Movies time line - according to events in the Movies ONLY
(please post any corrections to any errors I may have made)
Movie time line - according to events in the Movie ONLY
(because writers Orci & Kurtzman stated at BotCon 2008 or 2009 that, 'if it didn't happen on screen, it didn't happen')
In other words, if the comics were never written, this is how people who didn't read them would see the timeline for the 3 Movies.
Anything explained in the comics that wasn't in the Movies, was not something planned by the Movie writers, it was just authorised by Hasbro (there are no story credits to the Movie Writers in the IDW comic prequels and sequels).
The movies are written without any consideration or allowance for a comic universe, and it has been mentioned that neither party interacts with the other directly (they go through Hasbro). It is IDW that later creates comic stories to explain all the plot holes, and then has to worry about the plots of future movies that could end up contradicting IDW stories.
As such, concepts like the Ark, 1969 Apollo launch, and the death or resurrection of characters, have been in IDW comics before they were contradicted or 'used for the first time' in a later Movie... which might make it worthwhile to consider the Movie Comics as an alternate Universe to the on-screen Movie Universe.
(anything with ???? was not quoted in the movies, or can't be worked out by human history)
???? years ago
Cube arrives on Cybertron - implied that it creates their race
???? years ago
War between Autobots & Decepticons
19,000 years ago
A Star Harvester is built on Earth
The Fallen wants to turn it on, which would destroy all life on the planet.
The other Primes sacrifice themselves with the Matrix (a key for the harvester) to prevent The Fallen using it.
Several Seekers are sent to Earth to find the Matrix (and never found it after all that time)
(Fallen Returns to Cybertron?)
????
The Fallen (leaves Cybertron?) in the 'Nemesis' for some unknown reason, which is full of hatchlings (very conjectural, as nothing is named or explained when the ship is shown in TF2)
The 'Nemesis' crashes on a moon of a ringed gas giant (possibly Saturn).
????
Sentinel Prime is the Leader of the Autobots before Optimus Prime
Sentinel Prime develops spacebridge technology to restore Cybertron
Sentinel Prime makes a deal with Megatron to defect to the Decepticons
Sentinel Prime attempts to meet up with Megatron in the Ark with his Spacebridge technology, but the ship is damaged and drifts off into space.
????
Allspark Cube is sent out into space (by Autobots)
10,000 years ago
Allspark Cube crashes on Earth
????
Megatron crashes to Earth in the Arctic after sensing the Cube's location.
4,600 years ago
Pyramid of Giza built over Star Havester
Late 19th Century
Megatron is found by Sam's Great Great Grandfather
Late 19th Century - Early 20th Century
Sector Seven formed and later named
1913
Cube found in Colorado River, Nevada
1931-1936
Hoover Dam was built around Cube by Sector 7
????
Megatron moved to Hoover Dam some time after it was built
1961
Ark crashes on the Moon - NASA detects it and starts Moon landing project
(despite the vast space between us and Cybertron, everything that leaves there somehow manages to crash on Earth or near it)
1960s
Russians send probes, and one was able to bring back an Autobot Engine part
Decepticons must have arrived on the moon in force during this time, led by Soundwave, and removed pillars from the Ark
Soundwave's Decepticon Army remains hidden on dark side of the moon until 2011 (despite everything that happens during TF1 & TF2 - they never interferred to save Megatron or the Fallen)
1969 - 1972
American Moon landings bring back samples from the Ark for Sector Seven (only 35 people knew of the project)
1972
Soundwave and Laserbeak are able to force NASA and Russians to abandon future Moon landings.
All future probes sent to the moon are tampered with to prevent humans from seeing Decepticon Army in waiting.
2003
Beagle 2 on Mars is destroyed by different Decepticons - Starscream, Blackout, etc (who then proceed to Earth?)
2007
Bumblebee recently arrived on Earth and is looking for the Allspark Cube
Sam is found to be the key to the Cube
Rest of Autobots arrive
Cube found at Hoover Dam, and taken to Mission City
Megatron killed for the first time
Cube destroyed
Jazz, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Blackout, Frenzy are Killed
Sector 7 shut down
NEST created
2007-2009
Sideswipe, The Twins, Arcee triplets arrive on Earth
2009
Wheelie, Jetfire, Constructicons, Ravage and Sideways are first noticed by Autobots
The Fallen is revealed to the Autobots, who have never heard of him
Megatron resurrected
Optimus killed
The Fallen arrives on Earth with lots of Decepticons
Sam finds the Matrix with the help of Jetfire
Optimus is resurrected by the Matrix
The Star Harvester is found, started, and then destroyed
The Fallen, Jetfire, Devastator, Scorponok, Grindor, Ravage, Sideways, Scavenger, Mixmaster are killed
2009-2011
Wheeljack/Que, Mirage/Dino, Brains, Wreckers arrive on Earth
The Twins, Jolt and any surviving Arcee triplets disappear (all "renagade" Autobots had to boarding their rocket in TF3 and there were only nine plus Wheelie & Brains)
2011
Shockwave and his Driller, Laserbeak and Dreads are first noticed by Autobots
Megatron is a reclusive hermit, not even wanting to repair his head wound from 2009.
Decepticons want the Autobots to resurrect Sentinel Prime, so let them find out about the Ark
Sentinel Prime is awoken, and has with him the controlling pillar to his spacebridge
Sentinel Prime reveals his alliance with Megatron, and opens his spacebridge to the Moon.
The Decepticon army hiding on the moon comes to Earth.
Ironhide, Soundwave, Starscream, Laserbeak, Megatron, Sentinel Prime, Barricade, Shockwave, the Driller and the Dreads are all killed.
Cybertron is destroyed as the Spacebridge collapses while it was half-way through.
