| Nightbeat | |
| Transformers character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Transformers: Generation 1 |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Detective |
| Affiliation | Autobot Mini-Con |
| Alternate modes | Porsche 959, Cybertronian Car, Aston Martin Vanquish Motorcycle MP3 player/robotic condor Aston Martin Vanquish Automobile similar to a Peugeot 9009 concept car |
Nightbeat is the name of several characters in the various Transformers continuities in the Transformers franchise.
Transformers: Generation 1
Nightbeat is described as a tough, street-hardened detective who is not above resorting to dirty tricks in order to further his investigations. His Headmaster partner is a detective named Muzzle.
Marvel Comics
In the comics published by Marvel Comics in the United States, Nightbeat first appears in issue 62, Bird of Prey. The issue is a pastiche of The Maltese Falcon with Nightbeat in the Sam Spade role and various aliens filling out the cast. An obese creature named "Gutt" fills the role of Kaspar Guttman, and a greasy robot named "B'gdad" is a stand-in for Joel Cairo. The Falcon-analogue is in fact a powerful mystical artifact; by replacing it, Nightbeat and his assistants, Siren and Hosehead, restore the run-down alien planet to a beautiful paradise. The victory is short-lived, as the trio are ambushed by the Decepticon Thunderwing.
In issue 63 of the series, Thunderwing uses a device to scan Nightbeat's mind, revealing information about his true mission; to recover the long-lost Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Nightbeat and his assistants remain Decepticon prisoners until issue 66, when they escape and assist in the defeat and destruction of Thunderwing, since driven mad by the Matrix. Nightbeat reappears in issues 69 and 70, leading the search for missing Autobot Ratchet and Decepticon leader Megatron, lost in an explosion some time ago.
In issue 72, Nightbeat pulls a gun on Decepticon commander Scorponok and forces him to listen to Optimus Prime. A peace treaty is almost reached in issue 73, but the intervention of the human Neo-Knights results in Nightbeat being knocked unconscious. Nightbeat appears in the background throughout issues 74 and 75. Nightbeat's last appearance in the Generation One comic is in issue 79, where he tells Prowl to "cool it". However, his wreckage was seen as part of the rout of the Autobots on Klo. He was presumably resurrected by Optimus Prime and the Last Autobot.
Nightbeat appeared in three separate stories in the U.K. Transformers comic, his appearances there pre-dating his more notable Marvel US appearances. "The Big Shutdown" was another hard-boiled detective pastiche, this time featuring Nightbeat investigating the murder of an Autobot washed up on a Californian beach. This led to an encounter with Siren, Hosehead and a (rapidly dispatched) cannon-fodder Autobot named Horsepower, who were Autobot prisoners let loose on Earth from Cybertron to be hunted down by Thunderwing (in their first encounter), as a trial-by-fire to become Decepticon Commander. Nightbeat defeated Thunderwing, igniting the fuel tanks of the murdered Autobot to take the warlord offline, and would later face Thunderwing again when he launched a revenge attack on the Ark. He made a final appearance when the powerful Deathbringer arrived on Earth, wiping out a small city; Nightbeat was able to work out the truth behind the being, and that the Creation Matrix was involved in creating it. (Although a UK only story, it was shown in flashback in a US issue.)
There was no Nightbeat toy in the Generation Two toyline, however he did appear in the comics. Nightbeat appears twice in the Transformers: Generation 2 comic series. In issue 10, he is seated at a computer console when an explosion rocks him out of his seat. In issue 12, he is killed when he and Dirge self-destruct in an attempt to stop the Swarm.
Transformers: Armada
Nightbeat is the name of the Mini-Con partner of the Autobot Sideswipe. His first comic appearance was in issue 18 of Dreamwave's Transformers: Armada comic.
Nightbeat's Dreamwave bio presented him as small and physically unimpressive even for a Mini-Con: however, his raw courage more than makes up for this. Unfortunately, this usually means goading his partner Sideswipe into more and more daring acts - usually leading to the two landing in a lot of trouble.
According to Hasbro officials the names of Side Swipe and his Mini-Con partner were accidentally swapped, meaning the larger blue and yellow Autobot was intended to be Nightbeat.
Transformers
Night Beat 7 (this time with a space) is the name of an Autobot who turns into an MP3 audio player.
The Autobot Transformer Night Beat 7 makes it his job to expose Decepticons to the light. It constantly scans the world for evidence of evil, from the faint time particle trail left by Meantime to the sonic leftovers of the mischievous Booster X10.
Transformers: Timelines
Shattered Glass Nightbeat is an evil counterpart of Generation 1 Nightbeat.
Nightbeat carries a stun gun and is able tell if he is being lied to with uncanny accuracy. He also suffers from reoccurring cosmic rust, which must be treated to keep it from flaring up.
Nightbeat speaks with an accent inspired by the gangster characters of Edward G. Robinson. Nightbeat also sports an Autobot logo with a dagger through it, referencing the Empire symbol seen in the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror".
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Nightbeat an Autobot car. He seems to be unrelated to the Autobot media player called Night Beat 7.
The universe is full of puzzles. Nightbeat lives to solve them. Highly intelligent and curious, he prefers to work independently of the other Autobots since they usually just get in his way. He is a master of investigative techniques who prefers the boredom of a stakeout to the frantic pointlessness of a battle any day.