Pillar

Defintely not playing the dubstep Aztec music.

The Pillars are an example of advanced Cybertronian equipment that is related to their Space Bridge technology. They are small by Transformer standards, and resemble spikes. In groups, they are capable of creating a wormhole between two points. As few as four Pillars are capable of linking two points together and hundreds are able to even move entire planets. Two vital components of the Pillars are the Control Pillar and the Autobot who developed the technology, Sentinel Prime. Perhaps as a security measure, the Control Pillar was keyed to only respond to its creator's commands. Pillars tend to float under their own power and moved under the direction of Cybertronians, with them being able to reach into orbit by themselves without assistance.

Fiction

Movies

Dark of the Moon film

"Houston, we have a problem."

The Autobot leader known as Sentinel Prime developed the Pillar technology during the final years of the war on Cybertron with hundreds of such machines being created. Their intention was to use these advanced devices as a means of winning a war against Megatron's newly formed Decepticon faction. Unknown to anyone, Sentinel Prime had struck a secret pact with the Lord High Protector with the intention of saving Cybertron where the two were to meet on a distant planet called Earth. Taking hundreds of these machines, he stashed them on board the Ark but it was lost in the war where it crashed on Earth's moon. There, the devices and their creator undiscovered for an unknown number of years.

During the 1960s, the Decepticons discovered the Ark and began pillaging it of the Pillars, removing hundreds from Sentinel's vault, and leaving only five, including the control pillar. Unable to revive Sentinel, the Decepticons left the Autobot behind until such an opportunity presented itself. In 2011, Optimus Prime and his Autobots learned of the existence of the Ark after recovering an engine component at Chernobyl. Thus, they launched an expedition to the dark side of the moon where they retrieved Sentinel Prime as well as the control pillar.

Following Sentinel's resurrection using the Matrix of Leadership, the pillars were kept at the NEST base at the direction of the national intelligence director's command as she believed their power as WMD's were too great. Unknown to anyone, the Decepticons were secretly masterminding the blanketing of all attempts at seeing the dark side of the moon where they had gathered their forces in secret. When Sam Witwicky learned of the Decepticon's plans, he believed that they intended to target Sentinel Prime and the Autobots rushed him to safety. However, Sentinel Prime revealed his true allegiance and attacked Optimus Prime's forces whereupon he retrieved his pillars and escaped.

That's some kamehameha.

Using the four pillars in conjunction with the Control Pillar, around two hundred Decepticons were let loose on Earth through Washington. Afterwards, the remaining stores of Pillars, brought to Earth by the Decepticon army, were set across the globe where they were to be launched into orbit under their own power as part of a grand plan to bring Cybertron to Earth. This was under Sentinel Prime's belief that to save their species, they needed to use Humanity as a slave force to rebuild their homeworld. Stationing the Control Pillar in Chicago, they activated the device whilst attempting to defend it from Autobot forces and the Human military. This created a massive portal that brought half of Cybertron through before the Control Pillar was knocked out, thus temporarily stalling the process. However, Dylan Gould reactivated it, continuing the transport, but the device was ultimately destroyed by Ratchet and Bumblebee which stopped Cybertron from appearing in Earth's orbit. The Pillars that were bringing through Cybertron were likely pulled through the wormhole that had consumed Cybertron. Dark of the Moon

The Last Knight film

Some years after the Battles of Chicago and Hong Kong, a Pillar was added to Sir Edmund Burton's collection of Cybertronian historical artifacts. The Last Knight

IDW movie prequel comics

As the war raged, Sentinel Prime revealed to Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Elita-One that he had created a golden orb that would decisively win the war. Optimus went through with the idea, as Sentinel said it would allow for ending the war without more casualties. The torch required the AllSpark to activate it, so Ironhide led an assault on Simfur Temple. Foundation #3 Elita-One activated the torch, turning it red, and delivered it to Sentinel. Sentinel boarded the Ark, where he presumably placed it within the control pillar, and flew to Simfur to end the battle. However, Starscream attacked the ship, causing it to disappear in a fiery explosion. Foundation #4

Unbeknownst to the Autobots and Decepticons, the attack caused the pillars to activate and transport the Ark through space and time. It collided with the Nemesis and crashed on Earth's moon, near its intended location. Convergence chapter 1 Dark of the Moon #3 Soundwave's crew recovered hundreds of pillars, and eventually returned to the wreck of the Nemesis to consult The Fallen as to its purpose. The Fallen asked Soundwave to leave it with him as he returned to Earth, and used the pillar to release himself from his sarcophagus. Convergence chapter 4

Games

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)

Megatron ordered Shockwave to go to Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to retrieve one of the Space bridge pillars. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)

Toys

Dark of the Moon

• Autobot Ark (Cyberverse Playset, 2011)

The Ark is the biggest playset from the Dark of the Moon Cyberverse toyline, converting from a spaceship to a space station. When opened up in space station mode, a decagonal platform with five flip-up pillars can be found on its right bay.

Merchandise

Prime 1 Studio

• Sentinel Prime (2020)
  • Movie: Dark of the Moon
  • ID number: MMTFM-23EXS
  • Accessories: Base

Limited to 250 pieces, the exclusive version of Prime 1 Studio Museum Masterline Sentinel Prime comes with a replica of the Control Pillar.

It has its own stand and can be dettached from it.

Notes

• The pillars seen in the movie vaguely resemble transwarp cells.