Blitzwing
Bombshell
Cliffjumper
Cyclonus
Elita-One
Galvatron
Gears
Grimlock
Hoist
Hot Rod
Hound
Inferno
Ironhide
Jazz
Megatron
Optimus Prime
Perceptor
Prowl
Ramjet
Ratchet
Rodimus Prime
Rumble
Skyfire
Skywarp
Slag
Snarl
Starscream
Swoop
Thundercracker
Thrust
Tracks
Ultra Magnus
Wheeljack

Function: Medical Master and Bestower of the Infamous "Ninja Medic Flying Kick o' Doom™" Voice Actor: Don Messick First Appearance: "More Than Meets The Eye, Part 1"

Nightwind's Words of Wisdom:

I seem to have this...thing...for fictional wartime (and even non-wartime) medics. I don't really know why, but I find them endlessly fascinating. Part of it has to do, I know, with the fact that my own brother was a wartime medic, serving in Vietnam late in that war. But for the most part, I think it's all M*A*S*H's fault. Really! I love that show and it was the show that made me realize just how hellish — and therefore, to me, interesting — the life of a wartime medic, particularly a reluctant wartime medic, can be, how guilt-ridden and angst-plagued and all of that good stuff. Those, of course, are my stock-in-trade when it comes to fanfic.

Besides that, though, I just love the...philosophical dichotomy, not to mention the frustration, involved with being a wartime medic. Regardless of species, it's a physician's job, after all, to preserve life, to heal the sick and the injured...yet a wartime medic knows that, for all of his efforts to heal that wounded soldier, his efforts only serve to send that soldier back to the hellish front line...and right back into mortal danger. How terrible! How difficult to reconcile! And I imagine that it must be quite frustrating to devote "x" number of hours to healing someone only to have them come back after a few weeks all injured -- or maybe even dead -- again. And it'd be especially terrible if one doesn't agree with the overall "cause" of the war...or if the war has just gone on way too long, like the TFs' war...

So all of this must be particularly the case with Ratchet. The TFs' war is hugely, immensely long, beyond my ability fully to comprehend. (I have trouble getting a feel for a span of time if the number of years exceeds...oh let's say 100,000.) Anyone would have to be tired of it, but particularly the medics, who are the ones who have to deal, first-hand, with the immediate effects of the war in terms of casualties. In they end, they're often the ones who decide who lives and who dies, triage being the horrible, soul-degrading thing that it is. Imagine having to decide who lives and who dies in the aftermath of a skirmish, day in and day out, for millions of years. I cannot even begin to imagine it, though I can certainly sympathize. Particularly with Ratchet, given what the Autobots are. I mean, they're a relatively small group and, for the most part, they tend to be a close-knit, more like an extended family than an impersonal fighting army. So I get the feeling that, for Ratchet, treating his comrades would have a special emotional significance, which would certainly make triage hellishly difficult. These are not anonymous people, after all, that he's condemning to death or, alternatively, patching up and sending back into peril, in a seemingly endless cycle. (Particularly since Ratchet's been around for millions of years.) These are friends. And Ratchet's gotta know that he can patch 'em up one day only to have them brought back into the repair bay in barely salvageable condition the next — and that he might not be able to save them and that they were only able to get into a situation that caused such damage because of his own efforts the week before. Oh, the guilt! Oh, the pathos!

This is, indeed, why I love medics in general and particularly why I absolutely adore Ratchet. It's a quiet kind of adoration, though. You won't often hear me rave and scream and yell about him...but he is, indeed, my favorite Autobot. (Yes, I even like him more than I like Prowl--though not quite in the same way that I like Prowl. ;) ) True, my adoration of Ratchet is based mostly on my interpretation of his personality and his situation, given that not much of his personality was expressly revealed in the cartoon, other than in a few odd moments. (The end of the "The Autobot Run" springs to mind...) But I tend to think of his personality as a blend of Dr. Leonard McCoy's anti-authoritorian seen-it-all grumpiness and Hawkeye Pierce's world-weary sarcasm lightened by a heart of gold. And given that those two are amongst my all-time favorite fictional characters, I was just bound to love ol' Ratchet the Crank. ;) If nothing else, you've just gotta love that great big "unibrow" pasted on his forehead. Not to mention the voice that's just faintly reminiscent of...Scooby Doo's.

The Official Word:

Profile: Ratchet was known as the best tool-and-die man on Cybertron. In his work-area bay, he can fashion anything from a pin to a cruise-missile and repair most of the Autobots and their specific parts, given the right materials. His rough language and manners belie his gentle touch on the operating-assembly table. He knows how to have a good time despite his involvement in a combat group. "When does the party begin?" is his usual query after he's completed patching up his latest fallen comrade. He's more prone to giving his leader, Optimus Prime, a lot more backtalk than the other Autobots, but does his job as well as anyone.

Abilities: Ratchet has an assortment of laser scalpels, arc-welders, electron microscopes, electrical circuit sensors and fluid dispensers (both lubricating and super-cooled) at his disposal.

Weaknesses: His preference for partying to anything else sometimes interferes with getting his job done. Otherwise he's only limited in doing his work by time and materials avavailable.

Miscellaneous:

Best Place to Ratchet-Watch:
The comic, actually. Ratchet never gets a featured role and/or a really good character-defining moment in the cartoon, but he doth kick booty in the comic... But there are a couple of Cute Ratchet Moments in the 'toon. One is in "Changing Gears," when he gives Thundercracker the Patented Ninja Medic Flying Kick o' Doom™. The other is in the otherwise abysmal "City of Steel" as he and Ironhide manage to shoot the floor out from under Megatron and Soundwave. The evil look the two of them exchange is priceless.

Nightwind's Favorite Ratchet Quotes:

"Ironhide's carrying too much lead in his caboose."
~Ratchet grousing after falling through the ice in "Fire in the Sky."

"Oh, you wouldn't know a microchip from a potato chip."
~Putting Sparkplug in his place in "Attack of the Autobots."

"No more backtalk. Or I'll short your mouth circuit."
~Displaying his typical, compassionate bedside manner in "Transport to Oblivion." ;)

"I wonder if batteries are included...?"
~Contemplating Nightbird's power source in "Enter the Nightbird."