The Energon Pub

[william-james88]

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.

Top 5 Best Transformers Prime Characters

Transformers Prime was, to me, an amazing reinterpretation of the G1 story and characters for a new era. The animation was top notch and the voice work was out of this world, teaming up industry veterans, newcomers and huge stars (the first voice you hear is The Rock's). It also featured a great cast of classic Transformers characters which payed great homage to their original selves while expanding on the personalities laid down in the G1 era. Let me explain exactly what I just meant by that by starting this list of best Prime characters with...

5. Starscream

This was classic G1 Starscream but now with a sleeker body to compliment his very narcissistic personality. Of all the character on this show, he was probably the one with the least of an update to his G1 personality which gave a nice comforting sense to the series, while letting his more maniacal traits run free (ie: MURDER). Of all characters, he has by far the best introduction.



4. Dreadwing

An honourable warrior, very similar to the Dinobot character from Beast Wars and though it was less original at this point in the franchise, it was still a great role. He was smarter than most other decepticons and didn’t follow the cause blindly. The character was elevated even more with the Candyman himself (Tony Todd) giving Dreadwing a very deep and authoritative voice. It complimented this badass character perfectly.



3. Arcee

I really love how the greatest warrior the autobots had (this side of Optimus) was their smallest member. It gave a nice contrast to the role usually given to her body type. She even had that great 80s staple of the cop who had just too many partners die on him (her) and they made it work. It was great to see her balance out her anger with a softer side that she thought was probably lost.



2. Megatron

This is the best version of the Decepticon character we've ever had on a show and the second best character to own the name (yessss). I love how he had this twisted sense of ideals and his unquenshable thirst for power was a beauty to behold. I also loved how cunning (his genius plan to be able to use the Forge of Solus Prime) and ruthless (his fight against Predaking) this version of the character was. A true warrior who was fearless and would do whatever it took.



1. Soundwave

Soundwave was always awesome in G1. He was the guy who got stuff done and would never b!tch about anything. This is taken to the extreme here with an almost entirely silent role. This gives him an added creepiness factor that had never been shown to this extreme before. His loyalty to the Decepticon cause was also frightening. Calm, calculating, intelligent. As the show progresses, it becomes more and more clear that he was the Decepticon’s greatest asset in their fight vs the Autobots. Of all Decepticons, he was the one you’d want to mess with the least.




Honourable mentions: Knockout, what a fun character! The show also had an interesting take on Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack.

[Hellscream9999]

Agree with all of them, especially Megatron (yyessss ) and Soundwave (forgot to mention he kicks more auto-ass in his fights than most of the rest of the show)


However, the only character I would have lobbied to put on the list would have been Doc-Knock. He was the only character that I felt a real sense of character and personality from; while also having his own complete arc (autobody expert - lackey - medic - (starscreams) second-in-command - (kinda) autobot), and from how well this was fleshed out in the show. He was the only one that I felt had a character, and certainly was the only one that I ended up caring about.

[Burn]

2 Ratchet
1 Knock Out

Didn't really care about the rest.

And another two weeks past and still no mention of Stalker. The conspiracy/vendetta continues ...

[BERSEKAEL]

the only wheeljack for legion scale.

[Hellscream9999]

1 Knock Out

Didn't really care about the rest.

And another two weeks past and still no mention of Stalker. The conspiracy/vendetta continues ...

You're right, Stalker was such an integral part of TF: Prime, he was definitely robbed of a place on this list

[Burn]

1 Knock Out

Didn't really care about the rest.

And another two weeks past and still no mention of Stalker. The conspiracy/vendetta continues ...

You're right, Stalker was such an integral part of TF: Prime, he was definitely robbed of a place on this list

Yeah ... nice attempt to twist my words there and make me look like a fool, but Va'al and Billy-Jim know what I'm talking about.

Va'al - Hey Will!
Will - Yeah Va'al?
Va'al - Do a list about a series that didn't have Stalker in it.
Will - To piss Burn off?
Va'al - Yep!
Va'al - Maniacal laugh ...
Will - Maniacal laugh ...

[Hellscream9999]

1 Knock Out

Didn't really care about the rest.

And another two weeks past and still no mention of Stalker. The conspiracy/vendetta continues ...

You're right, Stalker was such an integral part of TF: Prime, he was definitely robbed of a place on this list

Yeah ... nice attempt to twist my words there and make me look like a fool, but Va'al and Billy-Jim know what I'm talking about.

Va'al - Hey Will!
Will - Yeah Va'al?
Va'al - Do a list about a series that didn't have Stalker in it.
Will - To piss Burn off?
Va'al - Yep!
Va'al - Maniacal laugh ...
Will - Maniacal laugh ...

he he he

[Shadowstream]

Meh, Arcee and Dreadwing are nice, the others all scream generic and/or uninteresting as far as I'm concerned.

Incidentally if a top 5 Megatrons list were ever compiled this incarnation would be #4 at best

[Hellscream9999]

Meh, Arcee and Dreadwing are nice, the others all scream generic and/or uninteresting as far as I'm concerned.

Incidentally if a top 5 Megatrons list were ever compiled this incarnation would be #4 at best

Doubtful, who would be in front of him?

G1, maybe, though, if we're going by the show, he was really kinda cheesy and difficult to take serious (megatrons definitely don't murder as many as they should).

The unicron trilogy were as generic as possible, and the rid'01 one was cheesier than G1 Megatron; Animated megatron was okay probably #3 (the show sucked, but he was alright - as a character - at best)

If anything, the war for cybertron megatron would definitely be in there, he had such a well fleshed out character and could murder as many as he wanted, and that really helps solidify his image.

Obviously BW megatron was the best, if going by how a character is built and presented, but prime would easily be the second if this were the case.


And of course they're going to feel generic, they're the same damn characters over and over again. At least the unicron trilogy had the balls to introduce whole casts of new characters to help diversify the many varied shows

[Fires_Of_Inferno]

I really didn't like Arcee. I wanted to like her, I still want to like her, but I don't, and I don't know why.

I would have put Megatron where Arcee is, and then Knockout where Megatron is. Then have Dreadwing and Starscream switch places as well.

[Katarn84]

2. Megatron

This is the best version of the Decepticon character we've ever had on a show and the second best character to own the name (yessss).

Fun Fact: in Italian dubbing Prime Megatron and BW Megatron share the same voice actor.

[Va'al]

1 Knock Out

Didn't really care about the rest.

And another two weeks past and still no mention of Stalker. The conspiracy/vendetta continues ...

You're right, Stalker was such an integral part of TF: Prime, he was definitely robbed of a place on this list

Yeah ... nice attempt to twist my words there and make me look like a fool, but Va'al and Billy-Jim know what I'm talking about.

Va'al - Hey Will!
Will - Yeah Va'al?
Va'al - Do a list about a series that didn't have Stalker in it.
Will - To piss Burn off?
Va'al - Yep!
Va'al - Maniacal laugh ...
Will - Maniacal laugh ...

Wait, you were listening..?

WILL, WE'RE BUSTED

[Shadowstream]

Meh, Arcee and Dreadwing are nice, the others all scream generic and/or uninteresting as far as I'm concerned.

Incidentally if a top 5 Megatrons list were ever compiled this incarnation would be #4 at best

Doubtful, who would be in front of him?

G1, maybe, though, if we're going by the show, he was really kinda cheesy and difficult to take serious (megatrons definitely don't murder as many as they should).

The unicron trilogy were as generic as possible, and the rid'01 one was cheesier than G1 Megatron; Animated megatron was okay probably #3 (the show sucked, but he was alright - as a character - at best)

If anything, the war for cybertron megatron would definitely be in there, he had such a well fleshed out character and could murder as many as he wanted, and that really helps solidify his image.

Obviously BW megatron was the best, if going by how a character is built and presented, but prime would easily be the second if this were the case.


And of course they're going to feel generic, they're the same damn characters over and over again. At least the unicron trilogy had the balls to introduce whole casts of new characters to help diversify the many varied shows

Hardly give a damn about UT megs as he was just balls to the walls crazy, as was rid '01 megs. WFC/FOC megs is brutal and loud, but otherwise just a big name villain for the sake of it.

G1 megatron would bottom my top 5 for the sake of origins, but I otherwise feel like he became a joke way too quickly to be bothered with. Prime Megatron would be #4 as I said, since he's more threatening, but not much deeper as far as I care. From there it's a toss up between Animated, Beast Era, and IDW Megatrons for the top 3.

[Deathsanras]

It's rather telling about the show and its scripting and plotting problems that in a series literally called Transformers: Prime, Optimus Prime is nowhere on anyone's "best character" list.

Even Dreadwing, who had something like 12 episodes and was killed off for convenience is touted as being better than the star of the entire franchise, after whom the show is named.

On the other hand, there's little doubt in my mind he'd do well on a best Rescue Bots characters list, as he shows a ton more personality and even a dry wit.

Re: Starscream, it's a pity they chickened out and backed out of doing anything interesting with him in the last quarter of the series (or so), by turning him into a shameless, genuinely fawning sycophant, sincerely desperate for Silver Daddy's approval.

Re: Megatron, while he has a very strong and commanding presence, the biggest problem with him is that, after Darkness Rising, he has no agenda. He's as much a passenger as everyone else. Even G1 Megatron had the absurd goal of ruling "the galaxy", BW Megatron was so many steps ahead of everyone else that he had plans atop plans atop plans, TFA Megatron wanted to restore the Decepticons to their homeland, and UT Megatron had G1-like ambitions to make himself godlike-powerful. But in between scavenger hunts, TFP Megatron just seems to sit around on his floating barge, kicking back, yelling at his minions for disturbing him and waiting for the next thing to pop up that he could take advantage of. He wasn't trying to restore Cybertron - that wasn't possible until the Omega Lock and SynthEn - he wasn't trying to conquer Earth - New Kaon/Darkmount was the first move they ever really made and it lasted all of a couple of episodes - and he wasn't even actively trying to hunt down the Autobots. It's not even clear why he or they stuck around on Earth instead of just packing up and going somewhere else. Even the Energon wasn't much of a factor after a while.

[Yweggo]

Funny how four out of five are Cons....

[Sabrblade]

This really should have been a "Top 5 Best Transformers Prime Decepticon Characters" list since they practically dominate this list. No Ratchet, no Wheeljack, no Cliffjumper, no SMOKESCREEN (that's just downright cruel to omit him of all bots). Even Jack and Agent Fowler were among the show's best characters. And no Knock Out? Seriously, no KNOCK OUT?!! Predaking as well deserves a spot on here too.

But thank goodness Optimus was omitted. Easily the show's worst character who 56 episodes to even remotely become interesting.

[Burn]

You know, I got to thinking about this and I forgot about one character, mostly because he's not a Transformer. So then I went back and read Billy-Jim's original post and it never really precluded humans so ...

3. Agent Fowler

[Tigertrack]

I actually was thinking also that making one of the spots 'Humans' would have been good, #5 or #4 just because we finally has humans who were more than just pals. And they were actually interesting, although the kids still too often told the Autobots what they should do, Fowler and Silas and MECH were awesome. They created a Nemesis Prime, carried out autopsies and operations on bots, and we're a fun element and enemy that came off as actually powerful and fanatical enough to scare the robots.

I'm not sure who to take out though. And I did enjoy Smokescreen a lot, even though he seemed to just fill the Hot Rod/ Hot Shot/ Cheetor role from precious series, so I'm not sure he warranted inclusion either.

Fun list to read. Well written reasoning. Good job Will.

[william-james88]

Wait, you were listening..?

WILL, WE'RE BUSTED

via Imgflip Meme Maker

Fun Fact: in Italian dubbing Prime Megatron and BW Megatron share the same voice actor.

That's awesome thanks! He makes them sounds really different though, like how BW Megatron and Animated Optimus are the same guy too. Also, interesting to know that the Maximals say "maximise" but the Predacons say "transform".

G1 megatron would bottom my top 5 for the sake of origins, but I otherwise feel like he became a joke way too quickly to be bothered with. Prime Megatron would be #4 as I said, since he's more threatening, but not much deeper as far as I care. From there it's a toss up between Animated, Beast Era, and IDW Megatrons for the top 3.

Oh, ok, this reassures me because at first I thought we were way off in opinion. But this is really close to mine:

2. Megatron

This is the best version of the Decepticon character we've ever had on a show and the second best character to own the name (yessss).

As you can see, I was only referring to Megatrons that appeared on shows. So I say he's second behind BW Megs while you say he is third, we are not that far off.

Also, I might be opening a can of worms here, but isn't WFC/FOC Megatron the same character as Prime Megatron?

This really should have been a "Top 5 Best Transformers Prime Decepticon Characters" list since they practically dominate this list. No Ratchet, no Wheeljack, no Cliffjumper, no SMOKESCREEN (that's just downright cruel to omit him of all bots). Even Jack and Agent Fowler were among the show's best characters. And no Knock Out? Seriously, no KNOCK OUT?!! Predaking as well deserves a spot on here too.

But thank goodness Optimus was omitted. Easily the show's worst character who 56 episodes to even remotely become interesting.

At first I thought you were joking. I mean Cliffjumper, really? That's like saying Tigerhawk is one of the best Beast Wars characters. And none of those autobots mentioned hold a candle to the Decepticons mentioned, including Knock Out. Looking back, a top 5 for each fraction would have been a good idea, but that wouldn't show how superior the Decepticons were to the Autobots in terms of writing and just how awesome and fun they were. It's like making a top 5 Energon toys list and having the decepticons make up a majority of those toys. I wouldnt want to allude that the autobot toys were as good (except for Divebomb).

But anyways... I still wouldnt include Smokescreen. I really couldnt stand that character when he was introduced, kinda reminded me of Anakin Skywalker from the Prequels before he turned to the dark side. You now, chosen one and all that.

Agent Fowler though is an awesome pick!

[Noideaforaname]

What? A Top 5 list of Prime characters and Knock Out didn't even place?!

I must admit I really didn't like Prime all that much... but Starscream, Knock Out, Ratchet, and Fowler kept me watching, even after I thought those characters took a nosedive. Starscream in particular went from "Best Starcream Ever" to a bit of a joke, but "Thirst" is still one of my favorite episodes (Starscream/Knock Out spinoff when?).


I liked the idea of Soundwave more than the execution. The impression I initially had with him was that he'd silently, subtly enforce Megatron's will even after the Decepticon Leader died, with his greatest weapon being Starscream's own paranoia. But then in the show Soundwave was barely even there and eventually became little more than a walking teleporter. *yawn*

[Fox Thiagarajan]

Pretty definitive list. I like Bee and Optimus as runner however.
Bee for his development and growth in confidence as the show progressed and Optimus for being such a well balanced representation of the character.

[welcometothedarksyde]

Hey how about top 5 best human characters

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Tossing in my thoughts (no specific order):

1) Agent Fowler should have made this list. He is probably the most integral human to any transformers story ever. And he wasn't always a friend, and he had the training to do dirty work that the bots needed. He also found a love life and always provided a little bit of humor.

2) Bulkhead. This guy was originally a crazy copter in the UT, then a goofball construction/demolition expert in animated, to a Wrecker in Prime. I love the wreckers, and the fact that Bulk is one is awesome. His body design was top-notch, and his personality was lower-intelligence yet extremely adaptive, compassionate and ultimately the greatest fighter. He also showed off his construction worker backgrounds and he had some of the best one liners ("Bet you don't have the ball-bearings to fight up-close and personal!" "Gotta swat some flies" "pretty big bearings....for a human") Yup. Doesn't help he was my absolute favorite.

3) Soundwave was the capital guy, no question about it. And the fact that he is still out there makes it even more terrifying.

4) Dreadwing was my favorite con, with Knockout right behind him. Both were quite cool, and I loved Dreadwings honor yet how he refused to actually change sides. Knockout was a fancy con (their equivalent to Tracks) and his eventual change of allegiance was pretty nice as a character wrap-up. Breakdown was cool too, and his history with MECH made for a great storyline ending with Cylas' death.

5) Ratchet was definitely a new take, considering how hard he fought for the revival of Cybertron. Magnus needed more time to character develop, as did Wheeljack to me. Things felt a bit rushed. I loved Smokescreen, and he was a brand new "chosen one" and honestly handled his rollercoaster well. Plus, he had my favorite Prime design, so props to him!

That's it. Hope you guys enjoy those opinions

[Alpha Dominus]

Yeah I can see how this list is gonna confuse and polarize some people. Seriously, no Knockout?

[padfoo]

Soundwave, became the best character in this series, I eventually found myself cheering for him whenever he was on screen. He was a bit underpowered but used cunning to win. He was truly silent but deadly.