Cybertron is a planet inhabited by sentient robots fueled by a substance called Energon and fitted with transformation cogs, devices that allow them to transform into vehicles. In the city of Iacon, Orion Pax, a mining robot without a cog, sneaks into an archive and watches a documentary on the Primes, the first Cybertronians made directly by their creator Primus. Security guards catch Orion, but his best friend D-16 bails him out. Later, a cave-in occurs in the Energon mine where the two work, trapping fellow miner Jazz. While Orion and D-16 save him, their overseer, Darkwing, blames the incident on their superior, Elita-1, and has her demoted.