So the Matrix is obviously pretty well known in terms of appearance. "Light our darkest hour" we know all that. But, what exactly is it? What allows it to be that big thing that solves all the problems, and what seperates it from other relics like the Allspark?

From my understanding, it seems to collect knowledge and wisdom of the Primes, but what makes that different from what the Allspark is, which appears to collect the sparks? What gives it that MacGruffin ability to "Light our darkest hour"? Feel free to go into headcanon territory.

 

The Primes placed their wisdom in it,and all Primes have carried it and its burden.A Prime relic.

 

It's a disco ball with some LEDs.

 

A portable juke box that plays heavy metal when opened

 

I see it as a mystical database of knowledge. One part history show, one part collective past lives of the ancients. Kinda like Aang's past lives in ATLA, minus the reincarnation angle.

 

The difference is that there WAS no Allspark in G1. There weren't even any sparks.

 

The touch was the song that was played and I wouldn’t of called that heavy metal

 

As concepts go the matrix predates the all spark.....And the all Spark was something that stemmed from the concept of the matrix not the other way around

 

While it may not hold true for all universes, most of the time it is a fraction of Primus's life-force and as such is a conduit for his power. The reason Unicron possesses such a weakness to the creation matrix it is because Primus and Unicron counteract eachother and direct exposure to their life force could kill either one of them.

 

Seriously. I'm not sure it even qualifies as hard rock. But yeah, definitely not metal.

 

But Beast Wars introduced the Well of Allsparks, which could be considered it.

And don't the allspark and matrix co-exist some continuities, like in Prime? What's the difference then?

 

The matrix resembles some manner of photonic memory storage device - I'd liken it to an EXTREMELY powerful light or "generic science fiction energy" powered memory drive that holds the data (if not the entire personalities of) prior Primes inside of a crystal. The holder of the matrix can access the memories within, giving them wisdom and knowledge beyond their years.

This theory kind of breaks down when you take into account that the interior of the matrix evaporated when a resurrected Prime used it to cure the hate plague. Doing this raises two questions:

1) What kind of energy powers the thing, insofar as it can destroy Unicron and cure a metaphysical plague, and;
2) What exactly is the crystalline structure within the matrix?

I'd theorize that there's something special about the energy powering the matrix - to what end I don't know since it's basically a deus ex machina. However, I'd hazard a guess that the energy is highly volatile and needs the housing to stabilize the crystal looking thing inside in order to keep the "memory" within stable. It could very well be that if the energy stops, the crystal (which likely has some kind of near infinite storage capacity) breaks down. When the matrix is opened, the crystal is destabilized, releasing the energy and potentially burning or depleting the solid state crystal inside.

These are all my total guesses. For all I know, it's magical jell-o.

The Allspark is more or less the thing that gives Transformers life. Analogs are the Oracle/Vector Sigma from BW/G1. The Matrix in the cartoon is merely a vessel holding the wisdom/personalities of past Primes. This gets muddied in the G1 comic continuity, as the matrix in that universe is the Creation Matrix - basically a device that imbues life to Transformers. In the comics, the Matrix effectively IS the Allspark.

 

It is metal, spefically the hair metal subgenre.

The well of Allspark is where all life begins and ends, it creates sparks to live their life until they die and become one with the rest of the fallen. The Allspark is nothing more than a shell to channel energy as a implement for giving life.

 

This, it also contains the wisdom, knowledge and life experience of he primes who carried it. For G1 anyway. the movie matrix is less well defined.

 

That's some jello @ProtectronPrime .  

 

in what universe? And I mean seriously like South said it's hardly hard rock it all certainly not hair band anything

 

in my mind, it is the crystallized spark of the first prime, and it absorbs some of the spark energy of all who bear it to grow/evolve its power/wisdom

 

Seriously. If anything it's pop rock or blues rock. Hair metal is Dee Snyder/Twisted Sister and the like. I can see where there'd be some confusion though. Whitesnake can be considered glam/hair metal, but they also have some pretty similar songs to The Touch and they flopped across rock genres (i.e. "Here I go again").

That being said, I suspect that the consensus among Matrix holders that rock of any kind is loud, discordant noise. I'd suspect Prime likes country western or Gordon Lightfoot or something.

 

Isn't The Touch a Power Ballad?

EDIT: According to Wikipedia, it's Rock. The Touch (Stan Bush song) - Wikipedia Huh.

 

To me it's pop-rock with just a little bit more guitar

Not much different from Jessie's Girl