Maximal

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The Maximal Insignia

The Maximals are a faction of Transformers. Formerly known as Autobots, the Maximal Upgrade program was introduced, emphasizing fuel efficiency through downsizing.

History

In 1501 AES, three Maximals, Bursa, Jetjagar and Truffler, arrived on Dittotopia via stasis pods. They brought news of the Maximal Upgrade program, and the equipment needed to upgrade the Dittotopian Autobots to new Maximal bodies. Warpath and others were suspicious of the Maximals, but a call to Cybertron high command soon verified the truth of their claims. Some of the Autobots chose to take the option of having animal alternate forms, while some of the older, more set in their way Autobots opted to retain their vehicle modes. Solarflare was the last Autobot to be upgraded, having been away on a mission during the upgrade process.

During the Ditto Monstropolis take-over of Dittotopia in the early 1800's, the Maximals tried to fight off the Monstropolis forces, but were defeated. They escaped to Centrus, the moon of the gas giant Dittokalar, and set up a new base there.

Physiology

The Maximals retained many similarities to their Autobot ancestors, and many of the Autobots who underwent the Great Upgrade basically took on smaller, newer versions of their old bodies. The downsized Maximal body was apparently intended mainly for better fuel efficiency and greater durability. There has been some hinting that this was an offshoot of Micromaster technology, which had a similar goal. As was the case with the Autobots before them, Maximal robot modes frequently lack a robot-form flight option, unless a flight mechanism is specifically included or unless the Maximal has an airborne alternate mode.

The greatest and most common innovation of the Maximal era is the development of pseudo-organic Beast Forms, which allow Maximal alternate modes to blend in seamlessly with the organic lifeforms found elsewhere in the universe. This technology, an offshoot of earlier Pretender tech, sheathes the Maximal's alternate form in an artificial organic "skin" and integrates the beast modes instincts into the Maximal's form. While still primarily using Energon for fuel, such Maximals have been shown to be able to eat food like organic creatures, though it is unknown if they require such food to survive or merely as an alternate energy source. The beast mode instincts are integrated to such a degree that they have been able to dominate—if not override—logic circuits on occasion. When Maximals take beast modes, they tend to favor mammals, birds, and fish, though this is not a hard-and-fast rule.