Megatron Origin issue 1

	; How ya like me now?!
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	June 20, 2007
Cover date	May 2007
Written by	Eric Holmes
Art by	Alex Milne
Colors by	Josh Perez
Color assist by	Zac Atkinson
Edits by	Chris Ryall
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	4 million BCE

A working-class miner accidentally kills some other guy in anger.

Synopsis

Four million years ago, Senator Decimus and his assistant arrive at the run-down colony of Mining Outpost C-12 to deliver a formal message to the employees who call the outpost home: as part of the Cybertronian Senate's efforts to cut costs, the energon mine will be automated, leaving its workers jobless. This doesn't bother Decimus one iota as he prepares the assembly to deliver the bad news: his disdain for the working-class personnel who operate the mine is quite clear, and he's more than eager to see them replaced.

During the assembly, Decimus' announcement naturally goes down poorly with his audience, despite his efforts to assuage their fears by pointing out that the laborers will not be left without jobs. One particularly angry 'bot, aware that the Senate's rampant automation will soon leave the working class destitute, speaks out, and is immediately executed by one of Decimus's Autobot security officers.

The crowd is briefly silenced by this display of force, and Decimus tries to restore order until one worker, an upstart named Megatron, makes his opinion very clear by flinging his axe into Decimus's shoulder. Before the security officer can react, Megatron tackles and disarms him; the two struggle until Megatron gains the upper hand — and accidentally kills his opponent.

As Megatron struggles to come to terms with what he's just done, the rest of the miners, encouraged by his example, quickly charge the Senator's position... only to be swiftly overpowered, incapacitated, and arrested by Autobot riot control.

Megatron and his fellow miners come to aboard the transport shuttle Longshot en route to a detention center; as soon as he awakens Megatron is approached by Rumble and Frenzy. Despite their enthusiasm, Megatron is still perturbed by his actions and wants no part in their plans. But as the rowdy duo set about distracting the guards, Megatron finds himself drawn to the vanguard of the rebellion as the ex-miners easily overwhelm their captors and seize the ship.

Aboard Decimus's shuttle, the Senator and his entourage are none the wiser about this revolt until the Longshot breaks formation, blasting the Senator's vessel and stranding the ship and its occupants in deep space; this is a deliberate ploy on Megatron's part to distract the Autobots with a rescue mission, leavin the rebels free to plot a new course back to Cybertron unhindered. Arriving over the city of Kaon, the "worst place on Cybertron," the miners opt to lay low for the time being, confident in the knowledge that they've given the Senate more important things to worry about.

In Kaon's Security Services Headquarters, Sentinel Prime finishes up a round of target practice before he's interrupted by his second-in-command Prowl, who comes bearing news of the incident in space. The Prime, uninterested in the dealings of the Senate and its constituents, appoints Prowl to handle the issue — but neither of them are aware that the perpetrators have successfully landed on Cybertron and escaped into Kaon's criminal underbelly...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Security Services	Others
Autobot security official (5) Sentinel Prime (8) Prowl (9)	Megatron (1) Decimus (2) Decimus's assistant (3) Outspoken miner (4) Rumble (6) Frenzy (7)

Quotes

"What…"
"What… did I…"
"No… Nonono…"
"Oh no."

— Megatron reacts to taking his first life.

"That was… unintentional. I shouldn't be here."

— Megatron is a BIG SOFTIE.

Notes

Continuity notes

When Frenzy attempts to enlist Megatron's aid in escaping their imprisonment on the Longshot, Megatron makes it clear that the violence he dealt during the mine revolt was unintentional (and indeed, he was remorseful). Yet on the next page, after he is freed, Megatron seems to be quite willing to beat the living daylights out of the security guard on the ship. This is an intentional plan by Holmes: Megatron learning to use, and enjoy, violence. ^[1]
James Roberts would write several pre-war stories in 2011 and 2012, which flesh out and subtly retcon the events of this miniseries:
- In "Chaos Theory Part 1", we meet Megatron as an idealistic writer and political thinker who hopes for nonviolent change. When he finds himself brutalised by an untouchable and corrupt member of a higher caste, he is filled with a growing rage, and eventually comes to realize that violence might be the only way to advance his cause. His killing of an Autobot security officer here is not, then, the inciting moment that leads to the Great War, but merely another step in Megatron's personal journey from idealist to tyrant — and might provide a clue as to why Megatron finds it quite easy to take his next life when he and his crew hijack the Longshot.
- "Issue #9" of More than Meets the Eye has the Decepticons already existing before this issue, inspired by Megatron's samizdat writings. The Senate have exiled Megatron to a nucleon mine on Messatine, afraid of him becoming a leader or, if they kill him, a martyr. Following a disaster on Messatine, as seen in issue #34, Megatron is transferred to C-12.
- Cybertron is under dictatorship: by the time of Origin, a Clampdown has been in place for a while with curfews, spies on every street, and any group or city-state the Senate doesn't like getting the boot. This has only increased discontent in "Post Hoc".
- Sentinel Prime is actually the recent replacement of Nominus Prime. You may have also thought Sentinel was alright because he dislikes the Senate, but "Chaos Theory Part 2" and "Post Hoc" show him to be a nasty, dictatorial thug who was involved in assassinating his predecessor, and later issues still will reveal that Sentinel himself has an ulterior agenda all his own. This puts a new spin on his complaint that the Senate keep saying how he should do his job instead of giving him "what I need".
- Prowl knows that Sentinel Prime is dirty but didn't dare cross him earlier. Yet he still joined the Senate's security forces, with the only known comment that he "did what he had to do". Also, not surprisingly, even Sentinel couldn't stand the guy, later blaming for him the entire rise of the Decepticon cause with his constant lectures on collateral damage.
First appearances: Sentinel Prime, Decimus, Rumble, and Frenzy.

Transformers references

Kaon was previously established in Dreamwave Productions' The War Within, where it was also established as the city where Megatron first rose to power.
Kremzeek appears on a billboard in Kaon.

Real-life references

It probably goes without saying that the plight of the miners has some basis in reality, where the dual threats of automation and outsourcing has led to many such scenes. Holmes, originally from Scotland, would've grown up aware of the notorious miners' strike of 1984-85.

Errors

On page 21, Sentinel's name is misspelled as "Sentinal."

Covers (3)

Cover A: Megatron with pickax, by Alex Milne (pencils) and Josh Perez (colors)
Cover B: Megatron smashing security guard, by Marcelo Matere (pencils) and Andrew Elder (colors)
Cover RI-A: Cover A, uncolored