Spooky!

Whenhumans orTransformers die, sometimes their spirits remain in the form ofghosts. This new state may render the deceased incorporeal, but they can be seen and heard, usually instilling the living with feelings of dread and/or terror. Often they can influence their environment: manipulating physical objects, possessing the living, riding motorcycles, or shooting lasers at people. On rare occasions, a ghost can be resurrected into a new physical form, allowing the deceased to return to the land of the living.

Somehumans like to tell ghost stories to frighten their friends. Humans are weird.

Fiction

Generation 1 continuity family

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Following the destruction of his body byGalvatron,Starscream somehow continued to exist as a wraithlike figure. He was able to take possession of the still living, and used this ability to work withOctane to try and overthrow Galvatron.Starscream's Ghost He later struck a bargain withUnicron, who desired to possessCybertron as his new form. During the affair, Unicron provided Starscream with a new body of his own, and the Air Commander was once again rendered corporeal.Ghost in the Machine

When Galvatron tried to use theMatrix of Leadership, ghostly images of former Autobot leaders appeared to haunt him, though it's possible these were projected by the Matrix itself.The Burden Hardest to Bear

The Headmasters cartoon

Alpha Trion manifested as a ghost to guideOptimus Prime through the inner bowels of CybertronThe Mystery of Planet Master leading him to the chamber holdingVector Sigma.Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime

Kiss Players

Shizuku Amaō died when Galvatron crashed down onTokyo.I, You, and the Spinning Earth She later manifested as a spectral image riding on aLegion.Kiss Players #32 She was seen accompanying them several more times, until they finally broke into theGenital System under EDC headquarters, where Shizuku's motherHitoshizuku Amaō was attempting to resurrect her in the body ofAtari Hitotonari.Kiss Players #37 The plan failed, and Shizuku's ghost was last seen standing by her mother as the laboratory collapsed on top of them.I, You, and the Spinning Earth

e-HOBBY comics

After being killed by Galvatron, Starscream ended up in limbo with dead versions of himself from other realities. They pooled their resources to create aflip-soul, which Starscream was able to use to return to the physical plane as a ghost.MP-3G Destron Air Commander / Starscream Ghost Ver.

Unite Warriors

WhenGalvatron II's body was destroyed, his spirit remained in the world as a ghost thanks to the power of theCreation Matrix he held.Ruination Chapter, Part Two

Marvel comics continuity

AfterStarscream was resurrected as aPretender,Zarak was shocked by his appearance. Starscream slyly suggested perhaps he was a ghost. Later events disproved the theory.Skin Deep

OnChristmas Eve,Dreadwind was visited by theghost of the past which resembledGrimlock, theghost of the present which resembledBlaster, and theghost of the future which represented a future version of Dreadwind himself. As a result, he abandoned his post asletters page answerer.Dreadwind's Xmas!

A version ofGalvatron II was able to persist as a ghost after being blown up byMetroplex due to his possession of theCreation Matrix.LG-43 Trypticon Project ChapterRuination Chapter, Part Two As a ghost, he was able to possess other Transformers as hosts, doing this toCyclonusGrand Galvatron Chapter and attempting this onMegaempress, but unfortunately,Grand Scourge was able to bothandle him due to Galvatron's Matrix energy.Ruination Chapter, Part Two

2005 IDW continuity

Kup mistook ahologram ofSpringer to be a ghost, when it was simply part of an attempt to rescue him.Spotlight: Kup An apparition of the deceasedRewind appeared on theLost Light, and as a resultNightbeat theorized that it was a "data ghost".Words Hang in the Air When a quantum duplicate of Rewind was later discovered on anotherLost Light,Nautica put the earlier appearance down to the collision of quantum realities.The Road Not Taken

Hearts of Steel

TheLone Gunmen encountered ateam of ghost hunters inNew York.The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Transformers

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

AfterDestro made a killing in arms manufacturing, a rumour arose that his home was haunted by the ghosts of his victims. As a result, he hadCastle Destro ghost-proofed when he moved it toCalifornia.Stick To Your Guns

Prime Wars Trilogy cartoons

What's the matter? You look like you've seen a me.

Following his destruction during theCombiner Wars, Starscream's ghost emerged from his body and was left adrift, unable to control itself. However, ahigher power forced his spirit into the body ofTrypticon, causing theTitan to be revived.Aftermath and Rebirth. Later, thanks to the power of the Matrix of Leadership, Starscream's ghost was freed from Trypticon, and he claimed to feel reborn as he vanished.All Things Must Pass Despite seemingly fading away, Starscream's ghost still lingered, observing Optimus Prime andOptimal Optimus from afar.Saga's End

Transformers/Ghostbusters

A full torso apparition, and it's real!

WhenGozer attacked Cybertron,Kremzeek the Scavenger approachedDecepticon High Command and turned them into ghosts so they could live (so to speak) through Cybertron's destruction. In return for this, Kreemzeek demanded their aid in finding theAllSpark so he could absorb it. WhenMegatron,Shockwave, andSoundwave refused, the electrical entity absorbed their spirits into his being, sendingStarscream to hunt for the artifact, taken away from Cybertron aboard theArk.Ghosts of Cybertron Part 2Ghosts of Cybertron Part 4

A thousand years later, on the planetEarth, ghosts were such a common occurrence that a special team, the aptly namedGhostbusters, was formed to combat and contain these supernatural horrors. One night, after the Ghostbusters had contained a massive tentacled ghost, Starscream's spectre appeared before them and asked them to leave so he could speak toEctronymous Diamatron in private, only to be sucked up by one of theirghost traps.Ghosts of Cybertron Part 1 Ectronymous, mistaking the ghost for ahologram, deactivated the ghost trap and released the Seeker who told an edited version of his tale to the Autobot and the Ghostbusters, asking for their help in obtaining a new body.Ghosts of Cybertron Part 2

Haven't we seen this before?

Though Starscream was brought back to theGhostbusters firehouse, the cynicalPeter Venkman doubted the Seeker's motivations and locked him in another ghost trap. As the Ghostbusters waited forOptimus Prime to arrive, they responded to a disturbance caused byan electrically charged ghost, with Ectronymous – now dubbed "Ectotron" – modifying a ghost trap to contain the spectre. When the humans met Optimus, it was found that Starscream had escaped.Ghosts of Cybertron Part 3 Tracking the Seeker to theGrosbeak Generating Station, they were met by Kremzeek, who proceeded to absorb Starscream's ghost as a form of punishment, before engaging Optimus Prime in a duel for the AllSpark. Unable to match Kremzeek's power, the Ghostbusters released the electrical ghost, its ravenous hunger drawing it to Kremzeek and dispelling both entities. Though this ended the threat posed by Kremzeek, it also released the ghosts of the Decepticons.Ghosts of Cybertron Part 4

Though Optimus offered to use the AllSpark to resurrectDecepticon High Command, Megatron's rage drove him to attack his arch-foe. Starscream, seeking revenge on Peter Venkman, attacked the Ghostbusters with Soundwave and Shockwave, deciding that they had nothing better to do, joining him. When the latter two were absorbed by ghost traps, Starscream decided to return another day. As Optimus and Megatron duelled, the latter was sent stumbling back and possessed Ectotron's body, using the Autobot scientist to attack Optimus before a canister ofmood slime forced him out. Rematerializing in a more monstrous form, Megatron leapt at Optimus Prime, hoping to possess him and use the Autobots to rebuild theDecepticon Empire. A second before he could, Ectotron managed to restrain and capture him. In the aftermath, Ectotron decided to become the first interstellar Ghostbuster, intent on locating any more Cybertronian ghosts that might be scattered throughout the galaxy, unaware that he was being trailed by Starscream's ghost.Ghosts of Cybertron Part 5

Unicron Trilogy

Energon cartoon

Bruticus Maximus was about to terminateSuperion Maximus when the ghost of the latter'sdead brother appeared, blowing off one of Bruticus Maximus's limbs. Though the ghost vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, its actions turned the tide of the battle in Superion Maximus's favor.Spark

Cybertron cartoon

Despite being destroyed, thanks to theArmor of Unicron,Megatron manifested as a shadowy form whichBud decided was a ghost. UnfortunatelyCoby was afraid of ghosts.Balance Megatron was eventually able to regenerate a corporeal form, and used the remnants of his ghost form to createNemesis Breaker.Darkness

Transformers Legends

According toAlexis,Halloween originated from Irish folk who believed in ghosts.Something Robotic This Way Comes

Animated cartoon

During a slumber party,Sari Sumdac told ghost stories and used herAllSpark Key to provide special effects. It worked pretty well to scareBumblebee.Home Is Where the Spark IsBulkhead dressed as a ghost for Halloween.Along Came a Spider AfterProwl merged hisspark with the AllSpark, his ghostly form manifested long enough to rescueOptimus Prime from an explodingLugnut Supreme.Endgame, Part II

Shattered Glass

Whisper attempted to scareScoop by posing as the ghost ofBoltax.Do Over

Crossovers

Ghost Rider is presumably a ghost of some sort.

Titan Magazines post-Revenge of the Fallen comics

Soundwave made the mistake of venturing into theBermuda Triangle, and was attacked by ships and airplanes that had been missing for decades. The origin of these ghostly vessels is unclear, but they resulted in Soundwave fleeing fromEarth.Making Waves

Rescue Bots cartoon

"Ah, not another hitchhiker."

Doc Greene created theSpectral Vapor Filter, a device intended to trap ghosts.Griffin Rock legends told ofCharlotte Wayne, also known as the Lady of Griffin Rock, whose ghost was said to haunt the island. An appearance by the ghost resulted inJerry running his truck off the road, and subsequently the town was overrun with the ghosts of famous island residents. Ultimately it was discovered thatEvan andMyles had used the town's holographic systems to create the fake ghost epidemic; however, it later transpired that no hologram of Charlotte Wayne was in the computer system.The Haunting of Griffin Rock

Games

Transformers Legends

After his death, Starscream continued to exist as a ghost, though to manifest on the physical plane, he had to pass through aspirit portal from the ethereal plane. TheAutobots were able to track his appearances with electromagnetic radiation detectors.Ghost in the Machine He was able to control bothCyclonus andScourge to do his bidding. He was later provided with a new body by Unicron.Unicron Returns

Toys

Spookyand brittle!

• Starscream Ghost Version (e-HOBBY Exclusive, 2001)

Theoriginal Starscream mold was released in transparent plastic bye-HOBBY to represent his ghost form as seen in the cartoon.

• Starscream Ghost Version (Deluxe, 2009)

HisClassicsmold was likewise released in transparent plastic and offered throughTransformers Generations 2009 Volume 2.

• Starscream Ghost Version (2010)

E-HOBBY also released hisMasterpiecemold in transparent plastic.

• Ectotron (2019)

A clear plastic figurine ofGhostbusters characterSlimer is included withCollaborative figureEctotron.

• Optimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition (2019)

An opaque, painted redeco of the above Slimer figurine is included withOptimus Prime Ecto-35 Edition.

• Ectotron (2021)

In addition to the previously released Slimer figure, this release of Ectotron also includes a transparent plastic figurine of the characterMuncher.

Merchandise

• Ghost Starscream (2001)

Starscream'sSuper CollectionFigure wasreleased in transparent plastic as achase figure.

• Ghost of Starscream (Palisades, 2005)

Palisades released aghost version of theirStarscream polystone statue, limited to 300 pieces.

Notes

• Skullgrotes has a Ghost Horror Laser, however it does not involve actual ghosts.
• The human-built spaceshipGhost 1 was not a ghost either.
• Nor does the secret military organizationG.H.O.S.T. have any ghosts in their employ.