Category:MacGuffins: Difference between revisions

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A '''MacGuffin''' is an object, or idea which serves adds no depth to a story but is nonetheless responsible for moving the narrative along from one point to another.  Often, a MacGuffin is a valuable object which a character must acquire, protect, or transport.  Although a MacGuffin is a type of plot device, not all plot devices are MacGuffins.
A '''MacGuffin''' is an object or idea which adds no depth to a story but is nonetheless responsible for moving the narrative along from one point to another.  Often, a MacGuffin is a valuable object which a character must acquire, protect, or transport. (For example, [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]].) Although a MacGuffin is a type of plot device, not all plot devices are MacGuffins.


The nature of the MacGuffin itself doesn't matter -- it could be anything.  The MacGuffin's only important attribute is its importance to the characters.  It is the reason they take action, and it is the characters' actions -- not their motivations -- that are usually of most interest to the story's audience.
The nature of the MacGuffin itself doesn't matter -- it could be anything.  The MacGuffin's only important attribute is its importance to the characters.  It is the reason they take action, and it is the characters' actions -- not their motivations -- that are usually of most interest to the story's audience.


In Transformers fandom, a MacGuffin is sometimes referred to as an "Evil Invention / Alien Device", or "[[EI/AD]]".  This term was coined by Kendrick Kerwin Chua to refer to the "machine of the week" style stories that were often told on the [[Generation 1 (television)|G1 cartoon]].<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>
In Transformers fandom, a MacGuffin is sometimes referred to as an "Evil Invention / Alien Device", or "[[EI/AD]]".  This term was coined by Kendrick Kerwin Chua to refer to the "machine of the week" style stories that were often told on the [[Generation 1 (cartoon)|G1 cartoon]].<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Revision as of 17:51, 19 March 2006

A MacGuffin is an object or idea which adds no depth to a story but is nonetheless responsible for moving the narrative along from one point to another. Often, a MacGuffin is a valuable object which a character must acquire, protect, or transport. (For example, Metroplex's transformation cog.) Although a MacGuffin is a type of plot device, not all plot devices are MacGuffins.

The nature of the MacGuffin itself doesn't matter -- it could be anything. The MacGuffin's only important attribute is its importance to the characters. It is the reason they take action, and it is the characters' actions -- not their motivations -- that are usually of most interest to the story's audience.

In Transformers fandom, a MacGuffin is sometimes referred to as an "Evil Invention / Alien Device", or "EI/AD". This term was coined by Kendrick Kerwin Chua to refer to the "machine of the week" style stories that were often told on the G1 cartoon.