Editing Beast mode

[[Image:BWPart1_beastmodes.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
'''Beast mode''' is a term that is properly used to describe a Transformer's [[alternate mode]] when the alternate mode is of the form of an animal and has organic material integrated among the Transformer's mechanical form. Transformers would often initiate the process of converting from their robot mode by vocalizing the phrase "Beast mode!"
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==Beast Wars==
The term was first used officially in fiction relating to the [[Beast Era]]. When stranded on a planet with high levels of [[Energon radiation]], [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] took on beast modes from the native life on that planet. The [[Technorganic#.22Technorganic.22_in_Beast_Wars|quasi-organic nature]] of the beast mode protected them from the radiation.

In taking on such beast modes, the Transformer did more than simply mimic the life form, he also took on some behavioural characteristics of the animal. This affected the Transformer in various ways.

* Many characters displayed appetites consistent with their beast modes diets, e.g. Rattrap's liking for cheese, [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot's]] carnivory, [[Optimus Primal|Optimus']] interest in bananas,[[Tarantulas|Tarantulas']] tendency to try and eat...everyone.

* [[Tigatron]]'s [[stasis pod]] was damaged causing him to identify more strongly than usual with the characteristics of the tiger that was [[scanning|scanned]], initially taking some time to realise that was not actually a normal organic tiger. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}}

* The energon radiation shielding was sabotaged at the [[Maximal]] base forcing them to remain in beast mode for much longer than they were used to. The extended time in beast mode caused the Maximals to become overcome with the mindset of their beast mode. They become feral and live as animals in the jungle. Tigatron, due to the accident with his protoform, is well adapted to his beast mode and routinely remains a tiger for long periods of time. Tigatron teaches the rest of the Maximals to embrace the beast within, which both frees them from being overcome with the bestial instincts and allows them to be more effective fighters in beast mode. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}}

* When [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]'s stasis pod activated, for reasons that are uncertain the characteristics of his ant beast mode became extremely dominant in shaping his worldview. He thought he was an ant and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] was his queen. {{storylink|Spider's Game}}

* Some unknown factor seems to impart a more subtle sense of animal-identification amongst even those Beast Warriors with notionally "normal" programming. This tends to manifest itself in an odd kind of subtle [[wikipedia:Speciesism|speciesism]], e.g. Rattrap and Blackarachnia refer to Dinobot and Megatron respectively as "slag-sucking saurian"s, Megatron and Dinobot in turn refer to Rattrap with contempt as "vermin", Tarantulas deliberately makes sure Blackarachnia's protoform scans a spider for its beast-mode and attempts to do the same with Inferno, seeking to create more of "our kind", and Megatron expresses his resulting distrust of the scheming "arachnids" on several occasions, Dinobot rather curtly addresses Cheetor in one episode simply as "feline", who in turn claims with some chagrin that, being a cat, he should "know better than to trust a dog" after being betrayed by Silverbolt.

==Generation 1==
===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:SpotlightShockwave GrimlockSlag trexscan.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Me, Grimlock like it!]]
The [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] took on organic flesh covered beast modes to protect them from high levels of Energon radiation on pre-historic [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}}

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