How dead is dead transformer?

Any possibility a transformer maybe too badly damaged to be repaired but put into "storage" or "suspended animation". Maybe for repairs in the future with improved technology or the return of the Allspark?
Maybe the memory records of a "dead" bot can be recorded or saved for future re-use?

Got to wait until the second movie comes out to know for sure since the first film wrapped up shortly after the death of several robots.

Comic books and cartoons have found ways around the little problem of death but no word yet if the live action franchise will find a way to put question marks on death or if dead is just the plain old boring sort of dead.

I think their going for dead is dead. If the spark is gone their dead dead. Ala Jazz. Can't see it very well but his chest is caved in, his spark is gone/extinguished thus whats left is an empty shell.

Does Optimus know about backups?

killing optimus prime is like attacking the mythical hydra. now matter how much he takes, he gets back up stronger than ever

Actually, I meant if the TFs usually make a backup of their hard drives.

If you follow the expanded TF universe a TF has 3 parts:

1. A Spark
2. Memory Data tracks
3. A Body

BT Prowl said that the Autobots had Prowls Datatracks but lost his Spark. If they were able to get his spark back prowl would be restored whole. THis is also what happened in BW where Primal died, but Rhinox had a blank protoform (body) and his datatracks so all he needed was his original spark. Also, G1 combaticons, they had the Spark and Datatracks but no body. I guess that is TF prison.

This is also why TFs can 'die' but be brought back and have a similar personality but no memories. The Personality is from the spark, the experiences are from the Datatracks.

In TF the movie when the shuttle went down, they lost all 3, body, spark and datatracks, so those TFs were very dead.

For Jazz, I dunno, they didn't go too deep into sparks and such. I am sure they could bring him back if they could regain his spark.

Long story short: Apparently TFs don't back up personalities frequently because most universes they have very little ability to naviage the allspark to retrieve specific sparks. So when a TF dies, they die because they don't know enough to be able to restore them.

The network will feature content from Hasbro's rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties, and content from Discovery's extensive library of award-winning children's educational programming, as well as programming from third-party producers. There will be no "Transformers: Buckets of Blood".

That is a good post by nkelsch.

To add on: The Transformers aren't just robots - they're living organisms. They're not just computers either. They consist of more than just a processor, motherboard and some RAM.

Like us, as sophisticated, multi-cellular organisms they would many many organs, not just the spark chamber, brain or processor, and limbs.

wtf is this XD robothaul

Yea but that makes them a bit boring to be just big metal people. It would make them a bit more alien if the life and death rules for them where some how different than it is for us.

Or maybe I just got spoiled with plot ideas like status lock in Beast Wars or the question in Animated of what it would take to actually kill a Transformer since you can be down to just a head and still get by.

Guess there is just something in us that wants some characters that can't be killed by the run of the mill stuff that can kill us in real life. In modern times we came up with things like Superman to fill in that need but it goes back way farther than that because just look at the Greek Gods.