Axalon

The "Axalon" is the name of the Maximal ship in the "Beast Wars" cartoon and comic books. In addition, in the "" cartoon, the Autobots constructed a space ship that was also named the "Axalon", possibly in reference to the original Maximal ship. [ [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/station/6563/axalon.html Transformers On-Line Encyclopedia: Axalon ] ]

The "Axalon", commanded by Optimus Primal, was on a mission of exploration when it was diverted to pursue the Predacon criminals who had stolen the Golden Disk.

Crew

The crew of the "Axalon" included:
*Optimus Primal - General. Eventually became Optimal Optimus.
*Rattrap - Often seen working navigation, but skilled in espionage. Was appointed second in command early in the series.
*Rhinox - Seemingly in charge of defense and science duties, as well as adviser of Optimus Primal. Assumed second in command status later in the series.
*Cheetor - Possibly the pilot, but skilled as a warrior.

As more stasis pods were found and Depth Charge arriving in his own ship, the crew changed and expanded. New members include:
*Dinobot - Switched sides from the Predacons. Likes to think of himself as Second-in-Command.
*Tigatron - Lost his memories. Now acts as Recon.
*Airazor - Nearly died. Acts as Air Recon.
*Silverbolt - Briefly joined the Predacons at first when he came online, but quickly realized he was a Maximal.
*Depth Charge - On a search for Protoform X.
*Blackarachnia - Switched sides. Eventually became an actual Maximal. Served in the "Ark" cave after the "Axalon" was destroyed.
*Tigerhawk - Fusion of Tigatron and Airazor possessed by a pair of Vok to assassinate Megatron. Their sparks united together and inhabited the new body.

The "Axalon" also carried numerous stasis pods with Maximal protoforms (presumably the crew that would be woken up on their original mission when they arrived at their destination), which it ejected in orbit around Earth when it appeared the ship would crash and be destroyed. Eventually most of these pods crashed on Earth and the Maximals inside activated. Characters on the television series and in the comics who were among those in stasis pods included:

Television series

*Airazor - Female, beast mode is that of a Peregrine Falcon. Became a transmetal in the comic series.
*Blackarachnia - Female black widow spider. Reprogrammed into a Predacon but later recovered her original Maximal programming and became a Transmetal 2 at the same time.
*Inferno - Fire ant. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Quickstrike - Scorpion/cobra Fuzor. Willingly joined the Predacons.
*Rampage - Transmetal King Crab with tank third form. Forced into joining the Predacons. First called Protoform X.
*Silverbolt - Wolf/eagle Fuzor. Was briefly duped into being a Predacon before joining the Maximals.
*Tigatron - White tiger. The first protoform from the "Axalon" to activate. Became a transmetal in the comic series.
*Transmutate - No alternate mode.

Comic series

*Air Hammer - Hammerhead shark/falcon Fuzor.
*Armordillo - Beast mode is an armadillo. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*B'Boom - Beast mode is a mandrill. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Bantor - Tiger/mandrill fuzor (package says he's half baboon, but appears more like a mandrill).
*Bonecrusher - Beast mode is a bison. Appeared in Dreamwave Comics Summer Special. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Buzzclaw - Praying mantis/lizard. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Buzz Saw - Beast mode is a bee. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Claw Jaw - Squid.
*Double Punch - Scorpion. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Fractyl - Beast mode is a "Pteranodon". Reprogrammed into a Predacon. Later became a Transmetal with an alternate "flying wing" jet mode. Appeared in the BotCon Comics.
*Grimlock - The same Grimlock as the Dinobot from Generation One, now a Maximal who turns into a giant raptor-type dinosaur.
*Icebird - Snowy Owl/Polar Bear Mutant.
*Injector - Lion fish/hornet Fuzor. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Insecticon - Beetle. Reprogrammed into a Predacon. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Jetstorm - Dragonfly beast mode. Reprogrammed into a Predacon. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Lazerbeak - Pterodactyl. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Night Glider - Flying squirrel, turned into Transmetal 2 while still inside Stasis Pod.
*Noctorro - Beast mode is a bull/bat Fuzor. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Optimus Minor - Beast mode is a Transmetal 2 spider monkey. Appeared in Dreamwave Comics Summer Special and the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Packrat - Beast mode is that of a rat. Later became a Transmetal with an alternate car mode. Appeared in the BotCon Comics.
*Polar Claw - Beast mode is a polar bear. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Poison Bite - Scorpion/barracuda Mutant (Transformers).
*Powerpinch - Beetle. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Ramulus - Mountain goat, turned into Transmetal 2 while still inside Stasis Pod.
*Razorbeast - Wort Hog.
*Razor Claw - Wolverine/"Velociraptor" Mutant (Transformers).
*Razorclaw - Fiddler crab. Reprogrammed into a Predacon. Appeared in the Universe - Wreckers comics.
*Retrax - Pill bug. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Scarem - Beast mode is a Transmetal 2 beetle.
*Scavenger - Ant. Reprogrammed into a Predacon. Upgraded into a Transmetal before exiting stasis pod.
*Scourge - Locust. Preprogrammed into a Predacon, turned into Transmetal 2 while still inside stasis pod.
*Sky Shadow - Dragonfly/chameleon Fuzor, reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Snapper - Snapping Turtle, Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series. Reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Snarl - Beast mode is a Tasmanian Devil. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Sonar - Beast mode is a Transmetal 2 bat. Appeared in the IDW and BotCon comics.
*Soundwave – Crocodile/Bat Mutant (Transformers).
*Stinkbomb - Beast mode is a skunk. Turned into a Transmetal 2 while still inside stasis pod. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Terragator - Alligator/snapping turtle Fuzor, reprogrammed into a Predacon.
*Torca - Beast mode is a killer whale/elephant Fuzor. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series and the Transformers: Universe comics.
*Wolfang - Beast mode is a wolf. Appeared in Dreamwave Comics Summer Special. Appeared in the 2006 IDW Beast Wars comic series.
*Vice Grip - Beetle. Reprogrammed into a Predacon. Appeared in the BotCon Comics. A repaint of Powerpinch.

However, the "Axalon" was equipped with a Transwarp drive capable of travel through space and time, and after engaging the Predacon ship "Darkside" in battle, both vessels crash-landed on prehistoric Earth. After the crash, the "Axalon" served as the Maximals' base of operations.

The "Axalon" secretly had a double mission, not just the exploration of the galaxy. In fact, it was dispatched to exile the stasis bound Protoform X. Unfortunately, X was captured by the Predacons and became the warrior Rampage. The "Axalon" also carried many other stasis pods, which were jettisoned into orbit when the "Axalon" was shot down. These pods served to add new members to the cast over the remainder of Beast Wars, including Tigatron, Blackarachnia, Airazor, Inferno, Silverbolt, Quickstrike, Rampage and Transmutate. The pods were brought down by an energy surge caused by a Vok weapon, and most of them were either presumed destroyed or left blanks, protoforms without sparks.

Blank Protoforms used to create clones

*Dinobot - Beast mode is a Transmetal 2 "Velociraptor". Cloned from the original Dinobot and was a Predacon until the last episode of the TV series were he betrayed Megatron and died saving the "Ark" and the Maximals. (Dinobot carried the name of his template as the original Dinobot was dead and because Megatron used half of Rampage's spark, so the spark lacked a personality of its own.)
*Optimus Primal - A blank protoform was used to bring Optimus Primal back in the beginning of season 2.
*Ravage - A blank protoform was used by Magmatron to bring Ravage back as a Transmetal 2.
**Airazor - After the beast wars, Airazor and Tigatron's spark separated. Airazor's found a blank protoform in a stasis pod and emerged as a Transmetal.

Note: In the IDW Beast Wars comic series, it was revealed that many of the protoforms in stasis pods had survived, but the Predacon Magmatron had come to Earth in an attempt to raise an army of Predacons to conquer Cybertron. He altered the temporal alignment of the stasis pods, making them undetectable by the inhabitants of the planet, and attempted to infect them all with Predacon shell programs. Due to actions by Maximal double agent Razorbeast, many of the protoforms remained Maximals.

The "Axalon"'s status as the Maximal base of operations came to an end following the arrival of the Decepticon agent Ravage. While the Maximals were busy repairing the damaged Optimus Prime, the Predacons set out to destroy the Maximal base. Despite the best efforts on the part of the Maximals, the "Axalon" was dragged from its clifftop perch and fell into a nearby lake. With the ship destroyed, the now homeless Maximals salvaged what they could to establish a headquarters inside the volcano that held the "Ark". Unfortunately, without the Sentinel security program which granted the "Axalon" a perimeter energy shield, the Maximals newer volcanic base was more far vulnerable to attack intrusion by the Predacons.

The "Axalon" made one final appearance in the episode "Changing of the Guard", in which Rattrap pilots a submersible into the lake in order to locate Sentinel. The purpose of this was to obtain a defense system with which the base could be properly protected. However, during his search, Rattrap ran afoul of Rampage, but was fortunately saved by Depth Charge. Recovering Sentinel, Rattrap then escaped just in time, as the shockwaves from Rampage and Depth Charge's weapons sent the "Axalon" tumbling even deeper into the lake.

In 2006, Hasbro planned to release a new toy of Optimus Primal, and included as an extra is a small replica of the "Axalon".

References