Are there any girl Vector Primes?
Dear Gender Guru,
There are several instances of my archetype who identify with the feminine more closely than the masculine, or with other vectors of identity—if you'll excuse the unintentional pun—that humans might be unaware of. In certain advanced universal streams, Cybertronian bodies are able to reconstruct themselves to fit the gender identity being experienced at any given moment; I am reminded of the editor of Axiom Nexus News, who assisted my TransTech incarnation as he communicated with you prior to his retirement.
If you wish for a specific example, I recall one such female iteration of myself whose story bears certain similarities to my own. This Vector Prime joined forces with the Autobots to recover the five Cyber Planet Disks, seeking to use them to activate the cosmic computer Vector Sigma and reverse the effects of the self-destruction of the planet Quintessa, which caused an unravelling in space and time that threatened to collapse all of existence into a singularity.
Together with her Mini-Con partner Scorpia, Vector Prime joined the Autobots in their travels across five planets—Circuitron, the Tech Planet; Aquatron, the Ocean Planet; Arction, the Ice Planet; Combitron, the Modular Planet; and, of course, Earth—to unite the Cyber Planet Disks and their guardians: the speedy Override, the monstrous but good-natured Krak-Jaw, the rugged explorer Icepick, the five-fold intellectual Fortress Maximus, and the rescue helicopter Lifeline. Though they were confronted by the Decepticon leader—formerly Megatron and Gigatron, now reforged into Teratron—and his followers, the strong bonds between Vector and her new friends enabled them to stand stalwart against the villains.
Though their quest was set back when they discovered Vector Sigma to be missing, and further when Teratron stole the Cyber Planet Disks and used them to evolve himself into the mighty Exatron, the Autobots' resolve was unbroken; joining forces with the Decepticons that Exatron had left to their doom on his evolution, they traveled to the long-thought-destroyed Planet Junk, from which the tyrant was making his final play for universal domination.
Though even together they could not defeat Exatron and his army of Scrap Iron drones, the Autobot and Decepticon forces were able to distract the conqueror while they sought out the planet's leader, Wreck-Gar, who had been manipulated into aiding the villain. With the aid of Wheeljack and Starscream, Vector Prime was able to open Wreck-Gar's optics to how he was being used; remorseful, the Junkion led them to his planet's great secret: a chamber below the ground, where Vector Sigma had been hidden long before.
With command of the Junkion army taken from him, Exatron was unable to prevent the heroes from reclaiming the Cyber Planet Disks and activating Vector Sigma. Though Vector Prime found she was able to repair the damage to spacetime, there was a catch—Planet Junk and Vector Sigma were at the heart of the knot of quantum tunnels that had been created, and would inevitably be destroyed in the process of restoring the universe. Her newfound friends begged her to reconsider, but Vector willingly remained behind as the Autobots, Decepticons and Junkions evacuated the planet, happy to give up her life to ensure their future. In her final moments, Vector stood alongside Starscream, who had bravely remained behind in battle with Exatron to ensure that the would-be conqueror would not escape the fate he so richly deserved.
I do not know what became of this other Vector Prime after Planet Junkion's destruction; whether she joined with the Afterspark, or lingered on as a spirit as I did. But no matter what, the memory of her lives on in the friends she made—her longtime partner Scorpia; Autobots like Wheeljack, Hot Shot, and Optimus Prime; the humans Will, Rick and Sephie; and so many others. Truly, she was one of the greatest aspects of me, and makes me proud to carry this name.