Teletraan I
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| The name or term "Teletraan" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Teletraan (disambiguation). |
- Teletraan I is an Autobot computer from the Generation 1 continuity family.
"I doubt it's how my day was. It's always the same: 'Give me a visual, Teletraan I,' 'Analyze this energy signature, Teletraan I,' 'Put on some TV, Teletraan I.' Ingrates. I should've let the Decepticons slag you back in '84."
Teletraan I is the semi-sentient computer that runs the Autobots' spaceship/base, the Ark.
Teletraan I has extensive communications abilities and can monitor Earth's television and radio broadcasts to search for news that may be of interest to the Autobots. It also operates the Sky Spy and was responsible for rebuilding and reactivating all the Transformers aboard the Ark in 1984.
Contents |
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Casey Kasem (English), Masashi Ebara (Japanese), Wang Wei (Chinese), Bernd Simon (German, Transport to Oblivion), Peter Musäus (German, Roll For It), Imo Heite (German, Auto-Bop), Wolfgang Mascher (German, The Girl Who Loved Powerglide), Claus Brockmeyer (German, Generation 2 Dub of More than Meets the Eye, Part 1), Willy Schäfer (German, Generation 2 Dub of The Master Builders & Prime Target), Christoph Lindert (German, Generation 2 Dub of Kremzeek! & Starscreams Brigade), Frank Röth (German, Generation 2 Dub of Transport to Oblivion), Niko Macoulis (German, Generation 2 Dub of Roll For It)
When the Autobots' spacecraft crash-landed on Earth four million years ago, Teletraan I shared the same fate as all the Transformers on board, being knocked offline by the violent impact. When the volcano into which the ship had wedged itself erupted in 1984, Teletraan I was jarred back into life, and it quickly deployed a Sky Spy probe to scan for new alternate modes it could reconfigure the Transformers into. Unfortunately for just about everyone, Teletraan I did so indiscriminately, and the first Transformer that happened to be in the path of the restoration beam the computer projected was the Decepticon, Skywarp. Teletraan I was either unable or unwilling to redirect its beam, meaning that the other Transformers had to be dragged into its path, and of course, Skywarp immediately had the computer restore Megatron and the other Decepticons. Indeed, the Autobots would never have felt Teletraan's healing touch at all, if Starscream had not fired upon the buried spaceship as the Decepticons were leaving, causing a tremor that jostled Optimus Prime into the computer's beam. The revived Autobot leader thanked Teletraan with a thumbs-up, and quickly set about restoring the other Autobots. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1
Seeking to exploit the data Teletraan I had gathered about Earth in its short time on the planet, the Decepticon Soundwave infiltrated the Autobots' ship. He had Ravage install himself within the computer to access the data, then recorded the computer's playback. Soundwave presented his recording of Teletraan's description of Sherman Dam to Megatron, who decided to attack the facility. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2
Optimus Prime later used Teletraan I to trace a Decepticon attack on a solar power station, Transport to Oblivion and not long after, Wheeljack used the computer to thwart a Decepticon attack when he coupled it with a remote-control device that overrode Skywarp's motor reflexes and cause his shots to go wild. Roll for It Later still, the Autobots' human ally Chip Chase used Teletraan I to calculate the location of the Decepticons' space bridge, so that the Autobots could use it to travel to Cybertron and retrieve the parts needed to repair the wounded Optimus Prime. This was the beginning of a longstanding "relationship" between Chip and Teletraan; Chip seemed to be the authority on the use of the computer, and in the future, he would often be called in to use it in ways that the Autobots themselves seemed unable to. Divide and Conquer
When catastrophic heat loss began occurring all around the world, Teletraan I tracked the source of the temperature disruption to Decepticon activity in the North Pole. Fire in the Sky Soon after, Teletraan I was badly damaged by the newly-created Grimlock's fire breath when he and his fellow Dinobots went on a rampage, leaving the Autobots unable to received a distress call from the Great Falls hydroelectric power plant when it was attacked by Decepticons. S.O.S. Dinobots Once it was repaired, Teletraan relayed footage from a Sky Spy of Decepticon operations in Peru, Fire on the Mountain and helped track down an unstable meteorite when the villains stole it. War of the Dinobots
Under Decepticon mind-control, Sparkplug Witwicky sabotaged Teletraan I so that Megatron's forces would able to attack the Autobots' base without the computer warning of their approach. To save his Autobot allies, Spike Witwicky literally threw a wrench into Teletraan's systems and triggered its fire-suppressant systems, dousing the Decepticons with circuit-damaging fire-retardant foam and forcing them to withdraw. The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 Although soon repaired by the Autobots, it was not long before Teletraan was again targeted by the Decepticons, when Megatron dispatched the Constructicons to destroy it so that it could not inform the Autobots of his plan to cheat in a one-on-one duel with Optimus Prime. Luckily, Teletraan I summoned the Dinobots to defend itself, and soon made the Autobots aware of Megatron's deception. Heavy Metal War
Teletraan I sounded the alarm to warn the Autobots of a Decepticon attack on the Air Force's new rocket base, but when Spike was injured in the battle that resulted, his mind had to be transferred into a hastily-constructed robot body. To keep him entertained while they waited for his human body to be healed, Wheeljack patched a television station through Teletraan I, but Spike reacted badly to an airing of Frankenstein. Autobot Spike
Using invisibility spray to evade Teletraan's sensors, Megatron and Starscream planted a personality destabilizer device within the computer's recharging chamber, which corrupted the Autobots' minds when they re-energized themselves. Teletraan was in the process of briefing the Autobots on the launch of a new solar-power satellite when the evil impulses took hold of them. Megatron mocked Teletraan I and its claims that his plan would not succeed, then had Optimus Prime plunge his fist into Teletraan's databanks, knocking it offline. Sparkplug Witwicky managed to repair the computer, and it helped them track down the rogue Autobots and bring them back to their senses with attitude exchangers. Attack of the Autobots
Teletraan I was responsible for alerting the Autobots to Carly's capture by the Decepticons, The Immobilizer analyzing the effects of the villains' transformation-freezing Transfixatron, The Autobot Run and relaying warnings to Optimus Prime of the Decepticons' manipulations of TORQ III. Day of the Machines However, Teletraan soon met its match in a pair of fellow non-living mechanisms when its World Energy Chip was stolen by the robot ninja Nightbird, Enter the Nightbird and it proved unable to distinguish a clone of Optimus Prime from the genuine article. A Prime Problem
As the Decepticons began drilling towards the Earth's core, Teletraan accurately predicted the disastrous consequences their evil mission would have. The Core Later, Teletraan was nearly damaged by another Dinobot rampage, but was protected from injury by Trailbreaker's forcefield. The Dinobots were dispatched to train on the prehistoric "Dinobot Island", which had previously been discovered by the Autobots when Teletraan detected strange energy waves emanating from it. Dinobot Island, Part 1 Unfortunately, the Decepticons followed the Dinobots to the island and began draining its energies, causing time warps to appear all over the Earth. Chip again used Teletraan's computing power to track the warps and trace them back to Dinobot Island. Dinobot Island, Part 2 Soon after, Teletraan alerted the Autobots when Powerglide was shot down by Decepticons The Master Builders and helped design a forcefield projector to fend off the Heart of Cybertron-powered Megatron. Microbots
When the Autobots were framed for evil deeds by the Decepticons and exiled from Earth, Teletraan was left behind, its software connected to the guidance systems of the rocket carrying the Autobots off into space. With the Autobots on their way, Megatron entered the abandoned Autobot Headquarters and reprogrammed Teletraan I to send the Autobots not back to Cybertron, but into the heart of the sun. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 The Autobots were saved from immolation by Trailbreaker's forcefield, but Cosmos proved unable to carry the forcefield containing them back to Earth, his own guidance systems still slave to the reprogrammed commands from Teletraan. Simultaneously, on Earth, Chip Chase escaped the slave camp the Decepticons had set up in the Autobots' absence and stole back to Autobot Headquarters, in hopes of using Teletraan to learn what had become of the Autobots. He was followed by Thrust, who cruelly removed Chip's last shred of hope by opening fire on Teletraan and blowing the computer up. With Teletraan's destruction, however, Cosmos's guidance systems came back under his control, and he was able to quickly bring the Autobots back to Earth to clear their names and rout the Decepticons. Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2
By the time Teletraan I was rebuilt and functioning again, it was the Autobots themselves who were breaking down, thanks to the degeneration of the cybertonium in their systems. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 Spike and Carly voyaged to Cybertron with the Dinobots to recover fresh cybertonium to restore the Autobots, and Sparkplug was able to use Teletraan to communicate with them and guide them through the maze-like planet's structure. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
Like all other communications equipment, Teletraan was rendered useless by the Voltronic Galaxer, Blaster Blues but it was up and running in time to deduce that the content of the "Golden Lagoon" was electrum. The Golden Lagoon When Cosmos was stranded on Titan, Optimus Prime used Teletraan I to access his communicator and speak with the native girl Talaria. The God Gambit After the Autobots set up a secondary command post in New York City disguised as a garage, a Teletraan I terminal was installed there, which scanned the city for Decepticon activity. Make Tracks
When a group of Autobots were lost in a space bridge accident, even Teletraan I was unable to pinpoint their location. Child's Play The computer fared better in analyzing a sample of a mysterious asteroid the Decepticons were mining, reaching the shocking conclusion that it was an egg containing an alien beast. The Secret of Omega Supreme A little later, Teletraan I's circuits were scrambled by an encounter with the crazed energy imp Kremzeek, and the computer became rather distressed at the prospect of Martian flamingoes stealing ammonia from supermarkets and the decreasing ratio of choco-rations, broadcasting its crazy messages over any available channel. Kremzeek!
The Autobots were in the middle of watching As the Kitchen Sinks on Teletraan I when a new bulletin interrupted their viewing experience. More urgent matters then arose, as Teletraan relayed communications from demented big-game hunter Lord Chumley. Prime Target. Teletraan's New York City terminal later correctly deduced that the Decepticons were using ultra-sonic transmission to mind-control humans, Auto-Bop and later still, Teletraan located the space bridge for Optimus Prime so that he could travel to Cybertron to rescue Elita One, The Search for Alpha Trion and discovered the existence of a new sub-orbital Decepticon station. The Girl Who Loved Powerglide
When Teletraan I alerted the Autobots to the latest activation of the Decepticon space bridge, Optimus Prime realized that Megatron was taking his new Stunticons to Cybertron so that the mega-computer Vector Sigma could bring them to life. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1 When the Decepticons then returned to Earth with Vector Sigma's key, Teletraan tracked their movements across Seattle. The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2 A few weeks later, Teletraan detected the villains' work on the Kronosphere time machine on Cybertron, and the Autobots sprang into action. War Dawn
Teletraan I relayed the history of Cosmic Rust and its destruction of the lost Autobot legion of Antilla to the Autobots when they became infected with the disease, before its own systems began to malfunction thanks to the plague. Cosmic Rust After being cured, Teletraan I continued to play historian, giving the Autobots a run-down on the dissident "Renegade Decepticons" that Starscream had recently resurrected as the Combaticons. Starscream's Brigade
In its final recorded adventures in the twentieth century, Teletraan I helped the Autobots capture the Stunticons by pinpointing the road-raging robots' locations, Masquerade and was used by college students Elise, Martin and Roland to remote-control their robotic creation B.O.T. into destroying the Decepticons' new orbit disruptor cannon. B.O.T.
Over the following twenty years, the Autobots' main base of operations shifted from Autobot Headquarters to the newly constructed Autobot City, equipped with its own Teletraan-model computer, Teletraan II. Nonetheless, Teletraan I remained in operation until 2005, when Autobot Headquarters was attacked by the monolithic Trypticon. Warpath instructed Teletraan I to activate the volcano's defenses and the computer complied, opening fire on Trypticon with a battery of huge cannons. Alas, the effort was not enough; Trypticon strode through the barrage and destroyed the volcano, Autobot Headquarters, and presumably Teletraan I with them. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5
Japanese cartoon continuity
e-HOBBY comics
Wheeljack used Teletraan I to keep tabs on a battle between Optimus and Megatron, sending in more Autobots to back up their leader as soon as they were available. In the middle of the fight, Teletraan I's scans indicated that Megatron's super-structure was mutating due to energy from a quantum surge stored within the Decepticon's body long ago... Teletraan I's transmissions then came to an abrupt end as Megatron began to severely damage the Autobots' base. Destron Leader Megatron Black Ver.
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
Teletraan I was responsible for reformatting the Autobots and Decepticons into Earth vehicles and machinery. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers Prologue
Scramble City: Mobilization
Discovering the location of the secret factory in which the Autobots were constructing their "Scramble City" battle fortress, Megatron deployed the Constructicons to attack it. Teletraan I detected the villains' movements, and Optimus Prime mobilized a squad of Autobots to stop them. Scramble City: Mobilization
The Battle of the Star Gate
When a small group of Autobots visited Japan to investigate unusual frequent earthquakes in the region, Optimus Prime used Teletraan I to communicate with Hound. Hound requested that he be allowed to stay in Japan to investigate, and Prime allowed it, ordering Teletraan to summon all the available Autobots in the area to back him up. Activation
15 Go! Go! comic
By 2005, the Autobots had developed numerous "humanoid computers" that acted as "living" extensions of Teletraan I, including the luckless Teletraan 15 and the perpetually flustered Teletraan 10. 15 and 10 were both stationed on the artificial Earth satellite, Nana.
Hoping to use the "bio and Tech Spec" data stored within Teletraan I to alter the course of history, the Decepticon Ravage travelled back in time from three centuries in the future, arriving in 2005... only to discover that Teletraan I's databanks had been damaged by a mysterious saboteur. Ravage (under the alias of "Black Panther Man") positioned himself aboard Nana and became Teletraan 10 and 15's commanding officer, dispatching 15 on a mission to travel through time aboard his transwarp cruiser to reacquire all the lost data, straight from all the various sources. Information Administration Teletraan 15 Go! Go! Volume 1
After two years of time travel, the unexpected happened: a security tape was finally unearthed that revealed the identity of the saboteur as Teletraan 15 herself! The baffled Teletraan 15 was imprisoned, but was soon liberated by the Kiss Players cassettes and discovered Ravage's true goal for Teletraan I's data. 10 Volume Realizing what she had to do, Teletraan 15 escaped into the past aboard the transwarp cruiser to fulfill the time loop she had become part of, destroying Teletraan I's databanks in 2005 and putting them out of Ravage's reach in the first place. 15 Volume: The Last Part
The Headmasters cartoon
Teletraan I was evidently rebuilt at the Autobots' secondary command post on the planet Athenia in 2011. The only time it was referred to by name was when it was used to transmit a message to Galvatron about the prospect of an Autobot/Decepticon alliance to create a joint energy development programme. Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!
Beast Wars cartoon
- Voice actor: David Sobolov (English), ? (Japanese)
"Is it 1,2,3,4?"
"Uh...maybe?"
When inscribing his message into the Golden Disk, Megatron included the access codes to Teletraan I to carry out the attempt to destroy Optimus Prime before the Great War began on Earth. Blackarachnia managed to steal the codes, and after Megatron attempted to kill Prime, she used them to activate Teletraan I's repair equipment. The Agenda (Part III) Optimal Situation
Later, after the Maximals were forced to move into Mount St. Hilary after the destruction of the Axalon, Rhinox attempted to use Teletraan I's own shield system to protect their fortifications. However, Autobot technology and Maximal technology were too different to make a successful shield system. Changing of the Guard
After Blackarachnia transferred the access codes to Optimus Primal, the Predacons took control of Primal using a device created by Tarantulas. After Megatron merged his spark with his Decepticon ancestor and namesake, Tarantulas betrayed Megatron and set Teletraan I to self-destruct. Blackarachnia attempted to deactivate the overload. Teletraan I deactivated the overload and wished Blackarachnia to "have a nice day". Master Blaster
2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon
T-AI introduced herself to Koji as the daughter of Teletraan I. An Explosive Situation
The AllSpark Almanac
An ALTernity Today crossword puzzle declared T-AI the "Viron daughter of a Primax computer". The AllSpark Almanac II
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
When Cobra broke into the Ark in 2003, they unknowingly reactivated Teletran-One [sic]. The computer subsequently revived Bumblebee and Wheeljack, the only two Transformers aboard the ship that Cobra failed to take with them. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4
Another Con
Teletraan I remade Megatron into the form of a small electrical rodent in order to adhere to Earth's new parental reformatting guidelines. Another Con
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Ages after the Ark crashed landed on prehistoric Earth, Teletran-One [sic] was activated by a young Scotsman who would one day call himself "Destro." The computer, low on power, scanned Laird Mac Cullen, his aforementioned brother, and his strongest warrior who had accompanied him into what they thought was "the cave of the old gods." With the information acquired from their forms, Teletran-One reformatted and awakened a nearby Decepticon before shutting down again. Stick To Your Guns
Commercial appearances
When Optimus Prime asked Teletraan I to provide him with some information regarding BotCon 2010, Teletraan I connected to BotCon’s official website and summarized the information it found there. BotCon 2010 Promo
Games
Transformers Legends
When the Insecticons began raiding energy installations, Teletraan I estimated that they would be able to overrun the Earth in just seven days. Harvest of the Insecticons Teletraan was put to work repairing some damaged data when Wheeljack's scan of Slug became corrupted. Day of the Dinobots - Part 1 Megatron challenged Optimus Prime to a one-on-one duel while the Constructicons led by Bonecrusher attempted to infiltrate the Autobot base and attack Teletraan I. Heavy Metal War - Part 1 Teletraan One alerted the Autobots to the fact that Powerglide had been injured and needed help. The Master Builders Teletraan 1 was destroyed by the Autobots when Megatron sabotaged the recharging chamber, turning them all evil. Attack of the Autobots
Transformers: Devastation
- Voice actor: Jim Ward
During the Autobots' battle with the Decepticons for control of the Proudstar, Teletraan-1 acted as their support. Among other functions, this included providing analyses of the surroundings, alerting them to hazardous conditions, updating them on the status of their objectives, facilitating communications with other Autobots, and offering access to various reference materials, which were expanded as the Autobots collected several info logs scattered throughout the Proudstar and surrounding areas of New York City. Transformers: Devastation
Spelling and pronunciation
Because Teletraan I came from the non-written medium of television, its proper spelling is unclear, and fans have often spelled it with a single "a". This choice is backed up by Action Cards and the S.T.A.R.S. Tech-Spec Manual, which both say "Teletran I", and the Ultimate Guide, which says "Teletran-1". However, one sticker book is known to spell it "Teletraan 1", and none of these sources is superior to the rest. Therefore, this wiki defaults to the spelling used in the episode scripts[1][2] and production bible:[3] "Teletraan I", with two "a"s, a roman numeral, and no hyphen. Not only is its use more consistent and widespread over time than the smattering of obscure, contradictory published examples, but it also maintains congruity with "Teletraan II", whose episode-script spelling was also double-"a".[4] For consistency's sake, the double-"a" remains our default when we translate Japanese names, or when the official English translation has never been seen written out.
Pronunciation has been a matter of much less contention, since the word was always pronounced "tell-uh-tran" in the original series. However, for some reason the Beast Wars voice actors pronounced the last syllable "tron". Perhaps in response to dissatisfaction among fans, in the final episode of the series, an annoyed Rattrap corrects Blackarachnia with the original pronunciation (to which Blackarachnia replies, "Whatever!").
Notes
- The cartoon's production bible describes Teletraan I as a female computer. Evidently, this idea was ditched at some point.
- The relationship between Teletraan I at the main Autobot headquarters and Teletraan I at Sparkplug's garage is not explained - is the latter a copy, is it remote access to the former... - leaving unanswered the question of whether an extant copy (or copies) of Teletraan I might exist, post-Trypticon.
- It appears that Yuki Ohshima had plans to use Teletraan I in his Information Administration Teletraan 15 Go! Go! series. A sketch of what seems to be a floating, glowing female head representing Teletraan I appears in Ōshima's 15 Go! Go! / Kiss Players compilation book. This was never seen in the actual series; it is unknown why the idea was dropped.
- The Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II declared T-AI, the daughter of Teletraan I in the 2001 Robots in Disguise franchise, to be the daughter of a Primax computer, suggesting this Teletraan I and that Teletraan I are one and the same. How that works, we couldn't tell ya. (The fact that Car Robots, the Japanese cartoon dubbed into Robots in Disguise, is officially a Primax series probably has something to do with it!)
Foreign names
- Japanese: Teletraan 1 (テレトラン1 Teretoran Wan)
- Mandarin: Xiǎnxiàng Yīhào (China, 显像一号, "Imaging I")
- Russian: Teletron-1 (Телетрон-1)
References
- ↑ Cast list from the original The Transformers cartoon episode "A Prime Problem"
- ↑ Script from the episode "Fire in the Sky"
- ↑ Page describing Teletraan I from the production bible
- ↑ Cast list from the episode "Chaos"
