Transformers: EarthSpark

Premise

Fifteen years after the space bridge to Cybertron is destroyed, ending the civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons, the Malto family relocates from Philadelphia to the small town of Witwicky, Pennsylvania. There, siblings Robby and Mo Malto witness the birth of a new breed of Earth-born Transformers called Terrans, who become emotionally bonded to the two via special cyber-sleeves on their arms. Now adopted into the family and being mentored by Bumblebee, the Terrans work with the Autobots, the former Decepticon leader Megatron, the organization G.H.O.S.T., and the children to protect their new life from the remaining rogue Decepticons and other villains while finding their place in the world.

Season 2 starts one year later following the defeat of Mandroid. A group of Decepticons led by Starscream goes rogue sometime after the shattering of the Emberstone. It is now up to the Terrans, the Autobots, and the humans to collect the shards before the Decepticons do. This leads to the creation of the Chaos Terrans and the discovery of secrets about Witwicky itself.

Season 3 starts right where Season 2 left off. The stakes get higher when the Quintessons get involved and threaten both the Maltos and Earth.

Season 4 starts right where Season 3 left off. A terrible threat affects the entire universe, with the appearance of a powerful enemy from Cybertron, leading the Terrans, the Autobots and Maltos to their final battle.

Characters

Humans

Robby Malto (voiced by Sydney Mikayla in the TV series, Joshua Evans in Expedition) is a 13-year-old boy (14 in Season 2) who gladly adjusted to his new life after being forced to move to a small town.

Morgan Violet "Mo" Malto (voiced by Zion Broadnax in the TV series, Tunisia Hardison in Expedition) is Robby's optimistic 9-year-old sister (10 in Season 2).

Dorothy "Dot" Malto (voiced by Benni Latham) is Robby and Mo's mother and Alex's wife, who is a park ranger, ex-soldier and former member of G.H.O.S.T. who lost her lower right leg in the Great Cybertronian War and wears a prosthestic leg.

Dr. Alex Malto (portrayed by Jon Jon Briones in the TV series, Alex Christian in Expedition) is Robby and Mo's father and Dot's husband who is a college professor with a Ph.D. in Cybertronian History.

Dr. Meridian / Mandroid (voiced by Diedrich Bader in the TV series, Bill Rogers in Expedition) is a mad scientist and roboticist who seeks to destroy all Cybertronians. His real name is Dr. Meridian and was given the nickname "Mandroid" against his wishes by Thrash. Mandroid had lost his original right arm in the Cybertronian war back when he used to work for G.H.O.S.T. and begins replacing his body parts with those of the Transformers he captures like Hardtop's right arm and Brawl's left arm. Mandroid was later approached by Croft where she allowed him to use one of the G.H.O.S.T. facilities. In "The Last Hope" Pt. 1, Mandroid recruits two Sharkticons to his side and later kills Croft. In "The Last Hope" Pt. 2, Mandroid activated a super-weapon to shut down all Cybertronian lifeforms and died due to the side effect of energon infusion making him vulnerable to the weapon while falsely believing that he won (he readily accepted his timely death and glady moved on afterwards). His victory was short-lived as Robby and Mo Malto used their cyber-sleeves to revive all the Autobots, Decepticons, and Terrans. Mandroid managed to survive as a head where he lies to Olive that the Decepticons have banished Croft to Cybertron. His head gets free and takes control of Starscream up to the pont where his head is removed from Starscream by Megatron. Both Mandroid's head and Starscream are returned to their cells.

The Arachnamechs are the spider-like creations of Mandroid.

Terrans

Twitch Malto (voiced by Kathreen Khavari in the TV series, Farah Rishi in Expedition) is an inquisitive and competitive Terran Transformer and Robby's partner, as well as the leader of the Terrans. She transforms into a flying Cybertronian drone and her weapons are a pair of laser blades.

Thrash Malto (voiced by Zeno Robinson in the TV series, Chris Long in Expedition) is a fun-loving and impulsive Terran Transformer and Mo's partner. Hs transforms into a motorcycle with a sidecar and his weapons are a shield and a throwing disk.

Hashtag Malto (voiced by Stephanie Lemelin in the TV series, Lauren Weisman in Expedition) is an excitable media-savvy second-generation Terran Transformer. In the show's first season, she transforms into a G.H.O.S.T. surveillance van. While she does not have a weapon, she makes up for it with the ability to hack into electronic systems via wireless networks. In the show's second season, she upgrades her alt mode to a pickup truck due to her viewing her previous vehicle mode obsolete.

Jawbreaker Malto (voiced by Cyrus Arnold in the TV series, Bill Rogers in Expedition) is a sensitive second-generation Terran Transformer. He transforms into a Stygimoloch (now referred to as a younger Pachycephalosaurus), which makes him the Dinobot of the group. Though he does not have a weapon, he makes up for it with brute strength and durability.

Nightshade Malto (voiced by Z Infante in the TV series, Aaron Landon in Expedition) is a creative and scientifically minded second-generation Terran Transformer. Nightshade is the first character in the Transformers franchise to be identified as non-binary, using singular they pronouns. They transform into a Northern hawk-owl and their weapons are a pair of greaves on their forearms that function as blades and dart launchers while also having clawed fingers.

Aftermath (voiced by Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers) is a Chaos Terran who was created by a corrupted shard from the Emberstone and can transform into a tow truck. Despite being deactivated at the end of "Witwicky, Part 2”, Aftermath was later reactivated in "Judgment Day, Part 2” to help fight and defeat the Quintessons.

Autobots

Optimus Prime (voiced by Alan Tudyk in the TV series, Bill Rogers in Expedition) is the leader of the Autobots who transforms into a semi-trailer truck. He is one of the Cybertronians to be brought back to life by Robby and Mo's cyber-sleeves in the episode, "The Last Hope, Part 2". He helps the Autobots, the Maltos, and Terratronus defeat the Quintessons in the season 3 finale "Judgment Day". He also helps his team win the final battle in the series finale.

Bumblebee (voiced by Danny Pudi in the TV series, Joe Zieja in Expedition) is a former Autobot scout and current veteran in hiding who becomes the Terrans' mentor and transforms into a yellow sports car with black racing stripes, though it was shown he originally scanned a similarly colored Compact car. He is among the Cybertronians to be restored to life by Robby and Mo Malto's cyber-sleeves in "The Last Hope" Pt. 2. He also helps his team defeat the Quintessons in the two-part season 3 finale "Judgment Day". He also helps assist his team during the series finale to win the final battle.

Elita-1 (voiced by Cissy Jones) is the Autobots' second-in-command who transforms into an all-terrain SUV. She is one of the Cybertronians to be brought back to life by Robby and Mo Malto's cyber-sleeves in "The Last Hope" Pt. 2. Elita-1 later helps the Autobots, Terratronus, and the Maltos defeat the Quintessons in the two-part season 3 finale, "Judgment Day". She also successfully helps her team win the final battle of the series finale.

Wheeljack (voiced by Michael T. Downey) is an Autobot mechanic engineer inventor and scientist who transforms into a rally car. Wheeljack was responsible for the drones that were scanned by Twitch, who would later nickname him "Dad 2". He is one of the Cybertronians brought back to life by Robby and Mo's cyber-sleeves. Wheeljack also helps his team defeat the Quintessons in the two-part season 3 finale "Judgment Day". He also helps his team win the final battle during the series finale.

Arcee (voiced by Martha Marion) is an Autobot soldier who transforms into a muscle car. She is among the Cybertronians to be restored to life by Robby and Mo Malto's cyber-sleeves. Arcee also helps the Autobots, the Maltos, and Terratronus defeat the Quintessons during the season 3 finale "Judgment Day". She also assists her team to win the final battle during the series finale.

Decepticons

Megatron (voiced by Rory McCann) is the former leader of the Decepticons and new member of the Autobots who has readily renounced his evil ways to ensure the survival of the Cybertronians by sending the Allspark through the Space Bridge to Cybertron and has occasionally collaborated with Dorothy Malto. This move put Megatron at odds with some of the Decepticons. This incarnation of Megatron transforms into an armored tiltrotor which pays homage to Transformers: Animated. He is among the Cybertronians to be brought back to life by Robby and Mo's cyber-sleeves in "The Last Hope" Pt. 2. Megatron also helps the Maltos, Terratronus, and the Autobots defeat the Quintessons in the two-part season 3 finale, "Judgement Day". He also helps his team win the final battle during the series finale and ends up badly shot by Liege Maximo. The Blades of Time revive Megatron with him regressed back to his hostile wartime self as he escapes. The Autobots roll out to find Megatron as Twitch states that they'll find a way to make him good again.

Starscream (voiced by Steve Blum) is a Decepticon who transforms into a jet, formerly serving as the faction's Air Commander in the great war. After the war ended, Starscream was seen in the custody of G.H.O.S.T. by the time Soundwave was incarcerated. In "What Dwells Within", Starscream escapes from G.H.O.S.T. custody alongside Skywarp and Nova Storm. After Starscream and Hashtag were saved from the Dweller, Starscream teleported away after Megatron offered him, Skywarp, and Nova Storm a safe place. In "The Last Hope" Pt. 2, Starscream was among the Decepticons who helped the Autobots and the Terrans fight Mandroid. He does try to get revenge on Megatron before Mandroid's super-weapon briefly deactivates him. Starscream is one of the Cybertronians to be revived by Robby and Mo Malto's cyber-sleeves. He later becomes the new leader of the Decepticons in Season 2, though he is secretly using them for his own personal gain. His treachery is revealed to the Decepticons in "Witwicky" Pt. 2 and would later get trapped behind Terratronus' eye until the Season 3 episode "Judgement Day" Pt. 1 where he was taken back into custody for his crimes. Starscream is later taken over by Mandroid's head. He is defeated again by the Maltos and the Autobots during the series finale specials as both Starscream and Mandroid's head are returned to their cells. Blum reprises his role from Transformers: Prime and Robots in Disguise.

Tarantulas (voiced by Alfie Allen) is a Decepticon scientist who transforms into a tarantula and only appears in the episode "Missed Connection". Residing under a Witwicky cemetery, Tarantulas wants to be left alone and is shown to be caring when it comes to protoforms. He even readily gives Nightshade some advice regarding alt-modes. Tarantulas' appearance in this show is based on his Transmetal form from Beast Wars: Transformers.

Quintessons

The Quintesson Judge (voiced by Betsy Sodaro) is the five-faced leader of the Quintessons who wish to take Quintus Prime's power from Robby and Mo. They are defeated by Terratronus, the Maltos and the Autobots in the two-part episode "Judgement Day".

The Quintesson Executioners (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) are the soldiers of the Quintessons. One Quintesson Executioner has a bad history with Quintus Prime. They are defeated by Terratronus, the Maltos, and the Autobots in the two-part episode "Judgement Day".

"Isabel/Izzy" (voiced by Siena Agudong) is a girl that Robby befriends at a carnival. It turns out they have a lot in common and he has a crush on her which she repricocates. However, Izzy is soon revealed to be a shape-shifting Quintesson spy in season 3 and shows no remorse in hurting Robby's friends and the Autobots. She is eventually defeated by the Maltos and the Autobots.

Sharkticons

The Sharkticons are a race of shark-like Cybertronian beings from another planet that were oppressed by the Quintessons until Mandroid liberated it. Some Sharkticons remain on board the Quintesson ship to eat those who are guilty.

Blitzwave (voiced by Nolan North) is a Sharkticon recruited by Mandroid in the two-part season one finale. Despite the fact that Blitzwave was deactivated by Mandroid's super-weapon, he was among those revived by Robby and Mo's cyber-sleeves.

Razor-Fin (voiced by Steve Blum) is a Sharkticon recruited by Mandroid in the two-part season one finale. Despite the fact that Razor-Fin was deactivated by Mandroid's super-weapon, he was among those revived by Robby and Mo's cyber-sleeves.

Other

Liege Maximo (voiced by Nolan North) is one of the original Thirteen Primes created by Primus. He is defeated by the Maltos and the Autobots in the series finale.

Quintus Prime (voiced by Clancy Brown) is an ancient Cybertronian and one of the original Thirteen Primes created by Primus who served as the scientist of the group. His artifact the Emberstone is responsible for bringing the Terrans (and the Quintessons) into existence as he is shown to speak through it. Following the events of the episodes "Disarmed" and "What Dwells Within", Quintus Prime readily helps the Maltos to restore Robby's health and repair his cyber-sleeve in the episode "Prime Time", and he also gladly helps Robby and Mo use their cyber-sleeves to restore all the Autobots, Decepticons, and Terrans to life following the defeat and death of Mandroid in "The Last Hope, Part 2".

V.A.L. (voiced by Cissy Jones) is an A.I. who is part of Hashtag's new upgrade. Her name is short for Virtual Assistant Liaison.

Episodes

Production

In February 2021, Hasbro announced two animated series based on the Transformers brand. The first was a series based on the BotBots line for Netflix, and the other was a then-untitled series set to air on Nickelodeon in 2022. The animated series' official title, Transformers: EarthSpark, was revealed one year later with a release window set for the fourth quarter of 2022. In March 2022, it was announced that the series would debut on the Paramount+ streaming service in November 2022. The voice cast and a preview for the series was later revealed during the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. Owned and distributed by Hasbro, the series is a co-production between Nickelodeon Animation Studio and Entertainment One (later Hasbro Entertainment). The former's Conrad Montgomery and the latter's Kari Rosenberg and Mikiel Houser, oversaw production on behalf of both companies. It was executive-produced by Ant Ward and Nicole Dubuc, and co-executive-produced by developer Dale Malinowski. Claudia Spinelli of Nickelodeon developed the series for television.

Release

The first season consists of twenty-six episodes, the first ten of which debuted on Paramount+ in the U.S. on November 11, 2022. The second batch of the season one episodes began streaming on March 3, 2023, bringing the total episode count to eighteen. The remaining episodes of season 1 were released on July 28, 2023. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 7, 2024. The series was licensed to Netflix internationally in June 2023. The first ten episodes were released on DVD on May 16, 2023, by Paramount Home Entertainment. The rest of the sixteen episodes was released on DVD on February 13, 2024.

Video game

An action-adventure game developed by Tessera Studios, titled Transformers: EarthSpark – Expedition, was revealed in June 2023 by its publisher Outright Games. The game received a North and South American release on October 13, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows via Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S. A single-player video game, the player controls Bumblebee and can explore three biomes in a three-dimensional environment with the goal of defeating the evil Mandroid. Bumblebee uses physical attacks and attack combos to defeat enemies and enhance his skills.

Reception

Controversy

In May 2023, the character Nightshade and their designation as non-binary received backlash. The controversy arose on X, on which the account Libs of TikTok shared a clip from the episode "Home" which showed Nightshade talking to a human character named Sam (voiced by Alisha Mullally), who uses she/they pronouns. During the conversation, Sam addressed Nightshade as "non-binary", leading to Nightshade's confusion as they didn't know the term. Sam apologized and explained that non-binary people identify as neither male nor female, to which Nightshade expressed gratitude and excitement on learning a word that accurately describes their experience.

Several commentators, such as Megyn Kelly derided the series for the show's LGBT message. Laura Ingraham likewise panned the show on The Ingraham Angle for teaching children about being non-binary and because she thought incredibly ham-fisted and forced. In Japan, there was controversy surrounding Nightshade being referred to as a female in their debut, though later episodes of the dub do refer to Nightshade as nonbinary. The scene with Nightshade explaining their gender was later edited out of the BBC airing of the episode.