User:JW/Sandbox

Beast Wars

Relationship to Generation 1

The relationship between Beast Wars and the Generation 1 cartoon became most prominent at the end of the second season, and throughout the third season. The Maximals and Predacons discover the Ark, and the Maximals spend their time defending it in an effort to preserve their history. This can be seen as a metaphor for the relationship between the two TV series. The Maximals are literally walking among their own history, surrounded by giants out of their past, respectfully striving to preserve it and them untainted. This is a reasonable analogy for how the creators of the Beast Wars handled its relationship to Generation 1, and is part of why the show is admired by fans.

Dehumanizing

The opposite of humanizing, dehumanizing occurs when the writers of Transformers fiction deliberately remove "human" elements from the characters, replacing it with robot-specific elements. Examples:

"I got something in my optics." (Not "eyes".)

"I used to chase turbo-foxes back home." (Not "foxes".)

"I've got a bad feeling in my carburetor." (Not "gut".)

Sometimes this can get kinda silly.

"You can lead a Cybertronian robo-horse to an oil slick, but you can't make it lubricate."

Toyetic

"Toyetic" can refer to one of two things:

• A toy which can easily be marketed in a piece of fiction. (Like Transformers, but unlike a hula hoop, for example.)
• An element from a piece of fiction (a character, a prop, a location) which can easily be made into a toy.

The relevance to Transformers is obvious. Uniquely, Hasbro's impetus to create the Transformers brand began with neither a work of fiction they wished to adapt, nor specific toys they wanted to market, but rather simply a nebulous desire to create a new toy/cartoon/comic book property akin to G.I. Joe.

Named for parts they don't have

• Mudflap
• Ramjet
• Camshaft
• Rollbar
• Tailgate

Optimus Prime's disappearing trailer

One conceit of Transformers cartoons that one has to learn to live with, is the fact that Optimus Prime's trailer keeps disappearing and reappearing. In the original cartoon, Optimus's robot mode transformed into part of his vehicle mode. When he changed into a semi cab, his trailer would magically slide in from off camera. When he changed back to robot mode, the camera would often tilt up, quietly letting the trailer disappear out of frame. There were many variations on this. E.g., if Prime is standing in the middle of a group, and there is no place for his trailer to appear from when he goes to vehicle mode, it would instead not appear until after a cut. Similarly, in comics, while it's easier to hide the transition "between panels", there is still often no explanation provided for where his trailer was just a minute ago.

Identity

In the vastness that is Transformers, the question of identity is often a difficult one to resolve. The core question is: When are two distinct portrayals of characters "the same character"? When is this character (who appeared in an issue of an American comic) the same as this character over here (who appeared in an episode of a Japanese TV show), and is he or she truly represented by this toy?

Same character, different names

Many characters have different names in different places.

• Optimus Prime is Convoy in Japan, but remains the same character.
• Octane's latest toy bears the name Tankor for trademark reasons, but is still the same character.

Slightly different toy, same character

• The American and Japanese releases of a toy are often subtly different, even when they are for the same character, and released at the same time.

Same toy, different character

• Many of the Micromasters were released in America as Decepticons, but in Japan as Autobots (often with the same name).

Different personality, same character

• Blaster was a rhyming cool cat in the cartoon, but a somber leader in the comic.
• Blackarachnia is a sultry femme fatale in the American Beast Wars, but a schizoid loon in the Japanese dub.

Different gender, same character

• Airrazor was female in the American Beast Wars cartoon, male in the Japanese beast wars cartoon, and then female again in some of the Japanese Beast Wars manga.
• Starscream and Shrapnel, male almost everywhere, are female in the French dub of TFTM.

Transformers are shapeshifting alien robots

The Rule of Personification Conservation states that if you're using nonhuman characters in a story, instead of humans, there should be a reason. For Transformers fiction, this suggests that stories about Transformers should be stories about alien shapeshifting robots, or else why make it a Transformers story?

Pros of Applying the Rule

• It's called Transformers, so the robots should transform.
• The most epic and classic Transformers stories all tie into their alien origin.

Cons of Applying the Rule

• It often misses the point. The base purpose of Transformers fiction is to sell toys. Therefore, the goal is to write good stories which happen to be about alien robots — it's not necessary to highlight their robotness for the story to be good.
• Empirically, many good Transformers stories are just war stories that happen to be about robots. E.g., Spotlight: Cliffjumper.

Preserving Megatron (BW) Note For Possible Future Use

The time period from when Megatron broke free from the shuttle, to when Optimus Primal and the Maximals arrived on Cybertron, was vastly transformative for both Megatron and the planet, and probably constituted an epic story in its own right. Nevertheless, the period was only vaguely described in the cartoon and barely elaborated upon in secondary media. Many questions remain unanswered.

Firewalling

The Transformers brand consists of multiple fictional universes, which occasionally cross over with each other, allowing (for example) Optimus Prime (RID) to meet Optimus Prime (Armada). The most mainstream TF fiction restricts itself to one universe at a time, but crossover fiction is common over at the more "fannish" side of the spectrum.

It is therefore possible for an author working on one small part of the brand to make statements that affect other franchises, sometimes in significant ways. E.g., the question of whether the apocryphal G1 story "Alignment" is canon was addressed in a book about Transformers Animated, a very different franchise. There are two schools of thought about this.

The first is that such statements, if they are in Hasbro-approved publications, should be taken at face value, as canon.

The second is that franchises are firewalled from each other to an extent. A creator working on one franchise can only make definitive statements about that franchise, and any claims that cross the firewall should be regarded as apocrypha at best. Only crossover stories that are explicitly crossovers get to ignore firewalls.

It's not clear that the notion of firewalling is Hasbro corporate policy in any sense. Hasbro, speaking broadly, is far more interested in selling toys than in maintaining distinct and consistent continuities. (As shown, for example, by the 2010 toyline, which includes characters from different universes, while tacitly pretending to be a ROTF toyline.) If the contracts signed by creators contain anything like a "firewall clause", it's not known to this wiki.

Transformers Animated season 4

This is Apocrypha The content of this page is considered to be apocrypha or pseudocanon. Fiction that is considered pseudocanon generally falls into one of two categories. It is most likely either unofficial fiction from an official creator that is so informative as to the creator's thought process and/or so influential to the fandom as to be worth documenting, or fiction that is published in such a way as to render it unofficial, such as fan works published as ancillary or bonus images/fiction with other official work. As such, new ideas and concepts introduced here may not hold true for work that is completely canonical.

In Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II, a section is devoted to the creators' plans for season 4, which were in progress when the show was cancelled.

Episodes

Potential episodes included:

• "The Trial of Megatron" (3 parts): From behind bars, Megatron continues to control the free Decepticons, arranging for the prison city of Kaon (including himself) to be teleported to Lake Erie, near Detroit. Sari Sumdac delves into her origins. Ultra Magnus goes offline; Sentinel Prime attempts to become Magnus de jure. Bulkhead's hometown is attacked by Decepticons.
• "AllSpark-alypse Now!": Sentinel takes the AllSpark to Earth to attack Megatron. Ghostly Prowl inhabits AllSpark-powered Transformers in an attempt to warn Optimus Prime about Sentinel's plan.
• "S.T.E.A.M.": Save The Earth And Mankind, a steampunk-themed organization opposed to any post-1900 technology (and Transformers in particular), battles Soundwave. The Autobots have to defend those who fear and hate them. (Steampunky Transformers may have ensued.)
• "Mirror, Mirror": Bulkhead and Sari end up in an alternate universe full of heroic Decepticons and evil Autobots. Repaints and goatees abound.
• "Gremlins in the Gears": The Mini-Cons who maintain Kaon's systems escape into Detroit, and begin disassembling all mechanical devices. The odd couple team of Ratchet and Captain Fanzone star.
• "It Came From Planet Cybertron": The Autobot Cosmos, while delivering a message to Optimus on Earth, scans a flying saucer prop on a movie set, and then loses his memory. Hijinks follow.
• "Turf War": The Constructicons and Decepticons fight over Detroit's energon. The Autobots are stuck in the middle.
• "Megatron Must Be Destroyed!" (2 parts): No matter the cost! Optimus gathers allies from across the galaxy to end Megatron's threat to Earth for good.

Characters

• Optimus would have started carrying the Magnus Hammer, and gotten a new paint job based on a combination of the Star Convoy toy and movie Optimus Prime's flames.
• Ratchet would have gotten a green paint job inspired by movie Ratchet.
• Bumblebee would have gotten a second stripe (again, inspired by movie Bumblebee).
• Bulkhead and Sari would have remained on Cybertron. He, to defend the energon farms; her, to learn about being a Transformer.
• Ironhide would have joined Optimus's team (to replace Bulkhead), and taken on a red pickup Earth altmode, mildly similar to Sentinel's.
• Jazz would also have joined the team, to replace Prowl.
• Sentinel, in his attempt to become Magnus, would have started wearing a cape and a really doofy helmet.
• Bludgeon, a pirate-themed Decepticon, would have been introduced.
• Blackarachnia would have gathered an army of Predacons.
• Sentinel would have ordered the Project Omega team to develop an upgrade for himself, as acting Magnus. When Megatron escaped, Optimus would have stolen this "Powermaster" armor, formatted it into a firetruck trailer, and used it to pursue him. It would have included numerous weapons, high-speed flight capabilities, and a Mini-Con. (For advanced kitbashers, the Almanac includes detailed sketches! Buy it today!)
• Hot Shot would have been a supporting character, and would have received a toy.
• Megatron would have adopted a new, triple-changing, "Marauder" body, with tank and jet modes. Its details are inspired by previous Megatrons from Beast Machines, Cybertron, and Battlestars.