Name: Drift
Aliases: Deadlock
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Samurai
Timeline: Generation 1
Be resolute, lest your loyalty be as a delicate flower in the winds of fear and temptation.
Profile:
One of the newest members of the Autobots, Drift cannot claim that he's the most liked, or the most trusted, of the Autobot forces. A sometimes intense and brooding loner, Drift has a lot to prove. Unlike Bumblebee, this need to prove himself doesn't come from a need to justify his self-worth - Drift learned to be self-reliant when he was growing up on the mean streets of Rodion. Nor does Drift need to prove his skills as a warrior - he's one of the best fighters to bear the Autobot sigil. What Drift has to prove is his loyalty. It is an open secret that Drift used to be a Decepticon warrior named Deadlock - one of the deadliest killers in Megatron's service. As Deadlock, Drift coldly slaughtered thousands at the command of Megatron - and hundreds more on his own initiative. Other Decepticons grew jealous of Drift's skill, and fearful of his ambitions, as he began to question his commanding officers. Betrayed by his own comrades in arms, Drift was left for dead on a remote world. But Drift survived and was taken in by the Circle of Light. There, under the guidance of Dai Atlas, Drift underwent a spiritual awakening that brought home the horror of what he had done. Leaving his former ways behind, Drift cast off his identity as Deadlock, and swore to never again take up guns as a tool of war. Now a devout follower of Primus, and the doctrines preached by the Circle of Light such as the Guiding Hand of Primus, Drift seeks to atone for his past misdeeds, fighting evil wherever it appears, and guiding others on the path to spiritual righteousness. Even though Optimus Prime has granted Drift amnesty and accepted him into the Autobot ranks, a number of Autobots do not trust Drift, believing that his change of heart is a ruse to install one of the deadliest Decepticons as a double agent in their ranks. Megatron, though, has no doubts about Drift's defection - and has decreed that he must be destroyed at all costs.
Sports car mode:
Author notes:
It's hard to imagine now, but when Drift made his debut in IDW's All Hail Megatron, he was a big deal. "A new character added to Transformers Generation 1" IDW proclaimed, and sure enough, he was a new addition to the cast from that point forward. A common complaint was that Drift was a bit of a Mary Sue - good at everything with few drawbacks - and I feel like I've not avoided that here. If anything, I've maybe leaned a bit too hard into the brooding loner side of the character rather than the quirkier personality he developed in IDW's later comics. I wanted to do more with Drift's spirituality, but I couldn't work it in because I chose to focus the profile on Drift's past and his change of heart.
Something that I would like to see future writers explore when using Drift is to explore how his spirituality makes him interact with people on Earth. I'd love to see a one-off story where Drift perhaps has a heart-to-heart with a pastor or a rabbi and exchanges notes on beliefs and faith, and how that makes him grow as an individual. It's an angle that would be uniquely suited to the IDW Drift, and since the continuity was rebooted, we're probably not going to see that story explored, which is a shame.
Toys of Transformers Generation 1 Drift
Transformers Generations Drift
The Generations Drift is so far the only Generation 1 styled version of Drift. It's a decent toy, but it is one that is now showing its age. He's got great arm movement which is great because he's a sword wielder, but the toy shows its age in the legs. He could use a new toy with legs to match the arm movement - he's a design that would benefit from ankle tilts, and a waist swivel. The shoulders are also a bit tricky since again they limit the movement - a newer design could work around those. Even so, Drift's one and only toy does a lot of good, with a unique way of doing a car to robot design and I really do appreciate just how many cool swordfighting poses he can do - including two-handed poses with his greatsword.
More information on Transformers Generations Drift at TFW2005
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Transformers Generations toys in my collection.
