Both bark... and bite.

The Dinobots are an Autobot subgroup from the Fall of Cybertron portion of the Aligned continuity family.

Belligerent, bullheaded, and rebellious, the Dinobots (formerly the Lightning Strike Coalition Force) are a brutal commando unit of Autobots, who handle the jobs that other Autobots don't have the stomach for. Openly critical of Optimus Prime's conservative tactics, the unit instead defers to their leader Grimlock, who isn't above defying his higher-ups if the need arises. One such rebellion resulted in the team becoming captives of Shockwave, who subsequently experimented on them by giving them new alternate modes based on dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, intending to turn them into mindless berserkers. The Dinobots managed to escape Shockwave's lab, and their mutual struggle to adjust to and understand their strange new forms has resulted in the team becoming more tight-knit than ever.

The Dinobots include:

• Grimlock (leader)
• Swoop (scout)
• Slug (tactician)
• Snarl (analyst, engineer, and medic)
• Sludge (logistician)

Fiction

IDW Aligned comics

Sludge probably should have called in sick that day.

In the waning days of the war for Cybertron, the commando unit known as the Lightning Strike Coalition fought under Optimus Prime's command, although they openly criticized his cautious approach to warfare; Grimlock in particular. Good Intentions At some point, Grimlock sent Swoop to investigate the Decepticon's seemingly infinite supply of Energon. Swoop tracked a trail of clues all the way to the Rust Sea, where he discovered a vast pool of untainted Energon... as well as Starscream, Shockwave, and a swarm of Insecticons, all operating out of Shockwave's secret laboratory in the Rust Sea. Secrets While Optimus and his team tried to scavenge materials for the Ark and escape from Cybertron, Grimlock and the rest of his team held the line against Decepticon forces, defying Optimus's orders to return to base. When Grimlock received Swoop's distress message, he rallied the rest of the Coalition, and together they set off in search of their missing comrade, with Grimlock arrogantly believing that the fate of Cybertron rested in his hands. Good Intentions

Before long, the team arrived at Swoop's last known location just outside of Shockwave's tower. The Coalition clobbered their way through the Insecticon swarm with their trademark brutality and soon discovered Swoop, who had been left alive and strung up to a strange machine. As it turned out, Shockwave had deliberately set up his prisoner as bait so that he could lure Swoop's teammates into his clutches. Believing that the Coalition's strength and durability would make them ideal test subjects, Shockwave and his Insecticon hordes disabled all of them, while the Decepticon scientist carted them off to begin his experiments. Siege Mentality Having observed alien lifeforms on a distant planet through his space bridge, Shockwave begun surgically altering the Coalition, physically rebuilding them with new alternate modes while simultaneously splicing dinosaur DNA with their own CNA, giving them the ability to transform into various prehistoric creatures. Fragmentation

Everybody walk the... tank?

The first member of the team to go under the knife was Sludge, who had been badly wounded in the fight. Using him as a test run for his later experiments, Shockwave successfully rebuilt him so that he could transform into an Apatosaurus, then ordered Kickback to dump his stasis-locked body in the tunnels underneath Shockwave's tower. Beast Hunters #2 Shockwave then turned his attention to the four remaining members of the unit, enhancing their already formidable strength with numerous saurian attributes. Shockwave was particularly interested in Grimlock, the most physically powerful of the bunch, and intended to turn him into a mindless brute completely loyal to Shockwave's cause. Unfortunately for Shockwave, Grimlock managed to withstand Shockwave's mental conditioning. Grimlock would eventually be visited by Starscream, who offered to spring the Autobot from his shackles if he swore allegiance to Shockwave. Grimlock thought otherwise, and broke free by himself. Grimlock proceeded to trash Shockwave's laboratory and meet up with the similarly altered Slug, Swoop, and Snarl as he learned to transform into and control his brand-new Tyrannosaurus rex alternate mode. Ultimately, Grimlock's new vendetta against Shockwave would take him to the top of the Decepticon's newest space bridge, where the two faced off. With the aid of his powerful new alternate mode, Grimlock managed to destroy Shockwave's replica Space Bridge Fall, but the ensuing explosion sent him tumbling to the ground, temporarily knocking him offline. Snarl, Slug, and Swoop thought that Grimlock had perished in the ensuing explosion. Rage of the Dinobots #4 While Optimus Prime's Autobots departed into deep space aboard the Ark, the trio opted to remain on Cybertron.

Four cycles after the launch of the Ark, an Autobot cleanup crew discovered Sludge's deactivated body and managed to bring him back online. Beast Hunters #2 At some point, the rest of the Lightning Strike Coalition also discovered and resuscitated Grimlock. With all five members of his unit back together again, Grimlock re-christened them the "Dinobots" . Rage of the Dinobots #4

A few thousand years ago, a crack commando unit was captured by Shockwave for his experiments. These Autobots promptly escaped from a maximum security laboratory to the Cybertron underground. Today, still wanted by the Decepticons, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them....maybe you can hire the Dinobots.

When Ultra Magnus called for the final evacuation of Cybertron, the Dinobots were assigned to one of the spacebound convoys fleeing Decepticon forces. While the Dinobots covered the retreat of the other ships in the convoy, Magnus's fighter was shot down. The Dinobots found the wreck of his ship and were disturbed to find it guarded by the Predacon Backbite. Sensing the handiwork of their nemesis Shockwave, the Dinobots attacked the beast, however once they defeated it, Grimlock went into a berserker rage and attacked Snarl as a side-effect of the strength he experienced during his time in his beast mode. In the chaos, Backbite revived and captured Swoop, taking him to the Forged, to be "re-forged" along with Ultra Magnus.Rage of the Dinobots #1

When Grimlock and the remaining Dinobots stormed the prison in which Swoop and Ultra Magnus were being held, they freed all the other Autobot captives, but ran into Ser-Ket, the head of the joint. As Grimlock threatened her, he and his team were horrified to see Swoop in a "re-forged" programming, declaring an oath of loyalty to Shockwave.Rage of the Dinobots #2

"Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape."

As the Autobots beheld this latest of atrocities, Ser-Ket revealed that she reinforced her master's original programming of Swoop. Ultra Magnus attempted to convince Grimlock that Swoop was lost, but Grimlock refused and told him to "Switch off!", claiming that this was Dinobot business. He then challenged Ser-Ket to a one-on-one brawl, the stake being that if he won, she would have to fix Swoop and let the Autobots leave. If not, they would all surrender. She in turn asked why she would agree to such a proposal, when the Autobots were so badly outnumbered. Grimlock reasoned that if there were a large battle, more Autobots and Dinobots would die, and would be of no use to her or her master. Ser-Ket agreed, and the other Dinobots formed a ring of fire as an arena. Grimlock fought hard, but was overwhelmed by his opponent's speed, ferocity and strength, the latter all the while taunting and prompting the Dinobot leader to transform into his beast form, referring to it as his 'true' form. Though Grimlock was initially reluctant, knowing that he would all too certainly lose control in that mode, he decided that it was the only way he could fell her. This proves to be a potential trump card for Grimlock, and Ser-Ket remarked that it would be an honour to fall at the hands of Shockwave's 'greatest achievement', but not this time, calling in Swoop to attack his leader. Grimlock yanked Swoop down and attacked him, jolting the brainwashed Dinobot back into reality. The other Dinobots prompt Grimlock to revert to his proto-form, and it worked, but not before he severed and smashed Ser-Ket's head. Seeing their head honcho defeated, the Forged kept their word and released the Autobots. As the valiant captives retreated, Ser-Ket revealed her true identity as a Predacon, in a form much too powerful for Grimlock, musing that he had beaten her in his 'true' form, and now it was her turn. As she flew away with him, Swoop caught up with her and ripped out one of the optics in her beast mode, thus settling a personal grudge, and freed Grimlock. As the damaged Ser-Ket cursed the Autobots, Grimlock emphasized their existence as Dinobots and impaled her beast head with his sword, offlining her once and for all. They were interrupted by Shockwave, who remarked that if he felt emotion, he'd say he was proud.Rage of the Dinobots #3

As the Autobots attacked Shockwave, the Decepticon scientist deployed an EMP, immobilizing them, before knocking them out. Sometime later, Grimlock came to in a familiar place; an operating table. Shockwave planned to resume his work on Grimlock, with one small change; he would completely erase Grimlock's thoughts, memories and anything that made him what he was. The other Autobots were in prison and came up with a plan to escape, involving a staged 'prison disagreement'. It worked all too well and soon they attacked Shockwave's lab, just before he was able to administer the fateful change to Grimlock. They ripped the scientist apart, and were hardly able to believe they had done so. As they revived Grimlock and bid their retreat, they were faced with a holographic representation of Shockwave, who revealed that the Decepticon they just annihilated was nothing more than one of many avatars Shockwave was employing to carry out his work in around the different prison complexes on Cybertron. Later, as Ultra Magnus and the rescued Autobots prepared to leave Cybertron, Grimlock declared that he would stay on and free the other captive Autobots on the planet, along with his team. Ultra Magnus congratulated and thanked the Dinobots before leaving. Rage of the Dinobots #4

With Cybertron now a derelict wasteland, the Dinobots took refuge underground with other surviving Transformers. In between searching for Energon and fighting the surviving Forged and Insecticons, Grimlock, the new "king" of Cybertron, mediated disputes and arguments between individuals. The Dinobots eventually met Firestar, an inhabitant of Last Spark, who implored them to help fight a mysterious enemy preying on her city's people. Sludge and Snarl set off to investigate, against Grimlock's wishes. After some investigation, the duo encountered Kickback and his followers. Beast Hunters #1 In the ensuing fight, Kickback denied that he had anything to do with the murders, and accused the Forged of the crime. Sludge, still furious about how Kickback abandoned him in the tunnel, deliberately snapped the Insecticon's neck. When the pair returned to Last Spark, they continued their investigation and realized that some of the bodies had been drained of Energon after their death. Airwave, the leader of Last Spark, was the culprit responsible for the murders, and with Firestar's assistance the trio took him down. On returning to base, Grimlock apologized to Sludge for his earlier behavior, and reaffirmed that the two Dinobots had done the right thing in the end. Beast Hunters #2

The Dinobots eventually relocated their base of operations to Last Spark, although the locals took a long time to grow accustomed to their presence. Some time later, Swoop and Grimlock went on patrol together. The duo encountered a group of Forged guarding a fortified complex. After a brief fight, the two Dinobots broke in, and after a bit of exploration learned that the area was yet another one of Shockwave's many secret laboratories. Some more exploration revealed a trio of real dinosaurs and a pterosaur- a Tyrannosaurus, a Triceratops, a Stegosaurus, and a Pteranodon- in stasis. When they awakened, they attacked the two Dinobots. The fight eventually spilled over into Last Spark itself. The Dinobots eventually defeated their doppelgangers after exposure to Cybertron's toxic atmosphere quickly killed the organic creatures. Beast Hunters #4

Snarl temporarily took Grimlock's place on his throne while the Dinobot leader visited New Kalis, although he proved just as ill-tempered as the Dinobot leader in the role of mediator. His negotiations with Scrounge were suddenly cut short by a mysterious earthquake and an unexpected stream of fresh Energon. With only a handful of survivors of the earthquake, Snarl tried to rally them and lead them to safety. Simultaneously, New Kalis slowly began flooding with clean Energon, threatening to drown its inhabitants. While Chromia and Swoop unsuccessfully tried to evacuate the populace, Grimlock was forced to transform into his beast mode and frighten them away from the Energon pool, but his dinosaur instincts got the better of him and he reverted to a feral state. Slug and Sludge discovered Blackout buried in a landslide; Slug grudgingly pulled him free if only to bring the Decepticon to justice. Beast Hunters #5 All of the Dinobots and the survivors under their care headed up to the surface by one way or another Beast Hunters #6, where they discovered that Optimus Prime and his team had returned to Cybertron and successfully rejuvenated it. Their revelry was cut short by the arrival of the surviving Forged, still intent on destroying the Dinobots. Still underground, Sludge, Firestar, and Zoom encountered a massive Predacon, who dealt a fatal blow to Zoom. Sludge managed to force the Predacon to retreat, although Zoom expired from his injuries. The Predacon eventually burst through the surface and attacked the other Dinobots, but Sludge, who had rendezvoused with the recently arrived Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead, arrived, and together they sent the Predacon fleeing. Beast Hunters #7

After Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to bring the Well of All Sparks online once again, Team Prime and the Dinobots worked together to get the other Autobot survivors to safety. The team split up to deal with the rogue Predacon; when it chose to attack the group headed by Arcee and Swoop, Grimlock and Bumblebee ambushed the beast and managed to lock it up in a secure underground bunker. Although the Dinobots argued with Bulkhead about their status among "normal" Transformers because of their strange beast modes, Arcee explained that Optimus would have wanted this new world to be a fresh start for all Transformers. While Arcee decided to begin rebuilding Kaon, Grimlock and his team announced their intention to create the city of New Spark, a new city for the displaced refugees of Last Spark. Beast Hunters #8

Prime cartoon

During a discussion about the existence of the Predacons and their relationship to Earth's dinosaurs, Miko asked Bulkhead about the Dinobots. However, Bulkhead assured her that they were entirely different from Predacons. Project Predacon

Games

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

As Optimus Prime and the other Autobots readied the Ark to launch, Grimlock and the rest of his squadron abandoned their post for reasons unknown, stealing a dropship and heading to the Rust Sea. Although the team smashed their way through Shockwave's Decepticons, they were eventually overrun by a horde of Insecticons. Sludge's body was abandoned in the tunnel in stasis lock, while the other four were deliberately left alive so that Shockwave could experiment on them. Shockwave re-engineered their bodies so that they could transform into the alien creatures he had discovered while observing a primitive planet. Grimlock was the most drastically altered; the traumatic surgery redirected power away from his mind and left him less coherent and emotionally stable than ever before.

And so, the four Dinobots set off for the Great Valley.

Slug was the first to come round and break free, melting a hole in the floor and escaping into the tunnels beneath Kaon. Grimlock was approached by a disgraced Starscream, who had recently been ousted from his throne by a rebuilt Megatron and now sought an army of his own. He offered to set Grimlock free if the hulking warrior promised to become his slave.... at which point Grimlock freed himself by throwing the Decepticon against the wall, deactivating his shackles. Still adjusting to his strange new body, Grimlock fought his way through the lab and stumbled across Swoop, who was still locked up. When he eventually freed Swoop, the two of them fought and defeated Hardshell, who was piloting a gigantic suit of armor. The duo eventually discovered what remained of Slug's holding cell, and split up to search for him. While underground, Grimlock finally learned how to transform into his new Tyrannosaurus rex alternate mode as he faced off against Kickback and an Insecticon Bruiser. Slug arrived not long afterwards, battering down a door and crushing Kickback beneath its weight.

Now a trio, Grimlock ordered them to search for Snarl, the last known victim of Shockwave's experiments. They eventually found him trapped in his cell, being tortured by Sharpshot. Grimlock tore through the machinery powering the torture devices and executed Sharpshot, while the other two helped the badly-damaged Snarl to his feet. The quartet took shelter in one of Shockwave's personal observation towers; Grimlock and Slug helped stabilize Snarl while Swoop discovered plans for Sludge's dinosaur form, inspiring Swoop to re-brand the quartet as the "Dinobots". Slug contacted Optimus Prime, who ordered them to fall back to base. Grimlock ignored the order and set off to Shockwave's Space Bridge, intending to confront the scientist once and for all. With the help of Swoop, Grimlock made it up to the top of the tower and destroyed Shockwave's space bridge, destroying the entire complex in the process. Fall of Cybertron

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Dinobots participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of them! Transformers: Battle Tactics

Notes

Sadly, this doesn't count.

• In the third season of Transformers: Rescue Bots, Optimus Prime and the Rescue Bots adopt dinosaur-based modes, in which they are referred to as "Dinobots" at several points during the series. They do so by scanning artificial dinosaurs created by combining robotics with dinosaur DNA. Unfortunately, adopting these beast modes lowers their supply of Energon, and they are left unable to control the animal instincts of their new modes unless they use an Energon patch.
  • As an interesting note, Optimus Prime and the four Rescue Bots share their dinosaur modes with the actual Dinobots: Optimus Prime and Grimlock have Tyrannosaurus modes, Heatwave and Sludge each become an Apatosaurus, Blades and Swoop have Pteranodon forms, Boulder and Slug both possess Triceratops modes, and Chase and Snarl are each a Stegosaurus.
  • Even before this, the human built dinosaur robot, Trex, was also referred to as a "Dino Bot". Unfortunately, he wasn't a Transformer.
  • When guest character Sideswipe shows up at a later point, he alludes to Dinobots of a different kind, to which Boulder then compares the Rescue Bots as Dinobots, muddying the waters a bit as to which of these two kinds of Dinobots the Rescue Bot Dinobots are more akin to.

References