Transformers One's Sentinel Prime Explained: Backstory, Plan, & Powers

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Transformers One.

Transformers One is primarily the origin story of Orion Pax/Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16/Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry), but it also explores other prominent Transformers, including Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm). While he has not been in the franchise as long as Optimus Prime and Megatron, Sentinel Prime still has a rich history, and has appeared in many mediums long before his depiction in the animated prequel film. His inclusion in Transformers One further cements his important position in the franchise's lore.

As is the case in some of his previous portrayals, Sentinel Prime's true motivations and his shifting allegiances in the prequel drive much of the story. Despite his Autobot origins, he is not simply an Autobot, nor is he simply a Decepticon, and instead has a more complicated role in Transformers One and in other previous stories. The franchise's latest movie makes him an antagonist, and it is not the first time that his character has followed this narrative trajectory.

Sentinel Prime's History In Transformers Explained

There Have Been Many Iterations Of His Character

Sentinel Prime was first mentioned in issue #65 of Marvel's Transformers comics, which was released in 1990. This first mention established him as a vital figure in the Autobots' history as it referred to the fact that he held the Matrix of Leadership prior to Optimus Prime. Sentinel is usually portrayed as the leader of the Autobots prior to Optimus. In the years that followed, Sentinel gained more notoriety by appearing in many mediums throughout the following years, including his role in the Transformers Animated series, which saw him coming into conflict with Optimus.

His live-action debut came in 2011's Transformers: Dark of the Moon, voiced by Star Trek legend Leonard Nimoy, who voiced Galvatron in 1986's The Transformers: The Movie. With Sentinel betraying the Autobots and siding with the Decepticons, Nimoy once again voiced a Transformers villain. After Dark of the Moon and before Transformers One, Sentinel continues to appear in many stories, including his roles in The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye comic series and in the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game.

Sentinel Prime's Plan In Transformers One Explained

He Is In League With The Quintessons

In Transformers One, Sentinel Prime is the leader of Iacon City. Despite the hardships many of Iacon City's citizens face due to a shortage of Energon, Sentinel is widely revered, in part because of his status as the last Prime, and he keeps the populace distracted with the Iacon 5000 race. Meanwhile, Sentinel is giving the majority of the mined Energon away to the villainous Quintessons in exchange for them allowing him to rule Iacon City.

Without the Matrix of Leadership, only a finite amount of Energon can be salvaged, leaving Sentinel struggling to meet the Quintessons' demands. This led him to strip the working classes, including Orion and D-16, of their transformation cogs, and having them mine Energon instead. He planned to continue manipulating the working classes and delivering the Energon in order to maintain his power. He perpetuated lies about searching for the Matrix of Leadership to offer false hope and as another way to keep the masses distracted.

Why Sentinel Prime Betrayed The Primes In Transformers One

He Wanted Power And Glory For Himself

When Orion, D-16, Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson), and B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) journey to the surface of Cybertron, they learn that Sentinel Prime is not the benevolent leader they believed him to be and had instead betrayed the Elder Primes long ago. He was not even a Prime and only anointed himself with this title after luring the real Primes into a trap and slaying them all. Sentinel betrayed the Primes because he wanted their power for himself, and he did not agree with how they had chosen to lead Cybertron.

He tried to take the Matrix of Leadership for himself as well, but it rejected him because he was unworthy of its power and was not a true Prime. With no one left to challenge his authority, he became Sentinel Prime, and for generations, all Transformers were led to believe that the Primes died directly at the hands of the Quintessons and that the Matrix of Leadership had been lost. This betrayal could not become public knowledge as it would destroy the facade that Sentinel had cultivated, which eventually proved to be his undoing.

Sentinel Prime's Powers In Transformers One

He Is A Formidable Individual

Unlike Orion, D-16, Elita-1, B-127, and the rest of the working class, Sentinel Prime's transformation cog has not been removed in Transformers One. This enables him to transform into a wide range of forms, which he uses to show off when he makes a grand entrance before the Iacon 5000 race begins and in combat when facing Optimus, Megatron, and others rebelling against him. Another helpful feature are his wings, which allow him to fly in his various forms.

In addition to transformation and flight, Sentinel wields a mighty sword and possesses superior physical strength. It is with this sword that he slaughtered most of the Elder Primes and why he was able to overpower them beyond his subterfuge. He has superior durability as well, but is certainly not invincible, as Megatron ultimately kills Sentinel during Transformer One's ending. Sentinel is powerful, but without the Matrix of Leadership, he was never as powerful as he wanted to be.

How Transformers One's Sentinel Prime Compares To Dark Of The Moon's

They Play The Same Narrative Role

In Transformers One, Sentinel is in league with the Transformers' sworn enemies, the Quintessons, while Dark of the Moon's Sentinel is secretly aligned with the Autobots' enemies, the Decepticons. Sentinel kills the Elder Primes in Transformers One and kills Ironhide in Dark of the Moon and believes these murders are justified. Both betrayals are preceded by Sentinel presenting himself as a wise and experienced leader. Dark of the Moon later has Optimus and Megatron unexpectedly working together to defeat Sentinel.

Megatron is the lone killer in Transformers One, with Optimus even sacrificing himself in an attempt to prevent Megatron from making a dark choice. Nimoy and Henry deliver distinct voice performances, with the former sounding befitting of an ancient leader, while the latter belongs to a young individual just beginning to embrace his destiny. There is also a significant difference in their visual aesthetics, with Transformers One's Sentinel being blue, silver, and gold, and the live-action Sentinel being red and silver. Nevertheless, both Sentinels are ultimately villains, who place their own desires above what is morally right.

Where Sentinel Prime Ranks Among Transformers Movie Villains

The Transformers One Villain Isn't The Most Powerful Or Iconic Foe Of Optimus Prime

As far as powerful Transformers villains go, Sentinel Prime is inarguably a force to be reckoned with. Both Transformers One and Dark Of The Moon highlighted just how much of a threat Sentinel Prime can be, and how much of an important part he plays in the Transformers canon and the beginnings of the eventual war between the Autobots and Decepticons. However, as powerful a villain as Sentinel Prime is, he is far from the most formidable foe faced by Optimus Prime and the other protagonists of the Transformers universe. He's also far from the most iconic.

When it comes to the most powerful villain in Transformers, Unicron inarguably takes the top spot. Appearing most recently in 2023's Transformers: Rise of the Beasts after being a staple of the franchise since the days of the 1984-1987 Transformers animated TV series, Unicron is a transformer the size of a planet (and takes the form of one). Unicron is essentially a Cybertronian god in terms of power level. As strong as Sentinel Prime is in the likes of Transformers One and Dark Of The Moon, he doesn't really come close to matching how much of a threat Unicron poses to the Autobots (or, indeed, the rest of the universe).

There's also a strong argument that Megatron is more powerful than Sentinel Prime too, depending on the iteration. While this wasn't the case in Transformers One, other representations of Megatron later in the Decepticon leader's life show him to be on an even footing with many Primes, including Sentinel and Optimus. However, the comparison here is incredibly dependent on the specific version of Megatron. While Megatron could be said to be more powerful than Sentinel Prime in some Transformers movies and TV shows, in others it's clear that the chief Decepticon would be no match for Sentinel.

However, power levels are only one aspect to consider. In terms of being an iconic villain, Sentinel Prime is at the lower end of the scale in the Transformers universe. In fact, it's fair to say that Transformers One and Dark Of The Moon thrust Sentinel Prime into the spotlight in a way that other pieces of Transformers media never did. As far as infamy goes, Megatron is undisputedly the most widely recognized villain in Transformers, with the likes of Unicron, Starscream, and Galvatron following hot on his heels.

While he was a great villain in Transformers One, there's also an argument that the animated movie dug pretty deep into Transformers lore to find its chief antagonist. While the 2024 prequel to the Transformers movies has definitely helped Sentinel Prime become more widely recognized as one of the franchise's villains (especially compared to Dark Of The Moon), he wasn't an antagonist whose reputation preceded them for the majority of viewers.