Plait Expanse

The Plait Expanse (also sometimes called the Plait Nebula) is a multi-colored field of stellar debris, newly forming stars and gamma radiation. The nature of the Expanse causes any planet or spaceship within it to suffer problems with communications, Transwarp projections, and anything sensor-related. Its ionizing effects also can cause the atmosphere of a planet to glow with a strange, blue-white radiance.

Fiction

Shattered Glass

Upon discovering that Cybertron would soon pass close to the Plait Expanse—preventing all space travel for 0.15 vorns and disrupting communications—the Autobots hurried to get the Ark launched beforehand, and the Decepticons hurried the Nemesis's preparations to be able to chase after.

The two vessels were eventually successful in escaping Cybertron's surface, but Optimus Prime, Megatron, and a number of their respective troops were stranded on Cybertron due to a kidnapping attempt by Ricochet and a mutiny by Rodimus.

Prime had his troops—including Remote Patrol Six—scan the Expanse's radiation regularly after that in an attempt to find a way around it, but Downshift thought that the stellar spanner the Decepticons were building would probably be the real solution. Do Over

Animated cartoon continuity

The Plait Expanse was a region of space bordered by the Nebulon Republic in the Milky Way. The AllSpark Almanac II

Notes

• The Plait Expanse is named after Bad Astronomy blogger and Death from the Skies! author Phil Plait.