Jungle Planet (colony)

"It's a jungle out there. Disorder and confusion everywhere. No one seems to care. Well, I do!"

The Jungle Planet (also known as Beast Planet, Animatron, Animatros, Eukaris, Biosfera, and Biosphera) is a lush and verdant world covered in pristine wilderness. The light of day is harsh and scorching; the rains are torrential downpours. Volcanoes rise above the green canopy, usually slumbering in smoky menace, sometimes bursting forth with firestorms of destruction.

Amidst its verdant jungles and oceans, strange beasts prowl. Not all of them are flesh and blood—for in ancient days the Jungle Planet became home to Transformers from Cybertron. Unlike the many other Cybertronian colonies across the galaxy, these early Cybertronian settlers left their wild world unspoiled by civilization and adapted to their harsh environment by adopting fearsome beast modes. Only the mightiest may rule this planet where strength and teeth are the only laws, and the insular tribes and clans who dwell here are distrustful of ancestral Cybertronians with vehicular alternate modes.

Fiction

Unicron Trilogy continuity family

Beast Wars Reborn

Logos Prime used Animatron as the site of a contest between Optimus Primal and Megatron to see who would inherit his power. The two were tasked with finding the Zeonomicon, and Optimus encountered natives such as Backstop and Scourge on his journey. Planetfall

Cybertron cartoon

Following the first defeat of Unicron, the Ancients planned to turn Cybertron into the heart of a galaxy spanning empire via space bridges. The first Cybertronian settlers travelled to the Jungle Planet aboard the starship Hyperborea, and brought one of the Cyber Planet Keys with them. Homecoming However, this plan fell through and the Jungle Planet became cut off from the other colonies and the rest of the galaxy. Fallen

The rulers of the colony soon grew weak and complacent, and a tide of lawlessness threw the world into violence and poverty. Zen-master Backstop took many innocents under his wing and taught them the ways of non-violence and self-defense, including the young Scourge. However, Scourge grew impatient with his people's suffering and led a rebellion against those taking advantage of the chaos. Emerging victorious in a series of battles that determined which Transformers was the mightiest (and thus most worthy of ruling), Scourge became the new ruler of the Jungle Planet. Corrupted by his newfound power and position, Scourge forced a "peace through tyranny" campaign, bringing his people the peace and prosperity he promised them—but only through a dictatorship ruled by the credo of 'might makes right'. Unable to fully divest himself of Backstop's teachings, Scourge enforced a strict set of laws all built around a rigid concept of honor and trial by combat. Disputes were legally settled through honorable combat, while sabotage and the unjustified killing of a defeated foe became the planet's highest offenses. Honor

Biollante, what are you doing here?

Megatron and Starscream discovered the planet in 2030 and travelled there to seize the Cyber Key. The Autobots sent Overhaul as their agent, Search but the planet's savagery caught him off-guard, and he fell in with Backstop. Deep Overhaul later made an attempt to win the key via ritual combat, and successfully tapped into its power to become the mighty "Leobreaker". Detour Optimus and Vector Prime journeyed there soon afterwards, drawn by Sideways's false distress beacon. Savage

The Autobots briefly stepped out to deal with the finale of the Speedia 500 on Velocitron before returning to the planet. Ice Once another attempt at diplomacy had failed, Optimus agreed to duel Scourge in ritual combat for the Key. Honor Though the Decepticons attempted to prevent the duel from taking place, Optimus and Scourge faced off and Optimus claimed the Cyber Key. While tribal law dictated that Optimus now ruled Jungle Planet, the Prime left Scourge in charge, believing he had the potential to become a worthy leader. Primal Before the Autobots could leave the planet, the Decepticons attacked them, and the Autobots led them on a wild goose chase across the planet using six decoys until reinforcements arrived. Once they'd secured the Key, they left Jungle Planet for Earth. Trust

When Starscream finally made his move, the duplicate Planet Map led Megatron back to the Jungle Planet's solar system where it trapped him and his troops in a nigh-impenetrable sphere. Trap The only one to escape the trap, Crumplezone made his way back to Jungle Planet and recruited Scourge to break his comrades free. Revelation By the time that the Autobots had secured the Cyber Key of Gigantion, the Unicron Singularity had wrought great damage to the Jungle Planet, prompting Scourge and Snarl to depart ahead of their allies so they could help their planet. Showdown When Galvatron utilized the completed Omega Lock in concert with the Armor of Unicron to control the black hole, the Jungle Planet was one of the first worlds to be affected. Leobreaker took the Ogygia to evacuate the Jungle Planet, while Primus reawakened the Hyperborea to finish the job, leaving the empty world to be destroyed by the singularity. Homecoming

The black hole's destruction restored the Jungle Planet but left it light years from its own space. To remedy the problem, the Autobots constructed planetary engines on Jungle Planet so it could be piloted through a space bridge. Galvatron attacked and damaged the engines, which threatened to send the Jungle Planet crashing into Cybertron. Through the combined physical strength of every Cybertronian in the galaxy, the damaged rocket was physically pushed back into place and the Jungle Planet was returned to its proper place in the universe. Unfinished Once peace had been restored, the Jungle Planet reopened diplomatic ties with Cybertron and Scourge pledged his support when Optimus proposed restarting the ancient colonization program. Intending to join the mission, Scourge held a contest to determine the new ruler of Jungle Planet... only for him to soundly best all comers. Unable to leave his position, he had Leobreaker join the mission as the Jungle Planet's representative. Beginning

Toy bios

Mutated into a gorilla by the power of its Cyber Planet Key, Optimus Prime fought a similarly altered Megatron on the Jungle Planet. Jungle Planet Optimus Prime toy bio

Animated continuity family

Animatron was a world in the Autobot Commonwealth. It was conquered by the Decepticons during the Great War, but was later liberated during a conflict known as the "Beast Wars".

In the modern-day, Animatronian energon was on the menu of Maccadam's Old Oil House. The AllSpark Almanac II

Generation 1 continuity family

Wings Universe

During Cybertron's second Golden Age, Perceptor theorized that Razorclaw might have withdrawn the remnants of the Decepticon military to Animatron to artificially accelerate their evolution into a new kind of Predacon. Menagerie #5

2005 IDW continuity

Following the end of the First Cybertronian Civil War, the rise of functionism meant that Cybertronians with beast modes faced increasing discrimination. Although "Onyx Prime" himself—in reality, an alias assumed by a time-travelling Shockwave—had already departed the planet with his innermost retinue of Maximals, Unstopped and Unstoppable another group of his followers left Cybertron aboard Onyx Prime's personal Titan Chela. Windblade vol. 2 #6 Approximately seven million years ago, they landed on a jungle planet that they dubbed "Eukaris", a safe haven where beast-formers could exist free of prejudice. Timeline in Revolutionaries #1 According to legend, "Onyx Prime" tasked Chela with a final order to protect the planet from "standard-formers" by any means necessary. Windblade vol. 2 #6 While some colonial civilizations aggressively cyberformed their new homes, the Eukarians peacefully coexisted with Eukaris's indigenous life-forms. Time Will Rust Chela eventually went dormant beneath Talon Valley, but traces of his influence remained: his space bridge remained operational, and new Sparks continued to emerge from his in-built hot spot. Over time, Eukarian society splintered into several distinct tribes: they included the reptilian Scale Walkers, the mammalian Fur Walkers, the aquatic Wave Walkers, the airborne Cloud Walkers, and the supernatural Fateweavers. Windblade vol. 2 #6 Unaware of "Onyx Prime's" true nature, the Eukarians remembered him as a benevolent protector who preached acceptance and tolerance; Time Will Rust like many of the other colonies, the Eukarians soon developed a zealous, highly-religious culture that venerated the Thirteen and the Primes as deities. Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion

Approximately 600,000 years ago, the younger Shockwave seeded Eukaris with samples of Ore-11 as part of his Regenesis project. The First Who Was Named Ceremony

Eukaris remained isolated from the rest of the galaxy until 2014, when an injured Metroplex used his long-range sensors to re-establish contact with several of his fellow Titans. A 'Bot and Her City When Windblade used her cityspeaking ability to link with Metroplex's mind, she briefly glimpsed Air Hammer and Injector swimming in a Eukarian ocean. Windblade vol. 1 #4 Some months later, Optimus Maximus and Devastator fell through Metroplex's malfunctioning space bridge, and briefly landed on Eukaris, but quickly jumped through Chela's space bridge and onto other colony worlds. Star-crossed Eukarian lovers Airazor and Tigatron witnessed the mayhem, and later investigated the enormous footprints the warring giants left behind. All That Remains The duo sought out the advice of Fateweaver Blackarachnia, who gathered representatives from the four tribes for a summit regarding the return of their Cybertronian ancestors—a summit that Cybertronian representative Rattrap crashed, sneaking through the space bridge in the hopes that he could persuade the natives to join the growing Council of Worlds.

When Starscream and Windblade travelled to Eukaris, the Eukarians were initially reluctant to cooperate with Cybertronian standard-formers but allowed Windblade to argue her case on account of her Camien heritage. Unfortunately, Chela detected the presence of standard formers and burst from the ground to kill the intruders—although Windblade tried to reason with the Titan, Starscream killed Chela instead. Despite the violence, Fateweaver representative Blackarachnia announced that Chela's passing had fulfilled one of her prophecies, and that joining forces with their ancestral homeworld would change Eukaris for the better. She appointed Tigatron and Airazor as delegates, hoping that their independence from Eukaris's competing tribes would make them impartial diplomats. Windblade vol. 2 #6

With free migration now established between the various worlds of the Republic of Cybertron, at least some Eukarians chose to emigrate to Cybertron. Choose Me The zealous Eukarians soon learned of Optimus Prime: in their eyes, a Prime who carried the Matrix of Leadership, made him a living god to be followed without question. When Prime put out a call for new Autobot recruits to help keep the peace on Earth, the young Eukarians Gimlet and Bump left their home to join him. Time Will Rust After delivering devastating kompromat on Starscream to Windblade, Rattrap announced his intention to cut his losses and emigrate to Eukaris. When Starscream was arrested, however, Rattrap was incarcerated on Cybertron alongside his former boss-any asylum must have been short-lived. The Chosen One

Not long afterwards, Unicron attacked Eukaris and killed most of its inhabitants as the planet-eater absorbed its supplies of Ore-11. Our Darkest Last Stand Tigatron and Airazor, the only confirmed survivors, wound up teleported to Earth with the other refugees after Unicron destroyed Cybertron. A Sunrise Dark

Prime Wars Trilogy marketing material

Biosfera was the possible location of one of thirteen Titans, alongside Cybertron, Unicron, Dominius, Nebulos, Junkion, Antilla, Paradron, Caminus, Earth, Velocitron, Aquatron, Botropolis, Micron, and Gigantion. Titan Force^[1]

Alpha Trion and Clobber attempted to locate an artifact related to the Titan Masters on Eukaris, but this drew the attention of a squad of Decepticons led by Astrotrain. Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters

Optimus Primal was the king of Eukaris. Power of the Primes fan poll

Beast Wars: Uprising

Animatros was ravaged by the Great War. Grimlock saw action on the planet. Derailment

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

Biosfera features a dense wilderness and is populated by descendants of early Cybertronian colonists with beast modes, who take a distrust to those with vehicle modes.

When the Ark, in pursuit of the AllSpark, detected energon on Biosfera, they dispatched the Clones Fastlane and Cloudraker to investigate. Unfortunately, after arriving they made contact with Decepticon Clones Pounce and Wingspan. Even more unfortunately, the Decepticons' beast modes gave them a distinct advantage in jungle warfare, as the Autobots had the terrain and the inhabitants against them. Encounter 3: Biosfera Clones

TransTech

The latest season of the television show Endurer took place on Eukaris. Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2016/03/17

Rise of the Beasts film

"Yeah it took me too long to get here, I ate your moon but do you guys have anything else to eat?"

Originally, the Maximals inhabited a lush jungle world located in another galaxy. With the assistance of their highly-advanced Transwarp Key, they could explore other worlds across time and space, but this technology also drew the attention of the dark god Unicron, who sought to steal the Transwarp Key and use it to cross into another galaxy. Unicron and his minions invaded the Maximal homeworld; although Unicron's herald Scourge killed Maximal leader Apelinq, a group of Maximals led by Optimus Primal barely escaped the doomed planet, Transwarping into a neighboring galaxy and taking the Key with them. Unicron devoured the world, but this pyrrhic victory left him stranded, unable to cross the intergalactic distances required to reach more worlds. Rise of the Beasts

Notes

• In the original Japanese version of the Cybertron cartoon, the Jungle Planet was known as Animatros. However, unlike the other colony worlds featured in the series, the English version of the series did not give it a proper name: it was only ever referred to as the "Jungle Planet" or sometimes the "Beast Planet". As a result, various creative teams that sought to resurrect the concept gave the planet different monikers in later appearaces.
  • The AllSpark Almanac II drew inspiration from the Japanese series and named its version of the planet Animatron, following the trend of the English planet names (Velocitron and Gigantion) ending with "-on". (Coincidentally, this is also the Japanese name for the Generation 1 Predacons.)
  • In 2016, the Beast Wars: Uprising prose story "Derailment" simply used the Japanese name for the planet.
  • When it appeared in the 2005 IDW continuity, it was named Eukaris (yoo-KARR-iss),^[2] in reference to the eukaryotes, the group of organisms that include all multicellular life-forms. Notably, Eukaris did not feature any returning beast characters from Cybertron; instead, it was populated entirely by "Beast Era" characters like Cheetor, Airazor, Tigatron, Bump, and Gimlet. For a short period of time, Eukaris seemed to be the new name going forward, as evidenced by its appearance in 2016's Power of the Titan Masters promotional comic book and 2017's Power of the Primes toyline, which described Optimus Primal as the "King of the Beast Planet Eukaris".
  • However, the planet was suddenly named Biosfera as part of a map on the back of the 2016 Titans Return Titan Force 3-pack. An Earthrise profile card would describe Biosfera as the "Beast Planet", a harsh jungle world populated by feuding tribes of beast Transformers who distrust vehicle-mode Cybertronians, amalgamating traits from both the Cybertron and 2005 IDW incarnations. The Amazon description for the set would also call Biosfera the "Jungle Planet".
  • The hidden map fragment included with Earthrise Snapdragon spells the "Beast Planet" as Biosphera, complicating matters further.
• A generic Eukarian seen in "Choose Me" is drawn to resemble an Equestrian pony.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Animatros (アニマトロス Animatorosu), Eukaris (ユーカリス Yūkarisu)

References