The story of Sentinel Prime from the original continuity of the Transformers live-action film series.
Transformers: Foundation[]
Sentinel Prime declaring that Cybertron should be a free planet.
Just like his student Optimus, Sentinel Prime was a direct descendant of the Dynasty of Prime, and was believed to be the last Prime. He told tales to his much younger Cybertronian brethren of how the Dynasty of Primes had called upon the AllSpark to give life to their world. Sentinel was planning to save the planet by bringing a star to orbit Cybertron for eons to energize the AllSpark after finding it, and he gathered followers who believed in his path to a new age of life on Cybertron. With Wheeljack's help, he was able to do so, ending the conflict with the Thetacons.
Though Sentinel Prime was able to finally bring back the concept of "freedom" to the planet, he felt that he could not take part in its future, and thus, he revealed to Optimus about his lineage and taking on the mantle of leadership. When Optimus refused to believe he was a descendant from the Dynasty, and was too humble to accept leadership, Sentinel decided to split leadership of Cybertron so it could be governed by Optimus' Science Division and Megatron's Defense Force, thinking that by having Optimus investigate the remains of the Primes' civilization, it would encourage him to believe in his lineage.
After two generations of successful shared leadership on Cybertron, Megatron was corrupted by The Fallen and reformed the Defence Force into the Decepticons. Sentinel was present at Simfur when the first attack was launched, but he decided to opt for a technique of self-preservation instead of saving the Science Division's work. After being saved by Optimus and being told that he was telling the truth about Optimus being a descendant of the Dynasty of Primes, Sentinel taught him that "fate rarely calls upon one at the moment of their choosing", and that with him as Leader of the Autobots, Cybertron could be saved from Megatron (whom they did not know had turned evil because of The Fallen since they didn't know of his existence at the time) and his destructive ambitions.
Sentinel holding the "torch" that would become the core of the Control Pillar.
As the war continued with no signs of stopping, Sentinel Prime was forced to make a deal with Megatron to seek out another planet whose resources they can exploit to restore their homeworld. The chosen planet was the resting place of the last Star Harvester: Earth. To do this, he recreated the lost Space Bridge technology by fashioning hundreds of Pillars that could form a portal large enough to teleport Cybertron to itself across the cosmos. The Control Pillar's core was powered-up by the AllSpark, and took his Ark to collect Optimus' troops at Temple Simfur, while Wheeljack took the other Ark to collect the remaining troops at Tyger Pax. When he arrived at the temple, however, Starscream dealt heavy damage towards the Ark, resulting in the ship being consumed by a huge explosion and leaving all present to believe that Sentinel and all aboard had been destroyed.
Transformers: Convergence[]
In actuality, Sentinel's Ark had not been vaporized as believed: it had been teleported away by the Space Bridge technology it was outfitted with. With all hands knocked into stasis by the explosion, the ship automatically jinked through space and time on a series of random space bridge jumps, until at last, its sensors locked on to the energy of the AllSpark, which had since been ejected from Cybertron and had crash-landed on the planet Earth. On its penultimate jump, the Ark crossed paths with the Decepticon ship Nemesis that was captained by Soundwave, which had departed Cybertron just as the war was beginning, and was now also following the AllSpark's trail. The Ark materialized from its jump into the same physical space as the Nemesis, crippling both ships beyond repair; the Ark made one final bridge jump, reappearing in the immediate vicinity of Earth in 1961, where it crashed violently onto Earth's Moon. All the Autobots aboard perished save for Sentinel himself, who was in the crash vault and remained slumbering in stasis lock.
In 1961, Soundwave found Sentinel on the Moon, and began making revisions to the plan. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were secretly assigned to search on the Moon and analyze the crash under Walter Simmons' orders. Armstrong claimed there were no survivors. Since 1972, no one went to the Moon since, and was deemed above classified.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen[]
While in a trance brought by the AllSpark before its transference into the Matrix of Leadership, Sam recalled Sentinel's expedition to find a sun for Cybertron, which took "fourteen galactic convergences" to get "an echo".
Transformers: Dark of the Moon[]
Revival[]
Following the death of The Fallen, Optimus Prime and Ratchet were helping their human allies protect the Earth, when they encountered a piece of a machine that was originally part of the Ark. They eventually discovered that the Ark crashed landed on the dark side of the Moon.
Sentinel rejecting the Matrix of Leadership from Optimus.
The Autobots flew to the dark side of the Moon and found the Ark, along with both Sentinel Prime, and five pillars. With the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, Optimus revived Sentinel Prime. Sentinel scanned a Rosenbauer Fire Engine for an Earth form. When Sentinel Prime and Optimus Prime were talking to each other alone, Optimus thought that since Sentinel Prime was his leader, Sentinel should have the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and continue leading the Autobots. However, Sentinel said that since he knows nothing about this planet, Optimus should keep the Matrix, teach him about the planet, and continue being the leader of the Autobots.
Betraying the Autobots[]
Sentinel Prime killing Ironhide with the Cosmic Rust Cannon.
The Decepticon sub-group, the Dreads (Hatchet, Crowbar and Crankcase) chased after Sentinel Prime on his way to a different NEST base. Bumblebee, Dino, Ironhide and Sideswipe guarded Sentinel, allowing him to escape wherein Bumblebee and Dino killed Hatchet while Ironhide and Sideswipe destroyed Crankcase and Crowbar. After the chase scene ended, Sentinel revealed his true colors, claiming that the Autobots shall realize that he was not actually going to help the Autobots win the war, but instead made a deal with Megatron. He then murdered Ironhide, the Autobot closest to him, to distract NEST before wiping them out, with only a few human survivors.
The Invasion and Usurping the Decepticons[]
With the help of Megatron, Starscream and other Decepticons, they were able to open a space gate so that the Decepticon protoforms can invade the Earth. He decided to spare Optimus, because he was his apprentice once, and he wanted Optimus to realize how little humans actually cared for them. They first took over Chicago, IL and blocked it off so the protoforms would kill any Autobots attempting to infiltrate. The protoforms also killed most of the Chicagoans (except for Dylan Gould due to him being promised a position of power in the aftermath because he is power-hungry like Megatron, and Carly Brooks-Spencer, his hostage whom he wants for himself).
As the Space Bridge pillars were being set up, Megatron began to go on about the success and victory of their plan, in which Sentinel then attacked him, reminding him of his place: he was not working for Megatron, he was working with him. He then proceeded to take over full command of the Decepticons. Sentinel stayed out of most of the battle, relying on the Decepticon warriors instead, including (but not limited to) Shockwave, Soundwave, Laserbeak, Barricade and Starscream (all of whom, except for Barricade, would be killed during the battle).
Transporting Cybertron and Death[]
Other Decepticons were placed around the world with a few of the Pillars. They were going to be used to open a Space Gate and bring Cybertron into the Earth's atmosphere. After the Control Pillar (the Space Bridge Pillar that controls the other pillars) was deactivated by Optimus, Sentinel Prime fought all the Autobots and NEST with little to no effort. While he was fighting the Autobots, Sentinel Prime ordered any surviving Decepticons to reactivate the pillar. Dylan Gould heard this order and, realizing every Decepticon was too busy to follow Sentinel's orders, he decided to reactivate the Control Pillar himself, which later resulted in his death when Sam knocked him backwards into the Control Pillar while it was active to fatally electrocute him.
NEST was able to land some shots on Sentinel, and he attempted to escape, but Optimus chased him and attacked him. Sentinel managed to overpower Optimus and slice off his right arm, allowing his former student to vainly beg for mercy before he would deliver the killing blow. Simultaneously, Carly (Sam Witwicky's new girlfriend) convinced Megatron to turn on Sentinel Prime, claiming that if Sentinel did succeed in killing Optimus and transported Cybertron, Megatron would be nothing more than Sentinel's pawn. Megatron chooses to heed her warning and rushes into the one-sided duel just as Sentinel is about to kill Optimus and severely incapacitates Sentinel, claiming that the Earth is his planet to rule. After the space bridge was destroyed, Megatron proposed a rather insincere truce to Optimus, but Optimus refused and slew him with no effort, knowing his true intentions and possibly doing so as punishment of his previous actions.
Optimus Prime kills Sentinel Prime out of rage.
With his plans in ruins, the severely weakened Sentinel attempted to justify his actions, claiming all he ever wanted was to save the Cybertronian race, which was why he betrayed Optimus. His former pupil, however, countered it was never about betraying Optimus; by foolishly allying with Megatron and planning to enslave humanity, Sentinel had "betrayed [him]self" and everything he had ever stood for. Upon hearing Optimus pick up and recharge Megatron's fusion shotgun, Sentinel panicked and desperately begged for Optimus not to kill him. Optimus knowing Sentinel could no longer be trusted and already disgrace his ancestor's honor pride, shot him in the back and then the head, putting an end to Sentinel's life. With Sentinel's death, the deaths of Ironhide and the human soldiers were avenged as well.
Transformers: Age of Extinction[]
Sentinel Prime's severed head at KSI.
Despite being killed in the Battle of Chicago, KSI managed to recover parts of Sentinel's body, particularly his head, which were used to create many man-made Cybertronians, including Galvatron, who is later revealed to be possessed by the still living mind consciousness of Megatron himself. Five years after the Battle of Chicago, Sentinel Prime was listed "deceased" by the CIA taskforce Cemetery Wind, led by the xenophobic Harold Attinger, his right-hand man James Savoy, and the Cybertronian Bounty Hunter Lockdown.
Despite being deceased, his crimes, along with those of Megatron, the Decepticons and the Human Collaborators, had resulted in all Cybertronians being hunted down and executed by Cemetery Wind. This includes the Autobots being amongst the many blamed for the numerous human casualties prior to "The Battle of Chicago", despite their deaths actually being at the hands of Sentinel and the invasive hostile Decepticons.
Other Versions[]
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Novelization[]
- Main article: Sentinel Prime (2011 Novelization)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Mobile Games[]
Java[]
Sentinel Prime in the mobile game adaptation for Java.
For a long time, Sentinel Prime led the Autobots during the war against the Decepticons. After several years of war, however, Sentinel realized his faction would lose, and so he made a deal with Megatron to rebuild Cybertron using Earth's resources. He was presumed dead when the Ark was hit during escape, leading his former student, Optimus Prime, to become the new Autobot Leader.
On present day, the Ark was discovered on the Moon, and the Autobots headed there to retrieve him, with Optimus reviing him using the Matrix of Leadership. After defeating some Decepticons on the way back to NEST after learning about the Space Bridge Pillars, Sentinel finally revealed his betrayal and attacked Ironhide.
After getting away with the Pillars, Sentinel met with Megatron at Washington D.C., where they began the next phase of their plan. Optimus arrived to stop him, and managed to defeat Sentinel. But it was already too late, as the Space Bridge was opened and brought several Decepticons hidden on the Moon to the planet. In Chicago, Optimus and Sentinel have their final confrontation and the former emerges victorious before heading to fight Megatron. However, Sentinel only goes limp, leaving unknown what happened to him after.
IOS/Symbian[]
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Sentinel Prime in the mobile game adaptation for IOS/Symbian.
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Ditto, but now in the game's cutscenes.
For a long time, Sentinel Prime led the Autobots during the war against the Decepticons. After several years of war, however, Sentinel realized his faction would lose, and so he made a deal with Megatron to rebuild Cybertron using Earth's resources. He was presumed dead when the Ark was hit during escape, leading his former student, Optimus Prime, to become the new Autobot Leader.
While in stasis lock, Sentinel would have the same dream of fighting his enemies over and over. On present day, the Ark was discovered on the Moon, and Optimus headed there to retrieve his former mentor, using the ship's fuel rod to revive him. After defeating some Decepticons on the way back to NEST after learning about the Space Bridge Pillars, Sentinel finally revealed his betrayal and attacked Bumblebee. He tried to kill the 'Bee with his Cosmic Rust Cannon, but Ironhide sacrificed himself to save Bumblebee's life.
After getting away with the Pillars, he activated the Space Bridge on Washington D.C., where he fights Optimus. Having defeated his former student, Sentinel tried to extinguish his spark. Optimus, however, survived the attempt. In Chicago, the Autoots managed to destroy the Pillars and send Cybertron back to it's original orbit. Angered by this, Sentinel challenged Optimus for the last time. During their battle, Megatron ordered Sentinel to finish Optimus for good, to which he berated the Decepticon Leader, thus causing them both to argue about who is in charge of the Decepticons. This gave Optimus an opportunity to attack Sentinel by surprise and kill him, something that Megatron wasn't expecting.