What is it, you may wonder, that makes Soundwave so special to me that I've created this tribute page, that I named my first car after him, that he has in his own way become a major part of my life? There are plenty of Decepticons who at first glance would seem to be more notable and more engaging: Megatron alone fills the screen and commands attention whenever he's in the picture, and he's certainly someone I have the highest respect and admiration for; Starscream, Thunderwing, Jhiaxus, Cyclonus, Deathsaurus, Leozak, BW2 Galvatron - all characters who sparkle with intensity, depth, passion, and that indefinable confidence and ability that makes them larger-than-life, that makes them, as a friend of mine once put it, akin to the demigods of Greek and Roman mythology. These are power-players, characters who make history rather than being swept along in its tides, who, through the strength of their will and determination, single-handedly carve new channels for the rivers of time and destiny. They are the type to draw my attention automatically, characters to whom my first response is to catch my breath for a second and then just say: "Wow." Here you are in the presence of Greatness. And precisely this was my reaction to Megatron when I first encountered him in "The Ultimate Doom" way back in the summer of 1985. But it didn't take much continued watching to become aware of an equally powerful Presence in the background - a more muted and low-key Presence, to be sure, but if I turned my bedazzled eyes from the heroic leadership figure for just a moment, I found that I'd caught my breath again - because here was something even more extraordinary. Soundwave's presence was like an oasis of calm and certainty amidst the flurry of clashing egos and striving ambitions that surrounded him; if Megatron and his like are demigods in the classical mythological sense, then Soundwave is in some category all his own.

He is, as I've often said, nearly a background character in the series, with very little dialogue and very little starring air time. The point being, though, that he is always there in the background, not intruding on the action or trying to upstage anyone, but always ready to step in with that critical bit of advice or action when needed. To those whose attention is easily held by the dazzling sparkle of an extroverted command figure, he is easily overlooked, and even more easily misinterpreted and dismissed. Okay, I admit it - my attention is easily caught by the dazzling sparkle of an extroverted command figure. :) But I only had to hear Soundwave's voice once - that harmonious, comforting sound that seemed to hold the wisdom of the ages - only had to see a moment or two of interaction between him and the others - to realize that the greatest treasure among the Decepticons lay almost behind the scenes. It would be no great exaggeration to say that I fell in love with Soundwave's voice from the first moment - and one of the main reasons that I returned to watch further episodes, which led me into such intensive involvement with the fandom, was to hear more of that voice. In fact, the earliest Transformer dream I ever had, was of watching a cartoon episode on t.v., with a Soundwave voice-over reading aloud the credits at the end as they came up on screen. And here I'd complained that he didn't have enough speaking parts.... :)

Soundwave, to me, is the very personification of what I consider the highest of all virtues: unwavering loyalty. Not the mindless obedience to whoever happens to be able to thrash you in battle, which is born out of a lack of one's own strength and individuality and an inability (or unwillingness) to think for oneself -- this type of "loyalty" we see in BW Scorponok, for instance, and it is not, to my mind, loyalty. It's being a sheep, a drone, a yes-man, and it counts for nothing. Even if the recipient of such obedience were in fact a worthy leader, the Scorponok-type of "loyalty" is valueless because it's indiscriminate. Soundwave's version, on the other hand, is a conscious choice. He came into the picture already posessing a fully-actualized personality of his own, confident in his abilities, quietly certain of who he was and what he could contribute, requiring nobody's approval in order to validate his existence. He would have evaluated Megatron just as he would any other potential commander: "If I'm going to devote my life to this cause, under this particular individual, then is he worthy of my full respect and loyalty?" The answer, obviously, was yes. Probably not all at once - probably in stages - but it would have become obvious that Megatron had that quality of greatness that I've described above, that made him, in the end, the only choice. More than that, he had personal qualities that caused his followers to not only obey and respect him, but to genuinely admire and like him. Or perhaps it's precisely this that made him a more exeptional leader than any other qualified candidate.

Soundwave, remember, is a remarkable judge of character and a highly perceptive individual, whether or not he resorts to his telepathic talents. He'd have been well aware that Megatron, like anybody else, had his little character flaws; he was not demanding perfection before he pledged his loyalty, for such is unattainable. He was demanding a leader who was true to his word, someone who was so committed to shaping Decepticon destiny into a better future that he was willing to put his very life on the line for it repeatedly. Someone with honor, courage, vision. From that starting-point of respect, the professional association deepened into friendship - and in friendship of course you become aware of one another's failings as well as strengths, but in true friendship you stand by one another nevertheless. It's this quality of Soundwave's - the willingness to stick it out through the bad times as well as the good, once he'd fully comitted his loyalty - that defines his character to me and makes him the one I love best.

Soundwave's dedication to his cause, his devotion to his creations, his regard for his fellow Decepticons, are all part of that same picture; once he's determined that something is valuable, he will give himself to it totally and with absolute, unselfish reliability. He is someone whose trustworthiness is never in question, someone who would be available to help no matter what - someone whom you could call up at three in the morning with a personal crisis, and he'd not only have no irritated response, but would actually have calming and sensible advice. He's someone who wouldn't turn away from you if your presence happened to be inconvenient, someone who wouldn't blow off your friendship in the course of time, as happens so often in the real world. He is, to me, the idealized image of both a parental figure and an ally, perhaps the standard that I hold all my other interactions up to and watch them fall sadly short. If it were possible to know such an individual IRL, I would consider it so amazingly fortunate as to be a little unlikely. I consider myself fortunate to know such an individual even in fiction.

A rather meandering way of answering the question "Why is Soundwave your favorite?", but there you have an attempt at the reply, none the less.