One important Transformers villain is based on Star Trek's Spook

The Ghost from Star Trek is one of the most influential science fiction characters of all time. Even actor Leonard Nimoy never escaped the shadow of Vulcan, despite having a long, fulfilling career outside of it. Indeed, before his death in 2015, Nimoy voiced villains in two separate “Transformers” films.

In the 1986 animated film Transformers, Nimoy played Galvatron, the reincarnated form of Decepticon leader Megatron. galvanized with the power of the dark god Unicron. Nimoy later voiced Sentinel Prime, mentor to Autobot leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), in Michael Bay's 2011 live-action film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Starting the “Transformers” tradition, the Sentinel turned out to be a villain, teaming up with the Decepticons to conquer Earth and restore the world of Cybertron ravaged by the Transformers War.

In addition to his two voice roles, Nimoy influenced the movie Transformers. another important way using Spock. Marvel Comics writer Bob Budyansky, who wrote biographies of the original “Transformers” characters and much of this comic, the Decepticon Shockwave was modeled after Spock. Spock's defining character trait was his commitment to logic and suppression of emotion, so Shockwave was written as an evil version of that: cold, ruthlessly efficient, and ready to usurp Megatron if he felt his leadership performance was lacking.

Like his leader, Shockwave turned into a weapon, but sci-fi laser gun unlike the realistic Walter P-38 pistol that Megatron became. (Both were toys imported from Japan and rebranded by Hasbro; Megatron started out as Takara's “Gun Robo” and Shockwave as Toyco's “4 Changeable Astro Magnum”.) The Shockwave toy debuted in the US market in 1985 in The Transformers 2. , ” but he is often remembered as the character of Year 1, since he appeared from the very beginning of the cartoon. Animated Shockwave was played by the prolific Corey Burton with a voice modeled after David Warner appearance in the movie “TRON”.

Shockwave disappeared from the cartoon after Season 2, having been killed by Unicron in a deleted scene. some unrealized plans for season 3 led him to switch to the Autobots. But while “Transformers” forgot about Shockwave, some of the later reboots have. He is one of the franchise's most frequent characters and is part of the “big four” Decepticons, along with Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave. Although Shockwave's design is consistent (a purple color scheme, a cannon on his left arm, and a square cyclops head), later Transformers designs have reinterpreted his Ghost-like characterization in logical and illogical ways.