In 2006, IDW Publishing commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Beast Wars cartoon by releasing two miniseries that wrapped around the events depicted in the original television show. Over the next few years, this continuity evolved into a small universe of its own that diverges from other Beast Wars media in ways both large and small. Most notably, the continuity incorporates a variation of both Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo into its history to create a fairly unique timeline for the Beast Era as a whole.

The universe came to an apparent end in 2016, with the release of Dawn of the Predacus, although this comic proved controversial as it contradicted details that had been previously established by other works of ancillary Beast Wars media, it seems as though it brought the universe to a close; when IDW next approached the Beast Wars franchise in 2021, it was in the form of a rebooted comic that reimagined the original show.

1,000,0000+ years ago

The beginning of time

The energy being Primus and his chaotic opposite Unicron battle for many eons until Primus tricks Unicron and traps his essence within a rocky planetoid. Primus suffers the same fate, and as the eons pass he reshapes his essence into Cybertron. Beast Wars Sourcebook

Millions of years ago

An ancient civilization of multi-dimensional Celestials rule the galaxy. When their empire collapses, the survivors became passive observers who monitor the universe through proxies and record their findings in a hidden library. Beast Wars Sourcebook At some point, the Celestials appoint Artemis and Moon to monitor activity on the planet Gaea. Beast Wars Sourcebook #2

Cicadacon is one of the first Transformers to be created, a Cybertronian forged from the living metal of ancient Cybertron. BotCon 2016 General Cicadacon profile card These early Cybertronians procreate via "budding", and the voracious Swarm arises as a byproduct of the process. Beast Wars Sourcebook These early Cybertronians must teach themselves how to transform, which takes a lifetime of practice and skill. The Reformatting At some point, the organic creatures who inhabited prehistoric Cybertron go extinct, crowded out by the burgeoning Cybertronian race. Beast Machines

9 million BCE

Megatron begins the Great War with the intent of turning Cybertron into a cosmic dreadnought and conquering the galaxy. When Sentinel Prime perishes, Optimus Prime inherits the Matrix of Leadership and takes command of the Autobot resistance. Injured during one of the first battles of the war, Cicadacon switches off his emotional functions, undergoes an exhausting self-repair regime, and takes on a new Decepticon identity by burying his old self beneath an emotionless façade. BotCon 2016 General Cicadacon profile card

4 million BCE

The Ark and the Nemesis leave Cybertron and subsequently crash on prehistoric Earth. The Agenda (Part III) Nemesis Part 1

100+ years ago

70,000 BCE

Time-travelling Maximals and Predacons from the future crash-land on prehistoric Earth, where they kickstart the Beast Wars. Beast Wars (Part 1) Their conflicts provoke the alien Vok, the hyper-evolved descendants of the Swarm, Beast Wars Sourcebook and the quantum surge caused by the destruction of their Planet Buster superweapon knocks dozens of stasis pods out of orbit. Aftermath The Gathering #1 After the Tripredacus Council intervenes by sending Ravage, Megatron discovers the Ark and attempts to alter the future by attacking Optimus Prime. The Agenda (Part III) The conflict shifts as Optimus Primal's Maximals relocate to the Ark to defend their ancestors from any further plots to change history. Optimal Situation

Around this time, the Predacon general Magmatron travels backwards from a slightly later date in Cybertron's history using chronal phase technology to conceal himself. At the behest of the Tripredacus Council, he aims to use the abandoned stasis pods to raise a new Predacon army; however, his operative Razorbeast is a deep-cover Maximal spy, and sabotages his operation by ensuring that at least half of the stasis pods are protected from Magmatron's shell program. The Gathering #1 Magmatron attempts to capture Megatron but finds himself outmatched by the rogue Predacon, The Gathering #3 and is eventually shifted out of existence entirely thanks to the last-minute intervention of Grimlock. The Gathering #4

The Beast Wars end when Optimus Primal captures Megatron and takes him back to their native time aboard a borrowed Autobot shuttle. Nemesis Part 2 The Ascending #1 The temporally-displaced Predacons fight on under the command of a revived Ravage, until the chronologically displaced Magmatron warns Ravage of the imminent threat of Unicron's return in their native timeframe. The Ascending #4 When Lio Convoy's Pack arrives to take the Maximals back to their era, Unicron's herald Rartorata invades and attacks Razorbeast with Angolmois and turns him into an out of control berserker. While the other Maximals and Predacons board Lio Convoy's ship and return to their own era, the stragglers kill Unicron's two other heralds Drancron and Elephorca before Optimus Minor puts down Razorbeast himself. The Ascending #4

1900s

1984

The eruption of Mount St. Hilary reactivates Optimus Prime, Megatron, and their followers. The Great War begins anew on Earth. The Agenda (Part III)

1984-2005

During his time on Earth, Megatron hijacks the Voyager space probe and inscribes a message on its golden disk in the hopes that his descendants can use transwarp technology to alter history and ensure a Decepticon victory. The Agenda (Part 2)

Humans and Autobots pool their resources to create new Transformers that infuse a human mind into a Cybertronian form. One of these new warriors takes on the identity of Prowl".^[1]Beast Wars Sourcebook #3

2000s

2005

Unicron attacks Cybertron. Megatron kills Ironhide and later becomes Galvatron. Dawn of the Predacus Galvatron then kills Starscream. Possession Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime and destroys the planet-eater, The Hot Rod and his severed head remains in orbit around their homeworld. Dawn of the Predacus

The destruction of Unicron's physical scatters capsules of Angolmois Energy across the galaxy that contain a portion of his lifeforce—a contingency plan initiated by the planet-eater, who had foreseen his own destruction. A significant amount of this substance lands on the planet Gaea. Beast Wars Sourcebook

2005-2035

It is a time of rapid evolution as the first Maximals and Predacons arise as subgroups within their respective factions. The cataclysmic battle against Unicron reawakens Cicadacon's original persona; disgusted by the degeneration of his race across factional lines, he eventually hatches a new plan to forcibly evolve the Cybertronian race to a new, unified state of being. He establishes a secret base of operations in Unicron's severed head, where he experiments upon other Cybertronians to create Sea Clamp and Ram Horn. Dawn of the Predacus

Elsewhere, a superintelligent Grimlock creates the Technobots, The Hot Rod while Ironhide is somehow restored to lilfe; he joins forces with Perceptor, Silverbolt, Tigatron, and Prowl to become the combiner Magnaboss. Dawn of the Predacus ^[2]

2035

The Autobots, the.

The ambitious Decepticon commander Megatron breaks into the Advanced Plasma Energy Reactor and battles Grimlock until Predaking defeats the Dinobot leader and puts him into stasis lock. The Hot Rod

In the final battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Optimus Prime and Galvatron both perish, and leadership of the combined Autobot-Maximal forces falls to the ad-hoc Primal Council at Nova Plenum. Their experiments with swarm-derived transmatter a success, Cicadacon and his compatriots attempt to forcibly evolve the population of Cybertron by detonating a transmatter bomb, and attempt to manipulate a ceasefire to make this so—however, the younger Megatron goes rogue in an attempt to push their advantage, and his recklessness necessitates direct intervention. Optimus Primal and the crew of the Axalon shield the planet from the brunt of the explosion, but the bomb destroys Unicron's head and the fallout from the blast reduces many Cybertronians to helpless protoforms, including the comatose Grimlock. Using their combined "Predacus" form, the Tripredacus Council kill Predaking, incapacitate Megatron, and announce their intent to surrender. Dawn of the Predacus

2300s

2035-2335

The Great Upgrade sees almost all Cybertronians reformat themselves into smaller, more energy-efficient bodies and shed their old factions to become either Maximals or Predacons. Grimlock returns to life The Hot Rod and reluctantly downsizes into a Maximal body. Beast Wars Sourcebook #2 Prowl, Silverbolt, and Ironhide rise to an esteemed position in Maximal society to become the revered "Maximal Elders" while heroic figures like Optimus Prime and Galvatron pass on into the realm of myth and legend. Beast Wars Sourcebook

Despite the apparent ceasefire on Cybertron, some version of the conflict continues on for a period as various rogue Predacons refuse to surrender, inciting another Great War between the Maximals and Predacons.^[3] The Predacon BB is held prisoner in a Maximal prison and subjected to "re-education" that traumatizes him. He escapes with the help of Starscream. Beast Wars Sourcebook #1 At the Maximal Military Academy, Optimus Primal graduates near the top of his class. Optimus Primal profile

Several rogue Predacons begin to call themselves "Destrons", Beast Wars Sourcebook and one Destron named Galvatron discovers Angolmois energy and sees it as a path to power. He gathers a crew loyal to him including Megastorm, Starscream, and BB, and takes them to the planet Gaea to find the Anglomois. He is opposed by Lio Convoy and his crew of Maximals. When the battle on Gaea becomes fierce, the robot Moon deserts his Celestial masters and joins the Maximals.^[4]

A Predacon soldier named Shokaract discovers Anglomois; over many stellar cycles, he is reborn as a terrifying monster empowered by his newly forged "Matrix of Chaos". Beast Wars Sourcebook #3 After an unclear period of prolonged conflict, the Predacons are defeated in this Great War and the Pax Cybertronia is signed, though many Predacons feel that the treaty treats them unfavorably. His power no longer needed in peacetime, Magnaboss disappears and is not seen again. Beast Wars Sourcebook #2 Intent on destroying the fragile peace, the ambitious Magmatron seeks to pick up where Galvatron failed, seize the remaining Anglomois, and end the newly founded peace. He is opposed by Big Convoy and his crew and eventually defeated.^[5] Despite his history, Magmatron is respected enough to be offered a position on the Committee for State Affairs opposite his formal rival Big Convoy. Beast Wars Sourcebook #2 Between the Maximal Elders, the Tripredacus Council, and several bipartisan assemblies, peace reigns for a time as the Tripredacus Council secretly re-arm themselves in anticipation of a future conflict. Beast Wars Sourcebook

At some point, the Vector Sigma supercomputer evolves into the immaterial Oracle and buries its original form beneath a shell program. The Reformatting

2335

Megatron steals the Golden Disk and a transwarp vessel to travel back in time to change history. He is pursued by Optimus Primal and the crew of the Axalon, and the two ships wind up on prehistoric Earth. Beast Wars (Part 1) At some point after this, the Quantum Cycle Upgrade renders stasis pods and DNA scanners obsolete. Survivor

The transwarp wavefront caused by the destruction of the Vok's Planet Buster superweapon hits Cybertron, and the Tripredacus Council dispatch Ravage to eliminate Megatron. When he does not return, the Tripredacus Council send Magmatron there to raise an army from the Axalon's abandoned stasis pods. The Gathering #1

Unbeknownst to the populace of Cybertron, Unicron's Blentrons have used Angolmois Energy to turn Shokaract into the herald of Unicron's ascension. Unicron's malign influence spreads across Cybertron in the form of Angolmois, and as more and more Transformers imbibe this toxic brew they provoke riots and civil unrest that strengthen Shokaract himself. The Ascending #3 Returning from prehistoric Earth, the Maximals and Predacons join forces to fight Shokaract and his heralds; when Shokaract learns that his true purpose is to facilitate Unicron's rebirth he commits suicide and dies, and his death creates a "timelash" that returns Magmatron to normal space-time. Bump engineers a cure for the Angolomois, but a recently returned Megatron has other ideas, and easily conquers the weakened planet using hordes of mass-produced Vehicons and a transformation virus. The Ascending #4

Some time after Megatron's conquest, Optimus Primal and his crew return to Cybertron, but fall pretty to the Vehicons and their virus. Primal and his team find their way to the Oracle, who reformats them into technorganic beings. The Reformatting As they gather allies and battle the Vehicons, Primal's group discover evidence of extinct organic life, and eventually deduce that the Oracle has chosen them to evolve Cybertron into a technorganic world. Fallout The final battle between Optimus Primal and Megatron ends when they both plunge into the planet's organic core, triggering the Great Transformation that sees the entire planet reconfigured into a technorganic utopia. Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future

Notes

• "Dawn of the Predacus" was clearly written with some version of "Dawn of Future's Past" in mind; several characters sport the Cybertronian bodies they wear in that comic, and overall the story slots in (relatively) neatly into the chronology. However, as Future's Past was published by Fun Publications, not IDW, we're not including it in this timeline for that reason.

References