"Transformers One" Iacon 5000 Race Participants

Notes:  All screenshots are from Transformers One now streaming on Digital.  The Amazon links below are affiliate links and will benefit Ben's World of Transformers.

As the scene begins, we see characters who have not appeared in canon before including "Thunderglide" and "Behemoth" and we also see the bully Darkwing. Once the race begins, we see a ton of transforming characters but they are not explicitly named. Still, thanks to the scoreboards and announcements we know some of the participants in the race (but not all since there are over 350 racers!). Below is a rundown of who is referenced as the race progresses. I have broken each grid up by the scene they appear in. Links will either go to the TF Wiki or where possible, reviews on Ben's World of Transformers to toys that represented "G1/G2-inspired" versions of those characters (where applicable).

As the race begins, D-16 and Orion Pax join in and Sentinel Prime is shocked that two miners are in the race. This is where we get out first look at the Iacon 5000 scoreboard.

The race is on and D-16 makes a rather foreboding comment about "killing" Orion Pax for dragging him into the race. We get another look at the scoreboard which shows us participants far behind the last group.

At one point several racers enter a tunnel and we get another look at the scoreboard. Many of the characters repeat, but three additional characters listed. By this point the positions of many racers have changed.

As the race continues, we hear the unseen announcer mention three names: Tailwind, Strafe and Skyfire. Then the scoreboard appears again.

As the race progresses, D-16 and Orion use various methods to make up for their lack of alt-modes. As the propel themselves towards the front of the race we get to see more names on the board as it rapidly changes from scene to scene.

Towards the end of the race, it looks like D-16 and Orion Pax are going to win. For a brief moment they are both in first place. When the scoreboard flashes we get to see who the final fourteen contenders were in the race before Chromia winds up winning at the very end. Several of these names repeat from the listings above but are now in different positions in the race.

I was a Generation One fan from the beginning and as Generation 2 came and went I found it fun and memorable but also a line that introduced a lot of characters who have since been virtually forgotten in the Transformers toy line and fiction.  It was an absolute treat to see so many names from those eras in this film.  Sure on a surface level they are fun "name cameos" but what really impressed me is that they did not just use a bunch of 1984 character names and call it a day.  Instead, they took a lot of character names long time Transformers fans will recognize easily such as Mirage and Powerglide, but mixed in much lesser known names such as Meanstreak and Blowout.   In the case of those two characters, they have had toys made and then appeared in a couple print stories and that's it.

Having all these characters together also adds a bit of poignancy to the race.  It is a stark reminder that at one time these future Autobots and Decepticons all participated in an event that was meant to unite and inspire Cybertronians.  Not too long after this race however they would be enemies across the battlefield.  As the race ended, I found myself wondering in the theater if the participants in the race ever think back to this event and long for a simpler (and less violent) time.

Transformers One is currently on streaming platforms such as Amazon and Fandango/Vudu.  It will be released on 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD on December 17th.  You an use this link to order it and support BWTF.