While scrolling I had thought for like half a second that Thundercracker was Starscream's true form just because of the colors but it made me wonder, does your version of Starscream had to go through the whole cold forged trauma or not and if yes would be too have a true form revealed at some point?
AH! Very cool question here.
So, I don't think cold forging is mentioned or canon in TFPrime universe (aligned) so I didn't place in "The Deal".
But i simply love how IDW talk about Starscream dysphoria and I want to touch the concept. After all, Cybetronian change their shapes often, and it could be for scanning but also experience or trauma (I think how much IDW Perceptor forced himself to become a sniper instead of a scientist) and as I imagined Starscream's past for "The Deal", surely he has a lot to process, both inside and outside.
To begin with, I already showed some younger Starscream in which the frame is a similar size but with more classic G1 colours.
I will soon drop some more story for Starscream's past, but as you can imagine it will talk about the loss of Skyfire and literally entering his villain era, transitioning from a (even that really snob and quite narcissist) young mech full of ideas and hopes, into a crazy evil terrorist. (Something terrible must happenend, indeed)
I recently found one of the original concept for TFPrime Starscream and I fall in love with. My idea is that Star actually could have that look bc he builded\buffed up himself during the war on Cybetron, while he has a lot of power, especially when he still has a constant arm wrestling with Megatron (and ended up to fight with often).
But after Meg destroyed Vos and took Trypticon, Starscream started to loose power and influence. The last shoot was the loss of Skywarp and Thundercracker, where Starscream has actually begin to literally got mental health issues (being constanly beaten by Megatron didn't help*) and he become totally instable (having what we have in Prime: a mech that swindle from proud to coward, aggressive to terryfied). And so also his appearance shift again to something that could look like less aggressive to Megatron but not to soft for his undergo (for the loss of colours I dwell in the 'mourning colours' theory).
*And I don't put this to say that Starscream is a pure soft victim of Megatron. They both damaged and fucked up each other: is not that Meg is fine in Prime :/ Starscream manipulated Megs many many times and forced his hands in war multiple times.
All this looong post to say: yes, probably Starscream could change again his aspect in "The Deal" (not sure of the Spin off since are more funny jokes- except The Glass Deal maybe). I can confirm or disconfirm this would happen, BUT, I am quite affectionate do IDW true form
(Especially bc we didn't actually reached it -sob- and we have NO TOYS of that poor boy -sobx2-), so I 'casually' put here some Starscream version inspired by IDW trueform ;) Byyeee thank you for reading!
