Animated Series
They were created on Cybertron around the same time as the Stunticons as a countermeasure to the new Decepticon car team after the mainly land-based Autobots proved woefully inadequate as a counter. Their first appearance came in the two-parter Key to Vector Sigma, pts: 1 & 2. They were created to combat the Stunticons, after the latter had run rampant over the Autobot cars. To do this, Optimus Prime journeyed to Cybertron, with his troops rebuilding old planes and shuttles into the Aerialbots. Alpha Trion sacrificed himself, merging with Vector Sigma itself to give them life. On Earth, while the Aerialbots quickly proved themselves competent warriors, they also became overconfident and arrogant, with leader Silverbolt failing to keep them in line due to his fear of heights. After a heated discussion over whether they should stay with the Autobots, they battled the Stunticons as they tried to use the key to Vector Sigma that could turn organic matter into metal. The two teams battled as Superion and Menasor. The Decepticon combiner gained the upper hand, but was eventually defeated when Omega Supreme intervened. Silverbolt conquered his fear of heights to keep Megatron from escaping with the Key.
The Aerialbots and Stunticons squared-off again, later in the episode Cosmic Rust, where Superion defeated Menasor in a Combiner v.s. Combiner rivalry. Later on, in the episode War Dawn, they were sent back in time 9 million years ago by the Decepticons in an attempt to lose the Aerialbots forever in the dawn of time. Thankfully, Optimus managed to halt their displacement to the Golden age of Cybertron. At first, they question the motives of the early Autobots. But after a series of events, and seeing Megatron's cruelty in the past, they witnessed death of a young Autobot named Orion Pax, who was rebuilt by Alpha Trion as their leader, Optimus Prime. They become convinced, and finally accept the ways of the Autobots. A subsequent appearance saw them battling the Combaticons, and later their combined form of Bruticus, in the Middle East.
Although the Aerialbots did not appear in The Transformers: The Movie, they continued to put in regular appearances in the third season (unlike many of the season 1-2 cast, who were either killed in the Movie or phased out). In "Five Faces of Darkness", they arrived in a shuttle to save Rodimus Prime (Rodimus held the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and replaced Optimus Prime after Optimus died fighting in the events of Transformers: The Movie) and his group from the destruction of the planet Quintessa. They later went time-travelling once again, when they discovered a Quintesson time machine, and a young Autobot named A-3. Due to time distortions, Superion ended up battling alongside a second Superion, routing the Quintessons. It was then the truth was revealed - A-3 was a young Alpha Trion, and they had just won the first battle in the Transformer rebellion against their masters.
The Aerialbots had many other adventures, returning to the Middle East alongside Prime to investigate the schemes of Octane and Trypticon, thwarting a Quintesson attempt to drive the Transformers into a blood rage using a special transmitter, and going on a solo attack against Trypticon. They were among the first infected by the Hate Plague when a trap was sent for them and Ultra Magnus when they attempted to retrieve the body of Optimus Prime. As a maddened Superion, they engaged the Protectobots in a running battle, with the latter desperately trying not to get infected. However, when merged as Defensor and trying to evacuate a bridge of human civilians, Superion managed to infect them. A small group of Autobots attempted to curtail Superion's rampage, including Blurr, Bumblebee, Kup, Wheelie, and Steeljaw, but were quickly defeated by him, needing extensive repairs before any of them were operational again. Luckily, when the resurrected Optimus Prime released the power of the Matrix, the Aerialbots were cured along with everyone else.
The Aerialbots were among those who reappeared in season 4, in the three part episode "The Rebirth". When the Decepticons once again invaded Cybertron, the Aerialbots were among those who tried to stop them, the Aerialbots fired upon the Decepticons upon their arrival on Cybertron, but unfortunately Galvatron ordered his newest "one robot army" SixShot to take them out. He did so, using each of his alternate modes to defeat the entire team with ease.
The Decepticons then later on after the Combaticons had made sure they were defeated, under Galvatron's orders scavenged their parts to construct a super engine to move the planet Cybertron. It is unknown if they survived or not, though one does appear jumping up and down with Bumblebee indicating that they might have survived.
In the Japanese series Transformers: Headmasters, that replaced "The Rebirth" the Aerialbots appeared several times, more often combined into Superion and with Bruticus as opponent.
Read more about this topic: Sixwing, Transformers: Generation 1
Famous quotes containing the words animated and/or series:
“Uncle Ben’s brass bullet-mould
And powder horn, and Major Bogan’s face
Above the fire, in the half-light, plainly said
There’s naught to kill but the animated dead;”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)
“There is in every either-or a certain naivete which may well befit the evaluator, but ill- becomes the thinker, for whom opposites dissolve in series of transitions.”
—Robert Musil (1880–1942)