Canon

[Hursticon]

As for the latest question on Sparks V Lasercores, I'd suggest if you're going to distinguish between the two then Sparks would probably be the 'spirit' bit with the Lasercore pretty much just a physical fuel pump/heart equivalent.

I used to think of the Lasercore as the Nuclei of the Spark with the 'spark' around it providing, the overall name, and the life-force/spirit.
Now, I see them as 2 separate technologies re: here.

But then according to the TFWiki http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Laser_core#Laser_core_and_Spark the Lasercore has been indicated as the housing unit for the Spark, as indicated by a few bios. But then on the Spark page it says there was an early idea that the lasercore was the core of a spark, so we're right back to WTFland.

Oh the joys of our beloved fiction huh?, lol!

This gets a bit (more) complicated in light of the way the BW animators used the Matrix as Optimus Prime's Spark Chamber in Optimal Situation, but can be salvaged with the throwaway Rhinox line about Optimus' Spark becoming 'one with the Matrix'. This would also help explain the Optimal Optimus upgrade insamuch as the (cartoon) Matrix has historically been shown to upgrade Hot Rod into Rodimus, with the permanent nature of Optimal optimus' upgrade explicable by the 'mingling Sparks' bit and/or differences between Maximal and Autobot technology (greater adavances in the former and/or the 'liquid metal' components). But then you run into the problem of why did BW Megatron also get a permanent upgrade? 'G1'/Guzzler sparks in Maximal/Predacon tech could cover it, but I'd suggest it's at least partially due the resilience of G1 Meg's Spark/will to live - he sure cheated death enough in the original 'toons.

That's pretty much exactly how I've always seen it too as I sort of like the idea that Prime's Spark merged with the Matrix as it gives rise to the explanation of why the right barer gets an upgrade, as you say , a pity that the scene of the Maximals replacing G1 Megatron's Spark was cut eh?