Energon (power source)

In the fictional universe of the Transformers, Energon (pronounced EN-ur-jon, like "energy") is the primary source of power for Transformers. Using Energon, Transformers live, power their machinery, and even craft weapons.

Generation 1
Energon is the foodstuff for Tranformers, the robotic life from the planet Cybertron. It is often the key plot point of many episodes of the cartoon series. On Cybertron itself energy is scarce due to the effects of prolonged war. The Autobots leave their planet looking for a new source of energy to create energon from, leading them to Earth. The villains known as Decepticons follow them, and their plan is to take all of Earth's energy for themselves, stockpiling energon, and use this to restart Cybertron under their rule.

Energon is created by concentrating empty cubes filled with high potential energy materials such as oil, or electricity itself. After several cubes are compressed together, it forms a glowing white liquid that can be drunk by Transformers. Energon cubes are also highly explosive and must be handled with care. They are approximately 3x3x4 feet in size. The Decepticon known as Soundwave is often shown being able to generate empty cubes from a rectangular portion of his chest, although it is highly unlikely that Soundwave is the sole source of the empty cubes.

Beast Wars
In its raw form, Energon is unstable and extremely harmful to most Transformers. Existing in a crystalline state, it constantly emits radiation, which can overload Transformer systems, as was discovered by Optimus Primal and his crew during the Beast Wars, when they were forced to adopt animal forms that shielded them from the radiation. Energon is also highly explosive. Raw Energon can also exist in the stable state of Energon Cubes, which are not to be confused with the more common use of the name, the containers for liquid Energon (below). It is unclear, however, if raw Energon Cubes can be naturally occurring - in the only documented case involving them, they came about as the result of Energon crystals' exposure to an energy beam of alien origin.

For Energon to be useful for Transformers and safe to use, it must be processed from its crystal state into a liquid form, which is then imbibed by Transformers, often for pleasure as well as for maintaining their energy levels, with an overconsumption of stable Energon causing a state similar to drunkenness. It can be stored in a number of containers, the most famous of which is Energon Cubes, but rods, chips, and even something that looked like a stick of gum have also been used. Interestingly, the Predacon Terrorsaur was once able to absorb the energy of raw Energon directly into his body, this drastically increased his firepower and he was even able to defeat Megatron. However his body could not hold the energy for long so he had to revisit the source of the Energon to "recharge".

It is possible to generate liquid Energon through the processing of assorted natural resources, such as oil, natural gas, and electricity, though it is not exactly clear how - the empty Energon Cubes are simply placed in the vicinity of the energy source, and they will convert it into liquid Energon, which fills the cube. Liquid Energon is, of course, stable and safe to handle, though its explosive properties remain. In some cases, resources converted to liquid Energon carry "impurities", or byproducts of whatever source they were converted from. Cubes created from crude oil and coal tend to have a darker shimmer compared to cubes made from electricity or naturally occurring Energon. Those made from rubies have been seen to have a reddish sheen to them. Once processed, Energon Cubes can be compressed, much like ground beef for hamburger patties, for ease of transport. Compressed cubes suffer no loss of energy, though. Somewhat oddly, Energon is also an accepted form of currency in many areas of the galaxy.

Energon crystals are also usable if processed correctly. Weapons and tools made from refined Energon crystals and charged are more powerful and sharp than any metal known to the Transformers. A few Transformers, such as Grimlock, wield Energon weapons almost exclusively. An Energon blade is also known to be able to affect the nearly indestructible spark of Protoform X; raw Energon was used by Depth Charge to kill Protoform X (also known as Rampage) in the two-part series finale of Beast Wars. A similar refined Energon blade was used to split Protoform X's spark into its two halves, and a subsequent Energon-laced case was used to contain it and to torture Protoform X. It is unknown what result it would have if taken to Starscream's immortal spark.

Transformers later found other sources of power, including Zone Energy and Angolmois Energy, however neither completely supplanted the need for Energon.

Transformers Energon
"Energon" was made the primary focus of, and hence title of, the 2004-2005 Transformers toyline and cartoon. Set ten years after the previous series, Transformers Armada, the series begins with Autobots, Decepticons, and humans in an alliance, having set up various "Cybertron Cities" on Earth and in various locations through the Sol System in order to mine for Energon, which in this universe is a naturally occurring mineral. In Transformers Cybertron the Energon is a food source to Transformers in the series.

Energon ore is a glowing, golden yellow in color, and poses a threat to regular Transformers if they touch it. It can safely be handled by Omnicons, who can refine it for various uses. In liquid form, refined Energon can be used for medicinal purposes on injured Transformers, allowing them to regenerate damaged body parts when immersed in it. The Omnicons can also produce solid-state refined Energon, in the form of either weapons like axes and spears, or as "Energon Stars", condensed, star-shaped portions of Energon which can connect to larger Transformers to give them a power boost. Energon Stars can be converted into pure energy for transmission from Omnicon to Autobot, and can generate the aforementioned weapons. When the energy of the weapons and/or stars depletes, the star dissolves. Energon can also be heated into a gaseous form, which is relayed through a system of pipes to power Energon Towers, which generate a protective grid of pure energy-state Energon around the planet in question.

The only other Transformers capable of handling raw Energon are the Terrorcons, minions of Alpha Q created to retrieve Energon so that he could use it to regenerate the planets consumed by Unicron. However, Terrorcons apparently lack the ability to fully refine Energon - rather than molding and shaping it, they directly consume it through their mouths, and internally convert it into their own brand of negatively-charged Energon Stars, which are greenish in color. These Energon Stars proved able to give Unicron sustenance, and could connect to larger Transformers for power boosts, but if larger Transformers attempted to directly handle them, the effects proved debilitating - when Tidal Wave attempted to unwittingly pick one up, the energy tore through his body and permanently scarred him.

Alpha Q's intentions were originally unknown to the Autobots, which, coupled with his offensive methods of obtaining his desires, lead to conflict. The rebirth of Megatron forced Alpha Q to flee Unicron's body, taking its head with him, from which he proceeded to operate, forming an alliance with the Autobots and humans. When Megatron successfully reactivated Unicron's body, Alpha Q set the head on collision course with it, which had been charged with the entire Energon reserves of planet Earth. When the head impacted with the body, Earth's positively-charged Energon reacted with the negatively-charged Energon inside Unicron, resulting in a fissure in reality that led to an area of space where Alpha Q's planets were successfully reborn, sustained by Unicron's head, which had now become an Energon sun. The Decepticons, however, ransacked these new planets, stealing their Energon and once again mobilizing Unicron's body. The body reclaimed its head, extinguishing the Energon sun, but was subsequently defeated by Omega Supreme.

A short time later, Megatron, guided by the essence of Unicron, located a reservoir of Super Energon beneath Cybertron's surface. The power of this Energon was so great that Megatron and Starscream had their bodies recolored and powers enhanced through immersion in it. A second immersion allowed Galvatron to grow to colossal height, at which point Unicron seized control of his body. Primus then merged with the Super Energon, creating a foundling sun, into which Galvatron hurled himself, preferring to die than to be manipulated by Unicron again. With this act, the sun ignited, as Primus and Unicron together bathed Alpha Q's worlds in new light.

Energon stars
Used to temporarily enhance Transformers. Energon weapons can be formed using these stars. With the Energon stars Transformers are capable of defying gravity for as long as the Energon stars can sustain it as well as creating a semi shield as added protection. When a Transformer of an evil faction carries a positive Energon star they experience immense pain and vice versa. In fact when positive and negative Energon interact it causes a rip in the fabric of space which can be used to open a warp gate as seen in Megatron's raid. Energon of the same charge will repel.

IDW Publishing
Energon, according to The Transformers: Escalation, is assumed to be unique to Cybertron; as a result of the planet's destruction, Transformers are now living off artificial substitutes. However, The Transformers: Spotlight has shown that, back in prehistory, Shockwave seeded alien planets, like Earth, with Energon - a plan called Regenesis - to ensure that there would be other sources of Energon once Cybertron ran out and that Shockwave would have control over it. Much later, a Decepticon cell under Starscream infiltrated Earth and discovered "Ore 13", a variant of Energon that was much more potent. Bludgeon's group of Decepticon cultists also used a type of Energon like this (dubbed "Ultra Energon") to reanimate Thunderwing. The recent Spotlight issue on Soundwave seemingly confirms that Ultra Energon and Ore 13 are the same substance.

Ultra Energon/Ore 13 can greatly increase a Transformer's power, but at a cost. It seems to be used much more quickly than normal Energon, and prolonged combat will cause the Transformer using it to burn out, leaving them potentially helpless. There may also be psychological effects on the user as well.

Revenge of the Fallen
In the sequel to the 2007 Transformers movie, Energon can be produced through a machine that harvests the sun itself, while destroying it in the process. The machine was hidden in Egypt. Jetfire refers to it as a Transformer's lifeblood and without it, they simply rust and fall apart. Interestingly, some robots are seen "bleeding" energon in the movie(for example, Optimus sheds energon when Megatron kicked him in the face, destroying his face-mask in the process), and as a result, the energon was colored crimson red to resemble blood, possibly to increase the movie's sense of realism. After Jetfire is wounded by Scorponok the Energon is shown to be blue. During the same battle, Bumblebee kills Ravage by "despining" him, literally stripping his spine from his body. The spine is shown coated in dull green energon.

In the first movie, Blackout can be seen bleeding energon after Captain William Lennox shoots him with a grenade launcher. Megatron is also seen bleeding energon out of his chest when the air strike hits him.

Transformers:War for Cyberton
The video game Transformers: War for Cybertron shows energon as both naturally occurring rivers and waterfalls of raw, glowing liquid, and also as shards of solid energon crystals that can be collected from dead transformers and destroyable pipes and crates.

Energon cubes are used to repair combat damage. Energon crystals are used to power special attack powers.

In the game's plot, the Decepticons also make use of Dark Energon, manufactured by Starscream on an orbital space station, and safely used by Megatron. Dark Energon is destructive and unstable, and takes the form of dark purple crystals that can visibly grow several feet in a few seconds, and can be use corrupt Cybertron machines. Megatron uses Dark Energon to corrupt the core of Cybertron itself, which is an intelligent, spherical computer at the center of the planet. The Autobots successfully stop this event before it can be completed, but the heavily corrupted core of Cybertron must shut itself down for millions of years to repair itself. To restart the core, the core gives the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime, the Matrix of Leadership containing a small portion of the core's original energy. The majority of the Transformers leave the planet on space ships to look for alternate sources of energy to sustain themselves as Cybertron itself no longer produces energon.