substance explores the relationship between women and their aging bodies through a story where the main character takes an injection that causes her to split into a younger version of herself. The opening shot of that film? An egg yolk that divides into two egg yolks.
- Orion sneaks into the archives. Knowledge is power, right? As long as Sentinel keeps the population ignorant, he can control them. Also serves as background exposition for the audience. So we get important narrative context but also thematic set-up for a story about fascism.
- Orion’s escape is kind of Aladdin-ish. He’s a street rat who’s one jump ahead of the lawmen. Show’s how capable he is even at his lowest; the potential for greatness is there.
- D-16 and Orion make a good team. Together they achieve a lot. Makes what happens later all the more tragic.
- Early dialogue between Orion and D-16 establishes philosophical differences. Orion wants to challenge the status quo. D-16 accepts the status quo. D-16 says: “Your feelings get you in trouble. Just trust in Sentinel Prime.” Perfect example of what charismatic dictators want from their populace.
- D-16 is a fan of Sentinel and Megatronus Prime. It’s initially quite innocent, but his blind faith in these figures is what makes him so angry later.
- In the mining disaster, Orion and D-16 risk their lives to make sure no one is left behind. Establishes the idea of “Don’t break protocol” and how they constantly break protocol. “Protocol” becomes the film’s frame for “blindly following societal rules, even when they’re wrong”. This scene sets up Orion’s individuality in the face of protocol, and how he’ll eventually inspire others to embrace their individuality (which is represented in characters gaining their transformation cogs).
- D-16 catching Darkwing’s punch foreshadows his strength. More dialogue from D-16 shows how brainwashed he is by the system. “Do you know you were out of line, talking back to a superior like that? He had every right to hit me. I interfered.”
- First scene with Sentinel Prime. He puts on quite the show and we see how much the Cybertronians love him. Definition of a charismatic leader.
- Iacon 5000 is set up as showing which competitor is “more than meets the eye”. That resonates with everything Optimus had been saying about being more than just a miner. Which is what he says later to D-16 when he pitches competing in the race. Quote: “If we beat just one transformer, It proves we’re just as good as they are. Not only would we go down in history, the mining bots that did the impossible, we would show everyone that we’re capable of so much more.”
- D-16 once again goes with the programmed negativity to his own individuality and potential: “Or we’d get publicly humiliated and then busted back to tier 1… We’re mining bots who can’t transform. We can’t fly. We can’t roll. We can’t race.”
- Quick note: notice how most of D-16’s dialogue to Orion involves jokes about violence. It’s innocent right now but hints at a proclivity for brutality that becomes less innocent and more problematic as the movie goes on.
Escalation
- Orion tricks D-16 into racing.
- More backstory about Quintessons, energon issues, and the loss of the Primes. Exposition but also goes back to how dictators reshape history to fit the narrative they use to control the population. That gets back to why Orion looking up historical information was such a big deal. Knowledge is truth. Truth is the enemy of liars.
- Orion and D-16 in the race accomplishes two things. It makes them famous throughout the city, which helps justify their eventual rise to leadership (rather than coming from out of nowhere and everyone buying in immediately). And it shows how individuals who break protocol can inspire others.
- Don’t win. But they made a statement.
- Orion is optimistic. D-16 is pessimistic.
- Airachnid is the first sign that Sentinel Prime is a little more sinister than he’s let on.
- Sentinel is excited because Orion and D-16 increased mining productivity. Wants to use them as tools to work their fellow miners harder, under the guise of a meaningful message.
- Sentinel promises Orion and D-16 can use his private service facilities. But Darkwing shows up and busts them down to level 50. Big question here is whether Darkwing was acting on his own. On the one hand, it would make sense for Sentinel to talk like a good guy then leave Darkwing to do the dirty work. On the other hand, we later find out Sentinel really needs energon mining productivity to increase, meaning he really did see Orion and D-16 as useful. So I lean toward Darkwing acting on his own, mad at what happened during the 5000.
- Meet B-127. Mentions sub-level 50, which shocks Orion and D-16, as everyone thinks there are only 40 levels. First sign that things aren’t what they seem.
- They find the message from Alpha Trion. More historical knowledge. Truth. They now know where the Matrix of Leadership might be. That would change everything. Orion is positive, D-16 is negative. D wants to wait for Sentinel Prime to come save them. Orion convinces him to seek the Matrix by playing to D’s desire to please the leader.
- Elita-1 ends up on the ride to the surface, mostly against her will.
- Back to symbolism. Iacon is a society based on a lie and is buried underground. On the surface, our protagonists discover truths. Reminds me of how it’s hard to really see things for how they are when you’re in the midst of something. Which is why it’s almost always easier to give other people advice than it is to know what to do yourself. We call that “having an outside perspective”. Movies often take concepts like that and make them literal (defamiliarization). So in this case, to gain the outside perspective on Iacon, they have to leave Iacon. And when they return, they bring back the new perspective that literally transforms everything.
- Cave where the truth is looks really scary. Another symbolic gesture. The truth is often scary and we sometimes want to avoid it because fear gets the better of us.
- Alpha Trion is still alive and spills the beans on Sentinel Prime’s betrayal. Facing the truth isn’t easy. Primes would have beat the Quintessons because they fought as one. Sentinel didn’t want to be part of the group, he wanted to be in charge. All for one, rather than one for all.
- Outside, the four behold a meeting between Sentinel Prime and the Quintessons. It confirms Alpha’s version of events. Everyone’s really mad when they see the energon goes to the Quintessons. They had thought they were part of that “one for all” dynamic where everyone’s contributing to Cybertronian society in a meaningful way. Instead, it’s an all for one dynamic, where Sentinel Prime benefits at the expense of everyone else.
- Sentinel wants to exploit the workers.
- D-16 has a total and complete identity crisis. His blind faith in Sentinel and the way of things turns to a blinding anger that will continue to build over the course of the film and comes to define his character. D even blames Orion for revealing the truth.
- Important conversation that defines the themes of Transformers One
- D: You just had to go to the surface, had to enter the Iacon 5000—you just had to break protocol!
- Orion: Who cares about protocol?
- D: I do! I care! Because nothing bad happens when you stay on protocol!
- O: Sentinel Prime has been forcing us to work in the mines until our gears strip. And, all the while, he’s been giving the energon away to our greatest enemies.
- D: What do you think he’s going to do to us when he finds out we know?
- O: I’m not thinking about what he’s going to do. I’m thinking about what we’re going to do.
- D: That’s the whole thing! You’re never thinking about anything else! Just yourself! Fantastic! Another Orion Pax “masterplan”. I can’t wait to hear this!
- O: Don’t you want to stop him?!
- D: NO! I WANT TO KILL HIM! I want to put Sentinel in chains and march him through the mines so everyone can see him for the false Prime that he is. I want him to suffer and then to die in darkness. But we all know it doesn’t matter what I want, right Pax? The fact is, we’re just cogless bots, right? We had limited options, and now, now, we have none.
- Alpha reveals that every child of Cybertron is born with a cog. Big revelation that Sentinel removed the cogs before birth, which stops the cogless from being able to transform. Symbolism. If you lack the “spark” that lets you transform, then you’re stuck. You don’t think anything can ever change because you can’t change. Which plays into the dictator’s plan. The more you believe in your ability to transform, the more you believe the world around you can transform. No dictator wants that.
- Important line from Alpha that contrasts D-16’s speech about protocol.
- Alpha: What defines a transformer is not the cog in his chest but the spark that resides in their core. A spark that gives you the will to make your world better. My fellow primes had that spark and I see their strength in you. Take their cogs and access your full potential.
- Orion had that will even without the cog because he had the spark.
- Our protagonists can now transform, not only themselves, but the world around them.
Pay-off
- First transformations don’t go smoothly but the heroes get the hang of it.
- D-16 is more forceful than usual.
- Sentinel is a selfish jerk.
- D-16 announces he’ll never trust a so-called “leader” ever again. He’s reaching his final form. Starts to say there’s only one bot he knows he can trust. But gets tased before he can finish the thought. I’m surprised we never come back to that line of dialogue. Based on their relationship up to this point, you would think he was about to say the only bot he can trust is Orion. But his evolution in perspective meant he was probably going to say “myself”.
- Heroes captured by the Cybertronian High Guard. Legendary warriors who know the truth. But Starscream doesn’t believe in a unified Cybertron but the “strength of one bot over another”. Another “all for one” society. Makes sense then why they would immediately respect D-16’s strength. Canon emerges. Manifestation of D’s rage.
- First real divide between Orion and D-16.
- Airachnid attacks. Gives us an opportunity to see the newly transforming heroes in action. But gives us more scenes where D-16 and Orion end up separated, establishing their diverging paths.
- Orion finally doubts himself. “It’s all my fault. I should have stayed on protocol.”
- Elita talks him up. “Your instincts tell you to break protocol for a reason. This blind optimism you have is why you have such bold and courageous choices…that are also extremely stupid. You’re inspiring. You can envision a better future that no one else can see.”
- Orion leans into his instincts, becomes the leader he was destined to be.
- D-16 confronts Sentinel. He refuses to kneel. It gets at his character development and how determined he is but is also the kind of the thing that builds his legend and why so many of the High Guard will be loyal to him.
- While D-16 builds his legend, Orion returns to the miners and builds his legend by inspiring them to revolution.
- Orion repeats Alpha Trion’s words about sparks giving people the will to make their world better.
- He says “Nothing can stop us when we stand together. Together as one.” Dictators make the population feel incapable and without choice, without power. Usually the only thing that can stop them is when the population realizes they do have a choice, they do have power, they are capable. Then transformation occurs.
- Orion and D-16 finally reunite but D-16 has no interest in camaraderie or what Orion has to say. Their days as a team are already over. They just don’t realize it yet.
- Sentinel says the truth is what he makes it. Ties back to how a dictator controls the population and Orion’s journey throughout the film to find objective truths/information.
- Heroes play Airachnid’s video footage that reveals to all of Iacon the truth of Sentinel Prime. Recalls the archival footage that Orion watched in the opening scene. Connection between past and present and why a continuous line of truth is important to stopping dictators from creating their own truths.
- D-16’s going to destroy Sentinel but Orion stands in the way. “Rebuilding Iacon cannot begin with an execution. We’re better than this. Don’t be like Sentinel.” D’s anger is too great. And there’s something to the fact that all D wanted before was the approval of Sentinel, to be like Sentinel and even Megatronus Prime. So when Orion says “Don’t be like Sentinel” it triggers that feeling of shame that D has carried around. Any time he’s reminded of how loyal he had been, it makes him feel like a fool. Which makes him furious. Which makes him violent. And so he shoves Orion out of the way and tries to eradicate the very source of his shame.
- Except Orion stands in front of the blast and it blows a hole through his chest.
- D’s initially upset about this. Visibly upset. But then he gets angry, again, because, once again, he feels ashamed. Orion’s integrity only makes D feel more unworthy. So he finally rejects Orion, too, and says, “I’m done saving you” and lets Orion fall to his death.
- D’s eyes turn red, just in case it wasn’t clear he’s evil now. He then fights his way to Sentinel, lifts Sentinel overhead, then tears Sentinel in half. He claims the spark of Megatronus for himself. “The Age of Primes has ended. No more false prophets. Follow me, and you will never again be deceived.” He becomes Megatron.
- Meanwhile, Orion’s body has fallen to the very core of Cybertron. There, he encounters Primus. The original Transformer. Primus and the souls of the other primes judge Orion Pax worthy. He gains the Matrix of Leadership and becomes Optimus Prime.
- Optimus and Megatron fight. They’re initially pretty equal. But Optimus taps into more and more power. Instead of ending Megatron, he shows mercy. Megatron and his followers leave Iacon for the surface.
- When Megatron says “This isn’t over, Prime” he spits the word “Prime”. That’s because he now associates Optimus with the lineage of liars like Sentinel. So it’s not calling Optimus by his “last name” or title but what amounts to an insult.
- Optimus has a line about some transformations being permanent, referring to the rift between him and Megatron.
- Optimus hoists the Matrix into the air and Cybertron flows with energon once again.
- We get the final speech: And now we stand here together, as one. Proving we all have the power to transform, to become who we were destined to be, to right wrongs, to make our world better, because here, freedom and autonomy, are the rights of all sentient beings. Here, all are truly Autobots. This message is a warning to all Quintessons. If you dare return to Cybertron, the Autobots will be waiting. I will be waiting. I am Optimus Prime.
- The irony here is that the Transformers aren’t one. You have Megatron and the other Decipticons as a rival faction. I can’t decide if the filmmakers just overlooked that? Or if it’s a purposeful thing where they’re already setting up this idea that Optimus isn’t presenting things factually either? But why already set-up your main hero as a liar? Hm.
- After credits scene shows the Decipticons officially become the Decipticons.
Transformers One’s themes, meaning, ending, and real-life application
Transformers One overall theme has to do with the idea of “protocol” and how insidious it can be, on both the personal and societal levels. Iacon is a city ruled by a dictator who uses “protocol” as part of a misinformation campaign against his own citizens. By establishing a set of rules then enforcing them—through a mixture of force (see Darkwing) and false narratives about the greater good—Sentinel Prime normalizes compliance. The more compliant the population is, the more likely they are to resist self-improvement.
The dynamic between self-improvement and compliance is at the core of the relationship between Orion and D-16. Orion represents improvement and doing the right thing. While D-16’s first reaction is always compliance. He wants to follow. He wants to make his favorite leaders proud. The only time he breaks protocol is when Orion inspires him. Then he gets mad at Orion and himself. Both end as revolutionary figures, but for very different reasons.
Orion’s driven by a genuine moral imperative that everyone deserves better. His dissatisfaction with Iacon’s society isn’t simply because Orion’s a trouble-maker. It’s because the core of the society was based on a lie. And even though he didn’t know the truth, something about the whole set-up left Orion unsettled. So he poked and prodded and pushed back on the things that felt wrong to him. And the result was the revelation of Sentinel’s villainy and everything that followed.
D-16’s motivation is shame. Because he bought into Sentinel’s lies, defended Sentinel, followed Sentinel, D felt like an idiot. He felt lied to, taken advantage of, but mostly foolish. And that infuriated him. And he makes it his mission to destroy anything and everyone who reminds him of that humiliation. That includes Orion.
In some ways, D, even as Megatron, is still on protocol. He lets these negative emotions rule him. There’s an irony to his declaration that he and his followers will never be deceived again. Why? Because they’re lying to themselves. Which makes “Decepticons” the perfect name.
Optimus, on the other hand, embodies the ethos of a “transformer”. The idea that you can change. Not just from a robot to a vehicle. Or from miner to leader. But as a person. You can better yourself. Learn. Grow. Evolve.
Alpha Trion says that every Transformer has a spark inside of them that gives them the will to make change happen. That’s the movie talking to its viewers, reminding everyone that we aren’t “cogless” beings. We don’t have to stay on “protocol” because there is no protocol. You can be like Orion and glow up by being dedicated, action-oriented, and, overall, kind. Or, you can let your negativity get the best of you and end up like Megatron—devoured by the darkness in your heart. Maybe successful…but happy? Probably not, because you’re too busy feeling miserable.
Transformers One uses Sentinel Prime as a warning about what happens when unhealthy forces dominate. How they can, quite literally, shape society, and thus impact you and everyone you know. That’s why Optimus says (more than once, I think) that Megatron is the same as Sentinel Prime. Despite being very different in personality, Megatron and Sentinel give in to their negative emotions. Sentinel believed he was better than everyone and deserved more than others, and he created a society that made those things true. Megatron is ashamed at how much of a boot-licker he was, so he wants a society where everyone cowers at how powerful he is. When you let people like that rule, when you let negativity make the rules, it’s bad for everyone. That’s why Orion refused to let D-16 start their new society with the execution of Sentinel. Leaders set the tone.
For kids, Transformers One is a subtle introduction to politics. That might upset some adults. “Keep politics out of movies made for children.” But we have centuries of recorded history where dictators used very similar playbooks to control populations. And that still happens, today. Is it really that bad to introduce younger viewers to a basic, binary breakdown of what separates a dictator from people-oriented leadership? Politics affect everyone, regardless of age. That’s the sad reality. That we have the privilege, right now, to create art that can educate future generations about these issues is, I think, a wonderful thing to take advantage of.
Which gets at another thematic aspect of Transformers One—history matters. Sentinel shuts the public out of the archives because he wants to control what information people have access to. The more they look into Cybertron’s history, the more interested they might be in asking questions and finding answers. Dictators create their own realities, their own truths, and are completely dependent on making everyone else believe them. History, books, art, knowledge—these things are to a dictator what a stake in the heart is to a vampire.
Even though Transformers One isn’t real history, it becomes part of the viewer’s history. And that can be…you know…transformative.
