Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)

2011-07-28T08:29:34Z

24.36.21.119:

{{disambigr|Battle for the Spark|the online game in the [[Live-action film series|live action film]] continuity|Battle for the Allspark}}

{{nav-BM}}

'''''Beast Machines''''' is a 26-episode cartoon that aired in the US from 1999 to 2000, in support of the [[Beast Machines (toyline)|toyline]] of the same name. It is a direct follow-up to ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', set in the same G1 continuity and featuring many of the same characters. Like ''Beast Wars'', its [[CGI|computer animation]] was created by [[Mainframe Entertainment]].

==Overview==
[[Image:Thereformattingmaximalsmaximize.jpg|left|300px|thumb|The Maximals, in a rare moment of Not Running Away.]]
The show follows the adventures of the core ''Beast Wars'' cast upon their return home to Cybertron; there, Optimus Primal and his crew find that the whole planet is abandoned, and the streets are patrolled by mindless [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]] serving [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], who somehow escaped his captivity.

Worse still, they learn that they are infected with a deadly [[Transformation virus|virus]] that will kill them in a matter of hours. Salvation comes from the mysterious supercomputer known as the Oracle, who sees them fit to complete its mission of a planetwide "reformatting", and turns them into [[technorganic]] warriors, a perfect blend of organic and technological matter.

As the show progresses, Primal and his fellow Maximals learn to balance their technological side with their newly introduced organic aspects, mastery coming in slow stages. Unlike the previous [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|conflict]], where sides had been roughly equal, the four original Maximals were quite outnumbered by their Vehicon enemies, and the battles took on a "guerilla warfare" feel, with the Maximals using sewers and underground levels to their advantage and avoiding surface levels unless for combat purposes. As the show progresses, two brand-new Maximals and a returning face boost their numbers.

Initially, Optimus is driven by a crusade to restore the organic above the technological and to right his failure to stop Megatron. Over time, it becomes increasingly clear that he's becoming obsessed and overzealous. At the midpoint, after Cybertron is almost destroyed, he realises that the point should be to create a ''balance'' of organic and technological, not a supremacy. Under this new, saner cause, the Maximals eventually turn Cybertron into an [[technorganic]] paradise, though at the cost of their [[Optimus Primal|leader]]'s life.

===Reception===
Controversial even by the standards of other ''Transformers'' reinventions, ''Beast Machines'' is remembered by some as a series which tried to tackle heavy philosophical concepts, discussing such issues like what it meant to live in an increasingly technological society, the dichotomy between the desires of the individual and the needs of the whole, the inevitability of conflict and inequality in a free society, and the paradox of a living technological world. Story editor [[Bob Skir]] describes the series as a "religious epic novel for television".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAkRF4QBKew Bob Skir interview at youtube.com]</ref> Most of the Transformers [[franchise]] lore about [[spark]]s, their abilities, and the mechanism of their life cycle, was introduced or developed in this series.

The series amassed many detractors early on, who complained that core cast portrayals were inconsistent with how these personalities had been established over the years of the preceding ''Beast Wars'' series. Examples include Megatron being a far grimmer villain with a completely different agenda from before; Rattrap appearing to be too cowardly; Rhinox apparently ''choosing'' to become a villain (though it sounded like he was no longer in his right mind <ref>[http://www.bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_03_Dec_1999.html Bob Skir Q&A]</ref>; and, later on, Silverbolt being a grim, vengeance-driven soldier with none of his former goofy-noble personality. Critics also alleged a "hippie" agenda behind ''Beast Machines'', with Optimus Primal becoming an anti-technology guru (though Season 2 would reveal Optimus had been mistaken), and criticised Bob Skir's decision that the Maximals would not use guns (though big swords and highly destructive laser blasts were okay).

The show's "epic novel" storytelling structure meant that at times it was forced to tread water, relying on repetitive chase scenes and expository speeches. It was also, at that point in time, by far the most serialized American ''Transformers'' cartoon, making it difficult for new viewers to join at some random episode and be hooked in. It didn't help that the series began "in medias res" and with the characters suffering amnesia, with many foundational issues deliberately left vague until at last resolution was established in flashbacks in episodes 7-9. By then, [[Mainframe Entertainment|Mainframe]] executive [[Asaph Fipke]] had become somewhat notorious for repeatedly assuring fans that "all will be revealed". ''Why'' the series opened with the Maximals having amnesia and being in their Season 1 organic bodies is not obvious, as (aside from explaining why they're not immediately looking for Rhinox and Silverbolt) it wouldn't have affected the plot either way. It ''may'' have been because ''Beast Wars'' repeats were airing on [[Fox Kids]] at the same time ''Beast Machines'' had started.

The show was and remains the darkest ''Transformers'' animated series—even its fans will grant that it almost entirely lacks the humorous, occasionally zany approach of ''Beast Wars'', though this was a deliberate artistic choice—and the most thought-provoking. It is also the final animated entry into the Generation 1 story canon, bringing the events in that continuity family to a rather conclusive ending (which ''also'' didn't win it many popularity points). If nothing else, the creators had ambitions to do more than [[to sell toys|sell toys]].Despite all the criticisms, the show continued and improved on the high production values of ''Beast Wars'', with solid scripting and excellent voice acting. The CGI varied from competent to gorgeous. A step up in quality from ''Beast Wars,'' it dramatically overshadows the later semi-CGI shows ''[[Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' and ''[[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]].'' Mainframe's animators showed their considerable talents in giving highly emotive expression to such alien characters as the [[Vehicon general]]s and even the [[Diagnostic Drone]], who ''didn't have a face''. As with ''Beast Wars'', [[Robert Buckley]] provided the series background music, this time creating a stylized electronic music in keeping with the mechanical environment of Cybertron. If you're into the Legend of Zelda, compare Beast Wars to 'Ocarina of Time', and Beast Machines to 'Majora's Mask'.

With ''Beast Machines'' perhaps not quite living up to Hasbro's hopes, the [[Transtech|followup line]] to ''Beast Machines'' was subsequently scrapped. Hasbro's next foray into animation would be to bring over a [[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|year-old Japanese show]] for consumption in the United States, till a [[Unicron Trilogy|new story]] could be concocted. In [[Armada (cartoon)|light]] [[Energon (cartoon)|of the]] [[Cybertron (cartoon)|results]], and with the passage of time, some fans have re-evaluated ''Beast Machines'' more favorably, though the newfound positive reception is still not universal by any means.

==Episodes==
{{note|For a detailed list including airdates and production stats, see [[List of Beast Machines episodes]].}}
===Season 1===
[[Image:Tankor flames.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Tankor, YOU'RE FIRED!]]
Season 1 largely centers on the Maximals' efforts to find out what has happened to them, as they arrive on Cybertron with no memories. In addition to Megatron and the core Maximal cast, three new Vehicon generals are introduced, as well as the new Maximal Nightscream. By the end of the season, Optimus Primal has been driven down a road of extremism, and an apocalyptic confrontation marks the season finale...

#[[The Reformatting]]
#[[Master of the House]]
#[[Fires of the Past]]
#[[Mercenary Pursuits]]
#[[Forbidden Fruit]]
#[[The Weak Component]]
#[[Revelations Part I: Discovery]]
#[[Revelations Part II: Descent]]
#[[Revelations Part III: Apocalypse]]
#[[Survivor]]
#[[The Key]]
#[[The Catalyst]]
#[[End of the Line]]

===Season 2: Battle for the Spark===
[[Image:Botanica5.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This freakish, tentacled, multi-limbed creature is one of the kid-friendly good guys!]]
The ultimate face-off at the end of Season 1 is resolved in a most unusual and cerebral manner, setting the tone for Season 2 as Primal realizes his mission is one of balance, not extremism. Silverbolt rejoins the Maximal ranks, a new Maximal arrives from off-world, and two dangerous new generals join Megatron's side as the Maximals search for the lost Sparks of their brethren and battle to regain control of Cybertron.

#[[Fallout]]
#[[Savage Noble]]
#[[Prometheus Unbound]]
#[[In Darkest Knight]]
#[[A Wolf in the Fold]]
#[[Home Soil]]
#[[Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike]]
#[[Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search]]
#[[Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege]]
#[[Spark of Darkness]]
#[[Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral]]
#[[Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall]]
#[[Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future]]

==Characters==
[[Image:Rattrap bm robotmode.jpg|right|200px|thumb|There's a caption under me?!]]
Because developing new CGI character models was, at the time, an expensive and time-consuming process, the number of named on-screen characters in ''Beast Machines'' was relatively small compared to most other ''Transformers'' shows. It is thus practical to list all the Transformers who appeared in the cartoon. They are listed in order of appearance. (Most drones are not listed, and neither are incidental flashback characters.) Note that many characters besides these are also full-fledged Beast Machines characters, having appeared in other media.

{{-}}

{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal]] ([[Garry Chalk]])
*[[Rattrap]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] ([[Ian James Corlett|Ian Corlett]])
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] ([[Venus Terzo]])
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] ([[Alessandro Juliani]])
*[[Noble|Savage/Noble]] ([[David Kaye]])
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] ([[Kathleen Barr]])
|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
*[[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] ([[David Kaye]])
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] ([[Christopher Gaze]]/[[Paul Dobson]])
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] ([[Brian Drummond]])
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] ([[Paul Dobson]])
**[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] ([[Richard Newman]])
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] ([[Jim Byrnes]])
**[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] ([[Scott McNeil]])
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] ([[Paul Dobson]])
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] ([[Patricia Drake]])
|c4=
*[[Oracle (BM)|The Oracle]] ([[Carol Savenkoff]])
|nonumbering=true
}}

==Japanese release==
[[Image:BeastWarsReturnsLogo01.jpg|center|300px|thumb|]]

The ''Beast Machines'' franchise was not initially released in Japan. As such, the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon did not reach Japan's shores until late 2004, where it was retitled '''''Beast Wars Returns'''''. The series was initially broadcast on the satellite-only network MobaHO! - TAKARAND from [[November 6]], 2004, to [[January 30]], 2005. In February of 2005, it was reaired on [[Cartoon Network|Cartoon Network Japan]] and, following that, other networks including Gifu Terebi.

Though the editing was headed up by [[Iwanami Yoshikazu]], the man responsible for the dubbing of ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', the ''Beast Wars Returns'' cartoon was not reworked to the same extent as the previous series had been in Japan. While the character quirks exclusive to the Japanese version of the series were retained, and a complete cast reunion from ''Beast Wars'' was achieved, the dub did not strive to be an overblown comedy series as before. Instead, ''Beast Wars Returns'' featured a tone more closely resembling the original English version. This less jovial attitude is reflected in the episode titles, which are no longer goofy and full of self-referential gags, but are almost awkwardly ''serious''.

Given the low-key release of the series, a new theme song was not recorded. Instead, "[[Phat Planet]]" by [[Leftfield]] was retained. Only one original piece of music was recorded for the series, "[[Megatron Ondo]]" by [[Yukio Hibariya]] and partly performed by [[Shigeru Chiba]], created exclusively for Volume 7 of the ''Beast Wars Returns'' DVD release.

Also exclusive to the DVD release of the series was an additional, goofy clip show akin to the silly ones created for the Japanese release of the ''Beast Wars'':

*[[Shock! Of Course We're Doing it! Remix]] ("ドキッ!やっぱりやります!リミックス")

==Home video releases==
===Japan===
[[Image:Geneon BWReturns Volume7 DVD.jpg|thumb|100px|]]
{{main|Geneon Universal Entertainment}}
*''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 1 (2004)
*''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 2 (2004)
*''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 3 (2005)
*''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 4 (2005)
*''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 5 (2005)
*''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 6 (2005)
*''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 7 (2005)
{{-}}

===United States===
[[Image:Rhino Beast Machines DVD.jpg|thumb|125px|]]
{{main|Rhino Entertainment}}
*''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series (2006)

===Australia / New Zealand===
{{main|Sony}}
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One (2007)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two (2007)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season Two: Volume One (2007)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season Two: Volume Two (2007)
{{-}}

===United Kingdom===
[[Image:UK Beast Machines Season1 DVD.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Transformers (2007)|Their]] tagline. [[Optimus Primal|His]] head.]]
{{main|Sony}}
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One — Reformatting (2007)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two — Revelations (2007)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (2007)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season Two (2007)

===France===
{{main|Sony}}
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (2009)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 2 (2009)
{{-}}

===Germany===

{{main|Sony}}
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'': Die komplette Season 1 (2007)
*''Transformers: Beast Machines'': Die komplette Season 2 (2007)
{{-}}

===Giveaways===
{{main|Hasbro}}

*''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — [[The Reformatting]] & [[Master of the House]] (1999)
*''Beast Machines: Transformers: Battle for the Spark'' — [[Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike|Sparkwar Part I: The Strike]] (2000)

==Notes==
*[[Mainframe Entertainment]] executive [[Dan DiDio]] explicitly told Bob Skir and [[Marty Isenberg]] to ignore all previous Transformers cartoons when writing ''Beast Machines'', because "''Beast Wars'' was too continuity-heavy". It clearly did not work out that way.
*In the May 2008 "DC Nation" editorial appearing in [[wikipedia:DC Comics|DC Comics]] publications, Dan DiDio recounted that writer [[Steve Gerber]] had once pitched a "wildly original take on ''Transformers''" as part of the development of ''Beast Machines''.
*The theme tune for the show was Leftfield's "Phat Planet". This was also used for a famous Guinness advert. The latter proved a more popular TV slot.
*Apart from flashbacks, visions and such, ''Beast Machines'' takes place entirely on (or in orbit of) Cybertron, thus making it the only television series ''not'' to feature any [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|annoying]] [[Kicker Jones|human]] [[Bud Hansen|companions]].
*[[Simon Furman]] thinks Beast Machines was too dark and serious for being a cartoon show for kids.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=705 SIMON FURMAN Transformers Q&A! It's here! at the IDW Publishing Forums]</ref> And trust us: the guy who wrote ''[[Generation 2 (Marvel Comics)|Generation 2]]'' is something of an expert on 'too dark and serious for kids'.
* [[Vector Prime]], in contrast, thinks it was an awesome show. <ref>[[Ask Vector Prime/src|Ask Vector Prime]]</ref>
*This is the only Transformers cartoon that had a complete German dub.
*Only characters that survived the Beast Wars appear or are even mentioned. If you died in that series everyone forgot about you. The closest the show ever came was Rattrap giving a very broad "I lost friends in that war" and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and [[Quickstrike]]'s body parts showing up in a flashback.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Chō Seimeitai Transformers Beast Wars Returns''''' (超生命体トランスフォーマービーストウォーズリターンズ, "Super Lifeform Transformers Beast Wars Returns")
*''French:'' '''''Mécanimaux''''' (Canada, "Mechanimals")
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Zvero-Roboty''''' (Трансформеры: Зверо-Роботы, "Transformers: Beast Robots")
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: Bestias y Máquinas''''' (America, "Transformers: Beasts and Machines")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Machines media]]
[[Category:Television series]]

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Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)