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Nightbeat is the name of several characters in the various Transformers universes.

Transformers: Generation 1
Nightbeat is described as a tough, street-hardened detective who is not above resorting to dirty tricks in order to further his investigations. His Headmaster partner is a detective named Muzzle.

Reception
Nightbeat was voted the 9th top Transformer who was bad ass only in the comics by Topless Robot.

Nightbeat was named one of the 3rd top unfortunately named Transformer by Topless Robot.

Nightbeat was named the 3rd most useless Transformer by Cracked.

Marvel Comics
In the comics published by Marvel Comics in the United States, Nightbeat first appears in issue 62, Bird of Prey. The issue is a pastiche of The Maltese Falcon with Nightbeat in the Sam Spade role and various aliens filling out the cast. An obese creature named "Gutt" fills the role of Kaspar Guttman, and a greasy robot named "B'gdad" is a stand-in for Joel Cairo. The Falcon-analogue is in fact a powerful mystical artifact; by replacing it, Nightbeat and his assistants, Siren and Hosehead, restore the run-down alien planet to a beautiful paradise. The victory is short-lived, as the trio are ambushed by the Decepticon Thunderwing.

In issue 63 of the series, Thunderwing uses a device to scan Nightbeat's mind, revealing information about his true mission; to recover the long-lost Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Nightbeat and his assistants remain Decepticon prisoners until issue 66, when they escape and assist in the defeat and destruction of Thunderwing, since driven mad by the Matrix. Nightbeat reappears in issues 69 and 70, leading the search for missing Autobot Ratchet and Decepticon leader Megatron, lost in an explosion some time ago.

In issue 72, Nightbeat pulls a gun on Decepticon commander Scorponok and forces him to listen to Optimus Prime. A peace treaty is almost reached in issue 73, but the intervention of the human Neo-Knights results in Nightbeat being knocked unconscious. Nightbeat appears in the background throughout issues 74 and 75. Nightbeat's last appearance in the Generation One comic is in issue 79, where he tells Prowl to "cool it". However, his wreckage was seen as part of the rout of the Autobots on Klo. He was presumably resurrected by Optimus Prime and the Last Autobot.

Nightbeat appeared in three separate stories in the U.K. Transformers comic, his appearances there pre-dating his more notable Marvel US appearances. "The Big Shutdown" was another hard-boiled detective pastiche, this time featuring Nightbeat investigating the murder of an Autobot washed up on a Californian beach. This led to an encounter with Siren, Hosehead and a (rapidly dispatched) cannon-fodder Autobot named Horsepower, who were Autobot prisoners let loose on Earth from Cybertron to be hunted down by Thunderwing (in their first encounter), as a trial-by-fire to become Decepticon Commander. Nightbeat defeated Thunderwing, igniting the fuel tanks of the murdered Autobot to take the warlord offline, and would later face Thunderwing again when he launched a revenge attack on the Ark. He made a final appearance when the powerful Deathbringer arrived on Earth, wiping out a small city; Nightbeat was able to work out the truth behind the being, and that the Creation Matrix was involved in creating it. (Although a UK only story, it was shown in flashback in a US issue.)

There was no Nightbeat toy in the Generation Two toyline, however he did appear in the comics. Nightbeat appears twice in the Transformers: Generation 2 comic series. In issue 10, he is seated at a computer console when an explosion rocks him out of his seat. In issue 12, he is killed when he and Dirge self-destruct in an attempt to stop the Swarm.

Animated series
Although the U.S. animated series was canceled before Nightbeat was released, he did appear in animated form in Transformers commercials.

Dreamwave Productions
Nightbeat appeared only in the Dreamwave comics "War Within" series as one of the Autobot rebels during the age of internment. This was before he became a Headmaster or was reformatted into an Earth-style car. Muzzle didn't appear in the Dreamwave comics except in a one page biography of Nightbeat and Muzzle.

IDW Publishing
Nightbeat would receive a starring role in the The Transformers: Spotlight: Nightbeat one-shot. The story focuses on Nightbeat's investigation of the first Ark thousands of years before. This leads him to a trader offering to sell him the original flight recorder from the Ark. The trader's subsequent murder leads Nightbeat to a gigantic metallic underground sea, where he is ambushed by an unfamiliar group of Transformers (The Micromaster Sports Car Patrol) and captured. A shadowy figure (implied to be Galvatron) oversees the implantation of a device in his brain, and then wipes his mind. The purpose of this device is as yet unknown. Unaware of what has occurred, Nightbeat is summoned to Earth by Optimus Prime.

Nightbeat arrived as part of the reinforcements summoned to counter Megatron's Ore-13 enhanced Decepticons. Nightbeat urged caution as Hot Rod and Hardhead insisted on heading down to Earth to assist Prime's unit against Megatron. Although he didn't accompany them personally, Nightbeat provided situation updates to Optimus Prime, warning him of the radio blackout - just as Prime was confronted by Megatron transforming from gun mode. Nightbeat then prepared to transport Hot Rod back to the Ark, but the impetuous Autobot was jumped by Skywarp and Thundercracker. Nightbeat teleported him out, but not in time - Hot Rod was badly damaged, and the facsimile killed. However, as the facsimile appeared to be alive when Hot Rod teleported, it is possible that the mind-controlled Nightbeat killed him first.

Nightbeat continued to serve on Earth, surviving Sixshot's attack on the Ark and the subsequent battle against the Decepticon living weapon. Asked by Hound to look into Leadfoot's death (killed by Galvatron in his Spotlight issue), he became suspicious of the method of death, realising he'd seen it somewhere before (on Gorlam Prime). Looking through his records, he received the transmission from Gorlam Prime he had stored. Realising something was wrong, he called on Hardhead for help. (Spotlight: Cyclonus)

Fun Publications
The Fun Publications 2008 Timelines Summer Special, entitled "Cheap Shots", features Autobots Nightbeat, Slag, Sludge and Siren. In this story Nightbeat's crew are hired by a sentient ship named Amory to relocate her pilot. After investigating they find the whole job is a trap set by the Decepticon Ruckus, now leading the Mayhem Attack Squad. Ruckus is holding the pilot hostage, but Slag cuts Ruckus' arm off and recovers the pilot, for which Amory pays them.

Nightbeat appears in At Fight's End.

Convention comics
Nightbeat appeared in the unlicensed mini-comic released for the 2011 TFcon, called "Changes in War". This story is set on the planet Master before the events of Transformers: The Headmasters. Nightbeat is among the Autobots who try and fail to stop Scorponok and his allies from escaping.

Toys

 * Generation 1 Nightbeat with Muzzle
 * In Japan, the same toy was recolored and released as Headmaster Junior Minerva in the Super-God Masterforce series, a completely different character from Nightbeat.


 * Timelines Deluxe Nightbeat (2008)
 * Released as a Transformers Club exclusive with the Seacons and was featured in a Timelines comic. This Nightbeat is a remold of Energon Hot Shot with a new head.

Transformers: Armada
Nightbeat is the name of the Mini-Con partner of the Autobot Sideswipe. His first comic appearance was in issue 18 of Dreamwave's Transformers: Armada comic.

Nightbeat's Dreamwave bio presented him as small and physically unimpressive even for a Mini-Con: however, his raw courage more than makes up for this. Unfortunately, this usually means goading his partner Sideswipe into more and more daring acts - usually leading to the two landing in a lot of trouble.

According to Hasbro officials the names of Side Swipe and his Mini-Con partner were accidentally swapped, meaning the larger blue and yellow Autobot was intended to be Nightbeat.

Animated series
In episode #31 called "Past" Side Swipe used Nightbeat to activate his dragster mode.

Dreamwave Productions
Nightbeat appeared among the Mini-Cons in issue #18 of the Transformers: Armada comic book who aided Over-Run using the Mini-Con Matrix in the defeat of Unicron.

Toys

 * Armada Deluxe Sideswipe with Mini-Con Nightbeat (2003)
 * The Mini-Con Partner of Side Swipe. This toy was later redecoed as Micron Booster Gauge, who was repurposed as Skidmark by the Transformers Collectors Club.


 * Universe Deluxe Treadshot with Mini-Con Nightbeat
 * Nightbeat is the name of the Mini-Con partner of the Decepticon Treadshot, and is a recolor of Armada Nightbeat. The Mini-Con partner of the Decepticon Oil Slick, called Search & Destroy, was also a recolor of Armada Nightbeat.

2007 Transformers film
Night Beat 7 (this time with a space) is the name of an Autobot who turns into an MP3 audio player.

The Autobot Transformer Night Beat 7 makes it his job to expose Decepticons to the light. It constantly scans the world for evidence of evil, from the faint time particle trail left by Meantime to the sonic leftovers of the mischievous Booster X10.

Note: Night Beat 7 is one of the few Real Gear Robots who is named after a legacy character. Most sport original names. Night Beat 7 is also currently the only Transformers designed for the 2007 Transformers film toy line to appear in fiction not related to the film.

Fun Publications
Night Beat 7 was a main character appearing in Fun Publications fiction Withered Hope, a text and comic based story set on Transtech Cybertron. Night Beat 7 was the personal MP3 and employee of Crystal Widow.

Reception
GamesAxis Unwired Magazine said Read Gear Robots would make Soundwave turn over in his plastic grave.

Toys

 * Transformers Real Gear Robot Night Beat 7 (2007)
 * A redeco of Booster X10. This toy was designed by Alex Kubalsky.
 * In December 2007 oversized remakes of this toy started being sold out of China. Additionally a normal sized remake was sold which was in Generation 1 Nightbeat's blue and yellow.

Transformers: Timelines
Shattered Glass Nightbeat is an evil counterpart of Generation 1 Nightbeat.

Nightbeat carries a stun gun and is able tell if he is being lied to with uncanny accuracy. He also suffers from reoccurring cosmic rust, which must be treated to keep it from flaring up.

Nightbeat speaks with an accent inspired by the gangster characters of Edward G. Robinson. Nightbeat also sports an Autobot logo with a dagger through it, referencing the Empire symbol seen in the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror".

Fun Publications
Nightbeat first appeared as a member of Optimus Prime's forces defending the Ark launch site in the 2008 Fun Publications Transformers: Timelines comic story "Shattered Glass."

Nightbeat returned in the story Do Over where he reported to Optimus Prime that Rodimus and his traitors had stolen the Ark and went to Earth without Optimus and those loyal to the Autobot leader. "They... they got the drop on us, see? Threw us a fast one, pulled the plug on our optics, dumped us out of the ship! Everyone who they thought was too loyal to ya to threaten, nyeah! Me, Grimlock, Ironhide… lots of us, see?"

Nightbeat appeared in Reunification working on the Omega Doom project.

Toys

 * Timelines Deluxe Nightbeat (2008)
 * The Botcon 2008 customizing class exclusive. He is a redeco of the club exclusive Nightbeat figure, who in turn is a remold of Energon Hot Shot.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Nightbeat an Autobot car. He seems to be unrelated to the Autobot media player called Night Beat 7.

The universe is full of puzzles. Nightbeat lives to solve them. Highly intelligent and curious, he prefers to work independently of the other Autobots since they usually just get in his way. He is a master of investigative techniques who prefers the boredom of a stakeout to the frantic pointlessness of a battle any day.

Toys

 * Revenge of the Fallen Scout Nightbeat (2009)
 * A redeco of the Decepticon Scout Dead End. Pictures of him first appeared on the internet in May of 2009. The art on the back card of this toy doesn't have the chest fully transformed to robot mode.

Offsite links

 * Nightbeat on the Transformers Wiki
 * Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Nightbeat
 * Nightbeat's TFU.info entry