New Transformers One Promo Hides a Clever Starscream Easter Egg

Transformers One is being touted as one of the greatest films of the franchise and rightfully so. The origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron is one that focuses entirely on Cybertron, long before they bring their war to the planet Earth. It’s been no secret that Starscream will be featured in the upcoming prequel, voiced by none other than legendary actor Steve Buscemi. In a surprising new video, the film’s director, Josh Cooley, points out to Megatron’s voice actor, Brian Tyree Henry, how he sneaked in a clever callback to one of Starscream’s most pivotal moments in the franchise’s history. 

For those who might not be familiar with Starscream, the second-in-command of the Decepticons has long been a loose cannon in terms of his relationship with Megatron. While the Decepticons routinely are shown fighting Optimus Prime and the Autobots, there is serious in-fighting when it comes to who should be leading the charge. Throughout the original series, the live-action films, and other universes focusing on the Cybertronians, Starscream will attempt to take the leadership role from Megatron. While there are still many questions surrounding Starscream’s involvement in the upcoming animated film, it’s clear that director Josh Cooley has a good understanding of the character’s history.

Starscream Rises

In one particular scene from Transformers One, Starscream is shown sitting upon a throne long before the Decepticons are forged. Said throne just so happens to look like the crown that Starscream had worn in the 1986 animated movie wherein he pronounced himself the new leader of the Decepticons in Megatron’s absence. While the former leader was thought for dead, Megatron’s alter ego, Galvatron, arrived on the scene and took Starscream off the board in quite a violent manner. 

Transformers One Vs. Transformers 1986

While Transformers One might not be as dark as its animated predecessor, it still ventures into some dark territory. In our review of the film, we here at ComicBook.com dove deep into the prequel’s story, “Transformers One’s story ventures into some meaningful and surprisingly dark territory, making for a compelling tale for both new and old Cybertronian fans alike. The threat that faces D-16 and Orion Pax is one that is not so easily dispatched and sees the two of them taking drastically different approaches to how said threat should be dealt with. For old fans of the franchise, there are some serious Easter Eggs that never feel heavy-handed and will give Transformers fanatics more than a few reasons to re-watch the animated film to see if they can spot some familiar faces during its run time. Without spoiling anything, Transformers One doesn’t just lay out the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron, as it gives viewers interesting stories for some of the franchise’s biggest characters.”

Is Transformers One a Prequel or Reboot?

Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with Transformers One’s director Josh Cooley, who was more than happy to discuss whether the upcoming film is a reboot or a prequel in Cybertron’s history, “Starting this as an origin story, it was great to go, ‘Nothing’s been done.’ We’ve never seen this before. We’ve never started like this before. There’s obviously a story of what we know will happen: a war will happen, and [the Autobots and Deceptions] will go to Earth. That’s just part of Transformers. That’s part of every version of Transformers that happens.”

Want to see what other easter eggs Transformers One has in store? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest updates on Cybertron.