Maximal Upgrade

This article is about the downsizing process that evolves Autobots/Decepticons into Maximals/Predacons. For the planetwide restructuring of Cybertron's surface, see Great Upgrade{{#switch:{{#sub:Great Upgrade|-1}}

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The Maximal Upgrade is a technological advancement from the Generation 1 continuity family.

The Maximal Upgrade is a conversion process that enables Autobots to be physically altered from their large-sized body forms into the smaller form of a Maximal body, via the Maximal Upgrade Program. It involves a complete bio-tech overhaul that not only downsizes an Autobot's exostructure for enhanced fuel efficiency, but also unlocks and magnifies one's latent abilities. This process first came about near the end of the Great War, right before the Autobots and Decepticons were succeeded by their respective descendants, the Maximals and Predacons, as the new dominant factions of Cybertron.

While it is referred to as the "Maximal" Upgrade, Decepticons have likewise been known to undergo a downsizing process to become Predacons.

Fiction

3H comics

Several months after the Pax Cybertronia had been ratified, the Autobots Rodimus, Springer, and Arcee each underwent the Maximal Upgrade Program. Some three centuries later, most of Cybertron's population had been reborn as Maximals and Predacons, Departure restructed into Maximal and Predacon castes. Covenant

In the 32nd Century of a dark alternate timeline, Terminus the Maximal known only as "the Veteran" was rumored to have once been an Autobot who had changed his name and appearance many times over the years, downscaling to a more energy efficient size in the process. Schism

Fun Publications comics

The first Maximals and Predacons came online near the end of the Great War, serving alongside the Autobots and Decepticons in the waning years of the war. TCC website Max Cops Cryotek profile TCC magazine #13 The Max-Cops Switchblade profile During this time, so too did the Maximal upgrade first come about, The Razor's Edge with the Maximal 9K being one of the first in a line of transitionary models bridging the design gap between Autobot and Maximal. TCC magazine #13 The Max-Cops 9K profile The Autobot High Beam was among those who underwent the Maximal upgrade. TCC magazine #14 The Max-Cops High Beam profile

After the Great War, some Decepticons were granted amnesty and simply retired. However, the Decepticons Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage grew restless in their retirement and joined up with the Predacon Divebomb, who offered the three new forms and a new purpose. The three Decepticons were subsequently reprogrammed and rebuilt as Predacons. BotCon 2006 Laserbeak toy bio

2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity

The transition of Autobot and Decepticon to Maximal and Predacon dated back to the year 2035, in the final days of the Great War. Three Decepticon generals—Cicadacon, Sea Clamp, and Ram Horn—had developed a substance called transmatter for the purpose of reformatting Cybertron's population into a new state of being. They experimented on some of their fellow Decepticons as test subjects, who were evolved into the first of a new generation of Cybertronians. Aiming to do the same to Cybertron's entire population, the trio of generals launched a transmatter bomb from Unicron's lifeless orbiting head. However, their efforts were partially thwarted by a crew of Autobots, and only a portion of the population was affected. Nonetheless, those affected were instantly transformed into liquid metal entities Dawn of the Predacus called "protoforms". The Hot Rod

After the Great War ended, Beast Wars Glossary: Great War (1) entry resources became critically scarce. Protoform technology rose to prominence, thanks in part to its fuel-efficiency in producing smaller-sized Transformers. Beast Wars Glossary: Protoforms/Stasis Pods entry Cybertronians began to downsize, Beast Wars Sourcebook #2 Magnaboss profile with Autobots becoming Maximals and Decepticons becoming Predacons. Beast Wars Glossary: Spark entry Autobots in particular partook in reconfiguration ceremonies for their Maximal upgrades. The Hot Rod Most notably, the Autobots Prowl, Silverbolt, and Ironhide not only downsized into protoform bodies but also went on to become the Maximal Elders. Beast Wars Glossary: Maximal Elders entry Other individuals who downsized included Grimlock (who had done so begrudgingly once peace settled in thanks to the Pax Cybertronia) Beast Wars Sourcebook #2 Grimlock profile and Beetle (who went beyond the downsizing scope of his fellow Predacons by micro-sizing himself). Beast Wars Sourcebook #1 Beetle profile A spare body for Prowl that had been in stasis since the Great War was reactivated and also upgraded with Maximal technology to create a new Prowl separate from the original. Ask Vector Prime 2015/09/10

World of the Transformers

The "Maximal Upgrade" was a policy first implemented following the end of the Great War. This policy helped bring about the new generation of "Beast Warrior" Transformers—the Maximals and Predacons—who were sent out to various planets in the universe to serve as explorers, ambassadors, and defenders, all in the name of promoting peace during this new postwar era. World of the Transformers

Wings Universe

When Cybertron entered its second Golden Age, the Decepticon leaders Galvatron and Scorponok were exiled from the planet. The Transformers Menagerie issue 5 While those two took the fight with the Autobots to Nebulos and other worlds, Generation 2: Redux the Predacons were among the few Decepticons left behind on Cybertron. In the absence of any other Decepticon authority figures, Predacon leader Razorclaw took command of the planet's remaining Decepticons. The Transformers Menagerie issue 5

By the year 2013, the Pax Cybertronia was signed by representatives of the Autobots, Decepticons, Earth-born Transformers, and Jhiaxus's clone army, officially ending all conflict between each party. By this point, however, Razorclaw and his Predacons had struck out on their own and were joined by the Sharkticon commander Sky-Byte. Having raided one of Jhiaxus's labs, Sky-Byte salvaged several stasis pods containing newborn Transformers, enough to let the new Predacon faction start building its own army. A Common Foe Over time, all remaining Decepticon forces were marshaled under a new banner, with more and more Decepticons evolving into Predacons. The Transformers Menagerie issue 5

Chief Autobot Science Officer Perceptor reasoned that the Decepticons' access to Micromaster technology could lead to future generations of Predacons being smaller and more energy-efficient. He also deduced that altmodes based on organic life would hold much potential for the future of the Transformers race as a whole, what with the advantages brought on by such organic-based technologies as Headmasters, Targetmasters, Powermasters, and Pretenders, as well as beast modes in general. Perceptor suspected that Razorclaw and his Predacons would probably pursue such advantages, but also noted how most Autobots seemed reluctant to follow suit. Though, a faction of Autobots led by Fortress Maximus were very open to the implementation of organic-based technology, leading Perceptor to postulate that the future may very well lie in the hands of Maximus's followers. The Transformers Menagerie issue 5

Ask Vector Prime

In some universes, the Maccadam's Old Oil House employee known as Tusks downsized to become a Predacon. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/03 In one particular universe, both the Autobot Repugnus and the Decepticon Jawbreaker were upgraded into a Maximal and a Predacon, respectively, with the latter changing his name to "Overbite". Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/02

Beast Wars: Uprising

The very idea of Autobots and Decepticons being turned into Maximals and Predacons was considered illegal. While some Builders—such as Hot Rod, the Aerialbots, the Protectobots, and the Constructicons—had undergone a downsizing process, it was one that turned them all into Micromasters, rather than Maximals or Predacons. Grimlock, however, had had his spark transferred into a Maximal protoform, an act that marked him as a traitor to the Builders. Micro-Aggressions Meanwhile, the enigmatic head of the Predacon Secret Police, Shadow Panther, was the subject of many unconfirmed rumors; one of which was that he himself had once been a Builder who had been reprogrammed and rebuilt as a Predacon. Derailment

Notes

• Issue #8 of Dreamwave Productions' More than Meets the Eye series of profile books strongly implies that Pretender technology plays a key role in the coming of the Maximals and Predacons in the Dreamwave Generation One continuity. However, it is left ambiguous if this involves Autobots and Decepticons downsizing to become Maximals and Predacons, or simply in the creation of Maximals and Predacons as their own new race of smaller Cybertronians separate from their predecessors, as the main point of linking Pretender technology to the Maximals and Predacons lies in how the Pretenders were the first Transformers to use fully organic beast modes like those that the Maximals and Predacons would later make common use of.
• In the six-part comic mini-series Beast Wars Shattered Glass, published by Fun Publications in 2013, a small number of Autobots use a combination of Powermaster and Pretender technology to adopt fully organic beast modes. Likewise, a small band of Decepticons reformat themselves into new mechanical beast and vehicle forms. Both sides eventually come to call themselves "Maximals" and "Predacons", respectively. However, despite the obvious Beast Wars homage, neither side seems to undergo any kind of downsizing, retaining their original Autobot and Decepticon sizes.

Contentious continuity

If you're wondering why this article is separate from that of the Great Upgrade, then you've likely been under the longstanding impression that the Great Upgrade involved a mass downsizing of Cybertron's population that saw the Autobots and Decepticons physically evolve into the Maximals and Predacons. This, however, was never actually shown or stated to be a thing in either the Beast Wars or Beast Machines cartoons. While the "great upgrade from Autobot to Maximal" was first mentioned in the Beast Machines episode "Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search", the specific details of which were never elaborated on beyond the fact that Iacon had been replaced by Cybertropolis during this "great upgrade". The only other times that the term "Great Upgrade" has been mentioned in any Beast Wars-related fiction (or even any Transformers fiction at all) were in just two entries of the glossary section for the 2008 trade paperback release of IDW Publishing's Beast Wars Sourcebook, in which the "Great Upgrade referred only to geographical changes made to Cybertron's surface, rather than biological changes made to its people.<ref>"Over the ages, the Cybertronians have constructed more and more layers of planetary strata. Most recently, the "Great Upgrade" saw the planet converted to suit the downsized Maximal and Predacon population."(Beast Wars Sourcebook, "Beast Wars Glossary", Cybertron (1) entry</ref><ref>"In general, it is accepted that this conflict ended after the Decepticons surrendered to the Autobots and before Cybertron underwent its "Great Upgrade" to prepare for the age of the Maximals and Predacons." (Beast Wars Sourcebook, "Beast Wars Glossary", Great War (1) entry</ref>

History

The idea of Autobots and Decepticons being physically downsized and remade into Maximals and Predacons, and that virtually the entire population of Cybertron had undergone this process, actually originated from outside the cartoons:

• When the Beast Wars toyline first began in 1996, fans were quick to notice that the villains of the line were called "Predacons", sharing the same name as the animal-based Decepticon subgroup of the original Transformers franchise of the 1980s. When the Beast Wars cartoon episode "Possession" came along and first declared the Autobots and Decepticons of old to be the ancient ancestors of the Maximals and Predacons, many fans began to wonder if there might be in an in-universe connection between the two groups of Predacons, like if the Generation 1 Predacons may have been the original founders of the Beast Wars faction (a notion that some later-made tie-in media for Beast Wars would strongly imply, but only because of these fan theories).
• The 1997 Beast Wars Maximal Grimlock toy was given a bio that revealed he was the very same Autobot Grimlock of old, but never actually explained how he went from being an Autobot to a Maximal. The early Beast Wars toyline originally treated the Maximals and Predacons merely as Autobots and Decepticons upgraded with "Bio-Genetic Engineering", complete with Optimus Primal and Megatron simply being Optimus Prime and G1 Megatron in new forms. But that was before the cartoon came along and completely changed things up to instead make the Maximals and Predacons the diminutive descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons. Grimlock's bio was most likely written with the toyline's original concept in mind, but the notion of an Autobot becoming a Maximal was nonetheless stuck in the minds of many a fan.
• It was the 1998 Beast Wars episode "The Agenda (Part 1)" that set the stage for things to come: This episode revealed that the Decepticon Ravage had been "reprogrammed and rebuilt as a Predacon." This was the first, last, and only instance of such a reconstruction process being confirmed to exist within the Beast Wars cartoon, yet it served as the main catalyst for what all was yet to come.
• Two episodes later, "The Agenda (Part III)" showed the first real size comparison between the Beast Wars cast and their Generation 1 ancestors, confirming that Maximals and Predacons were practically human-sized compared to their giant-sized predecessors (something that would rarely, if ever at all, be replicated in most other depictions of Maximals and Predacons in later non-Beast Wars media). In this episode, upon first entering the Ark, Megatron referred to the Autobots and Decepticons as "archaic energon guzzlers", as if to suggest that the 'Bots and 'Cons of old were far less energy-efficient than the Maximals and Predacons. This, in turn, drew comparisons by fans to how the Micromasters of late-G1 had been presented in Marvel's Transformers comics as once-large Transformers who had physically downsized to smaller-scaled bodies for better fuel efficiency. These comparisons then led to further fan speculation about whether the Micromasters might have been the missing link between the larger Autobots and Decepticons and the more miniscule Maximals and Predacons.
• At BotCon Japan 1998, one of the exclusive toys released at that convention was a redeco of the Beast Wars Scorponok toy named "Double Punch". This toy not only shared the same name with the Action Master Elite of the same name, but its toy bio contained several references to that of aforementioned original Double Punch, strongly implying the two versions of Double Punch to be the same character. A statement later given in 2003 would confirm that indeed to have been the case,<ref>{{#if: And I've just confirmed that from Ichikawa-san himself. I didn't even have to ask--apparently, he's still browsing the newsgroup. :-)
  According to him, the only direct contributions Fumihiko's had to any of the specs Ichikawa-san's done is to request that Barbearian/Grizzly-1 be a berserker and that Double Punch be the same character as the Action Master. |"And I've just confirmed that from Ichikawa-san himself. I didn't even have to ask--apparently, he's still browsing the newsgroup. :-)
  According to him, the only direct contributions Fumihiko's had to any of the specs Ichikawa-san's done is to request that Barbearian/Grizzly-1 be a berserker and that Double Punch be the same character as the Action Master."—|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/TGhGjjwrHUE/m/rTRT-k5VXw8J |Doug Dlin|Doug Dlin}}{{#if: alt.toys.transformers |, alt.toys.transformers|}}{{#if: Fumihiko Akiyama's 'Botcon Legends' book rules all |, "Fumihiko Akiyama's 'Botcon Legends' book rules all"|}}{{#if: 2003 |, 2003{{#if: 08 |/{{#switch:{{#len:08}}|1=008|08}}{{#if: 01|/{{#switch:{{#len:01}}|1=001|01}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/TGhGjjwrHUE/m/rTRT-k5VXw8J ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/TGhGjjwrHUE/m/rTRT-k5VXw8J%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/TGhGjjwrHUE/m/rTRT-k5VXw8J%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/TGhGjjwrHUE/m/rTRT-k5VXw8J%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/TGhGjjwrHUE/m/rTRT-k5VXw8J%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref> creating another instance in the toyline of a Beast Wars character who is the same person as a G1 character.<ref>Although, curiously, nothing is mentioned of this in the Japanese guidebook Beast Wars Universe, which was written by the same men who had written Beast Wars Double Punch's toy bio (Hirofumi Ichikawa and Fumihiko Akiyama), and which made note about which Beast Wars toys were implicated by their bios to either be or have strong ties to their G1 namesakes.</ref>
• Similarly, the 1999 Transmetals 2 Prowl toy had a bio that contained many direct references to the bio of the original Autobot Prowl toy from 1984, suggesting that they too might be the same character. However, the bio for Transmetals 2 Prowl also said that he merely "Believes himself to have been a great military strategist in a former life," rather than explicitly asserting that he 'is' the same Prowl, which left room for doubt and ambiguity.
• The Simon Furman-penned BotCon 1999 prose story "Schism" seemed to all but confirm the downsizing theory by strongly implying that the Maximal known simply as "The Veteran" had once been an Autobot from the Great War who had since "changed his appearance, name and basic body structure so many times, in the process downscaling to a more energy-efficient size." Furman's two apocryphal stories from Transforce 2000–2002 later reiterated this downsizing concept but went a big step further by applying it to the Cybertronian race as a whole.
• It was the BotCon 2001 comic story "Departure" that really set things in stone, stating explicitly that most of Cybertron's population had been "reborn" as Maximals and Predacons by the age of the Pax Cybertronia, some three hundred years after Unicron's destruction in 2005. This story also introduced the "Maximal Upgrade Program" as the means through which this mass rebirth was achieved, describing it as a "complete state-of-the-art, bio-tech overhaul" that downsizes one's exostructure for enhanced fuel efficiency and magnifies one's latent abilities. The Autobots Hot Rod, Arcee, and Springer are confirmed to have undergone this "Maximal Upgrade" in the story, with the former two explicitly depicted in states of before and after the upgrade on-panel.

Once the Beast Machines cartoon became more widely available via DVD releases, fans who had gotten used to the idea of the Maximal Upgrade from all of these non-cartoon sources simply conflated that concept with the "Great Upgrade" mentioned in "Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search", took that conflation as gospel, spread the word, and never looked back.

• By 2006/2007, various Beast Wars tie-in media from Fun Publications and IDW Publishing would cite many more unambiguous cases of Autobots and Decepticons becoming Maximals and Predacons, using such terms as "downsizing" and "Maximal Upgrade" in this context. The most notable examples were the BotCon 2006 toy bio for Laserbeak (which described both himself and Buzzsaw as undergoing the same Decepticon-to-Predacon as Ravage), select bios for the Max-Cops published in the 13th and 14th issues of the Transformers Collectors' Club magazine, the Collector's Club prose story "The Razor's Edge", and select character profiles printed in IDW's Beast Wars Sourcebook. The latter in particular established that the G1 Autobots Prowl, Silverbolt, and Ironhide had become the three Maximals who form the combiner Magnaboss, and were also the Maximal Elders, canonizing another longstanding fan theory. The Autobot Grimlock was also confirmed to have downsized, tying back into his 1997 Beast Wars Maximal toy bio while presenting him in a setting based on that of the Beast Wars cartoon, and tying in with his concurrent appearances in IDW's two Beast Wars comic mini-series The Gathering and The Ascending. Even over in Japan did the idea creep its way in, with the TakaraTomy website World of the Transformers mentioning the "Maximal Upgrade" as a post-Great War policy that helped bring about the birth of the "Beast Warriors".
• IDW's BotCon 2016 comic "Dawn of the Predacus" took things to an extreme by not only showing the first Maximals and Predacons being created from Autobots and Decepticons who were struck by a bioweapon that devolved them into protoforms, but also showing many others simply switching from their old Autobot/Decepticon insignias to new Maximal/Predacon ones in the immediate aftermath of the Great War. More absurdly, the comic depicted nearly the entire main cast of Maximals and Predacons from the Beast Wars cartoon's first season as having originally been Autobots and Decepticons themselves (who were all alive at the very end of the Great War, serving right alongside those who were described by the cartoon as their "ancient ancestors", even), implying that each of them would later downsize to match their smaller heights seen in the cartoon.

Creator commentary

• Throughout the original broadcast run of Beast Wars, story editor Larry DiTillio would engage frequently with the online fandom via the Usenet newsgroup alt.toys.transformers, in which he made multiple statements that stood in direct opposition to the later idea of the Autobots and Decepticons having downsized into Maximals and Decepticons. Namely, DiTillio stated that, in the era of the Maximals and Predacons, Autobots and Decepticons still existed as they always had.<ref>{{#if: It is a future Cybertron, changed from the original, as the course of history changes all societies. AutoBots and Decepticons still exist, but the dominant groups are the Maximals and the Predacons. |"It is a future Cybertron, changed from the original, as the course of history changes all societies. AutoBots and Decepticons still exist, but the dominant groups are the Maximals and the Predacons."—|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/4oCBQMsRfmM/m/DWQg6duiAS0J |Larry DiTillio|Larry DiTillio}}{{#if: alt.toys.transformers |, alt.toys.transformers|}}{{#if: Hello from beast Wars: |, "Hello from beast Wars:"|}}{{#if: 1996 |, 1996{{#if: 04 |/{{#switch:{{#len:04}}|1=004|04}}{{#if: 24|/{{#switch:{{#len:24}}|1=024|24}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/4oCBQMsRfmM/m/DWQg6duiAS0J ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/4oCBQMsRfmM/m/DWQg6duiAS0J%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/4oCBQMsRfmM/m/DWQg6duiAS0J%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/4oCBQMsRfmM/m/DWQg6duiAS0J%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/4oCBQMsRfmM/m/DWQg6duiAS0J%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref><ref name="Stat. Pods">{{#if: Only Maximals and Predacons use the protoform technology. They are the first generation of this new technology. AutoBots and Decepticons carry on largely as they once did, with a few changes. |"Only Maximals and Predacons use the protoform technology. They are the first generation of this new technology. AutoBots and Decepticons carry on largely as they once did, with a few changes."—|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/sThS17Ssumk/m/HLSPzOts7rkJ |Neale Davidson (quoting a lost post from DiTillio)|Neale Davidson (quoting a lost post from DiTillio)}}{{#if: alt.toys.transformers |, alt.toys.transformers|}}{{#if: Stat. Pods |, "Stat. Pods"|}}{{#if: 1997 |, 1997{{#if: 06 |/{{#switch:{{#len:06}}|1=006|06}}{{#if: 26|/{{#switch:{{#len:26}}|1=026|26}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/sThS17Ssumk/m/HLSPzOts7rkJ ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/sThS17Ssumk/m/HLSPzOts7rkJ%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/sThS17Ssumk/m/HLSPzOts7rkJ%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/sThS17Ssumk/m/HLSPzOts7rkJ%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/sThS17Ssumk/m/HLSPzOts7rkJ%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref><ref>{{#if: Our Megatron is not [the] ruler of the Predacons, though he means to be, that much is certain. He is leading a small band of renegades against ALL of Cybertron, Autobots, Decepticons, Maximals and Predacons. |"Our Megatron is not [the] ruler of the Predacons, though he means to be, that much is certain. He is leading a small band of renegades against ALL of Cybertron, Autobots, Decepticons, Maximals and Predacons."—|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/SkO6xOXsTks/m/kNRohFUXdYkJ |Grrrlgoyle (sharing a message from Larry DiTillio)|Grrrlgoyle (sharing a message from Larry DiTillio)}}{{#if: alt.toys.transformers |, alt.toys.transformers|}}{{#if: Info about BW Megatron [NO SPOILERS] |, "Info about BW Megatron [NO SPOILERS]"|}}{{#if: 1997 |, 1997{{#if: 12 |/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}{{#if: 08|/{{#switch:{{#len:08}}|1=008|08}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/SkO6xOXsTks/m/kNRohFUXdYkJ ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/SkO6xOXsTks/m/kNRohFUXdYkJ%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/SkO6xOXsTks/m/kNRohFUXdYkJ%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/SkO6xOXsTks/m/kNRohFUXdYkJ%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/SkO6xOXsTks/m/kNRohFUXdYkJ%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref> DiTillio also explained that the "ancestor/descendant" relationship between the old and new faction pairs was less a literal connection and more of a metaphorical one,<ref>{{#if: STEVEN ACEVEDO: I now know that The Maximals and The Predacons are the descendents of The Autobots and Decepticons. But you did say that there are still ancestors or descendents around didn't you? So where are the others?
  Larry DiTillio:The others are either a) BACK on Cybertron b) On various missions throughou the Galaxies and Time Zones c) DEACTIVATED or DESTROYED (through various hostilities or simply because their time was up)…
  Perhaps the words "descendants and ancestors" are confusing people... Let's face it, the TF's don't have a family system as we do... So the Maximals an Predacons are spiritual descendants of Cybertron TF's, as opposed to genetic descendants. |"STEVEN ACEVEDO: I now know that The Maximals and The Predacons are the descendents of The Autobots and Decepticons. But you did say that there are still ancestors or descendents around didn't you? So where are the others?
  Larry DiTillio:The others are either a) BACK on Cybertron b) On various missions throughou the Galaxies and Time Zones c) DEACTIVATED or DESTROYED (through various hostilities or simply because their time was up)…
  Perhaps the words "descendants and ancestors" are confusing people... Let's face it, the TF's don't have a family system as we do... So the Maximals an Predacons are spiritual descendants of Cybertron TF's, as opposed to genetic descendants."—|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/Tbk9A-giwV8/m/Lw6kDnxsOWoJ |STEVEN ACEVEDO (sharing a message from Larry DiTillio)|STEVEN ACEVEDO (sharing a message from Larry DiTillio)}}{{#if: alt.toys.transformers |, alt.toys.transformers|}}{{#if: LARRYBW |, "LARRYBW"|}}{{#if: 1997 |, 1997{{#if: 02 |/{{#switch:{{#len:02}}|1=002|02}}{{#if: 07|/{{#switch:{{#len:07}}|1=007|07}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/Tbk9A-giwV8/m/Lw6kDnxsOWoJ ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/Tbk9A-giwV8/m/Lw6kDnxsOWoJ%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/Tbk9A-giwV8/m/Lw6kDnxsOWoJ%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/Tbk9A-giwV8/m/Lw6kDnxsOWoJ%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/Tbk9A-giwV8/m/Lw6kDnxsOWoJ%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref> with the Maximals and Predacons being an entirely different kind of Cybertronian from the Autobots and Decepticons, biologically distinct from their predecessors in their usage of Protoform technology.<ref name="Stat. Pods"/>
  • According to additional commentary DiTillio provided in the Japanese guidebook Beast Wars Universe, he had even intended for the first Maximals and Predacons to have extraterrestrial origins completely separate from the Autobots and Decepticons altogether, with the very first protoforms created by none other than the Vok.<ref>●プロトフォーム Protoform:<7~>マクシマルやプレダコンの誕生には、ヴォックの意図が大きく反映している。彼らはTFを、機械生命種族としての理想的な姿に近づける手段として、プロトフォームを生み出した</ref> However, this information was never formally published in the English-speaking world, and has largely been ignored by all official Transformers media.
• Subtle hints to the continued existence of Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron were eventually alluded to in the second season of the Beast Wars cartoon, but which have either been misinterpreted or overlooked by the greater fandom at large:
  • In "Other Visits (Part 2)", Megatron was prepared to take the Metal Hunter back to Cybertron in the future in a bid to conquer the planet and destroy the Maximals... "And the Autobots too!" The most common interpretation of this line is that it was merely foreshadowing Megatron's time-altering plans for the dormant Autobots aboard the Ark on prehistoric Earth, rather than any existing Autobot population back on Cybertron in the future. But, Megatron was intent on leaving prehistoric Earth immediately, without ever even touching the Ark. And his plans to change history were later said, in "The Agenda (Part III)", to be a last resort that he was loathe to go through with until he had exhausted all other options and had nothing left to lose.
  • In "The Agenda (Part 1)", Optimus Primal explained, "After the Great War, a few Decepticons were granted amnesty. Most have retired." Notice he said "have" rather than "had", which refers to a present-tense subject rather than a past-tense one, which only makes sense if there were still Decepticons living in retirement on Cybertron back in the future.
• Later, Beast Machines story editor Bob Skir gave similar statements regarding the Autobots and Decepticons still existing on Cybertron with the Maximals and Predacons when Megatron stole everyone's sparks prior to the first episode of that series.<ref>{{#if: The Maximals are very concerned about their fallen brethren (And rightly so)... will similar concern (or mentions) be given to the rest of the cybertronian populace? The Predacons, and the few remaining Autobot and Decepticon carryovers?
  We're trying to refer to Cybertronians as "Transformers", which includes *all* factions. We are avoiding terms like "Predacons" because the conflict between Maximals and Predacons doesn't factor into our current storylines, and we don't want to cause any confusion. But rest assured, Cybertron *was* populated by all four of the "species" you mentioned. |"The Maximals are very concerned about their fallen brethren (And rightly so)... will similar concern (or mentions) be given to the rest of the cybertronian populace? The Predacons, and the few remaining Autobot and Decepticon carryovers?
  We're trying to refer to Cybertronians as "Transformers", which includes *all* factions. We are avoiding terms like "Predacons" because the conflict between Maximals and Predacons doesn't factor into our current storylines, and we don't want to cause any confusion. But rest assured, Cybertron *was* populated by all four of the "species" you mentioned."—|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html |Bob Skir (answering the question of an unidentified fan)|Bob Skir (answering the question of an unidentified fan)}}{{#if: BobSkir.com |, BobSkir.com|}}{{#if: Transformers: Beast Machines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |, "Transformers: Beast Machines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)"|}}{{#if: 1999 |, 1999{{#if: 11 |/{{#switch:{{#len:11}}|1=011|11}}{{#if: 06|/{{#switch:{{#len:06}}|1=006|06}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Sat_06_Nov_1999.html%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref> He also gave a statement that echoed Larry DiTillio's own statement about the ancestral ties between the two generations of Transformers being less than literal.<ref>{{#if: While speaking to the fake Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal calls him his "ancestor". Does this mean that transformers procreate and if so, how?
  The "ancestor" line was more metaphorical than literal. The way my current HP is the "decendent" of my old ALR, which was the decendent of the IBM I originally owned... |"While speaking to the fake Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal calls him his "ancestor". Does this mean that transformers procreate and if so, how?
  The "ancestor" line was more metaphorical than literal. The way my current HP is the "decendent" of my old ALR, which was the decendent of the IBM I originally owned..."—|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_14_Apr_2000.html |Bob Skir (answering the question of an unidentified fan)|Bob Skir (answering the question of an unidentified fan)}}{{#if: BobSkir.com |, BobSkir.com|}}{{#if: Transformers: Beast Machines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |, "Transformers: Beast Machines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)"|}}{{#if: 2000 |, 2000{{#if: 04 |/{{#switch:{{#len:04}}|1=004|04}}{{#if: 14|/{{#switch:{{#len:14}}|1=014|14}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_14_Apr_2000.html ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_14_Apr_2000.html%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_14_Apr_2000.html%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_14_Apr_2000.html%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_14_Apr_2000.html%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref> However, in all fairness, Skir had also given a statement on January 19, 2000 that seemed to lean into the notion of Autobots having evolved into Maximals.<ref>{{#if: Is there any chance we'll ever find out who the Council of Elders are? Could they possibly be Autobots?
  During the second season we imply that the Autobots evolved into the Maximals, so I'd assume that the Council members would be Maximals. |"Is there any chance we'll ever find out who the Council of Elders are? Could they possibly be Autobots?
  During the second season we imply that the Autobots evolved into the Maximals, so I'd assume that the Council members would be Maximals."—|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Wed_19_Jan_2000.html |Bob Skir (answering the question of an unidentified fan)|Bob Skir (answering the question of an unidentified fan)}}{{#if: BobSkir.com |, BobSkir.com|}}{{#if: Transformers: Beast Machines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |, "Transformers: Beast Machines Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)"|}}{{#if: 2000 |, 2000{{#if: 01 |/{{#switch:{{#len:01}}|1=001|01}}{{#if: 19|/{{#switch:{{#len:19}}|1=019|19}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Wed_19_Jan_2000.html ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Wed_19_Jan_2000.html%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Wed_19_Jan_2000.html%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Wed_19_Jan_2000.html%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20060828023325/http://bobskir.com/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Wed_19_Jan_2000.html%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref> This statement was made a month before the second season first premiered (in Canada; it wouldn't premiere in the U.S. until seven months later), so it seemed to be foreshadowing the mentioning of "the great upgrade from Autobot to Maximal" in "Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search", which itself wouldn't air until two months (in Canada, eight months in the U.S.) after this statement was given. However, the aforementioned statement from Skir about the ancestral relationship between the Autobots and Maximals being "more metaphorical than literal" was given after this statement and after the Canadian premiere of the aforementioned episode, implying that Skir may have walked back on his conflicting statement about Autobots evolving into Maximals (Not to mention the fact that, when fans first read that evolution statement at the time, it was initially met with much backlash—particularly from then-future Dreamwave writer Adam Patyk, who fervently rejected the Autobot-to-Maximal evolution notion entirely<ref>{{#if: It was pretty clear that in BW that Megatron referred to the 'Bot/Cons/Maximals/Predacons as separate groups all still on Cybertron...but Skir tosses that out and says the Autobots are gone, having evolved into Maximals. Thanks a lot, buddy. It's little bits like that that just agitate me... |"It was pretty clear that in BW that Megatron referred to the 'Bot/Cons/Maximals/Predacons as separate groups all still on Cybertron...but Skir tosses that out and says the Autobots are gone, having evolved into Maximals. Thanks a lot, buddy. It's little bits like that that just agitate me..."—|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/-dfyqykgvsE/m/i6hf5jA5C6QJ |A.Patyk|A.Patyk}}{{#if: alt.toys.transformers |, alt.toys.transformers|}}{{#if: BM FAQ = Bob Skir FAQ |, "BM FAQ = Bob Skir FAQ"|}}{{#if: 2000 |, 2000{{#if: 02 |/{{#switch:{{#len:02}}|1=002|02}}{{#if: 09|/{{#switch:{{#len:09}}|1=009|09}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/-dfyqykgvsE/m/i6hf5jA5C6QJ ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/-dfyqykgvsE/m/i6hf5jA5C6QJ%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/-dfyqykgvsE/m/i6hf5jA5C6QJ%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/-dfyqykgvsE/m/i6hf5jA5C6QJ%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://groups.google.com/g/alt.toys.transformers/c/-dfyqykgvsE/m/i6hf5jA5C6QJ%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}

</ref>—so the idea wasn't readily accepted on a wide scale just yet).

• As for the procedure that Ravage was said to have undergone in order to become a Predacon, Optimus Primal stated the following: "After the Great War, a few Decepticons were granted amnesty. Most have retired. But rumor has it that one was reprogrammed and rebuilt, as a Predacon!" Ravage was the only one known to have undergone this procedure, and even then it was only known of as a rumor. This strongly suggests that it had been conducted in secret as an unsanctioned, off the official record, possibly even shady procedure, not a common practice on Cybertron. Ravage had even intended to remove all witnesses to his presence in the Beast Wars in the very next episode, further indicating that his mere existence was something he didn't want the greater Maximal populace/authorities to be aware of. And when once asked directly if any other Decepticons had undergone the same Decepticon-to-Predacon upgrade as Ravage, story editor (and writer of "The Agenda") Bob Forward gave the straightforward answer of "Probably not."<ref>{{#if: In "The Agenda" Primal says something to the effect of ONE Decepticon being rebuilt into a Predacon body. Is that supposed to mean that no more Decepticons made the upgrade?
  Probably not. Ravage was useful for a lot of reasons; he was a spy, and animal-shaped -- he was the easiest to incorporate into the series. "The Agenda" was going to be expensive anyway; by using Ravage we could use pre-built segments of Cheetor and Tigatron and save production costs. |"In "The Agenda" Primal says something to the effect of ONE Decepticon being rebuilt into a Predacon body. Is that supposed to mean that no more Decepticons made the upgrade?
  Probably not. Ravage was useful for a lot of reasons; he was a spy, and animal-shaped -- he was the easiest to incorporate into the series. "The Agenda" was going to be expensive anyway; by using Ravage we could use pre-built segments of Cheetor and Tigatron and save production costs."—|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20010303055840/http://www.coldhardslag.com/interviews/forward.html |Cold Hard Interview - Bob Forward (5/25/2000)|Cold Hard Interview - Bob Forward (5/25/2000)}}{{#if: Cold Hard Slag |, Cold Hard Slag|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2000 |, 2000{{#if: 05 |/{{#switch:{{#len:05}}|1=005|05}}{{#if: 25|/{{#switch:{{#len:25}}|1=025|25}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://web.archive.org/web/20010303055840/http://www.coldhardslag.com/interviews/forward.html ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20010303055840/http://www.coldhardslag.com/interviews/forward.html%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20010303055840/http://www.coldhardslag.com/interviews/forward.html%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20010303055840/http://www.coldhardslag.com/interviews/forward.html%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://web.archive.org/web/20010303055840/http://www.coldhardslag.com/interviews/forward.html%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}} (archived)</ref> This was further reiterated in the glossary of Beast Wars Universe, mentioning Ravage as the sole Decepticon who was turned into a Predacon.<ref>グレートウォーの終結後、敗者であるディセプティコンズの中の、ごく僅かな者達が大赦を受け入れた。その大半はリタイアしたが、ただ独りラヴィッジは、再改造、再プログラムを施す事によってプレダコンとなった。</ref> And when one thinks about it, Ravage wouldn't have downsized because he never would have needed to: He was always small!

Conclusion

In the end, much like other Beast Wars-related concepts that originated frome outside of the cartoon itself (such as the Predacon Empire, the "Great War" fought between the Maximals and Predacons, and the Decepticon/Predacon Alliance that formed during said war) the very idea of the Maximal Upgrade is something that the Beast Wars cartoon's creators never intended to exist.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Maximal Upgrade (マクシマル・アップグレード Makushimaru Appugurēdo)<ref>World of the Transformers</ref>

References

<references />

See also

• Great Upgrade
• Reformatting
• Beast Upgrade