They changed bodies...again?

Although many view the Transformers as a purely-mechanical race, this is not always the case. Technorganic (also techno-organic, technoorganic, and bio-mechanical) Cybertronians incorporate both organic and technological components into their construction; depending on the universe, these unique upgrades run the gamut of technological sophistication, from basic cybernetic implants all the way up to a true cellular symbiosis that can be classified as an entirely new kind of life-form. Already intrinsically linked to the natural world, it should come as no surprise that almost all Cybertronians who adopt a technorganic form possess some kind of beast mode.

While traditionalists view these upgrades with distrust or even outright disgust, many of the most ambitious intelligences across the Transformers multiverse have artificially accelerated the development of the Cybertronian species—and sometimes the entire galaxy—by spearheading a technorganic revolution in an attempt to bring together the best of both worlds.

Etymology

In his original beast configuration, organic tissue conceals Optimus Primal's robot mode circuitry.

The concept of hybridizing the purely-mechanical Transformers with organic components dates all the way back to the Pretenders, and, more debatably, the Headmaster, Targetmaster, and Powermaster characters from the original The Transformers franchise, but it would be the Beast Wars cartoon, and its cast of characters that transformed from mechanical robots into wholly organic creatures, that really brought the concept to the forefront. The specific term "technorganic" debuted in the first episode of the Beast Machines cartoon and, initially, described a very specific kind of symbiosis that blended Cybertronian technology with organic matter at the cellular level. However, subsequent media produced under the Beast Wars banner, most prominently the Beast Wars Sourcebook and Transformers: The Ultimate Guide, co-opted the term to describe Beast Wars-era Maximals and Predacon physiology, alongside the lesser-used term "'bio-mechanical".

The original Beast Wars cartoon never provided an in-fiction explanation behind the Transformers' ability to convincingly mimic real, flesh-and-blood creatures, but comments by story editor Larry DiTillio suggest that the original Maximals and Predacons were Terminator-style cyborgs with robotic bodyframes surrounded by a layer of organic tissue that allowed them to eat and breathe while in alternate mode. ^[1] Subsequent seasons of the show would introduce Transmetal characters, which transformed from strange, quasi-organic robots into entirely-mechanical creatures, while Cybertronians exposed to the Transmetal driver became monstrous "Transmetal 2"s that haphazardly blended flesh and metal together. Different sources, most notably the Ultimate Guide, have retroactively described all of these states of being as "technorganic".

The Beast Machines episode "Apocalypse" would seemingly confirm DiTillio's interpretation, as Optimus explained that the Oracle had used the organic material already present within their beast modes to reformat them into technorganic beings. Thus, while subsequent works of fiction have muddied the term, it can be inferred that a clear divide exists between these two kinds of Transformers. In the years since, the terms "technorganic" and "biomechanical" have been used interchangeably to describe characters from other, non-Beast Era Transformers franchises—often characters based on redecoed Beast Wars toys. Different works of Transformers media have depicted this kind of intimate, organic-machine interface in a variety of ways: some have depicted these kinds of Transformers as something repulsive, while other works of fiction have hewed closer to Beast Machines and how it depicted the technology in a more positive light.

Fiction

Generation 1 continuity family

Beast Wars cartoon continuity

Beast Machines cartoon

Shortly after Optimus Primal and his Maximals arrived on Cybertron, Megatron's Vehicon drones attacked the Maximals and infected them with a transformation virus that would've proven fatal if not for the intervention of the Oracle supercomputer. The Reformatting By drawing upon the pre-existing organic matter already integrated into their beast modes, Apocalypse the Oracle successfully reformatted Optimus, Cheetor, Rattrap, and Blackarachnia into technorganic forms that melded organic tissue with advanced nanotechnology at the cellular level. Master of the House

Maximals who underwent this transformation possessed a suite of extremely advanced abilities that bordered on the supernatural. Conventional CR chambers had no effect on them; while in robot mode, they could utilize biologically-enhanced nanosurgical capabilities, allowing them to heal faster, Survivor and their quasi-organic nature rendered them impervious to anti-Transformer weapons like plasma energy. End of the Line On different occasions, both Optimus Primal Mercenary Pursuits and Blackarachnia manifested telepathic abilities. Descent Transforming to beast mode masked their energy signatures, which allowed them to avoid detection by conventional scanners. Fires of the Past

While in combat, most technorganic Maximals utilized powerful built-in weapons that included energy-based deflector shields, sonic attacks, and electrical blasters. Master of the House The technorganic Maximal Botanica possessed other unusual abilities—in addition to the ability to create technorganic plants at will, she developed a connection to Cybertron's organic core; when cut off from its energy, she grew sick and eventually fell unconscious. The Downward Spiral

Technorganic Transformers possessed unique, differently-coloured sparks with a strong connection to the Allspark. While they still possessed the ability to shift between robot and beast modes, this new form of transformation involved a burst of spark energy and fluid shapeshifting. Transformation now involved conscious thought and effort, an ancient practice which had originally fallen out of favor after the introduction of onboard computers. Initially, Optimus and his team had to find a mental "still point" that would allow them to transform, and used the mantra "I am transformed" until they'd mastered their new forms. If this balance was lost, a technorganic Transformer would simply revert back to their alternate form. Master of the House Conversely, other technorganics—Nightscream, Forbidden Fruit Silverbolt, In Darkest Knight and Botanica—appeared to instinctually master the process moments after evolving into a technorganic state. Home Soil

Despite these many advantages, technorganic Transformers were still vulnerable to conventional firepower Mercenary Pursuits and the same sort of Spark extractors which Megatron used on conventional Transformers. On one occasion, ingesting wholly organic fruit caused Primal and his team to lose their higher functions and revert to a primitive, bestial sate. Upon returning to normal, Primal concluded that the fruit's purely-organic nature was devolving their bodies. Forbidden Fruit Exposure to the Key to Vector Sigma's ability to convert organic material into technomatter metallized their bodies and caused pain and hysteria, eventually resulting in deactivation if its effects were not reversed. The Key

As they battled Megatron and his Vehicon armies, Optimus and the Maximals slowly realized that Cybertron had once been an organic world until the arrival of the Cybertronian race. Survivor Primal initially believed that the Oracle had chosen him to eliminate all technology from Cybertron and return the planet to its primordial state; End of the Line in time, however, the Maximals realized that the Oracle's mission was one of balance, bringing Cybertron's two states of being together into a harmonious technorganic whole. Fallout. At the end of the conflict, Optimus Primal plunged himself and Megatron into the planet's organic core and triggered a planet-wide reformatting that transformed Cybertron into a verdant technorganic world filled with plants, animals, and green cities. Seeds of the Future

3H comics

The newly-technorganic Cybertron possessed cities of varying construction; some were largely technorganic in nature, while others retained inorganic metal and stonework construction. Not all Cybertronians chose to undergo the technorganic transformation; many Maximals, Predacons, Autobots and Decepticons retained their purely-mechanical frames. Abduction The reformatting created new lifeforms, such as trees that bore Energon fruits, and highly polluted cities like Ankmor became green spaces full of technorganic plants and animals. Wreckers: Finale Part II

Evidence arose that the Quintessons had seemingly orchestrated the entire Great Transformation in the belief that they could invade the planet and gain the upper hand against its weakened, disoriented inhabitants.Disclosure When they followed through on their plan, however, they quickly discovered that the technorganic Maximals had developed beyond their specifications—not only could their beast mode bodies, invisible to Quintesson sensors, outmanoeuvre Sharkticon invaders, but their rapid nanotechnological healing abilities allowed them to quickly recover from otherwise-fatal injuries, and these traits allowed the Cybertronians to blunt the Quintesson advance.

Soon afterwards, the Quintessons learned that Primus had indeed masterminded the entire plan by fooling the duplicitious aliens into guiding his children through their evolutionary crisis, and the Light God thanked the aliens for playing a part in his grand plan. Wreckers: Finale Part II

2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity

Cybertronians who adopted conventional beast modes during the Beast Wars were described as "techno-organic" in nature. Beast Wars Sourcebook

Wings Universe

Cybertron's transition to a technorganic state meant that it no longer operated on pure energon. As a result, the Star Seekers couldn't use Unicron's head to drain all of Cybertron's energon in 2984. Hoist the Flag

Waspscream continuity

In Primax 208.06 Zeta, the Oracle reformatted Waspscream, Terrorsaur, Tarantulas, and Protoform X into technorganic forms to fight Megatron’s Vehicon armies. Ask Vector Prime, 16/8/2015

2005 IDW continuity

Over a period of generations, Jhiaxus slowly modified the Gorlamites of Gorlam Prime into mechanical beings. As part of this artificially-induced evolution, they first passed through through a transitional techno-organic state until wholly robotic bodyframes permanently supplanted their cybernetic implants. Spotlight: Hardhead Spotlight: Sideswipe

The mad scientist Mesothulas invented mass-shifting "bio-disguises" that integrated organic material atop mechanical frames. While in their beast modes, Cybertronians like Mayhem, who adopted this "Chimeracon" refit, were invisible to conventional Cybertronian technology. Sins of the Wreckers #3 The upgrade was not permanent, however; after Impactor took command of the team, they shifted back to conventional vehicle modes to better operate in urban terrain. Requiem of the Wreckers

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

Taking root on Cybertronian soil, the leaves sprouted from the green bombs were technorganic in nature. Form Follows Function Eventually, after the end of the conflict, the Autobot Brawn and the G.I. Joe operative Cover Girl used binary-bonding and technoactive core technology to conceive a “cyber-human” child. The War Never Ends

Beast Wars: Uprising

In the 24th century CE, Overshoot, while interfacing with the Oracle, experienced a vision of Earth and Cybertron orbiting the same star. The Oracle prophesied a time when Earth and Cybertron would stand together against a common threat, and, later, a time when the two diametrically opposed planets would merge into a single technorganic world. Cultural Appropriation

In the 34th century CE, at least some Commandrons and Maladroids were technoorganic, such as those who crewed the stolen Terrastar and the pursuing Hyperborea. Upon arriving over Energoa, the local Skriix took offense to the Cybertronians "contaminating" the planet with their hybrid forms and tried to kill them. The Inexorable March

Legends comic

After Cybertron had existed as a technorganic world for millennia, Vector Sigma foresaw a renewal of the Great War and removed the organic, turning Cybertron back into a wholly mechanical planet so it would be strong enough to endure the coming conflict. Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Blue Big Convoy)

2021 Beast Wars comic

While stranded on a remote planet, the Maximals and Predacons were rebuilt with beast modes, whose techno-organic casing would nullify the effects of ambient energon radiation. Savage Landing Part 1

Dreamwave Armada comic

The Decepticon Predacon developed an "organic grafting process" that allowed him to directly integrate biological tissue into his Cybertronian body. Although most other Transformers found the concept of fusing flesh with metal repulsive, the charismatic Predacon amassed a cult of like-minded followers to advance his own enigmatic agenda. However, despite their zealotry, not all the Cybertronians who followed, including the Mini-Con Skid-Z, were eligible for this biomechanical upgrade. More Than Meets The Eye bio\

Animated continuity family

Animated cartoon

Not a being currently found at your local rave club.

When Elita-1 was attacked by alien spiders on the planet Archa Seven, she attempted to use her ability to download and replicate the abilities of other mechanoids on the creatures, which wound up mutating her into a technorganic form. Along Came a Spider Taking the name "Blackarachnia", she was initially revulsed by her unnatural new form—as were many around her—but she eventually embraced her transformation and sought to replicate it on other Transformers, successfully cross-mutating the fugitive Autobot Wasp with an actual wasp and creating "Waspinator". Predacons Rising

Technology and organics were also blended in a different manner when a Cybertronian protoform materialized in Isaac Sumdac's lab and scanned the scientist's DNA, rather than a customary mechanical alternate mode. The result was Sari Sumdac, outwardly an ordinary organic human by all appearances whose true nature was unknown even to her, but whose Cybertronian abilities were unlocked when she was upgraded by the AllSpark Key. TransWarped The AllSpark Almanac II

Shattered Glass Animated

In another universe, another Isaac Sumdac encountered a protoform that attacked him and assimilated his DNA, becoming Sari Sumdac. He adopted her as his daughter, but raised her as a captive and a test subject for scientific experiments. Her true powers were unlocked by forcible implantation of AllSpark fragments, which remained visibly protruding from her body. The 'Cons

Notes

• Although later Beast Machines-adjacent fiction would tie the concept of Cybertron's technorganic evolution back to Primus, whose body is usually depicted as Cybertron itself, Marv Wolfman, who did the series outline for Beast Machines, did not have this origin in mind when developing the series: "No thoughts were ever made re: the Marvel version while I worked on the concept. Fact is, I never even read that. I did what I thought would make a good series concept."^[2]

Foreign names

• Japanese: Techno-Organic (テクノ・オーガニック Tekuno Ōganikku)

References

1. ↑ "When BW's transform into beast mode, they become FULLY organic. This means they are vulnerable to anything the animal they become is. They get hurt worse when hit in beast mode, they have to breathe and eat, they are for all and intents and purposes animals." [...] "Take any G1 who was a car or truck. They had glove compartments, they had mirrors, they had tires, they had uh, car stuff. BW's have animal stuff... It's their "outer shell" you might say, it is what makes them "robots in disguise". When the shell is pierced (such as when Megatron bites into it), you get to circuitry underneath (yes there is metal beneath the fur and skin and the bones are metallic superstructure)... And no Cheetor doesn't have real blood, just mech fluid."
2. ↑ Interview with Marv Wolfman at TFarchive.com