Starscream is the treacherous, cowardly air commander of the Decepticons in the Transformers cartoon continuity. While he can be a cunning warrior when he wants to be, he is headstrong and doesn't plan out his attacks on the Autobots. He has also made it abundantly clear that he desires to replace Megatron as Decepticon leader, often jumping at even the smallest opportunity to seize power. He was voiced by the late Chris Latta.
Death[]
Transformers: The Movie[]
Starscream, moments before crumbling to dust after being shot by Galvatron
Starscream's arrogance finally leads to his downfall in Transformers: The Movie. When the Decepticons retreat from Earth, Astrotrain requests that they dump their excess weight so he can actually get to Cybertron. All the injured Decepticons are forced out into space, including Megatron. With Megatron gone, Starscream proclaims himself as the new leader of the Decepticons. Although their is a brief power struggle on the way back to Cybertron, Starscream is ultimately named leader. However, his rule is very short-lived; Megatron, now reborn as Galvatron thanks to Unicron, arrives on Cybertron in the middle of Starscream's coronation. As payback for jettisoning him, Galvatron transforms into cannon mode and blasts Starscream. Starscream's body is illuminated by a surge of energy which quickly dissipates, leaving him frozen and devoid of colour... and life. Starscream's body then crumbles to ash.
Transformers[]
After the events of the movie, it is revealed that Starscream's "spirit" still endures. In the episode Starscream's Ghost, Starscream possesses the Decepticon Cyclonus and conspires with Decepticon turncoat Octane to take revenge on Galvatron. They attempt to trap the Decepticon leader and hand him over to the Autobots, but their attempts fail and in his anger, Galvatron shoots Cyclonus, unaware that his lieutenant is possessed. Starscream's ghost then possesses Scourge, commander of the Sweeps.
In the episode Ghost In The Machine, Starscream possessed Scourge and used him to fire on Galvatron. Scourge was branded a traitor and was exiled from the Decepticon-held planet of Chaar. With Starscream controlling him, he arrived at the disembodied head of Unicron, which still orbited Cybertron. Unicron's consciousness remained within the moon-sized head and commanded Starscream to perform three labours in exchange for a new body of his own. After stealing the transformation cog of Trypticon and the eyes of Metroplex, Starscream was ordered to connect Unicron's head to Cybertron, which Unicron would turn into a new body for himself. However, Scourge escaped from Starscream's control and fled, leaving the ghost with no body and no way to finish Unicron's last task. He pleaded with Unicron to make him a new body right then and there so he could perform his task, but abandoned the dark god as soon as he gave Starscream what he wanted. Starscream would not enjoy his new body for long as a payload of explosives planted by the Autobots went off, hurling both Starscream and Unicron's head off into space. Starscream was last seen soaring off through the cosmic void, out of control, as Galvatron fired upon him, and Cyclonus wondered how a ghost could tumble through space like that.