How many Transformers live on Cybertron? I had a quick look on the TF Wiki but couldn't find any reference. Is a specific number ever given in any medium in regards to a period of history? Or would someone like to give an educated guess?
given the fact that cybertron is a dead planet because of drought and millenia of civil war I'd say only in the thousands or hundreds
Hasbro states that Cybertron is the same size as Saturn, so IMO there should be billions there, pre-war. I would think that that number would be drastically decreased during the war, but that's just my guess.
This is about what I thought, tho in "present" time their numbers are probably in the millions at best, maybe a few hundred thousand spread across the galaxy.
Please don't fall into the trap of thinking that big robots require big planet. Dinosaurs were bigger than most Cybertronians. Also the Moon has more surface area than dry land on the earth.
Also, if their planet was too much larger than earth, the gravity would kill human humans soin continuities where humans have been to Cybertron (marvel, g1 toon, Unicron trilogy, Animated toon, etc (even though in marvel it was stated to be saturn sized ealy on)) it can't have varied to much from earths size and dont get me started on sunbow g1 with cybertron's size.......
The answer to this question would depend on which universe you're looking at, and during which time period. In the movie trilogy, for example, it should be zero.
I'm guessing that in its heyday, Cybertron's population was probably at least a few billion (depending on how physically large the planet actually is in a certain continuity), seeing how the majority of it was urban in structure and therefore had a great population density. But when it comes to present-day, during-the-war stuff, I'd say the population ranges anywhere between a few million to absolutely zero (again, depending on what continuity you're referring to).
The planet may be larger in circumference, but if ya noticed (at least in the games), the planet is fairly hollow as well, so the gravity could be very similar (maybe a bit stronger) than Earth's. Anyways, I'm sure they had a booming population before the war (heck, they even populated a few other planets too), but afterwards, they've been dwindling in numbers and they're pretty low now compared to how they used to be. The current population (as others have said) on Cybertron right now? Probably zero, since there's no way for them to sustain life (tho the Insecticons and scraplets seem to do fine).
One issue that the movieverse doesn't make clear is if the planet is artificial in nature, or simply a large body that is transformed by the All Spark. Going by Hasbro's statement that the planet is the size of Saturn, if it were artificial, then there would be no core to generate a magnetic field or gravity; unless they built one just for this purpose. Another point of view is that if the planet is indeed a real planet that is simply transformed, then there would be a natural magnetic field and gravity produced by the spin of the planet's core. I tend to lean towards it being an artificial world, with Vector Sigma as it's core( as seen in the WFC game). I also believe that it's populace isn't completely gone, but greatly reduced by the war, and refugees who have escaped to seek shelter.
So if the population post Great War (in any universe) is a shadow of what it once was, how do you repopulate Cybertron? Through the use of the Matrix? (In a BW universe) Would that not simply create new Autobots/Maximals? How do you create Predacons? And who would want to be born Predacon? As they're born into a lower class system it seems, and looked down on for something they had no part in.
Now you're getting into a subject no one knows the exact answer for (and possible answers vary depending on universe). It's hard to say considering you never see the end of the war or afterwards in any series so who knows.
For the war to lasted the time it lasted (millions of years), I´d say Cybertron needs to have billions of transformers.
The way I see it, from a BW universe kind of history: There were two ways to give life to a Transformer. 1. From the Matrix in a Prime's chest. 2. From Vector Sigma. The key to Vector Sigma was destroyed by Commander Silverbolt back in G1, so all access to new troops was now limited to the Matrix. After the end of the Great War and the signing of the Pax Cybertronia, Cybertron needed to be repopulated. Two facilities were set up: 1. The MATRIX (The Maximal Activation Transferring Recycling and Infusion eXchange) and 2. The PIT (The Predacon Infusion Terminal) They were linked to Vector Sigma, and using a shell program of sorts, known as The Oracle, they hacked into Vector Sigma and allowed the Maximals and Predacons to release new Sparks into the world. The process was overseen by the Maximals, as they didn't want control of the flow of Sparks to be controlled by the Predacons so they couldn't build up a new army. Or something like that.