Quintessons in the fictional Transformer Generation 1 cartoon continuum are cybernetic beings that are responsible for creating the Transformers. Using Cybertron as a factory to produce consumer goods and military hardware robots – the lineal ancestors of the Autobots and Decepticons respectively – the Quintessons programmed their robots with a rudimentary intelligence, to allow them to carry out their tasks on their own, so the Quintessons would have to do nothing other than live in leisure. What they failed to realize was that their robots had developed sentience and real feelings - they could tell the difference between freedom and slavery, and they struck back against their masters. The Quintessons created the Dark Guardians (which would later become the Guardian Robots). A device created by A-3 was used to shut down the Guardians, giving the Transformers the upper hand, eventually forcing the Quintessons to leave Cybertron. They scattered through the galaxy until they became largely forgotten by the Transformers.

The Quintessons took up residence on a world they named Quintessa (it is not clear if the entire race relocated to the planet, or just one group). Here, they put many unfortunate robots they captured to trial, subjecting them to a twisted form of justice as they sought retribution for the theft of Cybertron. Innocent or guilty, the verdict was always the same - death. Their first meeting with modern Transformers came during the events of Transformers: The Movie, and they subsequently struck against the Autobots during the peace that followed Unicron's destruction, becoming one of the most dangerous, persistent threats in the future era.

There are several different types of Quintesson, but the most commonly featured are the Judges - round egg shaped, tentacled beings, whose bodies are supported on beams on anti-gravity energy. Most distinctively, they each bear five faces, representing a different emotion - Laughter, Rage, Bitterness, Doubt and the infamous face of Death (however, the "Ultimate Guide" book released by Dorling Kindersley erroneously claims that the faces other than Death represent War, Wrath, Wisdom and Judgment).

In their coutroom proceedings, other types of Quintessons were employed, including snout-faced "bailiffs," an "executioner," who threw the switch to drop victoms into the Sharkticon (see below) pit, and multi-tentacled "prosecutors." To carry out their executions, the Quintessons used Sharkticons, unintelligent, rotund robots that could transform into amphibious, fanged monsters. Other transforming servants used by the Quintessons could assume alligator-like forms, though they were never given an official name besides "Quintesson Guards". They have, in some fan circles, been unofficially named Alligatorcons, Gatorcons, and, by Dreamwave Comics, Allicons.

More unique breeds of Quintesson include a single-faced scientist called Inquirata, who sought to prevent the rebellion in the past by altering history, and another scientist of the same body type who captured Ultra Magnus, Cyclonus, Wreck-Garr and Marissa Faireborn for study. A completely unique, multi-faced Quintesson scientist was also introduced as the creator of the Trans-Organics, the Quintessons' first attempt to create a subservient cybernetic life form. Also of note was the Quintesson criminal, Mara-Al-Utha, who was convicted of the crime of practicing sorcery, and banished to the mystical other-dimensional realm of Menonia.

The Quintessons did not appear in the American comic book series, aside from in the comic adaptations of "Transformers: The Movie" and the episode, "The Big Broadcast of 2006." They did, however, feature in the "Transformers Universe" profile books, where they are implicated as being servants of Unicron. However, this was never followed up on in any continuity, and certainly did not apply to the UK comics, where the Quintessons were featured in the story, "Space Pirates." That story saw them target Cybertron for colonization. The Quintessons have also appearance in Dreamwave's comic book series, manipulating events behind the scenes.

The 2004 animated series Energon features a character named Alpha-Q , or 'Alpha Quintesson'. Similar in appearance to the G1 Quintessons in that he has tentacles and four faces (modeled in part on the faces of the G1 Quintessons), he is not a "true" Quintesson identical to those featured in the movie, but rather, a being from a planet consumed by Unicron who built a new body for himself while trapped within the planet-eater.