Headmaster (technology)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Headmaster" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Headmaster (disambiguation). |
Headmasters are a type of symbiotic variation on the Transformer lifeform in which a smaller being, frequently but not exclusively organic, transforms into the head of a larger robot. Headmaster bonding typically occurs between two sentient beings, but there have been cases in which the head or the body (such as the Transtectors or the Sunstreaker clones created by the Machination) is a non-sentient construct controlled entirely by the other partner.
When it occurs between two sentient beings, the benefits of the Headmaster procedure are many: The partner gains control of a larger, more powerful body, and the Transformer gains an extra perspective on the battlefield, the psychic binary bonding involved allowing him to draw on both his own ideas, tactics, and instincts as well as those of his partner as quickly as if they were coming from his own head (since they are). Agility, reaction speed, and targeting accuracy are often enhanced by the process.
The Headmaster process leaves its subject Transformers with one glaring disadvantage: when separated from their partners, they have no head. Most can continue to function as vehicles without their partners, but can do little in robot mode besides stand around.
In conversation, the term "Headmaster" can apply to both the small partner (the head) and the significant other (the body).
Contents |
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
The Headmaster technology was primarily the invention of the Nebulan scientist Arcana and was designed originally to let Nebulans utilize the bodies of Autobots to defend their world, something they did not trust the Autobots enough to let them do on their own.
The organic Nebulans of the Headmaster pairings were able to transform by use of a special suit of "intra-restruction armor" and a "cybernetic mindlink helmet" All or Nothing! that interfaced with bio-cybernetic augmentation in the surgically altered humanoid. As described by Arcana, the process as originally enacted allowed the Autobots (still separate, disembodied heads at that point) to radio control their old bodies, while the Nebulan partners observed and planned strategy. This joint cooperation of two minds allowed greatly increased agility and superior aim.
The technology was implemented under dire circumstances, as the Nebulan capital city of Koraja was under siege by Scorponok's Decepticons, who sought the surrender of five Autobots held in Nebulan custody. Five volunteer Nebulans underwent radical reconstructive surgery to allow them to bond with the five Autobots, including Fortress Maximus, Brainstorm, Hardhead, Chromedome and Highbrow. Now under Nebulan control, the Headmaster Autobots easily repulsed the Decepticon attack, despite being outnumbered two to one. Broken Glass!
The Decepticons reluctantly accepted the possible benefits of this cooperation with organics, and six of them underwent the Headmaster process, with Scorponok bonding to the Nebulan Lord Zarak. Luring Fortress Maximus's team into an ambush, Scorponok and his fellow Headmasters Mindwipe, Skullcruncher, Weirdwolf, Apeface and Snapdragon soon defeated their foes, blasting them unconscious, which caused their heads to disconnect and return to human form. Love and Steel! The Autobot-allied Nebulans were taken captive and strung up in a suspended animation prison, while Scorponok's Headmasters rampaged across Nebulos, leaving Nebulan ruins and Autobot corpses in their wake. Realizing that his mind was being re-written by Scorponok, Zarak used the last shreds of his sanity to free the Autobot Headmasters. Fortress Maximus and his band soon left Nebulos for Earth, with the Decepticons in pursuit. Brothers in Armor!!
En route to Earth, Fortress Maximus was rebuilt into a larger form, with two Headmaster components: a small robot that transformed into his head, and his partner Galan, who now became the small robot's head.
The two squads of Headmasters soon faced off again on Earth, in a battle inside the cave that had previously held the Ark. During the battle, Fortress Maximus and Scorponok both used their smaller Headmaster components to travel through an increasingly tight series of tunnels. Doing so, however, exposed Fortress Maximus's partner Galan to attack, and he died saving the Earthling, Spike. With Galen killed while separated from Fortress Maximus, Spike demonstrated that it was possible for an organic to control/communicate with the larger robot's form with only the control helmet, as he took control of Fortress Maximus with nothing more than Galen's control helmet. Rejuvenated by their leader's attack, the Autobots soon drove off the Decepticon Headmasters. Trial by Fire!
The Headmasters largely stayed in the background during most of the Autobots' subsequent adventures, though Fortress Maximus remained a major player in the events leading up to the Underbase catastrophe.
Later, a weakness of the ad hoc nature of the Headmaster partnership became apparent. As the partnerships continued, two minds could meld into one, or conflict on nearly every level. For example, Spike and Fortress Maximus were two separate minds sharing one body, with each dominant in his own form and able to converse with the other; while Lord Zarak and Scorponok seemed to reach some sort of fusion where he was both beings merged into one, with Scorponok to all intents and purposes becoming entirely subsumed by Zarak's personality (to the extent that, during the battle with Unicron, "Scorponok"'s interior monologue identifies himself as being Zarak merely filling the role of Scorponok, implying that the original Scorponok psyche was essentially gone). A similar situation developed between Powermaster Optimus Prime and Hi-Q, except in the reverse.
Classics
The Headmaster process is reversible. Cheap Shots
The Transformers cartoon
In this continuity, the Headmaster process was the brainchild of Brainstorm, who had advocated that using an organic partner would be a good strategy in combat with the Decepticons. It also seems much less invasive for the organic humanoid involved. No surgical alteration is apparently needed on their part, and the process seems to consist mainly of altering the Transformer's head to 1) have a control center for a partner to sit at inside and 2) transform around the partner into a fancy exosuit. While some who have undergone it have commented at feeling a closer bond with their respective partners, there is no reason to believe there is any true psychic connection between them as in the binary bonding of other continuities. Before detaching his head, the Transformer downloads his memory and personality into his auxiliary memory circuits in his chest. The Rebirth, Part 1
Japanese cartoon continuity
Attempting to escape the wars on Cybertron, a group of diminutive Cybertronians (most of them only a little larger than human beings) fled the planet, only to have their ship crash on the hazardous, inhospitable planet Master. The need for survival fostered several technological advances (helped in part by technology derived from a time-traveling spaceship that crashed on the planet sometime later). Chief among them was the creation of "Transtectors": large, lifeless robot bodies which the smaller robots could connect to and control. The small Cybertronians had not yet actually mastered the art of transformation, however, and had to undergo rigorous mental and physical training in order to become "Headmasters" (their name, obviously enough, derived from the planet itself).
The Headmasters subsequently migrated from Master and joined the Autobot and Decepticon forces on Cybertron and Earth, leading to a lengthy conflict that ultimately resulted in both factions departing the Earth for a prolonged period of time. With easy access to Earth cut off, leaving its safety in doubt should it be attacked by Decepticons in the future, the Autobots on Master created Master-Braces, technology that harnessed the mysterious Chōkon Power to transform humans and allow them to connect to Transtectors and become Headmasters themselves. A set of six Master-Braces and Transtectors were dispatched to Earth, but half the shipment was stolen by Decepticons, and both factions subsequently used the technology to turn three young human children into Headmasters in defense of Earth.
Cybertronian Headmasters possess numerous energy-manipulating superpowers. They are able to exchange Transtectors freely with their fellow Headmasters to increase their power levels and can link up with each other in the Head Formation for various destructive results. In contrast, human Headmasters do not possess any of these powers, but have their own natural physical strength and reflexes enhanced many times over by the energies filling their bodies. Their cellular structures undergo some form of ill-defined holistic transformation which allows them somehow to transform their actual, physical bodies into heads. However, unlike organic Headmasters in other continuities, they do not have to undergo any permanent alteration; they are capable of "turning off" their powers and becoming normal human beings with ease, the only drawback being that they are unable to remove the Master-Braces that give them their powers.
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
The process was designed to put the Nebulon in control of the body, but the actual process as perfected by Brainstorm and Arcana resulted in a mental bonding and partnership, with the robot generally maintaining control. Modified organic beings are able to contort during transformation, though appear normal when not wearing the Headmaster armor. Out of their armor, they are indistinguishable from unmodified beings, though they possess improved strength and endurance.
Profile art depicted the Headmaster heads as larger "mecha" that the human partners pilot. More than Meets the Eye
Armada continuity
Rollout's combination with Overload utilizes Headmaster technology. More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada Armada Fleer card series[1]
IDW Generation 1 continuity
The original Headmasters were an ancient Cybertronian faction that fought in the First Cybertronian Civil War ten million years ago under the command of Nexus Prime. Their enemy, the Darklander Galvatron, saw the combination of "beastly" and "pure-born" Cybertronians as an abomination, implying all ancient Headmasters had animal-form heads. The Mind Bomb Galvatron vanquished the Headmasters during the war, paving the way for the uniting of the Cybertronian race. Shockpoint Known ancient Headmasters include Myskrion, killed by Galvatron, The Mind Bomb and Thinkbox, later retrieved by Galvatron from the Murkdipper on the planet Spindrift. Heart of Darkness #3
In the modern period, Headmaster technology was reinvented by the shadowy human organization known as the Machination, using technology developed by Scorponok on the planet Nebulos. Following a tip offered to him by Swindle, Ultra Magnus found schematics for enhancing a biological entity with Cybertronian technology, in effect producing a "transformable man". Magnus was able to determine that Nebulan businessman Mo Zarak had been subjected to this process shortly before Scorponok fled the premises. Spotlight: Ultra Magnus
Approximately 18 years later, the Machination captured Sunstreaker and Hunter O'Nion. They dismantled Sunstreaker and subjected Hunter to an extensive regimen of surgery and implants. Subsequently, they attempted to brainwash him into one of their soldiers. Escalation Hunter resisted and was able to contact Sunstreaker, allowing him to become a Headmaster to fight for the Autobots. Devastation
Initially, all Headmasters created by the Machination were non-sentient, guided by their human pilots. As well, all of these models were replicas of Sunstreaker, wired into the Autobot's actual head to help coordinate their movements. However, the success of these initial forays into the technology allowed for the first true binary-bond, enabling Abraham Dante to combine with his Decepticon master Scorponok to facilitate his rebirth. Devastation Scorponok was eventually defeated after his connection to his original head was severed. Following this, the remaining Headmasters were gathered up by Ultra Magnus, who purged the Machination of its technology. Maximum Dinobots #5
Toys
Generation 1
- Autobot Headmasters (1987)
- Brainstorm with Arcana
- Chromedome with Stylor
- Hardhead with Duros
- Highbrow with Gort
- The four large Autobot Headmasters were sold boxed. They transform into futuristic/Cybertronian vehicles. Each has a vehicle mode compartment that the smaller Nebulan figure can ride in. Plugging in the transformed Nebulan in robot mode activates tumblers in the robot's chest, activating three Tech Spec readouts.
- Headmaster Autobot Base (1987)
- Fortress Maximus with Cerebros and Spike
- He's big. Yeah yeah yeah.
- The three Decepticon Headmasters were sold boxed, and transform into mechanical creatures. Each has a beast-mode compartment that the Nebulan can ride in. Like their Autobot counterparts, their chests contain tumblers activated by plugging in a head-mode Nebulan, which reveal three Tech Spec graph readouts.
- Headmaster Horrorcons (1987)
- Apeface with Spasma
- Snapdragon with Krunk
- The Horrorcons change from jets to beasts to robots. The Nebulan partners become the head of both the robot and beast modes.
- He's not small. No no no.
- These exclusive Autobot Master Warriors represent Japanese-style Headmasters who have yet to receive Transtectors, though they are compatible with any of the other 1987 Headmasters' toys. They are extremely rare.
- The three 1988 Autobot Headmasters transform into Earthly land vehicles. Siren and Hosehead share a rescue vehicle theme, occasionally causing inattentive fans to mistake Nightbeat for a police car. The Nebulan companions are considerably smaller and simpler than those of the 1987 Headmasters, although they are backwards compatible with the previous year's figures. In fact, when plugged into 1987 Headmaster bodies, the 1988 Nebulan figures display the Tech Spec readouts for their 1988 robot counterparts, suggesting the simplification of the tumbler system on the Tech Spec readouts into a simple fixed display to have been a late design decision. Each comes with a "helmet" to complete the robot's head; the helmet doubles as a vehicle-mode "seat" for the figure to sit in. Two small pistols attach to the "helmet" in robot mode to complete the head.
- Decepticon Headmasters (1988)
- Fangry with Brisko
- Horri-Bull with Kreb
- Squeezeplay with Lokos
- The three small Decepticon Headmasters transform into fictional monsters. Like their Autobot counterparts, they feature smaller and simpler Nebulan figures than their 1987 predecessors, and are similarly backwards compatible with their larger forerunners, despite their smaller size. Unlike the Autobots, they do not sport additional "helmets" and pistol/antennae.
- The 1988 Headmaster molds were released in Japan as the Headmaster Juniors, representing totally different characters though only Goshooter and Minerva were significantly redecoed from the US versions.
- Headmaster Autobot Base (1988)
- Grand Maximus with Grand, Gran and Cog/Onomisu/Koka
- A redeco of Fortress Maximus with an additional Pretender shell. This Japanese exclusive represented Fortress Maximus's younger brother in Super-God Masterforce.
- Headmaster Decepticon Base (1988)
- BlackZarak with Black Roritchi
- A redeco and retool of the Scorponok mold, this was another Japanese exclusive representing the same character, but meaner.
Timelines
- Pirates vs Knights (BotCon 2014 box set)
- Accessories: Olin Zarak Headmaster figure
- A retool of Energon Scorponok, the new tooling that his head with a new mechanism for his Headmaster head to plug into. The Headmaster figure itself is a retooled Encore Spike Witwicky figure with a new face based on Scorponok's original model sheet head.
Generations
- Brainstorm (Voyager, 2014)
- Series / Number: 02 / #009
- Accessories: Head/pilot robot, left & right blasters
- Part of the eighth wave of 2012-onwards Generations Voyager Class toys, Thrilling 30 Brainstorm transforms into a turquoise Cybertronian aircraft, and is notable for being the first Headmaster-style figure in the Generations line. He comes with two pistols which can attach via 5mm post to his hands and the nosecone of the jet. His head transforms into an unnamed robot that is most certainly Arcana, and can be inserted inside the cockpit to be used as a pilot. Putting the head robot into the neck socket will reveal Tech Specs like the G1 toy. The Tech Specs are based off the original figure, not the Tech Specs on the box.
- Be warned, the head robot suffers a design flaw, wherein it is possible for it to get stuck in the main robot's socket, and too much force could separate its own head from its body.
Merchandise
Super-God Masterforce
- Headmaster-Braces—Goshooter (1988)
- Japanese exclusive role-play toys that represent the Master-Braces used by the Headmaster Junior Shūta. They are packaged with a role-play communications device.
Fiction-only Headmasters
- Autobots
- Decepticons
- Others
Homages
- The Unicron Trilogy featured a few examples of smaller robots (Mini-Cons) becoming the heads of larger ones.
- Armada Sideways had two Mini-Con drivers, Rook and Crosswise, for his motorcycle form that could become individual heads, or combine together into a larger robot/driver. This functionality was retained for his Energon redeco Rapid Run and his drivers Nightscream and Nightcruz (and their combined form Nightcreeper).
- Armada Overload's Mini-Con partner Rollout became the head (and part of the chest) of the larger robot, who could in turn become armor for Optimus Prime.
- Energon Omega Supreme also had a Headmaster partner, Omega, which combined with two vehicles to form a large robot.
- The Transformers Animated series features a supervillain named Headmaster who can use a flying robotic head that aggressively removes another robot's head and replaces it with itself. The head itself can also transform into a small robot mode.
