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I love TransFormers. We all do, that's why you're reading this. Yet, I can't help but cringe a bit every time a reference is made to the '86 animated film in any new TF-related media. Now first things first, I'm not against references and homages to G1, that's not what this is about.

We all love Peter Cullen's voice for Optimus and, as an aside, the much-loathed Michael Bay did give us three films, two games and a new tv-series featuring his return to the role. We love Soundwave and his minions, Starscream the whiny backstabber and so on, and so on. But it seems that every bit of reference to G1 dialogue or a visual homage stems from the animated film. Think of:

- The Universal Greeting, we get it, it's a funny sounding phrase.
- Any memorable line from the Prime/Megatron fight. How many times have they said "One shall stand..." since? Megatron even finishes for Optimus in the Prime series.
- The clamoring for a live-action Unicron story. It's the most-heard rumor or plot idea since RotF was announced.
- Endless homages to Starscream's coronation and all the lines and his outfit connected to that scene. Any time he manages to take control, out comes the crown and the bad comedy.
- Characters newly introduced in this film being as famous as Season 1 guys. Ultra Magnus and Perceptor are just as popular and well known as Jazz and Cliffjumper. Despite debuting two years later.
- Optimus dying in every series since, and the Matrix being a staple of the series. Getting a bit stale at this point.
- Stan Bush covering his own song and writing a new one for the films and WFC/FOC. As much as I like The Touch, its sound is so 80's-licious, it shouldn't be used for modern media.

Long story short, it sometimes feels like the film is all certain writers saw before adding in an obliged G1 reference. Other times it feels as if they expect us to only remember or like the film. It's just weird. Almost 30 years of fiction tends to be forgotten, or spends lots of its content looking back at TF:TM themselves.

Is anybody else a bit tired of the homage-fest these days? I prefer tributes to be done like Animated and specifically the AllSpark Almanacs; subtle, self-aware and based on the entire franchise that preceded it. From Beast Machines to Kiss Players. And that's just about as varied as the franchise can get. Why stick to a single 90-minute film?

Rushie wrote:- Characters newly introduced in this film being as famous as Season 1 guys. Ultra Magnus and Perceptor are just as popular and well known as Jazz and Cliffjumper. Despite debuting two years later.

Perceptor actually debuted in Season 2. As for the rest, well, we had time to get used to them, and they turned out to not be so bad.

Rushie wrote:- Optimus dying in every series since, and the Matrix being a staple of the series. Getting a bit stale at this point.

Optimus dying is getting a bit old, and it lost its flavor a while ago. But the Matrix has been given enough backstory and explanation at this point that it's an acceptable symbol of being Prime.

I agree, the endless 86' movie references are getting old. Really though, what do you want them to reference? The Carwash of Doom? Lord Chumley? AutoBop? Ultra Magnus' birthday?

The movie is really the best point of reference for the writers because the best episodes from G1 were already used as inspiration for Dark of the Moon. Rehashing something that was done in the 80's is easier to do than rehashing something that was already rehashed. That includes the references they used in Transformers Animated (which was about 80% reference)

It's all a matter of opinion. I don't mind references to G1, or just the 1986 movie. I enjoy watching the movie, do it at least once a year. G1 is the foundation for Transformers, like it or not. That's why it's the 1st generation. Does it mean it's the best? Once again, it's a matter of opinion. I don't believe it is, but it's sure the most nostalgic. Of all the series I've seen, there's something in them that can be connected or attributed to G1. No other series has that.

And I would LOVE to see a straight live adaptation of the 1986 movie, even if it's straight to DVD or Blu Ray, whether they use Bay's designs or not.

I'm neutral as well. I think the only time it ever bothered me was in Transformers: Prime. They use the "One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall" quote too much.

PrymeStriker wrote:I'm neutral as well. I think the only time it ever bothered me was in Transformers: Prime. They use the "One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall" quote too much.

I really want them to include a line like:

Optimus: "One shall sta--"
Megatron: "One shall fall! Do you have any idea how sick I am of hearing that?!"

Shadowman wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:I'm neutral as well. I think the only time it ever bothered me was in Transformers: Prime. They use the "One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall" quote too much.

I really want them to include a line like:

Optimus: "One shall sta--"
Megatron: "One shall fall! Do you have any idea how sick I am of hearing that?!"

The RID comics series will be using 'One shall stand, Many shall fall' in March, by the looks of it. But it is overused, especially in the Prime series.

What about those kneeling? Crawling? Hopping! What about Thundertron, who quite possibly limps from place to place?

References to older episodes in a cartoon/comic happen all of the time. For example, in Superman they reference that he "can leap tall buildings in a single bound." In the old Superman comics, he could not fly but had a killer vertical leap. Heck referencing older works has been.... a tradition. There have references to the Bible and Greco-Roman mythology throughout pop culture since the Renaisance and earlier. More recently, Akira Kurosawa movies about samurai has been an influence for everything from The Magnificent Seven, The Good, Bad, and the Ugly, and even Star Wars. The only question is when will a G1 Transformers reference will used in a movie, TV show, sport metaphor (other than nicknames), political speech, or something else completely unrelated to TFs.

d_sel1 wrote:The only question is when will a G1 Transformers reference will used in a movie, TV show, sport metaphor (other than nicknames), political speech, or something else completely unrelated to TFs.

Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:

d_sel1 wrote:The only question is when will a G1 Transformers reference will used in a movie, TV show, sport metaphor (other than nicknames), political speech, or something else completely unrelated to TFs.

I was thinking way out of left field. Like some BBC commentator refering to a African dictator as a real life Megatron eg. For example, in the most overquoted reference in sports history, Larry Lucchino (Boston exec) refered to the New York Yankees as "the evil empire" from Star Wars.