Brainstormer
The Brainstormer is a piece of mind-reading technology used by both Guardians and Renegades to extract information from captives, a process known as Brainstorming. It can be used on both GoBots and other species. A powerful subject can reduce the usefulness of the Brainstormer and even burn the machine out, though GoBots of this ability are rare—basically Leader-1 and Cy-Kill, though sometimes Fitor can too if it fits the plot. It has taken on many different designs
Fiction[edit | edit source]
Challenge of the GoBots cartoon[edit | edit source]
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Both the Command Center and Thruster were equipped with versions of the Brainstormer, though both groups also had more powerful units located on GoBotron and Roguestar respectively. A Command Center model (referred to as a mind probe) that was merely a harmless ray of light was used by the Guardians to extract Cy-Kill's plans on Earth from the captured Crasher, though it also elicited some random memories from the Renegade, including an old crush on Leader-1. Conquest of Earth The Renegade’s referred to their more painful version with the official name which sounded like a dentist's drill. Earthbound
It is first introduced in the series when Doctor Braxis used a Renegade version to extract the secrets of the Inverta-ray from the mind of Doctor Mobius. Genius and Son The Guardians also equipped UNECOM Headquarters on Earth with an example, which was used to get details about Cy-Kill's plans with the Master Renegade out of Crasher and Fitor after their capture. Return to GoBotron
It was also used by the parallel universe's 'good' Renegades to verify Leader-1's statement about being from a different reality. Transfer Point One of the powerful units located on GoBotron was identified as a way to identify the spy within the Guardians on Earth; however, their Astrobeam was wrecked before this could come to pass, and Leader-1 came up with another way of flushing out the spy. Wolf in the Fold The Renegades then used the device on Billy in a secret underground base on Earth to gain the human's scientific knowledge. The GoBot Who Cried RenegadeThey later used the device to extract visions from the psychic boy Sean Roberts. The Seer Dr. Go used the device on Buddy to learn the secrets of her Spectrometer. Whiz Kid After Cy-Kill was captured by the Guardians his resistance was enough to burn out their Earth Brainstormer; Scooter worked on a stronger version on GoBotron and it was successfully tested on Leader-1. However, Cy-Kill was able to escape from imprisonment on Elba before he could be placed in the device. Escape from Elba The GoBotron unit was again required to get through Fitor's loyalty, which had presumably become even more fervent since his previous time in Guardian custody. As it was, Cy-Kill forced a hostage trade before the Guardians could learn anything interesting from the Renegade lieutenant. Fitor to the Finish
The Renegade version meanwhile was unable to deal with the sheer power of the amiable and naïve alien Alaric, who blew out their version on Earth without even trying. The Gift The Renagades used the Command Center's BrainStormer on Turbo to find the Location of the secret UNECOM base Element of Danger
The Renegades put Solitaire under the Brainstormer on Roguestar (now with a different design) to find the location of Cordax. Battle of the Rock Lords
Notes[edit | edit source]
- In its first appearance in the pilot miniseries, the Guardians refer their mind-reading device on the Command Centre as a ‘Mind Probe’ which uses a beam of light on the subject, while the Renegades call theirs a Brainstormer which is painful. When it is introduced for the first time in the show its name is unmentioned.
- It could be that it has a different design as the guardian are now using a brainstormer instead of a mind probe, and was changed again later to replace the last one which Cy-Kill burned out, using the version modified by Scooter from GoBotron but again with another different design.
- Apparently it can automatically adapted to any form of intelligences, is capable of wiping a mind and is also temperamental meaning it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
- Small subjects are shown not to feel agony if on a low setting, as Leader-1 couldn’t resist the Renegade's version due to the agony it could be that it was on high. However he was later stated to be as strong as Cy-Kill (who short circuited their first Brainstormer) with an ‘incredible energy tolerance’
