The Energon Pub

[El Duque]

Greg Weisman, known for his work on Gargoyles, recently responded to a fan question regarding some unused episodes he pitched for Sunbow Productions original G1 Transformers Cartoon series. He describes one of these episodes that would have been titled "The Eye of the Beholder". Check it out below:

Cary Bates and I pitched five separate springboards for individual episodes. No arcs.

Here's one:

THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Transformer Premise
by Bates and Weisman
(4-11-86)

After endless study of Transformer programming specifications, Quarto Quintesson, a young programmer-artist has designed a construct that has a 97% probability of starting a devastating war between the Decepticons and the Autobots.
The Quintessons send a few Sharkticons to one of Saturn's moons. The Sharkticons drop off the construct and retreat. Earth sensors detect the Sharkticon intrusion. Rodimus Prime, Spike, Blurr and Bumblebee are in the vicinity on a diplomatic mission. They pause to investigate. Arriving on the moon, they discover the construct. The construct is a small crystalline "sculpture" on a rotating stand. The "sculpture" looks like an over-sized three-dimensional micro-chip. As it turns on its stand, colored light refracts through the crystals and a soft music is played.

Spike says: "Hey, it's like an old-fashioned music box!" But it takes him a few seconds to realize that the Autobots are absolutely entranced by the beauty that they perceive in the "Ultrachip".

Cut to Chaar, where Quarto has arrived to seek an audience with the mad leader Galvatron. He informs Galvatron of the mysterious Ultrachip that all Transformers will desire, but that the Autobots will attempt to keep from the Decepticons. Cyclonus suggests that such an Ultrachip might help Galvatron consolidate his rule over the divisive Decepticons. Galvatron is infuriated at the suggestion that he needs any help and attacks Cyclonus but then unpredictably changes his mind and sends Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps to appropriate the Ultrachip.

Meanwhile, on Saturn's moon, Spike is explaining the concept of art to the Autobots, who like eternal soldiers, have never had the time to think about such things before. Spike accesses computer hologram records of various earth masterpieces...Rodin's The Thinker, Warhol's Soup Can, Bisin's Quantum Lady, etc. None has any real effect on the Autobots. The Ultrachip, however, is something new and wonderful to them.

And then Cyclonus and the Sweeps attack. The Autobots defend themselves, and the Ultrachip is momentarily forgotten, until the Decepticons get a good look at it. They too are mesmorized by its beauty. Without truly understanding why and having little to do with Galvatron's orders, they know that they must have it at any cost. The Autobots feel the same.
Spike pulls Rodimus aside and asks whether this "music box" merits all this trouble. Rodimus must explain that to Transformers, there can be no greater prize. Nevertheless, he offers Cyclonus a compromise. The Ultrachip will be left in a neutral location, where both Autobot and Decepticon can admire it. Cyclonus refuses the offer. Only the Decepticons may gaze upon the Ultrachip. Blurr in turn says that only the Autobots will be allowed to admire it.
Watching on his viewscreen, Quarto is practically gleeful, soon this skirmish will escalate into a full fledged war.
The battle continues. And the fragile Ultrachip is nearly destroyed by the conflict. Rodimus makes the extremely difficult decision to let Cyclonus take the Ultrachip. Better that the Decepticons get it, than that such beauty should be destroyed. Thus the Quintessons' latest plot is foiled by Rodimus' reason and compassion.
Cyclonus takes the Ultrachip back to Chaar and gives it to Galvatron, who orders everyone to clear his chamber. When he is alone, the mad leader destroys the Ultrachip...(or maybe he doesn't).
And on Cybertron, Kup is talking to Rodimus about the Ultrachip: "Too bad the Decepticons got it, we got a raw deal!"
But Rodimus opens a door, where we see Bumblebee, playing with crystals, constructing his own personal artistic Ultrachip, and Rodimus points out, "They may have gotten the chip, but we got the inspiration."
Now, before ANYONE posts questions about this premise, please keep in mind that this was TWENTY-SIX years ago. I remember NOTHING more than what you see above. NOTHING.

[mattwhite924]

Interesting concept. I would have liked to have seen it animated. My only real problem with it is the idea that someone wants to start a war between the Autobots and Decepticons, as war is kind of what they've been doing for millions of years anyway.

[Gauntlet101010]

Yeah, the Decepticons really don't need any kind of excuse to fight the Autobots and vice versa.

The concept is nice, but it really screams Season 3. Interesting concept, but flawed from conception. I don't think it really needed to be made, it doesn't really add anything to the TF mythos aside from a comment about their warrior culture.

[Tigertrack]

Pretty cool idea. Fits well with the time as well.

[Sabrblade]

Eh, nothing too special, but fitting for a season 3 episode from 1986.

[Megatron Wolf]

I had no idea Weisman worked on Transformers, Gargoyles & G1 are my 2 favorite shows of all time so thats pretty cool to find out. I just watched the Gargoyles episode The Eye of The Beholder, wonder if this not getting made influenced the naming of it a little or if its just coincidence. On another note i really wish Gargoyles would come back, either continue the comics or the show. But since disney charges to much for the copyright & they obviously dont care much about the series itll never happen, or they'll do a crappy remake which would be the worse thing to happen.

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[Archanubis]

Like everyone else has said, nothing special, and rather typical of a S3 G1 Transformers ep. But again, Weisman is remembering details from nearly 3 decades ago.

[Autobot Megatron]

Not bad, probably would have been a decent S3 episode, except for the fact that it's impossible to start a war against two groups already in war. That's called escalation.

[Bumblevivisector]

Season 3 is handily my favorite stretch of the G1 'toon, and while that treatment as described wouldn't have added much to it, the script could've been whipped into shape by Flint Dille; maybe tweak the premise to the Quints wanting to lure as many Bots and Cons there as possible, then blow up the moon like they blew up Quintessa in 'Five Faces of Darkness'. The idea of the Quints using their knowledge of TF psychology against them also rings true with 'The Killing Jar'.

It could've even taken a really cynical bent by showing that pop-art can be used to manipulate a society into acting against their better interests-- (BUMBLEBEE): "Like getting us to blow each other to smithereens, or tricking kids into buying a bunch of toys" --which could also have contributed to its rejection.

One thing about the timing: they pitched this on April 11, 1986? Even with AKOM's cost- and time-saving animation, how long did it take for episodes to get made? Could that timing have necessitated it as technically being a pitch for Season 4, making its execution totally impossible?

[Sodan-1]

Using a piece of art is a lot more interesting than the usual ultimate weapon or everlasting source of energy. A bit odd that despite being lead to the moon by Sharkticon activity and information from a Quintesson, neither side suspects it might be a set-up. Not surprised it didn't get the green light.

[Duke of Luns]

Going to agree it's an o.k. idea, and fits in with the general motif of a typical Season 3 episode.

What slightly surprises me is the specific inclusion of Bumblebee. I think he was supposed to be on the shelves at the time(I wasn't even a year old when the episode was pitched), but he was only in a handful of episodes.

[Duke of Luns]

Mega necro-bump, but with good reason. Transformers: The Lost Seasons recently released the fan-comic adaptation of the episode, and I was fortunate enough to do the scripting:

http://tf-the-lost-seasons.deviantart.com/gallery/

Check it out .

[Towline]

Greg Weisman was ahead of his time with that script. That episode was the type of good science fiction that you would now see on a typical Transformers Prime episode.