Velocitron

I feel the needia for Speedia.

Velocitron, otherwise known as the Speed Planet, was colonized by trailblazing Transformers eons ago. The flat desert planet and its wide-open spaces soon gave rise to a monomaniacal culture focused entirely around racing. This is no planet for ungainly or slow-moving 'bots: unsurprisingly, almost every Velocitronian transforms into some kind of high-powered racing vehicle. If you're not a racer, working for a racer, or watching a race, then you're clearly not a Velocitronian. This racing obsession permeates every facet of life: Velocitronians even race to elect leaders and implement governmental policies, in massively publicized events such as the famous Speedia 500.

Although the citizens of Velocitron are blisteringly fast, and constantly searching for ways to go faster, their elitist, high-consumption racing culture has also eaten away at their basic infrastructure and social development. Forever fixated on speed, other Transformers might classify the average Velocitronian as "impatient," "high-strung," or just plain "annoying."

Fiction

Cybertron cartoon

Velocitron was colonized by the crew of the Ogygia eons ago. Warp Huge superhighways and racetracks crisscrossed the surface of this desert planet, patrolled by colossal cleaning and road repair drones. Space Rush Velocitron's Cyber Planet Key would eventually take the shape of the Planet Cup, the most valued racing trophy on the planet. Champion By 2030, however, the significance of the artifact was completely forgotten by Velocitronian society. In that year, Override held court (the first and only female Velocitronian to do so). Rush

Most of the globe was covered in seas of sand interspersed with rocky cliffs, though reportedly it had a "bayou" region that was a bit more swampy in nature. The Diablo Desert was part of an offroad race on Velocitron. It was a hazardous course wracked by sandstorms and a deadly "quicksand zone", whose vortices could appear without notice. Sand

The planet-spanning super-races, the Speedia 500, and the Planet Cup were some of the most important events in Velocitronian society. So obsessed were the Velocitronians with speed that the winner of the Planet Cup would become the planet's ruler. Rush

Having stolen the Planet Map from Vector Prime, Megatron used it to track the first Cyber Key to the colony. Haven Hidden Bereft of his map, Vector instead gleamed Velocitron's coordinates from an old stellar map, setting the Autobots on the path to find the Key. Landmine

When Hot Shot and Red Alert arrived on the planet, they quickly befriended Clocker and Brakedown. Hot Shot became convinced that the only way to secure the Planet Cup was to race Override for it. Space Rush Hot Shot's pride soon took over the mission, with Red Alert calling in Optimus Prime. Ship When the Prime arrived, he reproached Hot Shot for his foolhardiness before going off to try and bargain with Override for the Planet Cup. The Velocitronian rebuffed him, however, forcing Optimus to concede to Hot Shot's way of doing things, entering the Autobots in the Speedia 500. Hero

When Hot Shot emerged as the race's champion, Override joined the Autobots to act as a representative for her world until the crisis had abated. Champion Before she left, she tasked Clocker and Brakedown with finding the Ogygia, who briefly returned to collect it and pilot it back to Cybertron. Warp

Velocitron, like its three sister planets Gigantion, Animatron, and Earth were threatened by the Unicron Singularity. Homecoming When the black hole was sealed and peace restored, Velocitron reopened its diplomatic ties with Cybertron, with Override acting as the planet's ambassador. When she later decided to captain the Ogygia following the recommencement of the colonization project, a Speedia race was held with Hot Shot emerging as the victor and thus the new ruler of the planet. Beginning

Animated cartoon

Velocitron was a robotic planet in the Autobot Commonwealth. The Asphalt Wars were fought on the planet during the Great War. The Revenge shot down Delta Supreme over Velocitron. The AllSpark Almanac II

Aligned continuity family

The Covenant of Primus

Transformers colonized Velocitron during the height of Cybertron's Golden Age. Like all colonies, it received its own miniature Well of All Sparks with a "torch" as part of the cyberforming process. It was intended as a temporary project for racing enthusiasts, as its scarce resources made long-term habitation impractical. When the Cosmic Rust plague resulted in the deactivation of every space bridge, the Velocitronians were stranded. With no way to re-establish contact with the rest of the galaxy, they slipped deeper and deeper into their speed obsession while they waited for a Prime to rescue them, using races to settle conflicts and shape politics.

During their search for the AllSpark, Optimus Prime and his crew briefly stopped on Velocitron before travelling to Junkion. The Covenant of Primus

Aligned novels

Velocitron was one of seven planets orbiting a dying yellow star an incredible distance away from Cybertron (to fly between the two without aid of a space bridge would take longer than the sum of Cybertronian history). The Velocitron system is about halfway out from the galactic core, in an area of space defined by a triad of star clusters. The star Velocitron circled was, on a planetary scale, near its end. The radiation emitted by the star created massive solar storms, severely disrupting communications on the planet. Exiles During Cybertron's Golden Age, Velocitron was colonized by Transformers aboard the starship Ogygia. Exodus Exiles

By the time Optimus Prime and his crew of Autobots aboard the Ark re-established contact with Velocitron, the Velocitronians had colonized the entire surface with a series of planet-spanning superhighways, with major cities built around nodal interchanges. While there were foundries, mines, factories and more, these were subordinated to the primacy of speed. The majority of the planet was re-engineered to provide a smooth ride. Few locations were spared this reconstruction and the Velocitronians showed little to no interest in those, limiting their maps entirely to the road systems. One area that remained natural is the southern magnetic pole, an area of jumbled sandy hills, windblown heights, and thin slot canyons where the ancient monolith that once served as a beacon for the local space bridge still stood, distorting space-time. The smooth, flat engineered surface of the planet, plains and desert allowed great windstorms to roar across the world, with little to ease or break their fury.

Velocitron's capital was the city of Delta, located at its equator. It also housed the racetrack dedicated to the Speedia, the great celebration-race which decided the most prominent citizens, and, on some occasions, even the political leaders of the planet. Velocitron's Transformers had a distinctive visual style to their construction, sporting exceptionally long limbs, elongated torsos, and streamlined bodies with aerodynamic armor. Optimus Prime noted that some had evolved into entirely new kinds of Transformer. Although built for speed, none of them could fly or transform into flying vehicles. Optimus Prime noted that the vast amount of resources spent on upgrading racers and racetracks may have contributed to Velocitron's resource shortage.

In order to rule the planet, Velocitron's leader must win the Speedia, Velocitron's foremost and most intense sporting event. Although rulers usually rule solo, the most recent race resulted in a tie, meaning that Override and Ransack were forced to grudgingly work together, although Ransack's desire to rule solo pushed the world to the brink of civil war. During the Autobot's time on the planet, Ransack finally made his play for power at the behest of "777" who had informed Ransack and his cadre of malcontents about the imminent arrival of Megatron. Velocitron finally collapsed into a violent civil war that was only exacerbated by the arrival of the Star Seekers and Megatron himself. Exiles

Rescue Bots cartoon

While stranded on Earth, Blurr pined for the freedom of Velocitron, where there were no speed limits. Rescue Bots Academy

Generation 1 continuity family

2005 IDW continuity

Velocitron was a world colonized by Navitas, a Titan who carried a crew of scientists in search of alternative energy sources. Eventually, they settled on a world that became the seventh of the thirteen Titan colonies. Due to astrological factors not fully detailed, the daylight side of Velocitron is a scorching inferno, with only its frozen nighttime side habitable, This required the Velocitronians to design their cities to be mobile and constantly moving to keep out of the sun, including their capitol city of Delta which was the reconfigured form of Navitas. Velocitronians became fixated on more energy efficient designs that later fueled a craze for racing that dominated their culture. As a result, races were the means through which everything was decided such as government, taxes and other important planetary decisions made by the victors. They settled on deriving power from solar energy with Energon being used for personal use, with them claiming that they had enough reserves of it. Motion and races were integral to such an extent that their cities were mobile settlements that journeyed across the frozen landscapes of their world. The Velocitronians eventually began taking Navitas for granted; the citizens of Delta neglected to maintain their Titan and as a result Navitas slowly broke down, becoming increasingly scatterbrained and incomprehensible.

And now here they are! The most daredevil group of daffy drivers to ever whirl their wheels in the Wacky Races!

Velocitronians believed themselves to be a superior culture and had adopted an isolated life-style, cutting off all contact with their organic neighbors. Racing within their cities became the primary pastime, with off-road races considered savagery. A lesser-known fact was that the Velocitronian idea of perfection through speed became narrower and narrower; those who were slower than the norm were ostracized and marginalized. Windblade vol. 2 #4

Some 600,000 years ago, Shockwave launched a sample of Ore-9 at Velocitron. At some point, "Onyx Prime" travelled to the colony and retrieved a sample of the Ore as part of his plans for Metrotitan. Shockwaves The Hallowing

After returning to Cybertron following the "Dark Cybertron" incident, the First Titan Metroplex located several colonies with his sensors, including Velocitron. Windblade vol. 1 #2 While merged with Metroplex's mind, Windblade caught a glimpse of a race on Velocitron. Windblade vol. 1 #4 Some months later, the reactivation of Metroplex's space bridge caused a pack of brawling combiners to briefly touch down on the planet's surface, close to one of the planet's mobile cities. All That Remains

After Caminus became a member of the Council of Worlds, Velocitron was the next of the Titan Colonies to re-establish formal contact with Cybertron. Moonracer and Knock Out were sent as ambassadors of their world, although negotiations quickly broke down, partly due to Starscream's derogatory comments about the freezing planet. Windblade vol. 2 #4 Windblade, Chromia, Blurr, and Ironhide decided to travel to Velocitron to try to impress the Velocitronians in a way they understood... by having Blurr win the Benefit 500. Windblade assisted by manually tapping into Navitas's neglected brain; by manipulating the racetrack itself she managed to guide Blurr to a suitably flashy victory and assured that Velocitron would take its place in the growing Council of Worlds. Race Against the Light Soon thereafter, Knock Out traveled to Cybertron for Velocitron's induction into the council. Windblade vol. 2 #6

Several Cityspeakers from Caminus made the journey to Velocitron to tend to Navitas, resulting in a marked increase in his overall coherency and functionality. 07:00:00

When Unicron began consuming Cybertronian-affiliated planets, his attack on Velocitron caused its communications to go off-line. A team led by Cliffjumper went to investigate and perished along with the populace when the Chaos Bringer consumed the world for its stockpile of Ore-9, serving as the first warning to the Council of Worlds of the uncreator's approach. Unstopped and Unstoppable

Later, when Unicron attacked Elonia, the Space Knights glimpsed some of the planet's remains on his maw. Our Darkest

Prime Wars Trilogy marketing material

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

During the biggest race of the year, the Decepticons Scourge and Crashbash interrupted the race to attempt to botnap the Titan Master Hyperfire. The Autobots led by Optimus Prime stood against this plot. Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters

A later race on Velocitron offered the prize to temporarily control the speed of anything, including time itself. The Autobots sent a new team, led by Laser Prime and consisting of Rodimus Prime, Nautica, Fastclash, and Quickswitch, to claim the prize. Rodimus Prime finished first, but learned that to gain the power he would have to transform into a Titan Master and impart it on another bot. The Autobots managed to evade the Decepticons and leave the planet using Laser Prime's Laserpoint System to open a portal offworld.^[2]

2019 IDW continuity

Velocitron was a colony world of the Cybertronian race. Unlike other worlds in Cybertronian space, Velocitron was not a democracy, its First Senator instead being the winner of Speedia 500 race. Blurr had won the race but abdicated, leaving Road Rocket to rule the planet. Tread & Circuits Part 1

When hanging out aboard Lodestar, Lightbright was boogying down to a song about Velocitron. The Change In Your Nature Part Five

As part of the Ascenticons' schemes to conquer the galaxy, Knock Out was sent to win Speedia and the planet for the Decepticons. To ensure victory, Mayhem was sent to draw out and eliminate the competition. Tread & Circuits Part 2 Tread & Circuits Part 4

Taking Mayhem's broadcasts seriously, the Wreckers made for Velocitron and entered themselves into the race. Tread & Circuits Part 1 When Mayhem attacked, the Wreckers managed to protect the racers but wound up detained by Colonial Security as Knock Out won the race. Tread & Circuits Part 3

During Knock Out's officiation ceremony, Mayhem staged an assassination attempt. While the Wreckers managed to defeat them, Mayhem framed Minerva, the Wreckers being forced to leave her behind. Once he was repaired, Knock Out rebranded the planet as a Decepticon world, sentencing Minerva to indefinite stasis. Tread & Circuits Part 4

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

Before the Great War, and the Decepticons destroying the Space Bridges, Bumblebee used to race on Velocitron. Siege episode 1

Cyberverse cartoon

Gotta go fast.

Take a picture, it'll last longer.

Velocitron was a celebrated hub for the fastest racers in the universe. Local resident Blurr invited his friend Bumblebee for a visit, who brought along Hot Rod for the ride. Unfortunately, their trip was cut short when someone carrying the Plague of Rust came through the space bridge and caused an outbreak. Bumblebee and Hot Rod barely managed to escape, while Blurr and the rest of the planet were consumed and disintegrated. Terminal Velocity

A memorial for the colony was later erected on Cybertron. The End Of The Universe II

Games

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Velocitron was a Cybertronian colony planet with an intense racing culture. Inhabitants of Velocitron often agumented themselves with experimental technologies to gain an extra edge on the track. Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook

Notes

• The depiction of Velocitron's mobile cities in the 2005-2018 IDW continuity strongly resembles that of "Traction Cities" featured in the Mortal Engines series of science-fiction books by Philip Reeve, where cities built atop giant wheels or treads must constantly be on the move to avoid ecological disasters following an apocalyptic war and being preyed upon by larger Cities.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Speedia (スピーディア Supīdia), Velocitron (ヴェロシトロン Veroshitoron)
• German: Rasantia ("Speedia")
• Hungarian: Velocitron, a Sebes bolygó

References