The Ark

Affiliation: Autobot
Model: Vanguard Class Deep Space Interceptor
Crew: 300
Engines: 4 Hyperfuel Intake Accelerators
Weapons: Particle combustion cannons
Fuel Cell Life: More than 4 million years
History in chronological order written by Byrerprime. Bibliography is in release order.

 

History (all): The Ark was sent on a mission commanded by Optimus Prime over 48 thousand vorns (four million years) ago to clear an asteroid belt that was in the way of their home planet of Cybertron. During this mission, the Ark was attacked by the Decepticons aboard the spacecraft Nemesis, commanded by Megatron. The Ark was boarded by the Decepticons, but fell to the planet Earth. The Ark crashed into a mountain and all those aboard the vessel were put into some kind of emergency stasis.

History (Marvel comics): The Ark sensed the presence of a Transformer on Earth. Shockwave had come to investigate the whereabouts of Megatron. The Ark revived five warriors, the Dinobots, giving them the ability to transform into the world's dominant life form - dinosaurs. Having been damaged in the crash, the Ark was unable to make them look exactly like other dinosaurs. Instead, it gave them a more techno-organic look. The Dinobots did not return from investigating, and the Ark continued to lay idle.

History (Beast Wars): During the conflict known as the Beast Wars, Megatron gained access to the Ark with the purpose of defeating the Autobots before they could be awakened. He blasted Optimus Prime at full power, but Optimus Primal took into himself Prime's spark to protect it. After the Maximal ship Axalon fell off into the ocean, the Maximals used the Ark as a base of operations.

History (IDW Beast Wars): When Razorbeast's Maximals needed parts for the transwarp signal booster, they went to the Ark to find them.

History (Beast Wars): When Megatron raised the Decepticon ship Nemesis, Rhinox discovered a shuttle onboard the Ark. He used this shuttle to attack Megatron, and to return everyone to Cybertron.


Top picture shows shuttle inside Ark.
Bottom picture is the shuttle.


History (all): After laying basically dormant for four million years, a minor volcano in 1984 caused the Ark to reboot its systems. The Ark scanned the Earth for suitable alternate modes, and rebuilt the Transformers onboard. The Autobots then used the ship as a base of operations.

* In the cartoons, Skywarp was rebuilt by the Ark and he had to drag the other Decepticons into the scanning area. Optimus Prime fell into the scanning area when Starscream fired shots at the Ark.

* In the comics, all the Transformers were rebuilt at once.

History (cartoon): The Ark was destroyed in 2006 by the giant Decepticon Trypticon. The Autobots had to use Metroplex and Autobot City as their headquarters.
History (Marvel comics): Following the destruction of Optimus Prime, Grimlock took over leadership of the Autobots. Under his command, the Autobots rebuilt the Ark and left Earth. When Optimus Prime came back, he took back command of the Ark. The Ark was used as the mobile headquarters of the Autobots, and during the Matrix Quest was infiltrated by the Matrix-possessed Thunderwing. The Ark was also present when Optimus Prime surrendered to Scorponok, and was transported back to Cybertron along with the Transformers by Primus, in an attempt to defeat Unicron. After the Unicron war, the Ark was repaired and stolen by Shockwave and Starscream. Megatron and Ratchet awoke from stasis pods, and Ratchet caused the Ark to crash into Earth's Canadian wilderness trying to destroy Megatron. Megatron awoke and investigated a possible Transformer on Earth. When it turned out to be Destro's castle, Megatron struck a deal with Cobra to rebuild him in exchange for Cybertronian technology. Megatron brought the Ark to Cobra's town of Millville, before taking it into space. While in sapce, Fortress Maximus destoyed the Ark trying to destroy Megatron in the explosion.

History (Dreamwave comics): Starscream wanted the secrets of the Ark for himself, so he sent Bruticus to attack the Autobots aboard. After Bruticus freed the Decepticon prisoners, Ratchet and Brawn activated the Ark's self-destruct sequence. Bruticus was caught in the explosion, but not damaged. Still, the Ark was kept out of Starscream's hands.

History (Cybertron): Primus takes the four great ships and creates one giant ship. He says it is the legendary craft known as the Ark. It certainly looks different, but I felt it was worth adding.

More pictures:

Toypix:
Top view
Front-quarter view
Rear-quarter view
Bottom view

Cartoon pix:
Clearing path through asteroids
From Beast Wars, falling to Earth
From Beast Wars, buried in the mountain
From Beast Wars, front view of shuttle

Comic pix:
Very good narration of buried Ark
Bigger pic of crash landing in Canada

Bibliography of significant appearances:

* TF season 1: More Than Meets The Eye part 1: Asteroid mission, attack and crash. Transformers revived and rebuilt.
* The Ark appeared in numerous episodes as the base of the Autobots.
* TF season 3: Five Faces of Darkness part 5: Destroyed by Trypticon.

* Transformers (Marvel) #1: Asteroid mission, attack and crash. Transformers revived and rebuilt.
* Transformers (Marvel) #4: Construction of Dinobots recounted.
* Transformers (Marvel) #35: Ark space-borne under Grimlock's command.
* Transformers (Marvel) #77: Ark stolen by Shockwave and Starscream.
* Transformers (Marvel) #79: Ratchet causes Ark to crash to Earth.
* G.I. Joe (Marvel) #140: Megatron takes Ark for himself.
* Transformers G2 (Marvel) #2: Ark destroyed by Fortress Maximus.

* Beast Wars: The Agenda part 3: Maximals and Predacons fight over fate of Autobots.
* Beast Wars: Nemesis part 2: Shuttle discovered by Rhinox.

*Transformers (Dreamwave) vol.3 #1: Ark destroyed by Ratchet and Brawn.

* Beast Wars: The Gathering (IDW) #2-3: Razorbeast finds parts.

* Cybertron: Homecoming and End: Another Ark created by Primus.

From the packaging: This legendary ship looms large in the history of the Transformers. Originally constructed to destroy an asteroid that threatened Cybertron, it became the home base first of the Maximals and then the Autobots on Earth. Over the long history of the war, the Ark changed hands many times, featuring as the crux upon which many a battle turned, before its ultimate destruction.