The home planet of the Maximals, an advanced race of Cybertronians with animal forms, is under attack by the planet-devouring dark god Unicron. His minions, the Terorcons and an army of Predacon scorpions, led by Scourge, attempt to obtain for their master the Maximals’ greatest technology, the Transwarp Key, which can open portals through space and time. The leader of the Maximals, Apelinq, sacrifices himself to allow the other Maximals to escape the planet before Unicron swallows it. Now under the command of Optimus Primal, the Maximals use the key to escape to Earth.