ALLEGIANCE: DECEPTICON
FUNCTION: DECEPTICON AEROSPACE COMMANDER
FIRST APPEARANCE: TRANSFORMERS # 1
“Conquest is made of the ashes of one’s enemies.”
Profile: Starscream makes no secret of his ambition to overthrow
Megatron as Decepticon Leader. He is ruthless, cold-blooded and cruel. In that
sense the two rivals are very much alike. But he has a vain side that clearly
distinguishes him. He considers himself the most sophisticated and handsome
of the Decepticons. He exudes a high-class, urbane air that provides a certain
irony to his murderous tendencies. He looks down at Megatron for being antiquated
in his military strategy. Starscream believes the Decepticons should rely more
on guile and speed rather than brute, destructive force to defeat the Autobots.
Megatron overlooks the potential threat Starscream represents for one very good
reason: Starscream is very good at his job.
Abilities: Starscream is one of the fastest flyers of the
Decepticons, reaching speeds up to Mach 2.8. He can climb to sub-orbital altitudes
of 52 miles and nose-dive down to near ground level in mere minutes. This makes
him particularly effective in surprise attacks and hit-and-run actions. He can
shoot cluster bombs a distance of 40 miles, each of which can level an area
10,000 feet square. His null-ray rifle can interrupt the flow of electricity
in any circuitry it hits for periods of up to two minutes, effectively preventing
the operation of many machines dependent on those circuits during that period.
Weaknesses: Starscream overrates himself sometimes, and finds
himself in situations that are more than he can handle. His nose-dives often
overload his gyro-circuitry leaving him disoriented briefly. But, overall, he
is a very tough nut to crack.