NEKKYO USAGI

Analyzing Soundwave’s Design...

I’ve been wondering about this for a long time. About why Soundwave’s design has so many bio-lights showing?!

Considering only a few bots have this feature, I wasn’t sure if it was an aesthetic choice, or somehow part of Cybertronian biology. After awhile it dawned on me that the bio-lights may be an indicator of weak points, like bare skin showing beneath armor. Or to put it in their terms, their proto-form showing beneath protective layers of plating.

I noticed how Megatron’s frame is so well armored on the front side, because his fighting style is so direct and he rarely gets hit from behind, that he doesn’t have as much heavy plating on his back. So some purplish protoform is showing but it doesn’t really have any glow, unless he’s under the influence of Dark Energon...

And a few of the Autobots like Bumblebee, Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen especially, have extra bio-lights showing...maybe because they’re built for speed and Magnus for strength, so they don’t have a lot of heavy armor that would cover up these vulnerable spots.

Shockwave I don’t have an explanation for...other than he was just designed to look cool...Or perhaps his bio-lights are more pronounced because of enhancements he made to his own frame. And the additional lighting just emphasizes his charged up Energon use, as result of his own upgrades to his strength and firepower, result of scientific experimentation to make himself better and stronger...

But Soundwave...he has the most bio-lights showing of any other character. And to me, it looks like he’s literally the bare-bones of what he once was...

In flashbacks, Soundwave definitely had a frame to rival Megatron. Maybe not as tall but quite bulky and imposing, and of note, not too many bio-lights showing...except for those vulnerable and exposed areas of protoform between joints...

The collective consensus seems to be, even if it wasn’t confirmed in the show, that most likely this bulkiness came from Soundwave’s symbiotic minicons. Even though the Transformers: Exodus novel mentioned Soundwave having hundreds of minicons, I’m sure the ones who bulked up his frame into this look were probably his well-known partners: Laserbeak, Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy...and maybe the other two, Rat Bat and Buzzsaw. Looking at the differences in his Gladiator frame verses his current one, it’s possible his minicons connected to and bulked up both his arms, his chest and back, to give him the edge in a fight and could be deployed and act as his back-up fighters and personal spy force. But since only Laserbeak remains in TFP, Soundwave has downsized considerably and is quite possibly the most vulnerable he’s ever been.

Definitely a good reason why Soundwave was rarely sent out on missions, and remained safe on the warship. And what missions he was sent on were always covert and non-confrontational. Even going so far as to play a recording of Agent Fowler with the command to evacuate a satellite command center, so he wouldn’t be bothered by human interference.

Whenever he did encounter an enemy he usually made a quick exit without much damage. But then later on in Season 2, when the Autobots and Decepticons were both in a race to retrieve Iacon relics, Soundwave was sent out, to probably the most remote location, [besides Antarctica where Optimus encountered Dreadwing and they fought to obtain the Apex Armor] ...assuming there would be no conflict. Until Wheeljack showed up. Caught off-guard maybe, but choosing to stand his ground, Soundwave held his own against the wildest card the Autobots had! And though he sustained minor injury, momentarily overwhelmed by the Wrecker, he still managed to beat Wheeljack with the Resonance Blaster he’d uncovered and was the ONLY Decepticon to successfully retrieve a relic during that time.

Even when he ‘failed’ later on in Season 3, getting shot down by a larger and more powerful Optimus Prime, and captured by the Autobots...

...he still won because Laserbeak was still functioning, found the Autobot base by tracking Agent Fowler, and Soundwave easily disabled Bulkhead and Smokescreen with electric shocks and took Ratchet captive as per Megatron’s new instructions. He and Laserbeak alone accomplished what all the other Decepticons had been trying to do for weeks...

But back to the thoughts before, it just impresses me a lot about Soundwave. That despite his now diminished frame, he never lost his capability and presence as a strong fighter...a gladiator. He is the perfect compliment to Megatron’s fighting style. Soundwave is a long-distance fighter, using his opponent’s strength against them, prefers covert operations to direct conflict but will not back down in a one-on-one fight.

Cunning as well as powerful, merciless as well as efficient. The perfect shadow fighter in Megatron’s army...!

[Though someone else will have to help me understand how in Season 3 he was suddenly able to open up Space Bridges with his mind...but that’s a discussion for another day.]