"A Thing of the Past"

Introduction and Frequently Asked Questions

STARSCREAM: "What's the difference? There's plenty here for us!" MEGATRON: "The difference is time, you fool!" --"More Than Meets the Eye" part 2

Welcome to my latest Transformers epic! This story is the result of several years' worth of mulling and followed no fewer than three failed attempts to write this particular story. (Seriously. Various computer-related mishaps have necessitated my starting over each time from page one, word one. I guess that's one way to revise!)

This story was my attempt to retcon all of the Constructicons' various "origins," from "Heavy Metal War" (where they were built by Megatron on Earth), "The Secret of Omega Supreme" (they were friends with Omega but reprogrammed by Megatron's robo-smasher), and "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4 (where they are shown building Megatron). Since we all know that everything shown in the cartoon must be true, I took it upon myself to explain the "real" order of events, and a time travel story seemed like the way to do it. I also had some fun with the origins of Omega Supreme and Megatron, as well as the psychology of Devastator.

What I find amazing was how many questions I've already been asked, even before this story was finished. I realized that a mini-FAQ might be in order since this tale spans so many events and attempts to reconcile so many elements of the cartoon show.

You may find it more useful to read this after you've perused the story, but before you bombard my virtual mailbox with questions. Don't get me wrong, I love feedback--but this list of questions might save you the trouble.

Q: So, which of the Constructicons' origins is the correct one?

A: Well, all of them, after a fashion. Megatron did create the Constructicons' bodies on Earth as he explains in "Heavy Metal War," but he got their personality components from Cybertron.

Q: Where did he get the personality components from?

A: From Scrapper. The Constructicons were badly injured while in Cybertron's past, but Megatron extracted their personality components for use as future warriors down the road.

Q: So where did the Constructicons come from originally?

A: There's no way of knowing. However they were created in the first timeline, it's been erased from history.

Q: What about Devastator?

A: Devastator is also an anomaly. Originally the Constructicons never had a combined-form, but after Megatron reprogrammed them with the robo-smasher, he decided to implement the combiner technology he witnessed when the Aerialbots were briefly in the past. The concept of Devastator made its way back to Earth for inclusion in their Earth forms after Megatron acquired their personality components.

Q: Who created Megatron?

A: In the original time stream, two technicians rebuilt him into Megatron. With the technicians destroyed in the new time stream before they could finish, the Constructicons resumed the task of rebuilding him.

Q: Why?

A: In "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4, the Constructicons are shown building Megatron, so I had to work that into the story. I decided that they were actually re-building Megatron, since Megatron has been shown to be significantly older than Optimus Prime, and Prime himself was rebuilt shortly after the beginning of the Third Cybertron War.

Q: Why are Scrounge and Steamer in the story?

A: Scrounge and Steamer were two of the original Constructicons. After the Constructicons went back in time, the two were killed by Septimus Prime, so their personality components never made it to Megatron. Essentially, they were erased from time. (They still make an appearance--before they were killed--in "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4, from which I derived their designs for their TFU profiles.)

Q: Who is Septimus Prime?

A: He was the Autobot leader and guardian of the Matrix before Alpha Trion. He is shown passing the Matrix to Alpha Trion in "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4.

Q: So who's Deceptus?

A: Deceptus was the former leader of the Decepticons. (I think he looks like that purple robot from the flashbacks in "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4.)