One of the greatest “Transformers” cartoons is 2010’s “Transformers: Prime,” animated with CGI of cinematic craftsmanship and told with convincing gravitas. Part of that gravitas comes from the exemplary voice cast.
“Prime” banked early good will among “Transformers” fans by bringing on Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, the original Optimus Prime and Megatron. It was the first time they’d voiced the two nemeses together in a cartoon since the 1980s. The rest of the voice cast filled out nicely, too.
“Prime” largely starred veteran voice actors, e.g. Steve Blum as treacherous Decepticon Starscream, Kevin Michael Richardson as the burly Autobot Bulkhead, and Daran Norris as the vain Decepticon Knock Out. (“I’m not just an automobile, I’m an automobile enthusiast!”) “Transformers: Prime” also dipped into celebrity voice actors as well.
Dwayne Johnson, the Rock himself, played the swiftly-dead Autobot Cliffjumper in the series’ premiere, killed to show the stakes of the Transformers’ war right off. The show also cast not one but two “Firefly” alums: Adam Baldwin and Gina Torres as the Decepticons Breakdown and Airachnid, respectively. Even the legendary George Takei, most famous for playing Mr. Sulu on “Star Trek,” made a few cameos as Optimus Prime’s mentor, Alpha Trion. But Takei wasn’t the only actor on the show with “Star Trek” experience.
Jeffrey Combs was part of the “Transformers: Prime” cast from the beginning to end as Autobot doctor Ratchet. Then, in season 2, the late Tony Todd joined as the Decepticon Dreadwing. Both actors are legends among Trekkies and horror-philes alike: Combs starred in the “Re-Animator” series as the twisted scientist Herbert West, while Todd was the star of “Candyman” and a recurring face as William Bludworth in the “Final Destination” films.
Transformers: Prime featured Jeffrey Combs as the Autobot doctor Ratchet
In “Re-Animator,” Herbert West is a Dr. Frankenstein-like character. He’s invented a green serum which, well, re-animates the dead. As for “Star Trek,” Combs has played multiple alien characters thanks to the magic of makeup. On “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” he had recurring parts as the toady Weyoun, spokesperson of the imperious Dominion, and the Ferengi Liquidator Brunt. In “Star Trek: Enterprise,” he portrayed the Andorian captain Shran. There’s no consensus on which of these three Combs characters is the best, because they’re all excellent.
Combs’ greatest tool as an actor is his voice, which has a soft timbre that only gets creepier the more he brings it down. For that reason, he’s often cast to voice villains. (See his work as Scarecrow in “The New Batman Adventures.”)
Ratchet is a different breed of character. He’s a grumpy and short-fused doctor, but a good guy deep down. He is Optimus Prime’s oldest friend and confidante, so he can’t be all bad. Keeping the “Star Trek” comparison going, Ratchet is basically “Bones” McCoy to Optimus’ Captain Kirk. Rather than scary and soft-spoken, Combs played Ratchet as a stressed, bitterly sarcastic curmudgeon. There was a running gag where one of the other Autobots would break one of Ratchet’s tools and he’d shout back, “I needed that!”
Now, Ratchet is not a devious scientist like Herbert West; at worst, he’s excitable and controlling with his experiments. However, one of his spotlight episodes, season 1’s “Stronger, Faster,” pays tribute to “Re-Animator.” In the episode, Ratchet develops a synthetic version of the Transformers’ go-to fuel, Energon. The “Synth-En” is a steroid (boosting one’s power and aggressiveness) rather than a zombie maker, but it is colored a glowing green just like West’s syringes.
Tony Todd voiced Decepticon warrior Dreadwing on Transformers: Prime
Like Combs, Tony Todd played multiple “Star Trek” roles. In “The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine,” he portrayed the Klingon Kurn, younger brother of Worf (Michael Dorn). Todd also guest-starred in the much-beloved “Deep Space Nine” episode “The Visitor” as an older version of Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton), son of series lead Captain Ben Sisko (Avery Brooks).
Todd’s “Star Trek” roles weren’t very scary, but he put his deep and alluring voice to good work in “Candyman” as the ghostly serial killer. One of his last roles was voicing Venom in the 2023 video game “Spider-Man 2.” Before “Prime,” he also had some “Transformers” experience, having voiced the titular villain in the (very bad) live-action movie “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Playing Dreadwing gave Todd some “Transformers” redemption.
In the sixth episode of “Transformers: Prime,” titled “Masters & Students,” Optimus Prime and Bumblebee slay the Decepticon warrior Skyquake. A season later, Dreadwing — Skyquake’s twin, who has the same build but a different color scheme — comes to Earth seeking revenge.
How do robots have siblings? Transformers’ souls are called “sparks,” which appear as glowing blue energy orbs. Dreadwing and Skyquake came from a single spark that split into two.
Dreadwing is a skilled warrior who fights with a sword, but he is a Decepticon and so often stages surprise attacks with hidden bombs. Unlike most of his comrades, though, he also has a strong code of personal conduct and honor (not far off from Klingon honor, even). Dreadwing may be loyal to Megatron, but he’s more loyal to that code and his brother’s memory. Usually when playing a villain, Todd was creepy or eerie. Dreadwing was a bit different; his voice was loud, commanding, and, like any Tony Todd voiceover, powerful.
