Quickstrike
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quickstrike is the name given to three fictional characters in the Transformers universes.
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[edit] Beast Wars (1998)
| Transformers character | |
 |
|
| Quickstrike | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Predacon  |
| Sub-Group | Basic Beasts, Fuzors |
| Function | Desert Combat Expert |
| Alternate Modes | Scorpion/Corba Hybrid |
| Series | Beast Wars |
| Voiced by | Colin Murdock (English) Nobuo Tobita (Japanese) |
The name was first used in the Beast Wars Transformers series, for a Predacon introduced in the second season of the cartoon. Quickstrike was one of the protoforms from the Maximal ship called the Axalon commanded by Optimus Primal, which chased the Predacon criminal Megatron through transwarp space after the theft of the Golden Disk. The Maximals and Predacons crashed on prehistoric Earth, where high energon levels threatened to destroy the crew unless they adopted organic alternate modes (Beast Wars Part 1).
The Axalon's cargo of Maximal protoforms in stasis pods had been launched into orbit before the crash, but eventually Quickstrike's pod fell to Earth, along with the pod of Silverbolt. Damaged in planetfall, Quickstrike and Silverbolt's pods mixed up the genetic scans of local life forms when formatting them, causing them to emerged in bizarre hybrid forms. Quickstrike's beast mode is a combination of scorpion and cobra. The two battled first each other, then Inferno until discovered by Megatron. The Predacon leader showed them how to transform to robot mode and convinced them they were Predacons. This identity was easily assumed by Quickstrike, who had inherited the violent traits from his genetic donors. In an attack on the Maximal base Silverbolt quickly learned he had more in common with the Maximals and switched sides, but Quickstrike eagerly remained with the Predacons (Coming of the Fuzors Part 1 & 2).
Quickstrike is typecast as a "western" warrior. He uses stereotypical cowboy slang terms (like "Howdy" and "Hombre"), and a brief guitar riff (similar to those in old John Wayne movies) can be heard whenever he goes into battle. He often came off as a cartoonish "Old West" gunslinger caricature ("What say we slag us some Maximal keester, pardner?!"). In the Japanese version, his cobra arm/tail/'pet' tends to chant "cobra, cobra". Quickstrike had something of a crush on Blackarachnia (which she exploited by appealing to his ego), calling her "sugar-bot" even after she became a Maximal. Despite his love of violence, Quickstrike is not very intelligent. For instance, his response to the Vok "metalhunter" (Other Visits 2) rising from the ground was "aww, 'aint that a sight!" and his initial response to Inferno's suggestion of using the early human's caves as a new base was disgust - until he realized Inferno meant to kill them first (The Nemesis 1 & 2).
"You and me...we's gonna tangle...right here, right now!!" - Quickstrike
On another notable occasion, during a Predacon attack on the Ark, Megatron let him take the lead, subsequently getting him pulverized by the Maximal defenses, reasoning that "when expecting booby traps, always send the boob in first". Another odd characteristic of Quickstrike is that, even in robot mode, he sometimes talks through the cobra head on his arm rather than his actual mouth.
Quickstrike's most important appearance came when he was convinced by Tarantulas to get rid of Megatron for good. Using a cyber-dart created by Tarantulas, the Predacons were able to override control of the body of Optimus Primal. They controlled it using the a suit of armor piloted by Quickstrike. Using Optimus to infiltrate the ark, Megatron was able to steal the spark of the original Megatron. Although Tarantulas and Quickstrike attempted to use the opportunity to kill Megatron, the attempt backfired spectacularly and only resulted the lava aiding Megatron's transformation, allowing him to rise from the pit in a massive new dragon form (Master Blaster).
Quickstrike was put on trial by the Predacons for treachery (Tarantulas having nearly been killed by Megatron and since fled). He was saved from being destroyed by Rampage and Dinobot II, acting on Megatron's orders, by an unanticipated attack by the alien Vok, the arrival of Tigerhawk and the destruction of the Predacon base Darkside.(Other Victories)
After the destruction of the Darkside, Inferno , Quickstrike and Waspinator were sent to establish a new base for the Predacons. They discovered caves settled by pre-humans, but Waspinator decided he was sick of being a Predacon and rebelled - and was promptly blown apart mid-rant by his former teammates. After shooting Waspinator, Inferno and Quickstrike fought the pre-humans. Unfortunately for them, both were unintentionally killed by the guns of the Decepticon flagship Nemesis, when Megatron used the ship in an attempt to destroy the pre-human settlement (Nemesis Parts 1 and 2). His remaining parts were used by the pre-humans along with Inferno's remaining parts.
[edit] Beast Machines (2000)
| Transformers character | |
 |
|
| Quickstrike | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Maximal |
| Sub-Group | Basic Beasts |
| Function | Reconnaissance/Warrior |
| Motto | "Robots with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest." |
| Alternate Modes | Technorganic Wolf |
| Series | Beast Machines |
In the Beast Machines toyline, Quickstrike is the name of a Maximal who transforms into a technorganic wolf. This character did not appear in the cartoon series. While it seems most likely that this Quickstrike is not the character who originally bore the name in Beast Wars (considering his apparent death in the series finale) it should be noted that his bio states that the Maximals do not fully trust him and that he will only work with Blackarachnia, although there is no love lost between him and her. These elements of the character do somewhat resemble the Quickstrike of Beast Wars, so there remains the possiblity that they are the same Transformer.
[edit] 3H Comics
Although there was no toy of Quickstrike in the Transformers: Universe toy line, the character of Beast Machines Quickstrike appeared in the Transformers: Universe comic book among the Maximals on Cybertron after the end of the events of Beast Machines.
[edit] External Links
- http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/reviews/bm_quickstrike.php - Review of Beast Machines Quickstrike.
[edit] Transformers: Energon (2004)
| Transformers character | |
 |
|
| Quickstrike | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Autobot  |
| Sub-Group | Mega Vehicles |
| Motto | "A solid plan of attack is more powerful than the cannon or sword." |
| Alternate Modes | Cybertronian Helicopter |
| Series | Transformers: Energon |
In the Transformers: Energon toyline, Quickstrike is the name of an Autobot who transforms into a red helicopter. The toy is a recolor of Bulkhead. According to Quickstrike's bio, he and Bulkhead are "cousins." This character did not appear in the cartoon series.
QUICKSTRIKE is one of OPTIMUS PRIME'S greatest offensive strategists. His brilliant attack patterns have earned the AUTOBOTS many victories against the DECEPTICONS. In helicopter mode, his speed and maneuverability are matched only by his cousin BULKHEAD. Unlike BULKHEAD, QUICKSTRIKE will never enter a conflict without a well-devised plan of attack. He likes to get in and out during an offensive and avoids brawling whenever possible. MEGATRON regards QUICKSTRIKE as a dangerous threat and has offered a substantial reward to any DECEPTICON that can hunt down and destroy him. First, they'll have to catch him.
Quickstrike's only appearance in Transformers fiction was in issue #27 of the Transformers: Energon comic by Dreamwave comics, where he appeared as one of the Autobot warriors who volunteered to head to Earth to battle the Terrorcon invasion.
Categories: Autobots | Fuzors | Maximals | Predacons
