Beast Machines locations gallery
this page contains story spoilers. italic text is sourced from the story bible or scripts, not the show itself. some images have been edited for better visibility. episode sources are in the image file names (the last number is the timestamp in seconds).
i think beast machines' cybertron is incredible and deserves to be appreciated. a huge amount of work and talent went into crafting the setting of beast machines, and it had a major (and understated) influence on depictions of cybertron that came after it.
this doesn't include absolutely every location (though i would say it has most of them), it's limited to where enough is known or can be reasonably assumed to make an entry. there are lots of interesting looking locations where it's never made clear what exactly it is - the metal-plated computer room that appears to be nearby the oracle chamber, the skyscraper where nightscream drops an elevator on jetstorm, different rooms in the catacombs. i highly encourage you pay closer attention to the environments on your next rewatch.
further reading: Beast Machines Locations on TFWiki (includes continuties besides the cartoon)
Transwarp space
The great distance between Earth and Cybertron. A ship with a transwarp drive is the best way to traverse it.
The moon
Nothing happens here, it's pure set dressing. Noble howls at the Grand Mal, not the moon. Cybertron used to have more moons in G1, this one also appeared in Beast Wars.
Cybertron
Home to billions. Automated defense systems extend to the edge of its atmosphere which shot down both Primal's Maximals' ship and Botanica's ship. Appears mechanical but actually has organic origins, in the end both elements became visible on the surface. Strika and Obsidian were launched into orbit in S2E11, possibly missing out on the planet-wide technorganic reformatting.
Cybertropolis
Population: 10 million. Captiol city of Cybertron. The size of an Earth continent. Buildings block most sunlight. Center of government and commerce. Most transformers lived and worked here. Spacious mid-air walkways connect many of the buildings. Megatron kept his Vehicons busy improving the city under his rule (see section: Vehicon Mole warehouses). It was in generally good condition until the season 1 finale, where the maelstrom seems to have created ruins in some areas.
Council Citadel / Megatron's palace
in Cybertropolis. Contains Megatron's throne room, where he operated the Vehicons and everything else from. His main computer is below ground in the center of the circular part. The tower at the top on the outside unfolds to reveal a throne in the final episode.
Megatron's throne room
Within the Council Citadel. Extremely connected to other locations both wirelessly and by cables. Megatron controls the lighting, often using it for dramatic effect. The catwalk breaks apart into pieces so that only welcomed guests can easily enter. Though there are other areas of the Council Citadel, the throne room has a hallway that leads right to the front entrance. Megatron "plugs in" to the room and the rest of Cybertron via a prosthetic full-body suit with a huge amount of cables connected to the ceiling. Others (such as Rattrap and Noble) can also use it. Has CR chambers for the Vehicon Generals. Rarely-visible wall art depicts past Cybertronian leaders. The stolen sparks were stored here in individual spark containers on a specially-made grid (before Megatron's migration to the Grand Mal).
Grand Mal
Megatron's vehicle mode (suggesting it is the "other half" of his Noble form, created in the season 1 finale.) He refers to it as his "base". Being a ship it can go anywhere but likes to stay near the Council Citadel. Megatron travels to the Spaceport to resupply in S2E09. In the same episode the Maximals seperate Megatron's spark from and take control of the Grand Mal indefinitely to protect the sparks inside and park it atop the Central Spaceport for an episode before flying it around and ultimately crashing it near the Council Citadel.
Shows video feeds via hologram as opposed to the Council Citadel throne room's floating hardware screens. Has a tractor beam under its chin and tentacle-like tendrils that can pierce the ground and inject data.
Anti-Gravity Generator Room
Four cylinders on the exterior underside of the Grand Mal are anti-gravity units and correspond to this room (though its unclear what part of the ship this actually is). Has a ceiling hatch where Strika and Obsidian are launched through.
Cargo Hangar
More spacious and open than other parts of the Grand Mal. Vehicon drones are among the cargo.
Spark Containment Unit
In the Grand Mal. A room just for the giant container holding all the captured sparks. Megatron calls it the "containment grid", "spark containment unit" is Rattrap's term.
Central Spaceport
On the outskirts of Cybertropolis. Most traffic entering and exiting the planet goes through here. Design-wise, it's sort of like a naval aircraft carrier built in the sky. Inside is a computer with a log of all ships/flights (kept intact, unlike the Cybertron Infocore).
Autobot Shuttle Omega Delta
Taken by the Maximals in the final episode of Beast Wars. Used to be part of the Ark's fleet. After crash landing, it was collected by Megatron and stored in the Central Spaceport.
Spaceport
On the ground, unlike the Central Spaceport. Near a train line (the same purple lights are visible). Vehicons use this location fairly often to ship cargo around the planet.
Botanica's ship
The same model as Autobot Shuttle Omega Delta. Shot down by Cybertron's defense mechanisms. After the Maximals left it, some of its overgrowth escaped outside, and Megatron shot it into total disrepair.
Cybertron Archives
In Cybertropolis. Contains backups of every transformer. Megatron remixed the personality data of several great scientists into his Diagnostic Drone. Outside is a statue of Optimus Prime holding two golden discs which was destroyed by Vehicons, the door also has a golden disc motif.
Vehicon manufacturing plant
Though somewhat far away, it connects directly to Megatron's throne room by wires.
Vehicon Mole warehouses
State-of-the-art architecture that can rearrange their configuration on the ground, removing all paths between them, and fly around inconveniently!
Cybertron Infocore
In Cybertropolis. A computer network containing up-to-date information about the planet and its citizens, all of which was wiped by Megatron. Accessible via roadside terminals.
Train system
When de-evolved and seperated from the other Maximals, Rattrap trainhopped for safety, as did Primal.
Transformation virus labratory
Where Megatron developed the virus he used to take over the world. Most likely not a sanctioned lab as it looks like a "spare parts warehouse" from the outside according to Cheetor, aside from the intense security system.
Shellyards
Where Maximal sparks are extracted and bodies are stored before being recycled into Vehicons. Has its own train system for moving Maximal "shells" from the indoor facilities to storage outside and mid-air walkways between the different walls of scrap containers.
Spark Extraction facility
In the center of the shellyard. Though there are handheld spark extractors, this building has an automated machine for the same task.
Processing Plant 57
Where they process Maximal shells into Vehicon drones, as it has a Maximal shellyard just outside. All the action and therefore these images takes place in that shellyard.
Holographic pleasure booth
Apparently Cybertropolis has a red light district with densely-packed neon business signs, somewhat near Processing Plant 57.
Unnamed generator area
Possibly a hydroplant given the waterfall. Where Nightscream and his buddies used to hang out. It has an unkempt interior that's meant to be inaccessible to the public, but Noble finds a small entryway for him and Nightscream to use it as a hideout.
Unnamed river
Eventually leads to the Oracle Chamber via pipes that were blasted open in combat.
Catacombs
Refers to most places underground. All of the Maximal bases are somewhere within it. Labyrinthine. Its terrain ranges from metal to earthen depending where one goes. Plenty of access points on the surface, especially manhole covers. Protects from Megatron due to the total lack of his modern tech and ancient Autobot/Decepticon (and possibly Quintesson or other civilizations) tech as an alternative.
Iacon
Buried underground after the great upgrade from Autobot/Decepticon to Maximal/Predacon. Far greater in scale than Cybertropolis to match the larger size of its former inhabitants. There used to be an access tunnel to it from Cybertropolis, now blocked by boulders. Sewage access still works.
Optimus Prime memorial
In Iacon. Whether it's meant to be an interactive program or if it only had the power of speech thanks to Megatron's involvement is unclear.
Tree chamber / Nightscream's chamber
Where Nightscream lived before joining the Maximals. All of the trees were destroyed by Vehicons, save for a single seed the Maximals managed to hold on to and later start their orchard with.
Ampitheater
Built by an indeterminate civilization before the Maximal/Predacon era. It appears to be made largely out of stone. Used by the Maximals as their base from S1E3 to S1E10 (replaced by the Fossil Chamber). Later used by Tankor/Rhinox, his hideout seems to specifically be a small building near the center stage. Completely abandoned and not shown again after his demise.
Fossil Chamber / first Technorganic Orchard
Discovered by Nightscream blasting a hole through the floor above. The Maximals set up residence in S1E10 and make it home to the first/original technorganic orchard. One of the trees planted was in memorial of Rhinox. It's underneath the second technorganic orchard in the Oracle's chamber, connected by tunnel.
Other fossil chamber
Smaller and unsettled by the Maximals. Where Blackarachnia lures Jetstorm to be reformatted in part by its pool of technorganic goop.
Oracle Chamber / Vector Sigma / second Technorganic Orchard
Merely a catwalk through an empty room unless the Oracle decides to show itself. For most of the show, a place the Maximals would only visit on special occasions. When it spawned its own technorganic orchard, they made it their final base to be able to tend to it and built infrastructure such as light fixtures, scaffolding and elevators. By that point, the Oracle was always present. Could be the same location as Vector Sigma's chamber in G1, or Vector Sigma could have relocated when it evolved into the Oracle.
Plasma Energy Chamber
Connected to the catacombs by elevator. Originally appeared in G1 as the forge used to create the original Autobots' bodies. They similarly struggled with its potentially devastating effects on mechanical beings when in the wrong hands. Its safety was entrusted to Autobot leaders, so it's fitting that Optimus' descendant, Primal, was told about it by the Oracle.
