The Energon Pub

July?! I had read May somewhere. Good grief.

sol magnus wrote:July?! I had read May somewhere. Good grief.

I read that as well on another fan site, not knowing the source they got it from actually sourced wikipedia...

o.supreme wrote:

sol magnus wrote:July?! I had read May somewhere. Good grief.

I read that as well on another fan site, not knowing the source they got it from actually sourced wikipedia...

Hence why we never newsed that

(It's likely that whichever fan put it on wiki, likely extrapolated the date by looking at the gap between Siege and Earthrise)

Really hoping a new Beast Wars series gets spun out of Kingdom. I doubt it'll happen, but a man can dream.

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Really hoping a new Beast Wars series gets spun out of Kingdom. I doubt it'll happen, but a man can dream.

You'd want a Beast Wars series inferior to the original? Cuz that's what we'd get out of this.

Sabrblade wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Really hoping a new Beast Wars series gets spun out of Kingdom. I doubt it'll happen, but a man can dream.

You'd want a Beast Wars series inferior to the original? Cuz that's what we'd get out of this.

I’d want a new series that does something new with the property.

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Really hoping a new Beast Wars series gets spun out of Kingdom. I doubt it'll happen, but a man can dream.

You'd want a Beast Wars series inferior to the original? Cuz that's what we'd get out of this.

I’d want a new series that does something new with the property.

If the new IDW Beast Wars comic series is any indication, Hasbro apparently doesn't want Beast Wars to be changed too differently from its original premise.

Sabrblade wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Really hoping a new Beast Wars series gets spun out of Kingdom. I doubt it'll happen, but a man can dream.

You'd want a Beast Wars series inferior to the original? Cuz that's what we'd get out of this.

I’d want a new series that does something new with the property.

If the new IDW Beast Wars comic series is any indication, Hasbro apparently doesn't want Beast Wars to be changed too differently from its original premise.

Which is also fine. To be clear what I meant was that I’d like to see a new series telling new Beast Wars stories. It can deviate almost entirely or be as faithful as the showrunners choose. Either way, I’d be there for it. New takes on properties I enjoy always interest me.

o.supreme wrote:

sol magnus wrote:July?! I had read May somewhere. Good grief.

I read that as well on another fan site, not knowing the source they got it from actually sourced wikipedia...

you can't really trust wikipedia

It seems weird to me that the first two parts played like 2 months apart and we have to wait six for the last part.

Rodimus Knight wrote:

o.supreme wrote:

sol magnus wrote:July?! I had read May somewhere. Good grief.

I read that as well on another fan site, not knowing the source they got it from actually sourced wikipedia...

you can't really trust wikipedia

It seems weird to me that the first two parts played like 2 months apart and we have to wait six for the last part.

Siege came out in July. Earthrise in December. That's five months apart.

Rodimus Knight wrote:

o.supreme wrote:

sol magnus wrote:July?! I had read May somewhere. Good grief.

I read that as well on another fan site, not knowing the source they got it from actually sourced wikipedia...

you can't really trust wikipedia

I'm well aware. But when you read what you *think* is a legit news story online, you wouldn't think they would reference wiki, which is why I reacted the way I did.


As for new BW. I am split. I don't like the new comic. I know Sabre said it's not much different from the original series in that it is seemingly retelling the original story, just with a couple added characters, and the personalities skewed a bit, but those specific differences I'm not a fan of. I'd rather it be something closer to Gathering/Ascending, but that's probably because I am an unapologetic fan of BWII and Neo.

It's odd because I am an older fan I find myself only NOW rewatching the original Battlestar Galactica. I saw it as a kid in the late 70's/early 80's, but aside from a few random episodes on Sci-Fi still 20+ years ago I haven't rewatched it proper since I was a kid. Now when I am done with it, I will not be watching the popular Sci-Fi channel remake from the mid 200's, because I did watch a couple episodes of that when it premiered, and despite bigger budget, a pretty solid cast etc, good FX, I was not a fan of how convoluted everything was.

Unfortunately this seems to be the pattern now. There is no more straight good vs bad, everything is a muddled grey, and it loses it's sense of fun. I know this may seem ironic, as I tend to like my Transformers taken a bit more seriously, however there is a fine line. I think Transformers Prime is the perfect example of something done right. It was very serious, however it was always fun to watch (and not in a silly childish way), there was always a sense of hope, and there was no convoluted or overly complex stories.

With BW it is so difficult, because the original series is complete. If you try to retell it skewed slightly to the right or left of center, fans won't be happy. If you change it 100%, fans won't be happy either. Unlike the Original Transformers, which I know exactly what needs to happen, but Hasbro doesn't have the courage to do it. I honestly have no indication in my mind what should be done with BW moving forward in terms of Media either in print or animation.

I guess you could go forward past the events of Beast Machines, but then, that really isn't Beast wars is it...

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

TOO MUCH ENERGON! wrote:Really hoping a new Beast Wars series gets spun out of Kingdom. I doubt it'll happen, but a man can dream.

You'd want a Beast Wars series inferior to the original? Cuz that's what we'd get out of this.

I’d want a new series that does something new with the property.

If the new IDW Beast Wars comic series is any indication, Hasbro apparently doesn't want Beast Wars to be changed too differently from its original premise.

Which is also fine. To be clear what I meant was that I’d like to see a new series telling new Beast Wars stories. It can deviate almost entirely or be as faithful as the showrunners choose. Either way, I’d be there for it. New takes on properties I enjoy always interest me.

Yeah I would like more Beast Wars too, and I would love it to be animated, but not by this these clowns.
Sheesh, the Netflix shows are bad. They look pretty, but that's all they have.

I can't imagine what it must be like for Marvel UK fans, because I never had much contact with Impactor, but even I felt insulted by their take on him.

It's like they all watched God of War playthroughs on youtube and Watchmen, and think what makes that good is violence, grittiness and monologues. It's like Beast Machines, just with poopy writing and worse attempts at adapting the characters.

I finished Siege and groaned, then when Earthrise came out I decided to give that a chance in case it's better, then Megatron had Autobots strapped to a Spacebridge to suck their Energon out while trying to seduce Elita One and claiming that this isn't him killing her friends but Optimus. And then I had to turn it off and cleanse myself with Hilda.

How is it possible to write Optimus Prime so much like a dead fish? Seriously, people were giving TF Prime Optimus **** for inspiring speeches and being so dire, but holy hell this guy takes the cake.

[/quote]

Unfortunately this seems to be the pattern now. There is no more straight good vs bad, everything is a muddled grey, and it loses it's sense of fun. I know this may seem ironic, as I tend to like my Transformers taken a bit more seriously, however there is a fine line. I think Transformers Prime is the perfect example of something done right. It was very serious, however it was always fun to watch (and not in a silly childish way), there was always a sense of hope, and there was no convoluted or overly complex stories.

[/quote]

Hmmmm that's an interesting take. I haven't seen it in years, but I always thought the muddled grey was a sort of sub-theme in the BW series, with characters like Dinobot and Blackarachnia and the episode with Transmutate. Even in the episode with Tigerhawk, Optimus Primal attempted to protect BW Megatron because he had G1 Megatrons spark.

I thought that was part of what set BW apart from the 80s cartoon and made it stand out. And in the 80s cartoon I really enjoyed when Blitzwing stood up to Galvatron and was cast out. I'm a fan of the grey, its interesting and some of the most popular characters come from it like Sixshot and Sky Byte. I also enjoy that the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron is starting to gravitate towards more of a professor x/ magneto dynamic, with Megatron not being just some evil conqueror. I think it's cool haha just putting that out there, not trying to diss your opinion or anything

All that being said I agree that the Netflix series is disappointing and could've been far better. I haven't checked out the comic so I don't have anything to say about it

I'm not opposed to characters switching sides. All the examples you gave were fine by me. It's just when characters who are supposed to be the moral compass such as Optimus Prime (just one example but there are many) start to make questionable decisions that are not for the best of his team or himself. That's what I'm not a fan of. It happened a lot in IDW comics, and although I enjoy the Netflix series as a whole, I do not enjoy THIS version of Optimus Prime. Primal in BW was quite different, he wasn't quite the "by-the-book" leader Prime was, but you always knew where he stood in the fight. The Primal as presented in the new IDW comic, I don't know how to describe it, he's just NOT the Primal of the animated series. I'm sure that was done purposefully, but it's not my preference.

o.supreme wrote: I honestly have no indication in my mind what should be done with BW moving forward in terms of Media either in print or animation.

Being a huge fan of Beast Wars, to me, the answer is simple: Let it go.

Continue with anniversary figures and/or re-releases of the show. The rest, is silence.
That is what Beast Wars represents, after all. It moved on, beyond G1 and Sunbow. It recycled some names and story beats. Then it began world building on its own and forged a unique identity with The Beast Era. It can't be replicated as these are different times. So don't even try. Instead Hasbro should apply the lesson from Beast Wars success and do something new with Transformers again.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Being a huge fan of Beast Wars, to me, the answer is simple: Let it go.

I tend to agree, as I stated prior, the story is complete. It's rare that fans of something have this take however. New toys are easy to make, as we see they are coming, and they are pretty amazing overall. But there will always be that contingent of fans that wants new media to go along with it, and Hasbro is happy to oblige because while I do believe that Print and Animated media is MUCH MORE than just a way to sell toys, it certainly is a factor that Hasbro wont pass up.

Like I said prior, I know exactly what needs to be done with the Original Transformers. But something completely new is the next logical step as well I would think. Unfortunately there seems to be a few missteps with Botbot's and *comedy* Nick series, that is NOT the New we need.

The reasoning I have is that the entire concept of Beast Wars was very context specific. Anything done outside of that context is merely derivate and trading on the name. Without merit or substance. As such not worth my time.

They can continue to fleece the G1 fans all they like and mostly, the fanbase doesn't object. Personally, BW isn't like that for me. An endless honey pot of nostalgia they can hold in front of me and I'll pour money into. I don't want anything new from Beast Wars. For good or ill, Beast Wars ended in 2000 with Beast Machines. I accepted that 21 years ago.

If Hasbro just forgot Evergreen and did take the same gamble as was done in 1996, who knows where it might lead?

o.supreme wrote:I'm not opposed to characters switching sides. All the examples you gave were fine by me. It's just when characters who are supposed to be the moral compass such as Optimus Prime (just one example but there are many) start to make questionable decisions that are not for the best of his team or himself. That's what I'm not a fan of. It happened a lot in IDW comics, and although I enjoy the Netflix series as a whole, I do not enjoy THIS version of Optimus Prime. Primal in BW was quite different, he wasn't quite the "by-the-book" leader Prime was, but you always knew where he stood in the fight. The Primal as presented in the new IDW comic, I don't know how to describe it, he's just NOT the Primal of the animated series. I'm sure that was done purposefully, but it's not my preference.

Ohhhhhhh okay I see what you mean now. I agree about Prime, i don't like what they did with his character at all. I can see what the intention was, but those are struggles I would've expected with rodimus prime not optimus. Optimus was wise and always knew what to do and was certain in his convictions. He was the one lighting the way for the rest of the autobots and this version of prime is the one dragging them down half the time

To put it another way...

Optimus Prime is Jean-Luc Picard.

Rodimus Prime is James T. Kirk.

Optimus Primal is Benjamin Sisko.

(And that's as far as the parallels go. No other good guy TF leader matches Janeway, Archer, or any other captain's personality.)

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:If Hasbro just forgot Evergreen and did take the same gamble as was done in 1996, who knows where it might lead?

I agree with this. however I do think it was a small miracle that BW was as successful as it was. I remember the strong resistance in the beginning. Personally I never felt that way, i thought it was interesting. However i do have to admit that as they slowly seeded Season 1 with subtle references to the original mythology, and by season 2 confirmed it was in the same continuity, that is what hooked me. Yes the characters were great enough to stand on their own, but that continuity; something I loved previously, seemingly going on was what I needed at the time.

As you stated BW ended, and I agree it's done, let it go. But the Original Transformers universe is far from complete. It was never given a proper ending. I can understand the frustration of fans that constantly see it rehashed in IDW, or in series such as Cyberverse or the Netflix Series (though I personally don't se it that way, I see them as constant splinters, not exactly like the original, but a poor substitute). That's why I would want to add to the original, move forward, or go back, or fill in missing gaps, not just keep rehashing the same story bits.

At the same time though, (we've Established Transformers is ok to have more than one continuity going on at once) yes there needs to be something brand new. Going back to the miracle of BW. It was the first attempt at something new, and it worked. Unfortunately in todays age and seeming lack of imagination, there are bound to be several false starts (thus the Botbots and Nick references), before the Truly new and innovative Transformers mythos is created that kids of today can identify with, and latch onto as their own, yet at the same time, fans in their 20's, 30's and 40's can appreciate as well.

Looks like Galvatron will be making a return. I quite liked his interactions with his past self.

o.supreme wrote:I agree with this. however I do think it was a small miracle that BW was as successful as it was. I remember the strong resistance in the beginning. Personally I never felt that way, i thought it was interesting.

I guess, it all depends on where you jumped on. As stated previously, I jumped onto the series with Transformers: The Movie. I was 3 then. The original series, to me, was just the "G2" reruns after that. Much like He-Man, wherein being a 90's kid, I had no real exposure to the peak popularity of the original series. As New Adventures, was My He-Man.

I was on the crest of new fans, with Beast Wars. I had no resistance at all to the new and deeper characterisation on display. The Starscream episode, the cameos and flashbacks were all ...nice. More for the fact that they were showing the original series in full CG for the first time. To much better effect than the G2 intros, at any rate. However, Megatron destroying Optimus Prime's corpse I always felt was somewhat symbolic, in parallel with the literal intent. Severing the ties to the past and moving forward with Transformers. We know how that played out, however.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

o.supreme wrote:I agree with this. however I do think it was a small miracle that BW was as successful as it was. I remember the strong resistance in the beginning. Personally I never felt that way, i thought it was interesting.

I guess, it all depends on where you jumped on. As stated previously, I jumped onto the series with Transformers: The Movie. I was 3 then. The original series, to me, was just the "G2" reruns after that.

I feel ya. I was born in '85 so the show was already off the air by the time my memory begins (but I loved the toys, regardless!), though I had a few VHS tapes of random episodes of G1 that I watched over and over again, along with The Movie and Return of Optimus Prime, but my real memories watching the original cartoon religiously was G2, which I liked, but it feels like it kinda came and went. Beast Wars was something of a revelation in the later years of my childhood.

EDIT: There is also this:



And this:

Looks like you will have to fix that...