Cybertronian language
From Transformers Wiki
It should be little surprise, given a moment's thought, that distinct Cybertronian languages exist. The Transformers did not go about speaking English or any other known Earth language long ages ago on their distant metal world. Though the records of such conversations are frequently translated for us, we should not forget that these conversations originally flowed in odd electronic syllables past strange metallic lips, or were etched by alien hands long eons before the first humans painted muddy shapes upon dark cave stone.
Contents
|
Real-life alphabets
Over the years, multiple substituion cypher alphabets have been created by fans and professionals to represent the languages of Cybertron, often used to hide coded messages in media. These "languages" include:
- Ancient Autobot
- Created by Jim Sorenson in the 1990s, based on symbols seen in the The Transformers episode "Cosmic Rust." This font has seen particularly common use in official media, including in the AllSpark Wars game, in Sorenson's own AllSpark Almanac series of books, on Banzai-Tron's Timelines toy, in Burger King's Transform Your Way promotion, as a part of the Around Cybertron news broadcast, on the cover to All Hail Megatron volume 3, in Rescue Bots, on Lockdown's HUD in Age of Extinction, both the 2005 and 2019 IDW comic universes, and extensively in the War for Cybertron Trilogy. The Royal Mail Prestige Stamp Book gives the in-universe name of this alphabet as Cybertronica Sorensa, after its creator.
- Decepticon Graffiti
- Also created by Jim Sorenson in the '90s, based on the Cybertronian language graffitied on Earth landmarks by the Battlechargers in issue #23 of the Generation 1 Marvel comic. This font was also used in the AllSpark Wars game, and in the Revenge of the Fallen video game.
- Maximal Cybertronix
- Created by Mainframe Entertainment and used in the Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons for Maximal computer readouts. As well as in Rise of the Beasts on the Transwarp Key, Airazor and being the language Elena Wallace deciphers through the movie.
- Predacon Cybertronix
- Also created by Mainframe for the Beast cartoons, for Predacon computer readouts.
- High Moon Studios font
- Created by High Moon Studios for the War for Cybertron video game—and further developed by Jared Adkins to also include typography for the Decepticons throughout the sequel, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron—these glyphs are based on the "Ancient Autobot" symbols from "Cosmic Rust." The typeface appears—stylized in three different ways—in assorted places throughout the game series. Concept art released by Jared Adkins identified the typeface collectively as "Teletran 1 (sic) digital glyphs" while fonts embeded in the promotional website for Transformers: Devastation video game identified two of these typefaces as "Cybertron Glyphs Ancient" and "Cybertron Glyphs Regular". The typeface has been further featured in the Fall of Cybertron art book, Transformers: Rescue Bots, the afterword of The Covenant of Primus, Rise of the Dark Spark video game, and on the Torchbearer toys.
- Ben Procter alphabet
- Designer Ben Procter designed an alphabet, used throughout Transformers and Revenge of the Fallen, "tattooed" on the Autobots themselves, and during The Last Knight on the Staff of Merlin and numerous other props. The glyphs appear to have been slightly revised for their inclusion in The Last Knight. These glypyhs have been referred to by Ben Procter as both an "alphabet" but also as "tribal tattoos". Their use on the AllSpark and in later films on artifacts such as the Staff of Merlin establish them as a written language. Paddy Kempshall's Transformers Dark of the Moon Annual 2012's "Code Breaker" section included an inaccurate expanded selection of glyphs that appear to have been entirely made-up just for this publication, as the majority of the glyphs provided therein do not match the remaining glyphs appearing in any of the films.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Jazz made the statement that his real name was unpronounceable in English. Man of Iron
Runamuck and Runabout sprayed Cybertronian graffiti across Earth monuments. They were taken aback to realize that the earthlings couldn't comprehend their alien language wit. Decepticon Graffiti!
The Transformers cartoon
The first language used by the Transformers was likely the Quintesson language inherited from their former masters. It can be seen upon the walls of the Quintesson dimensional transporter room. It rather resembles Egyptian hieroglyphs. Madman's Paradise
Ancient Autobot was the language used by the ancient Autobot colonists that fled Cybertron in the distant past. Most modern Transformers (or at least the Decepticons) could not read it. Cosmic Rust
The controls of the Plasma Energy Chamber were labeled in Ancient Cybertronian, which Spike Witwicky did not recognize but Cerebros was able to read. The Rebirth, Part 1
In contrast, the language used by the Autobots when they first awoke in 1984 was easily learned. Spike Witwicky learned to read Modern Autobot after only knowing the Transformers for a single day. (Autobots and humans could also converse freely on their first encounter, though the hows and whys aren't addressed onscreen.) More than Meets the Eye, Part 2
Beast Era
- See Cybertronix, Vok symbols
2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon
While many of the Autobots' readouts used a code utilizing the Latin alphabet, their heads-up displays also included text in Cybertronian script.
Cybertron cartoon
Writing was displayed on a viewscreen of the starship Atlantis. Ship
2005 IDW continuity
Cybertronian language changed over time, from Old Cybertronian to Neocybex in modern times.
When it came to alien languages, Cybertronians could speak and understand them moments after landing on the planet. Cliffjumper couldn't explain how it worked; it just did. Spotlight: Cliffjumper
Alien writing was displayed on a computer screen that Wheeljack was working on. ...For All Mankind
Animated continuity family
Animated cartoon
There was writing outside of Jazz's quarters on the Elite Guard flagship. Five Servos of Doom
Later, Bulkhead left yellow PostIt-style notes on his space bridge controls. Ratchet had a hard time deciphering them, as Bulkhead's servos were not designed for "penbotship". This Is Why I Hate Machines
The AllSpark Almanacs
Archaic languages on Cybertron included Old Malignus and Destron. The AllSpark Almanac II
The Arrival
As Ultra Magnus and the Elite Guard reviewed what they knew about the first battle between Optimus and Megatron, an image of the Nemesis appeared on a screen with labels in a written language. Dispatches
Live-action film series
See Cyberglyphics
Ghosts of Yesterday
As they fled from the Ark, the crew members of the vessel Ghost 1 were able to pick up the transmissions from the Autobots. They thought that one might be able to make out words from the spoken language of the Autobots if they had a degree in theoretical physics...and were tripping on bad acid. Ghosts of Yesterday
Transformers film
The Decepticons communicated with each other in a spoken language, which to human ears sounded like a collection of vowel-intensive electronic noises and rumbles. They had also learned enough English to communicate with the humans when necessary. Angular symbols, that differed from Cyberglyphics but were present on both Megatron and the AllSpark, convinced Sector Seven that there was some relationship between the two. Transformers
The AllSpark Wars
Agoraptor and Agoracer each communicated in a kind of code, based on Cybertronian lettering. AllSpark Wars
Dark of the Moon video game
Mirage encountered a Mayan temple that was built on top of an ancient Decepticon base. After entering the structure, he noted that the walls were covered in ancient Decepticon Hieroglyphs.
Shattered Glass
The Around Cybertron news program featured both advertisements and a news scroll at the bottom of the screen written in Autobot text. Hasbro Transformers Collectors Club #28
An Autobot stellar spanner was marked CWP274 in Autobot characters.
Elsewhere, a box in the Decepticon Base was marked 'fragile' in Decepticon characters. Blitzwing Bop
Aligned continuity family
War for Cybertron video game
On many computers, consoles, and screens on Cybertron, digital Cybertronian glyphs could be seen. When a directive was shown to a Transformer, symbols flashed on their heads up display. War for Cybertron
Fall of Cybertron video game
The Autobots appear to have adopted a modernised form of ancient Cybertronian glyphs while the Decepticons utilise their own digital glyph communication.
Prime cartoon
When Bulkhead's mind started to be assimilated by information ejected from a data cylinder, his mind went to science and formulas. He began to eccentrically paint Cybertronian symbols on chalkboards and walls, using a broom like a paintbrush. T.M.I.
2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon
Devastation video game
Toys
Universe (2008)
- Series: Classic Series
- The packaging art for many of the "Classic Series" toys in the 2008 Universe toyline features movie-like "tribal markings" on the characters, going along with the more movie-like renditions of the characters.
- More directly, the Legends-class Cosmos toy has his name written on his vehicle mode in Cybertronian lettering.
Timelines
- Banzai-Tron features his original Tech Spec motto, "To the victor go the profits," in Autobot text along the side of his vehicle mode.
Kre-O
- The Orion Pax Kreon that comes with the Transformers: Kre-O Character Encyclopedia has a clear 1x2 plate accessory with "KREO" in Autobot text.
Generations
- The packaging for Earthrise toys has "War for Cybertron" written on it in Jim Sorenson's Ancient Autobot script, and the pack-in map pieces also contain writing in this script.
Collaborative
- Collaborative Maverick's instructions have a hidden message which is also written in Jim Sorenson's Ancient Autobot that translates to "Let's Turn and Burn", which is a quote from the original Top Gun film as well as being one of the tag lines for Top Gun: Maverick.
Combiner Wars
Victorion had Cybertronian glyph passages, using the High Moon Studios/War for Cybertron font, tampographed onto her individual components. Her individual components—see parenthesis—when read together, form the prophetic warning heard in "Cosmic Rust": "(Pyra Magna) If Cybertron be your home / (Rust Dust) Far away, never roam / (Skyburst) Hear my message, listen and fear / (Stormclash) Danger comes, the end is near / (Dust Up) Just like us, you soon will rust / (Jumpstream) All shall be turned to dust."
Notes
- "...For All Mankind" uses the Star Wars Aurebesh script to represent Cybertronian writing.
- Might we just kindly point out that this is not how foreign languages actually work in real life.
