Elita One
Elita One is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. They are all female Autobots, usually pink or red in color.
Contents
Transformers: Generation 1
Elita One is the leader of the female Autobots and romantic interest of Optimus Prime.
Animated series
Nine million years ago, she was a civilian robot called Ariel romantically linked with dockworker Orion Pax. When the Aerialbots were transported back in time, they met Orion Pax, Ariel, and their friend Dion. As Elita One, she is romantically linked to Optimus Prime, the upgraded form of Orion Pax.
When Megatron attacked the energy storage hangar where Orion worked, he fatally wounded both Ariel and Pax.
The Aerialbots took Orion Pax to Alpha Trion, who reconstructed both Pax and Ariel. Both became important commanders of the Autobots, Optimus Prime and Elita One. They remained romantically linked after their reconfiguration.
Four million years ago Elita One parted ways with Optimus Prime as he lead his ship the Ark on a mission to gather energon. She wanted to come with him but Optimus insisted it was too dangerous. Optimus vowed to return for Elita, but caught in an explosion, Optimus believed Elita to be destroyed.
Elita One is the female Autobot commander on Cybertron trying to liberate the planet from the corrupt grip of the Decepticon guardian of Cybertron, Shockwave. Advised by Alpha Trion, she led a group of female Autobot resistance fighters including Chromia, Firestar, and Moonracer.[1]
Elita One is captured and used as bait by Shockwave to lure Optimus Prime into a deadly trap. As Shockwave predicted, Optimus Prime traveled back to Cybertron to uphold his promise and save his love.
Elita One possesses a rare and powerful weapon built within herself that can temporarily halt the flow of time within its radius of effect. However, the weapon drains her life force, so she only uses it when there is no other hope of victory. When used, one of the few things that can save her life is a power transfer from Optimus Prime, who has a compatible power system to hers.
Elita One only appears in one episode (The Search for Alpha Trion). Her story as Ariel is told, along with Optimus Prime's [as Orion Pax] in War Dawn. As the newly-built Optimus Prime leaves to fight Megatron with the Aerialbots, Alpha Trion hints that he will rebuild Ariel as Elita One.
Dreamwave Productions
In the War Within series, Optimus Prime was depicted to have a bobblehead and a mudflap-silhouette of Elita One.
Elita One, Chromia, Firestar and Moonracer appeared briefly in the final issue of Dreamwave Comics Generation One series among the female Transformers sent by the Quintessons to Cybertron. Although they were supposed to character in the next plot arc involving the return of Optimus Prime, the company's closing left this story unfinished.
Fun Publications
Based on the Transformers Classics toy line, the Timelines 2007 story is set 15 years after the end of the Marvel Comics story (ignoring all events of the Marvel U.K. and Generation 2 comics).
In Transformers: Timelines volume 2 #2, "Games of Deception" Ultra Magnus leads a force including Elita One, Springer, Huffer, Snarl, Strongarm and Tyrannitron after the Decepticon Bugbite and his forces to Earth. Dispatched to spy on Bugbite's group of Decepticons, she could only watch as Mirage was captured and Bugbite took over Megatron's troops. Infiltrating the Decepticon base (the crashed Ark) and battling Ravage, Elita activated the jammer that stopped Bugbite from controlling Megatron's forces. In the ensuing battle, the Autobots rescued Mirage and Elita One left with Magnus to take care of Bludgeon's forces.
Elita One appears in At Fight's End.
Voice actor plays
Ariel appeared in the 2006 TransformersCon voice actor play. Voices in the play were performed by a variety of volunteers and the actual voice actors attending the convention. In this play various Transformers from different timelines and realities were swept up in a repeat wave and transported along with Unicron to Earth. The Transformers included Generation 1 Tracks, Ariel, Cosmos and Megatron, Beast Wars Tarantulas, Robots in Disguise Sky-Byte and Beast Machines Tankor.
Ariel found herself initially enamoured with Megatron for his ability to fly, although Tracks tried to convince her such an ability wasn't unique. She also found the concept of organic life fanciful.
Eventually the Transformers were able to learn that the death of Unicron in 2005 was what created the repeat wave. They defeated Unicron by tricking him into Transforming and using up his power, then using the Key to Vector Sigma program (which Tankor had brought with him) to tap into the power of Vector Sigma itself, and through it the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. With Unicron severely drained the various Transformers faded back to their original timelines.
IDW Publishing
Elita One made her first IDW Publishing appearance in issue #3 of The Transformers: Megatron Origin. She was shown at the funerals of Bumper and Fastback being comforted by a Transformer greatly resembling Orion Pax.
Toys
- Timelines Deluxe Elita One (2009)
- A Botcon convention exclusive. A redeco of Cybertron Deluxe Thunderblast.
Transformers: Energon
The name Ariel was later used as the Japanese name for the Transformers: Energon character Arcee.
Transformers
Elita-1 is Arcee and Chromia's sister. This character is not related to Elita-1 who appeared in the toy line and Comic Books for the first film. Although not portrayed in the live-action movie, Elita-One now has a toy in the movie line, although it is a redeco of an Arcee from Transformers: Energon.
According to writer Roberto Orci, he planned for the three motorcycles to be a single individual named Arcee, but director Michael Bay went with the idea of the Hasbro biographies of the three motorcycles being individuals.[citation needed]
IDW Publishing
Elita-1 is among the Autobot forces who witness the launching of the Decepticon ship Nemesis.[2]
In Reign of Starscream issue #4 Elita-1, Grindcore, Signal Flare, and Warpath were captured by the Decepticons and forced to build a new Allspark at Simfur. In issue #5 Starscream sacrificed the sparks of Crankcase, Elita-One, Grindcore, Signal Flare, and Warpath to bring his new Allspark Cube online.
Note - The appearance of Elita-1 is modified in the IDW Publishing stories so that her head more resembles movie style's more 'alien' looking characters than the style of the movie toy. According to the biography printed in the collected Reign of Starscream books she is the longest known and most trusted of Optimus Prime's officers.[3]
Arcee, Chromia and Elita-One are among the Autobots to come to Earth in response to Optimus Prime's signal inviting all of his kind to come there. She joins with the Earth based Autobots in Transformers: Alliance #4.
In California the Autobots set a trap for Starscream's minions Divebomb, Fearswoop and Skystalker by having Theodore Galloway pose as an arms dealer attempting to purchase Cybertronian technology. The trap is uncovered and the Autobots send in Arcee, Chromia, Elita-One, Ironhide, Mudflap and Skids. Divebomb and Skystalker are killed while Fearswoop is captured by the Autobots and taken back to the NEST base on Diego Garcia.[4]
Titan Magazines
Note: Events that take place in the alternate timeline where Megatron won the battle of Mission City are in italics.
In "Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part 1" Skyblast led the Autobots Arcee, Armorhide, Elita-1, Longarm and Strongarm in resisting the Decepticons who had conquered Earth. In part 3 Starscream and Scorponok attack the Autobots Arcee, Armorhide, Elita-1, Longarm, Skyblast and Strongarm on the moon. The Autobots flee to Earth, which is exactly what Starscream hoped they'd do. In part 4 Mikaela frees Optimus Prime and freezes Frenzy just as Bumblebee gets some unexpected help fighting Megatron by the arrival of Elita-1, Skyblast and Strongarm. In this story Elita-1 resembles her toy's body with a Generation 1 Elita-1 head in robot mode, but she assumes a Cybertronian "protoform entry mode" for her vehicle mode.
Movie plot
Elita-1 and her sisters chase the Decepticon Sideways in an alley in Shanghai. She is later present when the Autobots face off with the Decepticons in Egypt, sent with Ironhide as an advance team to recover Sam. Upon finding Sam and Mikaela, Elita-1 is attacked and gets shot by Decepticon Bonecrusher. Elita-1 is not seen or mentioned for the remainder of the film.
Toys
- Transformers Scout Elita-One (2007)
- This toy is a redeco of Energon Arcee, in the colors of Generation 1 Arcee. This toy is a Target store exclusive in the United States. [5][6]
- Transformers Deluxe Class Elita-1 (2010)
- This toy has been confirmed to be released by Hasbro in 2010 as a Deluxe Class toy, the final of the three motorcycle sisters, and a silver/brown redeco of Chromia, rather than a unique mold. Also, all three motorcycle toys will be able to combine, with instructions to be released online only, confirmed by Hasbro during the 2010 Toyfair. [7][8][9]
- Autobot Alliance Deluxe Class Elita-1 (2010)
- The Japanese version of the Deluxe figure by Takara Tomy is repainted in a movie-accurate purple finish.[10]
- Transformers Sideways Sneak Attack Legends Elita-1 (not yet released)
- A store exclusive gift set featuring Legends Arcee, Chromia and Elita-1 (the latter two being redecos of Arcee) vs. Deluxe Sideways (silver/black redeco with battle damage).[11]
Transformers Animated
Transformers: Timelines
In the mirror-universe story Shattered Glass, Elita One is one of the evil Autobots under the command of the tyrant Optimus Prime, and later Rodimus Prime. She is a skilled sniper. She speaks with a slight Russian accent.
Fun Publications
Although not depicted directly, Elita One is one of the many Autobots aboard the Ark in Do Over. The Ark launches from Cybertron for Earth under the command of Rodimus and is followed by the Decepticon ship Nemesis, under the command of Starscream. While battling over Earth it is shot down by human defense systems.[12]
Elita makes her first appearance in Blitzwing Bop. She informs Rodimus Prime that the A.R. chamber is not working. Later she is assigned by Rodimus to work with Brawn. Together they take over human cars on Earth using an automated car wash, making an army of drones for the Autobots. They are stopped by the Decepticons Blitzwing, Bombshell and Sideswipe.
"Oh dahling, don’t worry, it happens to everyone sometime." - Elita One, on the subject of weapon malfunction.
Toys
Although no toy was made for this version of Elita One, her appearance is based on the toy for Override GTS.
References
- ↑ Transformers: The Ultimate Guide by Simon Furman page 37
- ↑ John Barber (w), Andrew Griffith (p), Priscilla Tramontano (i). Transformers: Foundation 3: 14/1 (April 2011), IDW Publishing
- ↑ The Reign of Starscream, Page 135, by Chris Mowry, Chris Ryall, Alex Milne, 2008
- ↑ John Barber (w), Carlos Magno (p), Aburtov and Graphiksslava (i). Transformers: Rising Storm 1 (February 2011), IDW Publishing
- ↑ MasterCollector.com - Elita-One
- ↑ http://www.oafe.net/artemis/tfm_elita.php
- ↑ Actionfigs.com
- ↑ http://www.bwtf.com/toyreviews/rotf/deluxe/elita1/
- ↑ http://www.hasbro.com/common/documents/dad2d6781c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/EC79F0FF19B9F36910E5D53D090424FB.pdf
- ↑ TFW2005.com- Japanese TF Autobot Alliance Altered Decos and FamilyMart Lottery Draws
- ↑ TFW2005.com - Sideways Sneak Attack Elita-1
- ↑ S. Trent Troop and Greg Sepelak (2009). Do Over. Illustrator Yuki Oshima. Fun Publications.
