News Files - Transformers Religion

While radicalisation is so rare among Cybertronians as to be non-existent, a wide variety of religious beliefs can be found amongst its populace. The most common of these is the pantheon known as the Guiding Hand, which holds that there are five aspects of the warrior god Primus, a being conceieved in reaction to his equal and opposite, Unicron. They are said to have created Vector Sigma, the Matrix of Leadership, and transformation cogs. Belief in this religion is known as Primalism, and Primalists sometimes wear a "tattoo" of the Matrix on one cheek as a symbol of their faith.

Many other sects and religious organisations also exist. The Militant Monoform Movement is a group, which specifically rejects the Guiding Hand's god of transformation, Adaptus, through the removal of their transformation cogs. Neoprimalism is a form of organised religion, which seemingly emphasises belief in miracles and the existence of unholy evil beings.

Others champion a reinterpretation of the Primal Prophecies, which view Primus as an abstract idea found in the beauty of the natural world. There are also practicing Spectralists, which places importance on colour, as Cybertron has had many lanterns from across the emotional spectrum over the years.

The existence of the Knights of Cybertron, said to be the first Thirteen Cybertronians and disciples of the Guiding Hand, is considered by some to be a religious belief, but the existence of the original Crystal City on Cybertron, and the testimony of the ancient Guardian Omega Supreme, suggests that they did truly exist.

Another interpretation is that the Knights of Cybertron preceeded the Thirteen Tribes of Cybertron, who came to power after the Knights have left the planet, with each of the Thirteen Tribes headed by its own Prime. Some see these Primes as simply warlords and leaders, but others see them as literal living gods and worship them as such. Cybertronians from the colony world of Caminus in particular follow the Way of Flame, a religion that places Solus Prime in particular at the top of the Thirteen.

Atheistic Cybertronians are referred to as "evolutionary engineerists" after the scientifically-grounded theory of atechnogenesis.

Through a series of efforts on a multitude of fronts, the Quintessons have managed to successfully scrub most references to themselves from the Cybertronian zeitgeist, being remembered only as "devils" or invaders from "beyond the sky". Few Cybertronians suspect, let alone remember, their involvement. They have become the Cybertronian equivalent of the bogeyman.