Cyber Key
From Transformers Wiki
Cyber Keys are devices that give Transformers power-up abilities. Each one contains a fragment of the power of a Cyber Planet Key. A Transformer can use one to boost their abilities for a duration of time before the Cyber Key is used up.
It may look like the Transformers have just the one Key per person, but there are actually countless Cyber Keys throughout space and the Transformers summon a different one each time: their awesome power burns bright for just a short while, and is then used up.[1]
Contents |
Fiction
Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity
Beast Wars Reborn
Cybertron cartoon
| “ | Is that going to happen every time we need extra power? | ” |
The Cyber Keys are a small piece of the divine power of Primus Haven and are even capable of turning up if you invoke Primus's name. Invasion That said, even Primus himself has used Cyber Keys to boost his power. Titans
The Cyber Keys first turned up when Vector Prime used CYBER KEY POWER!! to drive back Megatron; he then gave the Autobot team the power to summon Keys of their own (both Earth Keys and Autobrand Cybertron Keys, depending on the bot). The Autobots had not seen or heard of the Cyber Keys before. Haven Soon after, the Keys showed the ability (much to Vector Prime's surprise) to turn up before the Transformers called them forth. The Autobots considered that this might happen any time they needed extra power. Hidden
Soon, the Decepticons gained the power to summon Cyber Keys from somewhere. Thundercracker had an Earth Key, Megatron and Starscream had Decepticon-branded Cybertron ones. Landmine
The descendants of the ancient Transformer colonists have easy access to Cyber Keys: several of the Earth-based Transformers like Crosswise wielded Earth Cyber Keys, Trap while almost everyone on Velocitron, Space Jungle Planet, Search and Gigantion Giant seemed to have access to them. Why the ancients had Cyber Keys but the modern-day Cybertronians didn't (and had no record of them) is unknown.
As first noted by Red Alert, Space different Cyber Keys on different worlds have different colours. Due to the effect of the Prime's Matrix and sword, the original Autobot team had different colored Keys. Velocitron, Jungle Planet, and Gigantion, by comparison, all had red, green, and mauve (respectively) Keys. Red Alert also theorized that different Keys would produce different results and that they could reformat Autobots. Savage
Hot Shot was somehow able to summon a Velocitron Cyber Key through his desire to go even faster, though he initially couldn't handle the power. Speed On Jungle Planet, Scourge could upgrade his beast mode into a three-headed form with his Key power, and used it to (successfully) intimidate Megatron. Contact with the Keys would also reformat vehicular Transformers into beast mode ones; feats of extreme bravery and courage, such as Overhaul's, could cause a foreign robot to contact the Cyber Planet Key and be granted access to this world's Keys. Detour When Starscream was wielding the Omega Lock's power, Megatron's sheer rage was able to tap into it and Earth's Cyber Planet Key, giving him a new Cyber Key that unlocked a hideously powerful firearm. Revelation
Once revived by the combined powers of the Omega Lock, burning spirit, and some energy... wave... thing from Cybertron, Red Alert, Scattorshot, and Hot Shot were given new bodies; with these came new Cybertron Planet Keys, marked with a prominent Autobot insignia. Critical This same Key is used by Primus himself, Titans so if you're a Decepticon we guess God hates you.
Agents of Planet X, such as Sideways, wield orange Cyber Keys with prominent Decepticon insignias on them. As they're not actually Decepticons (though they started hanging with them), it's not clear why the insignia is there. Ship
Force of Habit
Ask Vector Prime
In Viron 704.08 Gamma, the warlord leader of Planet X, a seeming non-singularity version of Unicron, used a Cyber Key to merge his consciousness with his planet. Ask Vector Prime, 28/7/2015
Types and powers
Each Cyber Key derives its power from the Cyber Planet Key of its respective world (in the case of Cybertron's keys, their power comes from Primus himself). A Transformer does not have to be a planetary native to tap into the power of that world's Cyber Planet Key, nor do they have to be on-planet to call upon its power. Although visually distinct, the individual types of keys do not really have any kind of unified theme in the powers and abilities they bestow upon the Transformers who summon them; they all simply unlock a hidden weapon or supply a power boost for an existing one. These weapons are mostly fairly ordinary (if powerful) lasers, projectile launchers and melee weapons, but some Transformers have more esoteric accoutrements unlocked, like forcefields, high-power wind-fans or speed-enhancing "accele-wings".
- Cybertron's Cyber Keys are clear with silver detailing, with either an Autobot or Decepticon symbol in the middle.
- The Cyber Keys of Velocitron are red with silver accents and decorated with the symbol of a speedometer needle. In addition to the inhabitants of Velocitron, Hot Shot also uses a Velocitron key.
- Jungle Planet's Cyber Keys are green with a silver border, marked with a clawed paw print. After transforming into Leobreaker, Overhaul gained a new Jungle Planet Cyber Key.
- Earth's Cyber Keys are blue with silver edging and bear the image of a sunrise. Several of the Autobots and Decepticons from Cybertron used Earth Cyber Keys, including Landmine, Red Alert, Scattorshot, Thundercracker and Mudflap, as did the ancient Autobots and Decepticons who came to the planet ages ago.
- Gigantion's Keys are purple with silver detailing, bearing a gear symbol.
- The keys employed by the inhabitants of Planet X are orange in color with silver accents and bearing a Decepticon symbol (despite the unaligned nature of these Transformers). These keys presumably derive from the power of Unicron, the secret benefactor of the Planet X survivors, given that the planet was not a colony world.
- The planet Combatron has red keys with silver metal frames that resemble a grenade (complete with pull ring) and a symbol resembling a mushroom cloud.
Red Alert was the first to notice the different color-coding of the Cyber Keys and further speculated that the unique keys employed by Optimus Prime and Vector Prime were created due to a normal Cyber Key being affected by the objects of power the two wielded, namely Optimus Prime's Matrix of Leadership and Rhisling, Vector Prime's sword. Although Red Alert did not comment on the unique key wielded by Megatron, presumably his is created through the power of the Armor of Unicron that he wears. An animation error makes Galvatron look like he has TWO cyber keys. As each time Galvatron uses the cyber key power for his spiked gauntlet, the key itself doesn't appear, just the expanding outline. But the key appears when he uses his gun.
Symbols
Earth
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from Earth.Velocitron
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from the planet Velocitron.Jungle Planet
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from the Jungle Planet.Gigantion
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from the planet Gigantion.Combatron
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from Combatron.
Cartoon Screenshots
Toys
Cybertron
Just about every single toy released in the Cybertron line came with at least one key, the only real exceptions being the Mini-Cons. In the US, the keys had codes printed on the back for an interactive feature on Hasbro's Transformers toy website.Takara's website did not incorporate this feature however, leaving the Japanese Galaxy Force keys (referred to in Galaxy Force as "Force Chips" along with the greater "Planet Force") without the code tampo. The toy packaging refers to all keys as Cyber Planet Keys. This differs from the cartoon which only refers to the four colony keys as Cyber Planet Keys, and the other, everyday keys as simply Cyber Keys.
Any Cybertron toy that was originally released in the Armada toyline often included a Cyber Key instead of their partner Mini-Con partner. In order to still activate the toy's gimmicks, these keys had a molded Mini-Con port on the back of the key.
A common misconception among the fandom is that the keys all use the exact same molds, and can be interchanged between one another—this isn't true. Despite being sometimes marketed as interchangeable, each key features slightly different molding depending on the gimmick they're meant to activate on the respective figures they're packed-in with; with some keys featuring a couple of longer tabs on the underside molded to a different length by a few millimeters, and other keys having a few millimeters difference in the width and height of the main plug-section. Trying to swap keys between toys can often result in some keys getting jammed in the ports of the figures they're not made for, or not being able to push in all the way, due to the plug being either too big for the port, or the longer tabs on the key made for one figures' gimmicks not being taken into account for the ports on other figures that don't utilize said tabs to activate their gimmicks. For example: Thundercracker's key has slightly longer tabs on the underside, and a slightly thicker plug-section than the key packed-in with Jetfire, and can get jammed in the port on Jetfire, despite both keys being Earth key molds. Some keys are also made with these different measurements in mind, to create enough friction or even a latch for the respective figures they're packed with, so that the keys can store in the ports—and sometimes—give the toy some added functionality, such as Sideways, who uses his Cyber Key to switch between an Autobot and Decepticon by locking his key into his arm-mounted weapon; whereas Snarl's Cyber Key doesn't have any friction or any ability to lock into an open position, and instead features a pair of clips on his thigh for storing it.
Luckily, the codes printed on the back of the Hasbro keys make it easier to keep track of which key goes with which figure, especially for those that tend to throw all of their Cyber Keys into a bag (which appears to be a large majority of the fandom). The Takara keys on the other hand… well, you'll probably have to figure that out yourself through manual testing… good luck!
Other toylines
Cyber Planet Keys (most often simply called "Keys") were included in later toylines with toys that were redecos from the Cybertron line. There is (presumably) no cosmic technology underlying them.
Examples include: several Timelines toys—notably the BotCon 2006-exclusives, which came with Golden Disk keys; multiple toys released in the 2008 Universe toyline that represent Generation 1 characters; and several 2007 movie toys released exclusively at Walmart and Target in the US featured Sector Seven keys.
The 2024 Legacy toyline includes smaller Cyber Key accessories, packed with updated versions of Cybertron era characters such as Cybertron Universe Starscream and Star Raider Cannonball.
Notes
- In "The Dark Heart of Sandokan" and "Force of Habit", the Cyber Keys are treated somewhat differently than they were in the Cybertron cartoon. Here, they are depicted as tangible objects that must be manufactured from crystals, while they are portrayed as energy-ish manifestations of a Transformer's burning spirit in the cartoon.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Force Chip (フォースチップ Fōsu Chippu)
- Korean: Force Chip (포스 칩 Poseu Chib)
References
External links
- Force Chip catalog (Japanese)