Major Sparkplug

Major Sparkplug is an Autobot-allied human from the Dark of the Moon portion of the movie continuity family.

Whirl has to change him when he gets dirty.

Where their colleagues Major Tungsten and Thunderhead are loud, Major Stanislas P. "Stan" Witwicky, codenamed Sparkplug, and his partner Whirl are quiet. While other human-Autobot teams live for the cacophony of a rolling barrage and the blare of AC/DC, he and his partner carry out their duties by the darkness of a moonless night and the quiet finality of a blade. A keen eye and clear plan are Sparkplug's tools for success.

His Primary Military Speciality is Marine Ground Air Task Force (MGATF) Intelligence Officer, along with a secondary speciality of mechanic.

He's one of Sam Witwicky's uncles that he never talks about!

Fiction

Ask Vector Prime

Born into a large family in Springfield, Missouri, Stan Witwicky followed his beloved older brother Ben into the United States Marine Corps. He was a mechanic for twenty years, rising to Gunnery Sergeant, and was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan: when captured, he'd convinced the enemy he could fix their vehicles as long as they left his comrades unharmed, then earned their trust, and then sabotaged their kit before his crew escaped. He was pushed to become an Intelligence Officer in OCS for this and spent ten years here before joining NEST.

In his family life, his son Butch "Buster" Witwicky had become estranged. He'd joined a service, though not the Marines, and Major Sparkplug quietly used his influence to ensure Butch/Buster's messes wouldn't hurt his career. When his son joined NEST (under the codename "Spike"), Sparkplug did too in order to get close to him again. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/05 and 2015/09/07

Toys

Dark of the Moon

• Major Sparkplug / Autobot Whirl (Human Alliance Basic, 2011)
  • Japanese ID number: DA26

• Known designers: Andrew Scribner (deco artist)

Part of the first wave of Dark of the Moon Human Alliance Triple Changer figures, Major Sparkplug comes packaged with Whirl and is compatible with any Human Alliance robot figure.

• More information on Major Sparkplug at TFU.info

Notes

• Hey, remember how Backfire came with Spike Witwicky and everyone was like "wut lol"? Yeah. Well, here's Sparkplug too. Why not.
• Because nerds, the Facebook edition of Ask Vector Prime established that he was the younger brother of Ben Witwicky... who was Ron Witwicky's older brother too (back in prequel comic "Interlude"), making this guy and Spike related to Sam. Phew!
• Ask Vector Prime gave his biography in a glorious homage to G.I. Joe filecards.
• This bio uses elements of two Generation 1 Sparkplug Witwicky's. Just like in the Marvel G1 continuity, he's a Marine mechanic who conned his captors and using his originally planned real name of "Stanislas"; like his IDW 2005 self, he's an officer who kept his bratty son from getting into trouble. It also combines all three names for his sons in G1 into one character!

Foreign names

• Japanese: Sparkplug Shōsa (スパークプラグ少佐 Supākupuragu Shōsa)

See also

• Stan Witwicky / Sparkplug bio card from Ask Vector Prime
• Sparkplug (Movie)