Legislator

The Legislators are Transformers from the 2005 IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Sent by radical GEEWUN fundamentalists, no doubt.

The Legislators are the private shock troops of Chief Justice Tyrest. Sparkless drones, they are constructed with a single imperative: countermand any infractions of the Tyrest Accord. They do this without hesitation, without thinking and without remorse, taking whatever measures their programming deems sufficient for the enforcement of Tyrest's wishes... all the while reciting the section and sub-section of the law that has been violated.

They come in two varieties: some wield swords and can combine to form a shuttle, others tote dual gatling guns and transform into treaded vehicles of some kind.

Fiction

2005 IDW continuity

At some point around the time of his religious "awakening", Tyrest constructed the Legislators as a remorseless, unthinking army programmed to enforce the Tyrest Accord. They captured Skids and Getaway following their failed attempt to neutralize the Chief Justice. Skids managed to escape them, fleeing aboard a shuttlecraft made from three mode-locked Legislators. Arm the Lonely

The Legislators later attacked Theophany, destroying the city and capturing the surviving members of the Circle of Light. Tyrest would go on to murder 90% of these captives and use their remains as raw material for the creation of more Legislators. The Divided Self

Skids awoke, amnesiac, still piloting the shuttlecraft. As the shuttle began to transform, Skids—trusting his instincts—reset the mode locks, pointed the shuttle at the planet's surface, and bailed out.

The explosive crash of the shuttle destroyed one of its three component bots. The two remainders transformed into their massive robot forms and, toting swords and repeating the phrase "Nineteen eighty-four", advanced relentlessly to attack Skids. The wayward theoretician magnetized the corpse of Polaris and attached it to one of the Legislators, then blew up the body's fuel supply, taking out the giant. When the other kept coming, Skids took it out with an array of built-in weaponry and pit-fighter-worthy moves. Hangers On

Tailgate, who witnessed the battle, would be reminded of the Legislators while learning about an obsolete sub-section of the Autobot Code: specifically, section 19 (sub-section 80) paragraph 4, which dealt with thought warfare, a threat that never materialized... at least as far as Ultra Magnus knew. How Ratchet Got His Hands Back

Upon reaching the fabled Crystal City of the Circle of Light, the crew of the Lost Light found it had been utterly razed. While tapping into the brain module of the Titan Metrotitan beneath the ruins, Chromedome saw from its memories that the Legislators had abducted the entire populace. You, Me, and Other Revelations

An army of Legislators would later attack the Lost Light upon its discovery of Luna 1, under the direction of Chief Justice Tyrest. The Fecund Moon The crew was overwhelmed by the sudden assault, despite their best efforts. House of Ambus

The Legislators acted as guards throughout Tyrest's base. Two brought First Aid and Ambulon down from the Lost Light at Pharma's request. After Cyclonus and Whirl freed the Circle, they found themselves confronted by a vast army of the drones. At the same time, as part of Tyrest's new Pre-Emptive Execution clause, a Legislator crushed the head of Minimus Ambus. The Divided Self

The Circle of Light engaged the Legislators in a fierce battle,Arm the Lonely but victory only came when the drones suddenly retreated, en masse, to defend Tyrest. They were only stopped when Tailgate used Tyrest's own Repository to rewrite Section 500 of the Tyrest Accord, repealing the law. Without anything left to enforce, the drones all ceased action. This Calamitous Life When Red Alert chose to remain on Luna 1 alongside the Circle of Light, he suggested they reprogram the remaining Legislators to act as the moon's protectors. The Sound of Breaking Glass

Roughly six months later, Cyclonus and a fully recovered Tailgate encountered a Legislator who was standing guard at Swerve's bar. Swerve explained that he had repaired the damaged drone following the Lost Light's departure from Luna 1, reprogramming it to act as a doorman. Nicknamed "Ten" (after the only word it was able to say), the Legislator was shown to have an amicable yet strict nature, welcoming patrons into the bar with friendly gestures while denying Cyclonus entry until he had relinquished his Great Sword (as per Swerve's "no guns, no swords, no briefcases" policy). Words Hang in the Air

Swindle's Spiel

Swindle, Swindle and Swindle had a pair of Legislators among their drones for sale. Ask Vector Prime

Notes

• The name "Legislators" was originally revealed in the concept art for the robots, published in the first trade paperback volume for the series.
• The Legislators' chanting of "Nineteen-Eighty-Four" is a reference to the year 1984, a year of great significance to the Transformers legacy.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Legislator (レジスレイター Rejisureitā)