During production of the live-action film, writer Alex Kurtzman stated that Starscream would not stray from his treacherous roots as he seeks to overthrow Megatron, and frequently engages in bickering arguments with him. In the film, he is seen vehemently pledging his allegiance to Megatron when the latter breaks free from the Hoover Dam, but unlike the other Decepticons, he is not killed in the final battle and escapes the planet at the end of the movie. For unknown reasons, he passes up a chance to take the All Spark for himself. Although, it could be that he didn't dare try, with Megatron so near.
As always, Starscream transforms into a jet, in this case an Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. He has a hatred of Megatron and seeks to be Leader of the Decepticons. He is bulkier than most incarnations, due to the size of the Raptor combined with the lack of mass displacement. He maintains a simian body shape with a large, triangular chest, large shoulders formed by the jet's distinctive twin tails, long arms, and small or bird-like feet. His chest is still formed by the jet's nose. The jet's powerful main engines end up on his back, allowing him to leap great heights into the air and take flight, much like a jetpack. They also allow him to control his descent if he transforms out of his jet form in midair. His movements are a combination of acrobatic and avian, grabbing hold of a bridge's bottom to launch himself up into the air and transforming in mid-flight to swoop down upon his prey. His arms store heavy weaponry, with a missile launcher carrying six missiles in both arms, a saw in his right arm, and a high caliber machine gun (probably the jet's Vulcan cannon). In the movie's video game tie-ins, he is also seen detaching one or both of his wings and using them as short swords (a reference to his depiction in Transformers: Armada). When in Raptor mode he can simulate the appearance of a human pilot, the same holographic model (referred to as "Mustache Man" on-set and in the credits) that "pilots" Blackout and "drives" Barricade. The actor is Air Force Major Brian Reece, a helicopter pilot instructor at Kirtland Air Force Base.[27]
The official guide to the Transformers video game says he is 31 feet tall (9.4 m), although measuring his 2007 Voyager class toy suggests he would stand 55 feet (16.8 m) tall and 2009 Voyager toy suggests he would stand 46.2 feet tall. The Transformers U.K. magazine states he stands 31 feet (9.4 m) tall, weighs 5.3 (short) tons (4.8 tons) and can travel up to Mach 3.
The movie prequel comics show Starscream acquiring his Raptor form by scanning an experimental Raptor prototype before shooting it down, which should put him among the 411th Flight Test Squadron based out of Edwards Air Force Base (responsible for testing new F-22s). Movie scenes show him among a squadron bearing "ED" tail markings, placing him at Edwards. However, promotional photos of Starscream released with the movie show sufficient detail to recognize the markings on the fuselage of Starscream's disguise: the tail that forms his left shoulder bears a winged sword enclosed in a shield, denoting the Air Combat Command, as well as the letters "FF 1st FW" indicating the 1st Fighter Wing based out of Langley Air Force Base; a portion of the nose forming his chest shows a reversed version of the "flying fist" insignia of the 1st Fighter Wing's 71st Fighter Squadron. This is inaccurate on two counts, since the 71st still flies the F-15 Eagle; however, this could be a homage to the Generation 1 Starscream's F-15 mode.
Starscream's color is the same as the jet's in the movie and the video game's cutscenes, but when Starscream is controlled by the player or the computer, his skin turns green
In the film, Starscream rallies the other Decepticons to battle when Frenzy alerts them to the All Spark's location. He destroys the electrical substation that powers Sector 7's base, allowing Megatron to come out of his deep freeze. Upon being reunited with Megatron, however, he is scolded by his leader for letting the All Spark escape in a manner reminiscent of his G1 counterpart: "You've failed me yet again, Starscream."
In the final battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, he is the first Decepticon to arrive on the scene thanks to his flight capability, which he also uses to ambush the Autobots when their human allies mistake him for a friendly Air Force pilot. He aids Brawl and Megatron by firing missiles in his Raptor form at Bumblebee and Ironhide, destroying the former's legs and injuring the latter. Later, he stops Sam Witwicky from fleeing by land with the All Spark, easily disabling both Ratchet and Ironhide in the process; however, he does not take the All Spark with him. When Sam is about to hand off the All Spark to a Black Hawk crewman, Starscream shoots down the helicopter. Later, when a full airstrike has been called in on Megatron and Blackout, Starscream conceals himself among the attacking jets in order to ambush them. He destroys three of the jets, but retreats from the battle after the F-22 pilots regroup and engage him, allowing the jets to complete their mission.
Note: According to the bio for the Premium Deep Space Starscream toy, Starscream retreated to a nearby power plant to re-energize himself, but this was not shown in the film.
An interlude during the end credits shows Starscream leaving Earth's atmosphere. He can be heard speaking, though his words are not clear nor subtitled.
In the 2009 film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Starscream is first seen aboard the Nemesis shipwreck and is confronted by a returning Megatron, who is angry because Starscream left him to die on Earth. He reveals that they are nearly running out of energon, the secondary source of life, after a couple of the Cybertronian protoforms in the Nemesis die prematurely. He is later seen fighting alongside Grindor and Megatron against Optimus Prime, but is subdued quickly and his arm chopped off. He and Megatron escape after Autobot reinforcements arrive to protect Prime's body. Before reattaching his arm, Starscream is beaten by Megatron on top of the MetLife Building in Manhattan, New York, for not being able to catch Sam. He is seen later in Egypt with the other Decepticons who are looking for Sam. He tells Rampage to spring the trap for Sam when Sam and Mikaela get close, which results in the demise of Rampage and Ravage. When the Fallen is killed, Starscream convinces Megatron that retreating is their only option of survival as they leave Earth. Along with Megatron, and Soundwave, Starscream is one of only three confirmed Decepticons who survived the film.
As always, Starscream transforms into a jet, in this case an Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. He has a hatred of Megatron and seeks to be Leader of the Decepticons. He is bulkier than most incarnations, due to the size of the Raptor combined with the lack of mass displacement. He maintains a simian body shape with a large, triangular chest, large shoulders formed by the jet's distinctive twin tails, long arms, and small or bird-like feet. His chest is still formed by the jet's nose. The jet's powerful main engines end up on his back, allowing him to leap great heights into the air and take flight, much like a jetpack. They also allow him to control his descent if he transforms out of his jet form in midair. His movements are a combination of acrobatic and avian, grabbing hold of a bridge's bottom to launch himself up into the air and transforming in mid-flight to swoop down upon his prey. His arms store heavy weaponry, with a missile launcher carrying six missiles in both arms, a saw in his right arm, and a high caliber machine gun (probably the jet's Vulcan cannon). In the movie's video game tie-ins, he is also seen detaching one or both of his wings and using them as short swords (a reference to his depiction in Transformers: Armada). When in Raptor mode he can simulate the appearance of a human pilot, the same holographic model (referred to as "Mustache Man" on-set and in the credits) that "pilots" Blackout and "drives" Barricade. The actor is Air Force Major Brian Reece, a helicopter pilot instructor at Kirtland Air Force Base.[27]
The official guide to the Transformers video game says he is 31 feet tall (9.4 m), although measuring his 2007 Voyager class toy suggests he would stand 55 feet (16.8 m) tall and 2009 Voyager toy suggests he would stand 46.2 feet tall. The Transformers U.K. magazine states he stands 31 feet (9.4 m) tall, weighs 5.3 (short) tons (4.8 tons) and can travel up to Mach 3.
The movie prequel comics show Starscream acquiring his Raptor form by scanning an experimental Raptor prototype before shooting it down, which should put him among the 411th Flight Test Squadron based out of Edwards Air Force Base (responsible for testing new F-22s). Movie scenes show him among a squadron bearing "ED" tail markings, placing him at Edwards. However, promotional photos of Starscream released with the movie show sufficient detail to recognize the markings on the fuselage of Starscream's disguise: the tail that forms his left shoulder bears a winged sword enclosed in a shield, denoting the Air Combat Command, as well as the letters "FF 1st FW" indicating the 1st Fighter Wing based out of Langley Air Force Base; a portion of the nose forming his chest shows a reversed version of the "flying fist" insignia of the 1st Fighter Wing's 71st Fighter Squadron. This is inaccurate on two counts, since the 71st still flies the F-15 Eagle; however, this could be a homage to the Generation 1 Starscream's F-15 mode.
Starscream's color is the same as the jet's in the movie and the video game's cutscenes, but when Starscream is controlled by the player or the computer, his skin turns green
In the film, Starscream rallies the other Decepticons to battle when Frenzy alerts them to the All Spark's location. He destroys the electrical substation that powers Sector 7's base, allowing Megatron to come out of his deep freeze. Upon being reunited with Megatron, however, he is scolded by his leader for letting the All Spark escape in a manner reminiscent of his G1 counterpart: "You've failed me yet again, Starscream."
In the final battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, he is the first Decepticon to arrive on the scene thanks to his flight capability, which he also uses to ambush the Autobots when their human allies mistake him for a friendly Air Force pilot. He aids Brawl and Megatron by firing missiles in his Raptor form at Bumblebee and Ironhide, destroying the former's legs and injuring the latter. Later, he stops Sam Witwicky from fleeing by land with the All Spark, easily disabling both Ratchet and Ironhide in the process; however, he does not take the All Spark with him. When Sam is about to hand off the All Spark to a Black Hawk crewman, Starscream shoots down the helicopter. Later, when a full airstrike has been called in on Megatron and Blackout, Starscream conceals himself among the attacking jets in order to ambush them. He destroys three of the jets, but retreats from the battle after the F-22 pilots regroup and engage him, allowing the jets to complete their mission.
Note: According to the bio for the Premium Deep Space Starscream toy, Starscream retreated to a nearby power plant to re-energize himself, but this was not shown in the film.
An interlude during the end credits shows Starscream leaving Earth's atmosphere. He can be heard speaking, though his words are not clear nor subtitled.
In the 2009 film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Starscream is first seen aboard the Nemesis shipwreck and is confronted by a returning Megatron, who is angry because Starscream left him to die on Earth. He reveals that they are nearly running out of energon, the secondary source of life, after a couple of the Cybertronian protoforms in the Nemesis die prematurely. He is later seen fighting alongside Grindor and Megatron against Optimus Prime, but is subdued quickly and his arm chopped off. He and Megatron escape after Autobot reinforcements arrive to protect Prime's body. Before reattaching his arm, Starscream is beaten by Megatron on top of the MetLife Building in Manhattan, New York, for not being able to catch Sam. He is seen later in Egypt with the other Decepticons who are looking for Sam. He tells Rampage to spring the trap for Sam when Sam and Mikaela get close, which results in the demise of Rampage and Ravage. When the Fallen is killed, Starscream convinces Megatron that retreating is their only option of survival as they leave Earth. Along with Megatron, and Soundwave, Starscream is one of only three confirmed Decepticons who survived the film.