Shadowplay

Shadowplay is the process by which the personality of a Cybertronian is altered. Also known euphemistically as "personality adjustment" or "change management", it has been used as both a political move and punishment.

Fiction

2005 IDW continuity

Sentinel Prime used a forerunner of the shadowplay technique in order to recruit a series of loyal sleeper agents, including Red Alert. Last Light

During the days of the Institute, Pious Maximus, a noted anti-ratioist, was spotted by Prowl and Tumbler undergoing Shadowplay at Trepan's Relinquishment Clinic. Patternism

After his capture by the Senate, Senator Shockwave was submitted to a form of Shadowplay so strong it completely suppressed all emotion, turning the energetic and well meaning senator into a cold, detached scientist driven purely by logic and self-interest. In an unusual move added in purely out of spite, Shockwave also underwent Empurata. An Intimate Beheading

Around the same time, the Senate sent Froid and Trepan to Messatine, to perform Shadowplay on the dissident Nucleon miner Megatron. Trepan began the process but was interrupted by the arrival of Rung, who informed him that "personality adjustment" now legally required both of their signatures. Before Rung could review Froid's assessment, the mine had to be evacuated because of an energy surge that rendered the Nucleon dangerously unstable. Births, Deaths, and Interventions

Following the start of the Great War, the Institute was rebranded as the "New Institute" under the command of Zeta Prime and he persuaded Tumbler to study mnemosurgery there as Trepan's apprentice. Tumbler would go on to be known as "Chromedome" after performing Shadowplay on thousands of victims—mostly Decepticons but also a few dissident Autobots—and he was about to do the same to Soundwave when the facility was attacked by Overlord who shot Chromedome, rescued Soundwave and abducted Trepan to learn the secrets of mnemosurgery for himself. Chromedome almost quit the New Institute as a result but continued working there alongside Mirage, Pharma, "Brainstorm", Remembrance Day and "Highbrow". The Reluctant Specialist

When the crew of the Lost Light discovered a dead duplicate of Rodimus which was missing half its head, Ratchet theorized that a failed attempt at shadowplay was responsible for the duplicate Rodimus's demise. Predestination: A Beginner's Guide (It transpired as being merged with an activated quantum generator.)

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Shadowplay (シャドウプレイ Shadōpurei)