A timeline for the events of IDW Publishing's mainline Generation One Transformers series.

See also: IDW continuity.

Timeline

1,000,000+ years ago

~ 6.7 million B.C. — The first Ark is launched and subsequently lost in the Benzuli Expanse, ending up in the Dead Universe.^[1] Notable crew include Galvatron, Spotlight: Galvatron Nova Prime, his strategist Jhiaxus, Spotlight: Optimus Prime, Cyclonus, Straxus and Grindcore. Spotlight: Cyclonus

? B.C. — After Nova Prime and Jhiaxus disappear, Omega Supreme locks away Jhiaxus' experiment, Monstructor, in an inter-dimensional prison. Spotlight: Optimus Prime

? B.C. — The Autobots evolve into a corrupt galactic police force and spark a riot when shutting down an energon-mining operation. One of the miners, Megatron, escapes in a shuttle and joins the illegal gladiatorial games in the city of Kaon. Megatron takes over the games and is approached by Soundwave, an emissary of Senator Ratbat to cause terror throughout Cybertron. Megatron unites his gladiators under a common banner — the Decepticons, but they are captured by Sentinel Prime's forces. Starscream and Soundwave's forces massacre the Senate, and release the Decepticons from prison. Megatron badly beats/kills Sentinel Prime, and the Decepticons occupy Kaon. The Autobots withdraw to Iacon. Megatron Origin

100,000+ years ago

~650,000 B.C. — Shockwave begins planning Regenesis, and begins distilling energon into a catalyst which he then launches at various planets, including prehistoric Earth.^[2] Spotlight: Shockwave

10,000 years ago

~8000 B.C. — Shockwave openly leaves the Decepticons to begin stabilizing his Regenesis planets. However, he is followed by the Dynobots, out for revenge; and on Earth — the first of the planets — they engage him in combat. While he defeats them, he is deactivated by a failsafe set by Grimlock, as the Dynobots' ship triggers a volcanic eruption which buries all six in what would later become Eureka, Nevada.^[3] Spotlight: Shockwave

? (subsequent) — Megatron, on discovering Shockwave's absence, assigns Bludgeon to investigate his projects Spotlight: Shockwave — and Soundwave to watch over Bludgeon. Spotlight: Soundwave

100+ years ago

~1550 A.D. — Thunderwing renders Cybertron largely uninhabitable.^[4] Stormbringer

• In the final years of Cybertron's inhabitation, Soundwave uses Bombshell to take control of Beachcomber. Beachcomber attempts to assassinate Blaster, leaving him adrift in space. The Decepticons began a massive offensive against the demoralised Autobots. Spotlight: Blaster

1900–2000

Unknown

• Sixshot is challenged by the Reapers, but refuses to join them. Spotlight: Sixshot
• Hot Rod leads a team to secure the Magnificence. Doubledealer, posing as an Autobot, sabotages the raid. Hot Rod hides the Magnificence.
• Hot Rod infiltrates the Decepticon penal colony Styx to rescue "Dealer", who befriends him. Spotlight: Hot Rod

1984 — Soundwave investigates Bludgeon's activities on Earth and is deactivated when Bludgeon, after some of Shockwave's Regenesis ore — called "Ultra-Energon" by him — triggers the eruption of Mount St. Helens (4 years later than in the real world.) Spotlight: Soundwave

1985 — Soundwave, Ravage and Laserbeak are excavated by Skywatch. Interest is taken in the cassettes, found in "robot mode", but Soundwave, in cassette player mode, is apparently discarded. Spotlight: Soundwave

~1988 — Ultra Magnus tracks the Decepticon criminal Scorponok to Nebulos, but despite damages, he escapes.^[5] Spotlight: Ultra Magnus

Current era

2002

• Current era of Transformer activity on Earth begins.

2006 onward

• Shockwave's hand is discovered in an excavation in Nevada. Spotlight: Shockwave
• Galvatron lures Nightbeat to the planet Gorlam Prime and implants a device in his brain. Spotlight: Nightbeat

Infiltration

• Starscream's Infiltration unit on Earth discovers Shockwave's Regenesis ore, dubbing it "Ore-13". Infiltration
• Thunderwing is reactivated on Cybertron by Bludgeon using the "Ultra-Energon", and decimates Nebulos before returning to Cybertron and running out of fuel in front of Optimus Prime. Stormbringer
• Megatron arrives on Earth and blows a hole through Starscream for disloyalty. Infiltration issue 6
• After the Thunderwing crisis, Optimus Prime travels to Earth, following Shockwave's and Bludgeon's records. Stormbringer issue 4
• Soundwave, trapped in alternate mode since 1984, is purchased from a pawn shop. Spotlight: Soundwave
• Springer orders a costly mission to rescue the stranded and demented Kup. Spotlight: Kup

Escalation

• The Machination captures Sunstreaker, along with Hunter O'Nion. Hunter undergoes strange experimental surgery. Scorponok anticipates getting a new body.
• The Decepticons escalate tension between Brasnya and Russia. The Autobots intervene. The Ark-32 arrives with reinforcements. During the battle, Prime is nearly killed, and encounters the form of Nova Prime within infraspace.
• Ramjet initiates an ambitious plan to take control of the Decepticons. Spotlight: Ramjet
• Ironhide, Ratchet, Jimmy and Verity investigate Sunstreaker's disappearance. Ironhide is severely damaged in the process and left behind.
• Excavation of Shockwave and the Dinobots continues, now under Skywatch supervision. Skywatch activates Ravage and Laserbeak.
• Megatron summons Sixshot to Earth. The Reapers follow.
• Megatron kills Ramjet before his plan can be carried out. Spotlight: Ramjet
• Galvatron travels to Cybertron and defeats Hound's unit to retrieve Thunderwing's body, which he takes to Gorlam Prime. Spotlight: Galvatron
• Optimus Prime meets with Omega Supreme to learn about Nova Prime. Monstructor attacks but is defeated and taken into Autobot custody. Prime returns to Earth. Spotlight: Optimus Prime

Devastation

Three weeks later:

• Blaster is found drifting in space and returned to the Autobot fold. Beachcomber is freed from Decepticon control. Spotlight: Blaster
• "Dealer" pressures Hot Rod for reassignment to Earth.
• Nightbeat finds the Machination's tracking device. The Autobots prepare to move Ark-19. Bumblebee proposes back-tracking the Machination through their own device.
• Sixshot arrives on Earth. The other Decepticons begin reactivating Starscream.
• Banzaitron initiates an attack on the Autobot prison facility at Garrus-9. The Monstructor team escapes. Arcee is sent after them. Spotlight: Arcee

5:17am:

• Wheeljack and Hot Rod are en route to rescue Ironhide in Warsaw, Indiana. They encounter a group of Sunstreaker Headmasters.
• In Brasnya, Skywatch deploys Ravage and Laserbeak to find other Transformers.
• Prime recalls Hound's unit to Earth.
• The Autobots launch Ark-19. Sixshot shoots down the ship in transit. Ratchet and the humans leave via escape pod. Devastation issue 1
• The US government scrambles fighter jets.
• Starscream comes online.
• Hunter awakens at Machination headquarters. Devastation issue 2

6:15am:

• The U.S. government establishes a no-fly zone around Ark-19's path.

6:45am:

• Ratchet, Jimmy and Verity leave their destroyed escape pod in Wicksburg, Alabama and flee from Sixshot.

6:52am:

• Hot Rod and Wheeljack engage, then escape from, the Headmasters.

7:01am:

• Hunter finds Sunstreaker's head. Devastation issue 3

7:05am:

• Ratchet evades Sixshot with some help from U.S. fighter jets.

7:25am:

• Sixshot locates Ratchet in Pensacola, Florida and pursues him to the Gulf of Mexico. Human television crews capture Sixshot on film. The Ark-19 crew arrives and battles Sixshot.
• The Reapers arrive at Earth.
• In the Dead Universe, Nova Prime orders Galvatron to Earth. Devastation issue 3
• Skywatch recalls Ravage and Laserbeak to deal with the Pensacola battle, but their signal is blocked by Soundwave.

7:53am:

• Hot Rod and Wheeljack arrive at the scrap yard in Warsaw.
• The U.S. government prepares to use "ultimate force" against the Pensacola combatants.
• Hunter undergoes the Headmaster process.

Past 8:00am:

• The Headmasters locate Hot Rod and Wheeljack in the scrap yard.
• The Autobots escape Sixshot via orbital bounce to Ark-32. Jimmy and Verity are nearly killed in the process.

5.62 minutes later:

• Ratchet revives the comatose humans.

• The Reapers attack the Decepticon base in Oregon. Sixshot withdraws; Prime escapes via orbital bounce as the U.S. government bombs the Pensacola combat zone. Devastation issue 4
• Sixshot arrives in Oregon and sides with the Reapers before being shut down by Starscream. The other Decepticons engage the Reapers and the Battlechargers are destroyed.
• The Autobots learn of the incident at Garrus-9.
• Scorponok combines with Dante and comes online. Hunter combines with Sunstreaker, evades Scorponok, and escapes the Machination base.
• Skywatch is notified of the battle in Oregon, and prepares to deploy Grimlock. Devastation issue 5
• Hardhead takes Ironhide and Wheeljack back to Ark-32. Hot Rod remains on Earth to track down Sunstreaker.
• Galvatron covertly assists the Decepticons, who defeat the Reapers. Air Force jets arrive over the battle.
• Ark-32 leaves Earth orbit. Hot Rod and Sunstreaker remain on Earth.
• Galvatron returns to the Dead Universe. Devastation issue 6

Revelation

• Skywatch activates Grimlock, but due to a virus implanted by a Machination spy, Grimlock is not under their control and escapes the facility. Scorponok tries to recruit him, but Grimlock refuses and they battle. Grimlock escapes to his ship. Spotlight: Grimlock
• To protect themselves against the escaped Grimlock, Skywatch plans to reactivate the other Dinobots, but Scorponok plans to control them as well. Spotlight: Grimlock
• Cyclonus arrives on Cybertron and attacks Hound's crew as revenge for the devastation wrought by the war. His attack is interrupted by Ultra Magnus, and he is forced to retreat to Corata-Vaz. After activating the Nega-Core, Cyclonus is again set upon, and activates the Nega-core's guardian, Thunderwing. He is forced to return to the Dead Universe as his body has been in the "living" world too long. Spotlight: Cyclonus
• Optimus and his crew arrive at Garrus-9. They meet with Jetfire and Fortress Maximus and head back to the Ark-32. Spotlight: Cyclonus
• Arcee tracks the Gestalt team while torturing, and beheading Decepticons in order to gain information about Banzaitron's whereabouts. Spotlight: Cyclonus In the Orcibe Cluster, she finds Banzaitron as the lone survivor from a battle with the Dead Universe crew, who stole Monstructor. She agrees to join forces with him in order to find Jhiaxus. Spotlight: Hardhead
• Nemesis Prime, Jhiaxus, Galvatron, Straxus and Grindcore crossover to begin their transition. Spotlight: Cyclonus
• Nightbeat and Hardhead travel to Gorlam Prime to investigate Nightbeat's missing memories, and they encounter a large group of Micromasters trying to impede their progress. The pair makes it to the Dead Universe portal and Jhiaxus takes control of Nightbeat, forcing Hardhead to kill him, and dive into the portal himself. Spotlight: Hardhead
• With Nightbeat dead, Nemesis Prime must complete his task: to eliminate Optimus Prime. Spotlight: Hardhead
• Jetfire decides to use Pretender technology to enable Cloudburst, Landmine, Groundbreaker, and Waverider to survive the Benzuli Expanse. Spotlight: Hardhead
• Optimus receives a transmission from Dealer, who says that he's been monitoring the current situation, and he thinks that all of the answers they seek lie in the Magnificence. Spotlight: Hardhead

All Hail Megatron

One year later:

• The Earth-based Decepticons, who have now bolstered their ranks with the Constructicons, Insecticons, Soundwave, Ravage, Rumble and Laserbeak cause rampant destruction in New York City and easily defeat a squad of attack aircraft. The Autobots are on Cybertron, with Optimus Prime in critical condition. All Hail Megatron issue 1

Footnotes