Hey everyone! Here's the next character bio for Prime: Beast Saga. Once again, it is presented in the form of a news broadcast from "Around Cybertron", featuring a backstory for a character who...well...doesn't really have much of a real backstory. He only ever cameo'd in the show, so I'm making up most of this as I go, lol.
Anyway! Tonight's broadcast bio: Star Upper!
Good evening, mechs and femmes, and welcome back to Around Cybertron. Tonight: Star Upper is a legend...particularly to hear him tell it. But is he just a brash boxer with something to prove? Or is there more to this Maximal than meets the optic? Icebird has the details.
"Thanks, Andromeda. Now, Star Upper is nowhere near as reclusive as Lio Convoy, subject of yesterday's broadcast, but that's not to say he doesn't have his mysterious side! You see, no one's quite sure who recruited him into the Maximal Imperial Forces...and he's not telling!"
Star Upper's story starts in the low-cred districts of Nebulos. His sire and carrier worked in an energon refinery with many Cybertronians and beings of Cybertonian descent who refused to take beast modes as a form of protest against the Maximal High Command. The boxer's parents were not among the agitators, but tragically, paid the price all the same.
On the very day that Star Upper entered his first boxing competition, tensions on Nebulos were at an all-time high. Due to the Maximal Imperium's increased crackdown on humanoid organics in compliance with the Anthropoid Statute, the native Nebulans had been living a difficult life as second-class citizens on their own planet. Ironically, it was in an attempt to protect this very species from oppression that the Ancient Autobots first developed the Headmaster and Targetmaster technologies. Most of the employees at the energon refinery staged a strike, locking up the factory with everyone inside, including Star Upper's parents.
The disgruntled employees refused to begin energon production until the Maximal High Command ceded control of the planet back to the Nebulans, or at least dissolved the Anthropoid Statute. It is speculated that one of the employees behind this strike also masterminded the Splendora bombings four days earlier. The Maximal Imperium sent in armed forces to quell the rebellion, and after a week-long standoff, the strikers detonated the refinery with everyone inside it.
Star: "I remember, we were between rounds during the "No Holds Barred" competition. One of my Targetmaster mates, Firebolt, he comes up to me and he says, "They're gone, mate. They're gone." So you know, I told him, "Don't waffle, mate. Who's gone?" And he says, "Your sire and carrier."
(Here, Star Upper pauses, and looks away. Possibly trying to compose himself.)
Star: (clears throat) "...I almost dropped out of the competition right then, but Firebolt convinced me not to. He's a good bloke, even if most Maximals avoid his kind. He said, "Your carrier taught you to box, yeah?" And I says yeah, she did, so he says, "Well keep boxing, for her then. Don't you mind all the stickybeaks gonna come poking round here, asking your opinion on the politics. You came here to fight, so fight!" (Clears throat again.) I never forgot that, y'know."
Star Upper went on to complete the "No Holds Barred" boxing tournament as the top of his size classification. He returned to his hometown to his a final farewell to his parents, then left Nebulos for good.
Star: "I mean, it just wasn't home anymore. You know? I mean, you wouldn't even recognize the place anymore. The Harmony Gardens? Gone. The forests? Completely taken over by insurgents. Nah, mate. I skipped town while the getting was good, ran into some Imperium recruiters in the Skaro Mile...and never you mind what I was doing in the Skaro Mile... And I joined up with the reserve troops the next cycle."
Star Upper quickly made a name for himself among fellow trainees for quick fists and an even quicker mouth. Much of his basic training was marked by disciplinary incidents - usually connected to mouthing off to a superior officer. We spoke to one of his first commanders, Big Convoy, who was a drill sergeant at the time.
Big Convoy: "Yeah, he had a mouth on him. Still does, actually. But that was what I liked about Star, you know? All those other Cubs would be out there, "Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir," and Star Upper would just tell it like it is." (Laughs) "One time, I'm out on the field with Heinrad, putting the rookies through their paces, and Heinrad's got this big ol' chronometer in the center of his chest. Well I look and he's got it in backwards! And of course, I'm thinking, "Ah geez, this guy's gonna embarrass us in front of the Cubs!" But nobody notices. Or rather, nobody says anything."
(Big Convoy shifts in his chair)
"You can see the rookies' optics getting real big, but they're all keeping their mouths shut like good little soldiers." (Starts to laugh almost too hard to understand) "Then from the back, I hear this guy bark, "Hey, cap! Your clock's in wrong!" (Wipes optics and sighs) "That mech was a mess."
It was a rough trip through the ranks for Star Upper, but his naturally buoyant spark kept him going. He graduated Cub status and went on to become something called a "Hyper Scout". Now, we're not told what that rank entails, exactly, because according to Star Upper himself, we're not supposed to know the rank exists.
This reporter is taking that with a grain of salt.
After completing two separate tours of duty in Ro'kar and Jan-Ja, Star Upper was moved to the crew of the Yukikaze. He is apparently not at liberty to discuss his function in the crew itself, but if we know Star Upper, it's probably a little bit of everything.
When he's on leave, you can usually find this marsupial Maximal in the Kaon mixed-martial arts tournaments. He doesn't seem to mind fighting alongside the descendants of Decepticons, so long as no one doubts his ability to throw a punch with the best of them!
While on Earth, it seems that Star Upper has become a little bit of a drill sergeant himself for Lio Convoy's new recruits. We tried to ask him about the alleged human Maximals and the mysterious fellow calling himself "Cheetor", but we were very bluntly told to seek answers elsewhere. He takes on the missions that most mechs would shy away from. He's been on cleanup, scouting, and even spent an Earth year in a Predacon prison with fellow Maximal Razorback - then disguised as Predacon Razorbeast - in an attempt to infiltrate the Darksyde. According to them, working together during that mission was one of their more difficult assignments, and that they're "friends who want to kill each other". In an interview with the pair of them - miraculously both sitting still - we got a taste of their unusual friendship.
Star: "What can I say about Razor?"
Razor: "That he's not your best mate."
Star: (shakes helm) "Y'know, I really don't get that. Mechs come up to me and they're like, "Aw, you know Razorback, yeah? You're best mates!" And I'm like, "No, not really. Just on the same crew." (In a falsetto voice) "But you're both from Nebulos, right?"
Razor: "You know who else came from Nebulos?" (Pauses and looks at the camera) "Scorponok."
Star: "Boom."
Razor: "Scorponok was a Nebulan for a while. Y'think we're friends with him?"
Star: "The mech speaks truth!" (Laughs) "I think that might be one of the only things he and I can agree on."
Razor: "No it isn't."
(And here the reporter had to move quickly, as this mock argument devolved into a wrestling match that nearly destroyed two cameras).
"Sarcastic streak aside, it has been noted that Razorback and Star Upper are a very efficient tag-team, despite Razorback's near-legendary preference for working solo. We can only hope that the increasing frequency of their joint missions will mean that the Predacon threat in the Sol galaxy is nearing its end. For Around Cybertron's Exclusives, I'm Icebird."
"Thank you, Icebird. Local authorities say that there has been an outbreak of violent attacks in downtown Polyhex. The victims' names are not being released at present, but police are warning residents to remain in beast mode when outdoors to facilitate a quick escape if needed. Is cannibalism becoming a problem on Cybertron? That's next, after this."