I feel like part of the reason why the Unicronians are both the same yet very different from other Cybertronians is because Unicron knows jack-shit about how Cybertronians/life-in-general works, I mean why would he? God of destruction, death and all that.
So when making Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge it was quite literally “Yeah that looks okay, seems alright to me, that’s how it works right? Well, it does now” as he threw whatever seemed right together.
I quite like that idea. I’ve always seen them all as being built ‘In Unicrons image’ so to speak.
Also seeing as Unicron rebuilds Starscream it’s kind of dissappointing we didn’t get a Unicronian Starscream. I think that would have been badass to see. I’d put that down mostly to Unicron just being a head at the time and thus having less energy to build Starscream an entirely new body from scratch.
I prefer to think of it as (Or at least it’s how it’s gonna go down in my ‘verse if that story even goes the same idk he might manipulate someone else into helping rather than mr. chaos god) him being rebuilt as before because Unicron didn’t need him for anything.
Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge were needed to go destroy the Matrix as such he made them new and powerful bodies so they could rip through and slaughter as many Autobots as needed to get to it. Also made them dangerous should they turn on him hence Unicrons abusive behaviour (towards Galvatron in particular) though that could also easily just be because Unicrons a big evil weenie and just likes being cruel as fuck.
Starscream only needed a body so he could perform physical tasks.
Oooh! That’s a really interesting idea and a fun way to look at it, and that makes some sense within G1 canon. I can see that happening. Though jokes on Unicron, if he’d have given Starscream a body he could actually control then Starscream wouldn’t have been able to turn on him (never trust that seeker XD)
I still think Unicronian Starscream could be a fun idea but maybe in it’s own little AU or storyline.
In fact part of my headcanon for why Starscream came back as a ghost but none of the other characters do is because he was killed by a weapon of Unicron’s. Only one’s killed by the Deathbringers hand come back as ghosts, and they get stuck in this perpetual state of purgatory until the only way to be revived is to beg Unicron for a body to which he then TAKES YOUR SOUL! (I dunno, just feels like a good way for a dark god to operate and recruit minions).
(Though I imagine my line of thought is quite different from a lot of people’s headcanons)
A read more because I’m self conscious about post lengths yay!
True though that also could’ve tied in to your idea about being low on power.
But then again, Megatron beat the crap out of Starscream all the time and was a pretty abusive prick (let’s be real) and that seeker still furiously schemed away against him so it might have not worked.
Then again the pain Unicron can inflict we know is powerful enough to have made Galvatron relent on his offer of teaming up with the Autobots against Unicron.
Aaaah I have a similar Headcanon that as the first to die to them he was their ‘sacrifice’ to Unicron and was thusly trapped in this ghostly purgatory/limbo state.
As for minions I always just feel Unicron is just that dang good at manipulating people and acting the fool should he need. Plus (I only directly use it in my TFA realm) if he can deliver painful attacks to a bots mind then he can surely trigger the release of pleasant emotions to further the manipulation by subtly making them associate him and doing what he wants with ‘good feelings’.
#My suggestion gives a bit less agency to Galvatron I feel
Well that’s one way to break my heart
After the trauma of the movie I feel like fighting for his agency and the fear of losing it is a big deal for him. He just wanted freedom at the end of the day.Hence why I like headcanoning the Matrix aaaalmost opened for him because it really was a genuine “Let me be free!” moment.
Needs more Galvatron 