EMIRATE XAARON

 

Emirate Xaaron, all hail the king!


Appearances:

A lot of them. 

 

UK Transformers

Transformers UK annual 1985 (And There Shall Come... A Leader)

 

#44 (Crisis of Command, part 3, mentioned by Optimus Prime, significant as it's his first mention in the UK regular series.)

 

#78 - 80 (Target: 2006, Prologue and  parts 1 and 2)

#82 (Target: 2006, part 4: Wreck and Rule)

#83 (Cybertron: The Middle Years, plus he's mentioned by Ultra Magnus in the main story: Target: 2006, part 5: The Devil You Know...)

#84 (Target: 2006, part 6: Trios)

#87 (Target: 2006, part 9, appeared in the story-recap.)

#88 (Target: 2006, Epilogue)

 

#100 (Distant Thunder)

#103 + 104 (Resurection, parts 1 + 2

 

#166 + 167 (Legion of the Lost, parts 1 + 2)

#168 + 169 (Meltdown, parts 1 + 2)

 

#170 + 171 (Deadly Games, parts 1 + 2, mostly just a side mention.)

#172 (Wrecking Havoc, part 1)

 

#232 + 233 (A Small War, parts 1 + 2)

#246 + 247 (Demons, Dawn of Darkness)

#249 (Whose Life Force is it Anyway?)

 

#252 - 254 (Yesterday's Heroes, US story)

 

#259 - 261 (Primal Scream, US Story)

#262 - 264 (Matrix Quest, part 1: Bird of Prey, US story)

 

#286 - 289 (Matrix Quest, part 3: Deadly Obsession)

 

#311 + 312 (Surrender, US story)

#313 + 314 (All This and Civil War 2, US story)

#315 + 316 (Out of Time, US story, effectively dies by merging with Primus.)

 

#317 + 318 (The Void, US story; merged with Primus.)

#319 - 322 (On the Edge of Extinction, US story; merged with Primus.)

 

 

Full frontal Xaaron!! Woo!US Transformers 

#60 - 62 (Yesterday's Heroes, Primal Scream, Matrix Quest, part 1: Bird of Prey)

#64 (Matrix Quest, part 3: Deadly Obsession)

#71 + 72 (Surrender, All This and Civil War 2)

#73 (Out of Time, Emirate Xaaron is possessed by Primus and is then effectively dead.)

 

Appearances while merged with Primus (US Transformers Comics)

#73 (Out of Time, first merges.)

#74 (The Void, recaps the Transformers' origin from Primus' point of view.)

#75 (On the Edge of Extinction, fights Unicron and is destroyed. This is the death of both Primus and Emirate Xaaron.)

 

 

Quote:

A nice BIG quote for Xaaron, the speech that convinced Impactor to keep on as part of Operation: Volcano. 

 

"Well it occurs to me that, if Magnus doesn't return in time, history will judge you as having made the right decision... perhaps even one that would later give the Autobots their victory. You'd be a hero! However... if Magnus WAS to get back to Cybertron in time and YOU weren't ready..." 

 

Followed by Impactor saying: "Enough, enough!" Then thinking: "You wily old buzzard!"

 

 

Alt-Mode:  

Even though Emirate Xaaron never actually Transformed in his entire time in the comics (!) his alt mode is in fact known! It was revealed both in an information booklet released with an issue of the Transformers, called 'The Facts'. (It was issued with Transformers #200.)  

 

"The Facts" tells us, "The Autobot leader on Cybertron [Emirate Xaaron] transforms into a small combat tank (Cybertronian design). But he hasn't used this for for hundreds of years and wonders now if his circuitry would stand the strain. "

 

As suggested above, Emirate Xaaron hadn't transformed for so long that it was uncertain whether he COULD transform any more. He was a very old Transformer (the oldest, in fact), and the strain would probably have been too much for him! It might have KILLED him! Fortunately, Xaaron didn't ever have to find out if the strain would kill him. And it's not such a huge concern, now. Not since he died, anyway.

 

 

Description:  

Emirate Xaaron is to the TF comics what Alpha Trion was to the TV show... at least partially. He was to the UK comics what Straxus was to the US comics. At least somewhat.

 

Emirate Xaaron was the longest lasting and most prestigious (but not most famous) of all obscure characters ever. He's also probably one of my favourites, rivalling guys like Jhiaxus and Straxus for the top spot.

Xaaron acted as a mentor figure in countless stories. He acted as a leader-figure, and a saviour. His roles were many and varied, but would best be summed up as saying he was the Optimus Prime of Cybertron. Of course, one must qualify that with the fact that Xaaron was very old, unlike Prime, and though he was the greatest leader of the Autobots on Cybertron, he wasn't a fighter.

He's similar to Alpha Trion in that he has the same mentor sort of a role. However Emirate Xaaron is a meatier character, who spent his time trying to defeat the Decepticons, not telling Elita One she shouldn't use her powers. Also like Alpha Trion he eventually had a kind of spiritual change, and guided the Autobots a little differently, and a little more aloofly than before. Of course Xaaron's change was different to Trion's. While Trion became one with Vector Sigma, entering the computer's body (and eventually becoming a Ghost in the Japanese series), Emirate Xaaron had the opposite happen. For him, Primus, the Transformers' god (!) entered HIS body, and used it to guide the Transformers. Sadly, Primus was a little clumsy and also managed to Xaaron killed in the process!


Like Straxus, Xaaron began in one comic (Xaaron started in the UK comic, whereas Straxus began in the US comic) and transferred over into the other comic. Unlike Straxus, Xaaron had a longer and more illustrious career in the comic that spawned him than in the comic he went to. I personally believe that the character of Emirate Xaaron as seen in the US comics can't be fully appreciated unless you read a few of his UK stories as well. He's a lot more mobile and pro-active in the UK comics, though he's still hardly what you'd call a fighter.

I can say that, without a doubt, Xaaron had the longest career of ANY obscure character. Don't believe me? Well, just compare the number of episodes Alpha Trion was in, 4 or 5 American, maybe 4 or 5 more Japanese, to the number of comics that Xaaron was in... easily over 25. He had quite a career. (Well, okay, maybe they're closer than that...)

 

However, Xaaron had a trait not normally seen in the soft-hearted Autobot leaders. He knew when to be cruel. He gleefully manipulated Impactor during Operation: Volcano. Once to make sure he'd stay with the seemingly doomed Operation, and once to make assure Impactor that the Autobot Triple Changers could replace Magnus in the Operation. Not only that, the way he treated the Micromasters (especially poor Seawatch), gives you a good idea of why they were so angry when they finally got to Earth.

 

 

Biography:  

Emirate Xaaron, the greatest obscure Autobot. Yikes. Where to start? Probably, at the start.

Emirate Xaaron was one of the more pro-active members of the Autobot Council of Elders. He could see that an army run by politicians was doomed to fail against the militaristic power that was the Decepticon army. To this end he lobbied High Councillor Traachon to relinquish control of the Autobot army to the warrior known as Optimus Prime. Traachon acceded to Xaaron's request, showing that, sometimes, he could be rather smart.

After handing the leadership over to Prime, Xaaron's activities among the Autobots aren't well documented up until Optimus. It's likely that Xaaron acted as an advisor to Prime until that whole 'Ark' incident in which Prime and Megatron (and their troops) crashed into Earth and were lost to the Cybertronian Transformers.

With Megatron gone, the Decepticon warlord known as Trannis rose to power. With Optimus gone the Autobot Council regained its seat of power. Trannis was definitely not under threat, and the Autobots were completely decimated.

When Trannis led his march against Iacon, the Autobot Council decided that surrender would be the best option. Emirate Xaaron disagreed. Taking several hundred Autobots loyal to him he fled into Cybertron's disused sewer systems. His plan was to start a Guerilla war against the Decepticons.

A Xaaron went a walkin'... Trannis marched on Iacon and took the city. The Autobot High Council quickly surrendered. Trannis thanked them for it, then quickly had them executed. It seemed that once again, Xaaron's course of action was the wisest.

Xaaron's underground slowly built in power, while Trannis grew weak. Xaaron's armies became bolder, openly fighting the Decepticons, and taking the war to the enemy. Trannis on the other hand, was growing weak willed, his empire growing stagnant. The Autobots, led by Xaaron, saw this as the perfect time to strike

Xaaron sent his crack team of Autobot commandos, the Wreckers, to Trannis' palace. They had only one goal in mind, to kill Trannis. A goal which they rather easily succeeded in achieving. Partly because the Decepticons themselves were preparing to unseat Trannis.

This was Xaaron's first great failure. The assassination of Trannis allowed Lord Straxus to come to power. He was merciless and deadly, and crushed what little hope Xaaron's armies had amassed, once again scattering them and forcing them underground.

Xaaron had to rebuild. And he did so slowly, his forces working to unite the scattered Autobot factions and prepare for the day when they would make a mass uprising against the Decepticons. After the "death" of Straxus, and the discovery that Optimus Prime still lived, Xaaron and his Wreckers decided they were ready to start that uprising. To herald it, they would carry out Operation: Volcano, which would kill nine deadly Decepticons and launch the Autobots into action.

To allow Volcano to succeed they needed some muscle. Xaaron oversaw the building of Ultra Magnus, the ultimate Autobot warrior, who would fill the void. While the Wreckers killed nine of the Decepticons' most deadly warriors Ultra Magnus would fight a holding action against reinforcements, giving the Wreckers time to regroup and escape. The bait for the plan, would be Xaaron himself.

 

Unfortunately, just before Volcano was to go ahead, the Matrix Flame (a sacred and revered religious artefact) was extinguished! This meant that the Matrix was destroyed, or now completely beyond Autobot reach. Xaaron realised this could be disastrous, and sent Ultra Magnus to earth, to find out what happened to the Matrix.


Impactor then bowed out of Volcano. He didn't want his men to die. However Xaaron convinced him to once again take part in Volcano, telling him that he could depart, but how would it look if Magnus came back in time and the Wreckers weren't ready?


Xaaron, manipulating Impactor. That wily old buzzard.


To strengthen Impactor's resolve, Xaaron set the new Autobot Triple-changers against him, to test Impactor, and to test them. They were to replace Ultra Magnus in Operation: Volcano, even if they weren't as powerful as Magnus (even together).

In the end it turned out that it was all in vain. When Volcano was to go ahead, the Decepticons were recalled by Megatron, to go to earth! One Decepticon stayed behind however, and tried to assassinate Xaaron. However Impactor pushed Xaaron out of the way, and took the blast (that Decepticon, Macabre, was quickly dispatched). Xaaron lived on, but his old friend had died.

Weeks (months?) later, Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron. However the Decepticons tricked the Autobots into thinking he was a fake, and he was hunted down by the Wreckers. Just before he was about to be executed he made a speech. Xaaron (brought to the scene by Magnus) heard the speech and was convinced that it was the real Optimus Prime. He called the Wreckers off.

Xaaron at first was reluctant to let Optimus go back to earth, however he eventually agreed that this was the best course of action.

The mad Autobot scientist 'Flame' menaces poor ole Xaaron. Later, Xaaron was kidnapped by the Autobot scientist gone mad, Flame. Flame had known Xaaron eons ago when they were both at the Autobot Accademy of Science. Xaaron tried to stop Flame, but was imprisonned with the Wreckers and guarded by the zombie version of Impactor.

 

Xaaron convinced Springer, who'd been doubting himself, to get into action. Springer escaped from the cell, followed by Impactor. Impactor himself had been effected by Xaaron's speech and was starting to get some of his memories back.

 

After escaping himself with the help of the Wreckers (after all, Impactor was no longer guarding them), Xaaron attacked Flame. Flame transformed into his fire-tank mode and beat the snot out of Xaaron, until the Wreckers, Ultra Magnus and Trypticon (!) arrived to save the day. 

 

Despite the timely arrival of re-inforcements, Flame's mad plan to activate planet-sized engines, was proceeding. The engine cores were unstable, and could only be shut down by walking through fatal layers of radiation. 

 

Xaaron prepared to sacrifice himself to shut down the engines, only to have Impactor step in, kill Flame, and take his place. After Impactor saved them all, Xaaron said a eulogy to the lost Wrecker.

Xaaron spent a long time after that overseeing missions, but not playing a hugely active role in them. Some included sending the Wreckers to fight Galvatron, the time wars, and the creation of Autobot Micromasters.

When the Autobot's learnt of Decepticon attempts to build Micromasters Xaaron sent the Autobot Battle Patrol to stop them. They were given strict orders; in case of capture they were to activate self-destruct systems. The Autobots couldn't allow the Decepticons to get Micromaster technology. When they were captured, and didn't self-destruct, Xaaron sent the Autobot Sports Car, Rescue and Off Road patrols to destroy the battle patrol, and any Decepticon research.

The Micromasters went on the mission, but didn't obey Xaaron's orders, instead trying to save the Battle Patrol before the Decepticons could get the technology. However they were too late to destroy the technology, and only just managed to get out with the battle patrol. Xaaron realised when the Micromasters returned that he'd been wrong to treat them as weapons to be used, or disposed of. Still, maybe he was right in the first place, some of those Micromasters were annoying.

When the Autobot Pretender Classics escaped the explosive end of Megatron's scheming (in US issue #59), they quickly joined the Autobot underground and came under Xaaron's command.

Shortly after that, several Demon-creatures were woken up, accidentally on Cybertron. They were pure evil, and fed on the energy of their victims. The Demons killed three Decepticons and badly injured the Autobot Seawatch. Xaaron sent Bumblebee, Grimlock and Jazz out to see what could be done about it.

 

While the Decepticons attacked Grimlock, Bumblebee and Jazz (who they thought were responsible for the death of their comrades), Xaaron had brought around to give information on the Demons.

 

The Demons set upon both Autobot and Decepticon, and were just getting bigger and badder as the Transformers' weapons fed them! However Xaaron realised that they could be over-fed, and fed them pure energon, destroying them! He then warned his Autobots that there were plenty more Demons where that lot came from, and they would have to be on guard in the future.

 

Xaaron was seeing off the Classic Pretenders, and the Autobot Rescue Patrol, sending them to Earth, when the Decepticon Mayhem Attack Squad (mk III) struck. Bludgeon accelerated the dimensional interface of the Trans-Time Dimensional Portal, transporting all the Pretenders, and Micromasters to the centre of Cybertron. Xaaron managed to have the transporter fixed and to send the Autobots (and Decepticons) to earth, but not before they accidentally woke up Primus and attracted Unicron's attention.

Pro: Drawn with emotion by Geoff Senior. Con: Coloured with no talent by Nel Yomtov.


Xaaron conferred with Prime on what he knew about Unicron. Both agreed the most prudent course of action would be to find the Creation Matrix. The one thing, the only thing, that could stand in Unicron's way. The Matrix. They sent four teams of Autobots into the sector of the galaxy that they determined was the one where the Matrix was, to search for Optimus' body, and the Matrix.

Emirate Xaaron's teams consisted of the small Pretenders (Pincer, Doubleheader and Longtooth) and the Triggerbots (Backstreet, Dogfight and Override). It was the small Pretenders who were to find the first clue to the Matrix's location, though it was one of Optimus' teams who eventually found the Matrix itself.

After the Matrix Quest, Xaaron continued to act as Autobot leader on Cybertron, until they were 'visited' by Galvatron, Hook, Line and Sinker. Galvatron sought out Xaaron, chasing him into the disused sewer systems of Cybertron (gotta love those sewer systems!) and forcing Xaaron to take him to the centre of Cybertron, and Primus!!

 

Galvatron had a plan. If he could awaken Primus, the god of purity and light could kill Unicron, and get Galvatron's revenge for him. Xaaron was reluctant to wake Primus, but knew this might be the only chance they had. Only Primus could unite the Autobots and Decepticons against Unicron.

Xaaron reached his mind out and Primus awoke, and that was effectively the end of Emirate Xaaron for all time!

Primus possessed Xaaron and used what little power he had to destroy Hook (Line and Sinker had been destroyed by Galvatron) and then bring the Autobots and Decepticons to Cybertron to fight Unicron. The subsequent battle saw the death of Primus, and the destruction of Xaaron's body. Primus had attacked Unicron, but Unicron realised that the small amount of Primus' power which remained in Cybertron couldn't beat him, and annihilated Xaaron, and Primus, with his optic beams.

The End.

 

 

Tech Specs/TFU:  

Emirate Xaaron actually never got into combat in ALL his career. He was in the line of fire MANY times, but he never actually fought anyone. The closest he ever came to actually fighting was against Flame. Even then all he did was dodge Flame's attacks. He was unable to attack back because he couldn't Transform to his combat form, for fear of dying from the shock to his systems!

 

He was probably just too old for that sort of thing. After all, he was one of the oldest, no, actually, THE oldest, Transformer at the time. The highest stats for Xaaron would be Rank (10) and Intelligence (probably 10). Combat stats, on the other hand, would probably be fairly low. He doesn't seem to have a gun, he doesn't (and maybe can't) even Transform... no, he's not a fighter, but he's not a wimp like Alpha Trion either. Xaaron has guts! (Let's give him a courage of 10!!)

 

 

Nice profile this guy's got, huh?Toy:  

The first thing you'd have to decide on would be a colour. Emirate Xaaron went through a major colour change when he became a member of the US comic cast. In the UK comic he had a blue head, gold body, and grey parts on various locations. See the top picture for a vague reference. Basically what it meant is he had MULTIPLE colours. Shock horror. When he went to the US comic he became all yellow, all over. Why?

I have two theories on this. First theory is that he became all yellow to show him as a more regal figure; all decked in gold. My second theory is that Nel Yomtov (the colourist on the whole American comic-book run) is just a really lazy and really crapful colourist.

I think my second theory is more accurate.

If you did have an Emirate Xaaron toy it would probably be some sort of Action Master. Or possibly it would be a Machine Wars/Beast Wars style Flip-changer, except when you pulled the lever to make it Transform, it just fell apart. Yeah, I could see that... The Xaaron character being old and unable to Transform, means he'd make a great PVC. One pose, because he doesn't move much anyway, and unable to Transform. AND you could have both colour variants. Woo.

 

Over All:  

Emirate Xaaron is the KING of obscure characters. 

 

He's seen it all, he's done it all. He's been drawn by Geoff Senior, Andy Wildman, Jose Delbo, Will Simpson, Jeff Anderson and quite a few others. He's faced off Zombies, Demons and mad renegade Autobots. He's ordered assassinations on Decepticon overlords, overseen the building a new generation of Autobots, gotten Optimus Prime into power and even gotten politicians to vote themselves OUT of power! He's seen Target:2006, the Time Wars, the Matrix Quest and has even BEEN Primus.  

 

No obscure character ever had such a career, and yet managed to stay so damned obscure! 

 

Perhaps most incredible of all Xaaron has done it all without becoming a combatant. He's been in the war, he's watched the war rage, but he knows his place is leading, not fighting. And lead he does. I think Xaaron accomplished more than Optimus Prime ever did!

 

All hail, Emirate Xaaron.

 

Xaaron, good for stopping Decepticons, Nazis and Commies. Go Xaaron.Gallery:

1985 Annual:

Image 1 (Already on this page.) Images from Xaaron's first appearance ever.

Image 2 Another early headshot.

Image 3 Yet another. Enjoy.

 

UK Issue #79

Image 1 (Already on this page.) Jeff Anderson art.

Image 2 (Already on this page.)

Image 3 Xaaron and Impactor track mud all over Autobase.

Image 4 Another shot of Xaaron and Impactor together.

 

 

UK Issue #80

Image 1 Xaaron from behind, by Will Simpson.

Image 2 (Already on this page.)

Image 3  Strangely angled shot of Xaaron and Impactor together.

 

UK Issue #82

Image 1 (Already on this page.)

Image 2 A nice Emirate Xaaron headshot.

Image 3 (Already on this page.)

Image 4 Xaaron and Impactor discuss Operation: Volcano.

Image 5 The same as Image 1 but with Impactor in the shot. (And a few things on Xaaron 'left on' that I cut out on the version that's already on this page.)

 

UK Issue #82

Image 1 Emirate Xaaron on a comunicube, talkin' to Impactor.

Image 2 Impactor is a little surprised to see Xaaron on the comunicube. (See Impactor's page for why.)

 

UK Issue #169

Image 1 (Already on this page.)

Image 2 Xaaron from the rear.

Image 3 Emirate Xaaron attempting to Transform. Clearly, it's quite a strain for him.

Image 4 Again, Xaaron from behind.

Image 5 Another one of those shots of his cute mug.

Image 6 (Already on this page.)

 

US Issue #61

Image 1 (Already on this page.)

 

Emirate Xaaron has he first appeared. Much more ornate head.

 

 

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