The Energon Pub

Hasbro and CakeMix Studios revealed a ton of information about the upcoming Transformers: PRIME series that will air later this fall on The Hub. The following information are the notes I took throughout the duration of their panel. Looks like some great stuff. Hope you guys are as excited as I am!

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Full CG show (computer animation cartoon)
Movie set the bar for Autobot - Decepticon action
Crazy awesome action
Amazed at what they have in the show
Level of CG never been attempted for TV
Show picks up on Earth
Bots and Cons have been living on Earth for a while
Group of Autobots stayed behind
Some have left
Cybertron is a bit of a husk
Decepticon activity is at a minimum
Decepticons return
Optimus Prime is leading the Autobots
Megatron returns
Group of Autobots: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee (motorcycle), Bulkhead, Ratchet, Cliffjumper
Group of Decepticons: Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave
Exploring the characters in new and different ways
People behind the show really do get it
Currently working on the last few scripts of the first season
26 episodes initially

CakeMix Studios
Peter Cullen and Frank Welker as voice actors
Doing a more "softer, evil side" voice for Megatron
Cullen: privilege to work with Welker
Showed video clip of Cullen and Welker talking about each other, how great it is to work with each other again, and them doing a recording session together. Pretty awesome.

Megatron has some classic elements to his look. Bucket head, arm cannon. G1 is biggest reference.
Prime looks like a cross between movie prime and WFC Prime.

Can't reveal other voice actors at this time.


Megatron transforms into a jet. He is not an Earth vehicle. Very space age looking jet. Cybertronian technology. Lot of fire power.

Goal is around 65 episodes to offset the cost of creating the CG models
Really focused on the G1 point of view
If you're a fan of TFA or Beast Wars, there might be some nods to those series in first season but focus is G1

Not sure what it will air on internationally and Canada

Wouldn't answer questions about Transformers Prime toys.

Yes there will be humans. Show is bot-centric however.
Alluded to there being a macguffin

Optimus Prime transforms into a aemi-truck similar to the movie
Bumblebee transforms into a Camaro looking car
Megatron transforms into a jet similar to the 1st movie jet

Look of the robots reminds me of the movie, but stylized (ala the Bumblebee images we've already seen)

Bulkhead's alt mode pulls from the "lore". Assuming he will have a mode similar to his TFA self.
Arcee will have one bot humanoid mode. Will NOT be like ROTF version.
Cliffjumper will have his own bot mode. Not a Bumblebee repaint

Susan Blu was directing Welker and Cullen in video they showed us. Could she be Arcee?

The Hub channel debuts 10-10-10 (October 10th, 2010). Transformers: Prime might not initially debut with the channel and might be a month or two behind the channel's launch.

That's it! On to the Hasbro Marketing Review and Q&A panel that all of you are anxiously waiting for.

Just say "G1 was t3h graetest" and have done with it.

I'm VERY HAPPY to hear that it's very G1-inspired. There will hopefully be a lot more heart to this than the movies. I just hope the designs are a lot more attractive than in the films.

However, the Autobot cast sounds like a boring line-up. First of all, it's very small and too similar to Animated. Bulkhead, again. Bumblebee, again. Ratchet, again. Optimus Prime is a given. Arcee is cool, although she might seem on the surface like a female version of Prowl if she's a motorcycle. And then Cliffjumper, meh. There are just so many more interesting choices they could have made for the cast - Tracks, Perceptor, Ultra Magnus, Kup, Wheeljack, etc., just to name a few. And being all CG, it means the cast might be even more limited than Animated.

Need to see more footage or something before I can say anything about this new cartoon.
Only comment is that I hope that if it's good they will be airing in Europe on a normal network (no special membership required).

And I would give the world (well figurly speaking ofcourse) if they would redo the drawings in G1 first 3 seasons as in the Transfomers the movie style.
Giving better quality colours and improved backgrounds.

Oh my God.... The original Prime and Megatron have returned again!!! As for Cliffjumper, dude, finally!!!

Im excited for this series!!! cant wait to see it

Finally another CGI Transformers! I liked every thing i just read except that there are only 3 Decepticons (dont start this again) & that its influenced by the movies. I know that doesnt mean its going to be just like the movies but im getting tired of the crappy look of the bots.

I dont know what to think. Some of it sounds really sucky like 3 Decepticons, but the movie style action is a good thing. Its why I love the movies.

I have to say when I first saw the HUB logo and got a look at Bumblebee it left me confused but hearing that they're attempting CG never created for TV makes me excited.

It's like a voice in my head said, "Hey! This may not suck!"

I can say I an genuinely excited about this now. I have very little reserves after having read that.

And Cliffjumper! Yay!

AWESOME!! Transformers Prime, I can't wait to see the first season and very, very happy for CG cartoon. WELKER AND CULLEN together again.... AMAZING & EXCITED!!!! I'm so happy the original leaders are back. I hope this TF:P will have the DINOBOTS and BLACKARANIA in it. And TF:P will be out on one day before my birthday (YEAH BABY).
(SEIBERTRON.COM ROCKS)

PLEASE DONT BE CRAPPY!

Please be on regular cable acess tv!

Like everything that's been disclosed, except for the movie look of the characters & the relatively few number of characters (although the latter's understandable since it's CG).

Haven't been impressed with "Prime" news so far, and the limited character list makes me even more unimpressed.

Feel free to prove me wrong show creators.

Currently it's all talk, guess you had to be at BotCon to get excited.

But I am still eagerly anticipating this series, don't get me wrong.

Seibertron wrote:Level of CG never been attempted for TV

So will it be better than the Star Wars The Clone Wars tv series? That IS something to get excited about, because the CG in that TV show is pretty damn great, that's if it's true, and not just hyperbole to whip us all up into a lather.

Seibertron wrote:Show picks up on Earth
Bots and Cons have been living on Earth for a while
Group of Autobots stayed behind
Some have left

Thats good, in a way, and contradicts the fact that it's claiming to be GEEWUN, because it's a different take on the origin on the TFs on earth that G1 setup, maybe it's G1 in other ways? and not just a retelling of the G1 series, oh well, we can only hope for that one day, maybe when I'm in my 70's?

Seibertron wrote:Cybertron is a bit of a husk
Decepticon activity is at a minimum

Sounds like the first few issues of IDW's lacklustre Ongoing series.

Seibertron wrote:Decepticons return
Optimus Prime is leading the Autobots
Megatron returns
Group of Autobots: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee (motorcycle), Bulkhead, Ratchet, Cliffjumper
Group of Decepticons: Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave

Well maybe this is the G1 aspects referred to? But I'm with others on this, it's a bit boring having these same characters, the show better be unique it's it own right to hold our attention!
Exploring the characters in new and different ways

this could mean ANYTHING.

Seibertron wrote:People behind the show really do get it

...and people before didn't? Are they saying that SOME writers don't research their subject matter thoroughly before writing their stories? Or is that they just don't care about what came before? Or is it a case of wanting to do something different? TF:A was the best yet at explaining all of these different viewpoints, what a success! It just needed a more teenager-focussed artwork style!

Seibertron wrote:Currently working on the last few scripts of the first season
26 episodes initially

CakeMix Studios
Peter Cullen and Frank Welker as voice actors
Doing a more "softer, evil side" voice for Megatron
Cullen: privilege to work with Welker
Showed video clip of Cullen and Welker talking about each other, how great it is to work with each other again, and them doing a recording session together. Pretty awesome.

Megatron has some classic elements to his look. Bucket head, arm cannon. G1 is biggest reference.
Prime looks like a cross between movie prime and WFC Prime.

Can't reveal other voice actors at this time.

Megatron transforms into a jet. He is not an Earth vehicle. Very space age looking jet. Cybertronian technology. Lot of fire power.

Goal is around 65 episodes to offset the cost of creating the CG models

It's a "goal" not a commitment, if the show bombs, I'm sure they'll "review" this number... But still, thats a LOT of episodes

Seibertron wrote:Really focused on the G1 point of view
If you're a fan of TFA or Beast Wars, there might be some nods to those series in first season but focus is G1

This cold mean anything.

Seibertron wrote:
Not sure what it will air on internationally and Canada

Well that's a given! Who cares about those international viewers!? Besides, there's only ONE way people from outside of the U.S. of A get their TV. Yeah, I think you know what I mean.

Seibertron wrote:Yes there will be humans. Show is bot-centric however.
Alluded to there being a macguffin

What does "macguffin" mean? Sorry, me internationale...

Seibertron wrote:Optimus Prime transforms into a aemi-truck similar to the movie
Bumblebee transforms into a Camaro looking car
Megatron transforms into a jet similar to the 1st movie jet

Look of the robots reminds me of the movie, but stylized (ala the Bumblebee images we've already seen)

The whole stylisied movie deisgns thing could work pretty well, it could also suck pretty hard, previous attempts at CGI TF tv shows have been painful, I remember the way Roadbuster/Iron hides feet DIDN'T move as he walked!(in Superlink/Cybertron) But I guess thats just the nature of a brickformer model being casually stuffed into a 3D program and moved around with a limited bones system!

Seibertron wrote:Bulkhead's alt mode pulls from the "lore". Assuming he will have a mode similar to his TFA self.
Arcee will have one bot humanoid mode. Will NOT be like ROTF version.
Cliffjumper will have his own bot mode. Not a Bumblebee repaint

Susan Blu was directing Welker and Cullen in video they showed us. Could she be Arcee?

The Hub channel debuts 10-10-10 (October 10th, 2010). Transformers: Prime might not initially debut with the channel and might be a month or two behind the channel's launch.

That's it! On to the Hasbro Marketing Review and Q&A panel that all of you are anxiously waiting for.

Thanks for the news dude!!

Burn wrote:Haven't been impressed with "Prime" news so far, and the limited character list makes me even more unimpressed.

Feel free to prove me wrong show creators.

Agreed Burn, we'll just have to wait and see, there's plenty to crap on about now tho! Let the flaming, whining-arguments-over-nothing begin!

gigazarak wrote:

Seibertron wrote:Yes there will be humans. Show is bot-centric however.
Alluded to there being a macguffin

What does "macguffin" mean? Sorry, me internationale...

I just found out what macguffin meant!
This could mean anything!

Does it refer to an over-arching storyline? I guess that fits with the 65 episode commitment. I wonder how many "plot coupons"(macguffins) will need to be "traded in for a dénouement" over 65 episodes!?

Lets see how many are on offer now...

• AllSpark, check ✔
• Matrix of Leadership, check ✔
• Energon, check ✔
• Electrum, check ✔
• Cybertonium, check ✔
• Key to Vector Sigma, check ✔
• Vector Sigma, check ✔
• Plasma energy chamber, check ✔
• Cosmic rust, check ✔
• Mini-cons, check ✔
• Headmasters, check ✔
• Godmasters, check ✔
• The Golden Disk/s, check ✔
• Transmetals, check ✔
• Spark of combination, check ✔
• The Oracle, check ✔
• Unicron, check ✔
• Gestalts, check ✔
• Quintessons, check ✔

Wow, that was fun! I'm sure there's more...

If it's written in Japan as was RID and AEC, abandon all hope. That crappy loosely translated anime style of story writing would have me hating even Peter Cullen's brilliant and iconic voice work after it was subjected to that treatment!

gigazarak wrote:Does it refer to an over-arching storyline? I guess that fits with the 65 episode commitment. I wonder how many "plot coupons"(macguffins) will need to be "traded in for a dénouement" over 65 episodes!?

Lets see how many are on offer now...

• AllSpark, check ✔
• Matrix of Leadership, check ✔
• Energon, check ✔
• Electrum, check ✔
• Cybertonium, check ✔
• Key to Vector Sigma, check ✔
• Vector Sigma, check ✔
• Plasma energy chamber, check ✔
• Cosmic rust, check ✔
• Mini-cons, check ✔
• Headmasters, check ✔
• Godmasters, check ✔
• The Golden Disk/s, check ✔
• Transmetals, check ✔
• Spark of combination, check ✔
• The Oracle, check ✔
• Unicron, check ✔
• Gestalts, check ✔
• Quintessons, check ✔

Wow, that was fun! I'm sure there's more...

So, there might be 65 episodes, and I've heard also that there may be 4 seasons, this makes it roughly about 16 episodes per season, doesn't ring true, but I'll go with it.

Using my list of plot devices/plot coupons or "Macguffins", I propose a potential use of them in four seasons...

Season 1.

The Autobots search for the Allspark, the Matrix of Leadership is obtained during/at the conclusion of this search..
Decepticons come to earth, in search of Energon. Instead they find the Golden Disks, which are a map to something special on Cybertron. So the battle goes to Cybertron, where the Plasma energy chamber is found, but the Autobots save the day, but it leads to new found knowledge of season 2's macguffin...

Season 2.

Megatron learns of the Key To Vector Sigma after the battle for the Plasma energy from season 1, and the battle for Vector Sigma begins! The oracle is consulted, compromised my Megatron and the Decepticons, but ultimately the Autobots are victorious! Or could this be the Empire Strikes Back season? The Autobots lose! Megatron is triumphant! All Hail Megatron!

Season 3.

The Autobots are broken, earth is a ruin, Cybertron is under the control of Megatron, but there is HOPE, the Autobots learn of a special substance called Electrum, they find it on earth. The Autobots setup bases on Cybertrons moons, all the while the spectre of Unicron looms...
The Autobots learn of combiner technology, but so do the Decepticons... Using that with Electrum, the Autobots re-take Cybertron and the end of this season is a triumphant victory for the Autobots!

Season 4.

The Quintessons are revealed as the next major threat to Transformers, be they Autobot or Decepticon alike, so the warring factions team-up for the first time, to take down the Quintessons, as they set in motion their dark plan to revive Unicron! Maybe throw in the Junkions here too... And Cosmic rust!

Wow, this could make for an excellent fan fic! Maybe some Mosaic storylines!? Feel free...

I'm obsessed with this idea, I've posted a simliar rant/thing on my blog, you can follow me as I adventure down this obsessive rant...

This pretty much sums up how I feel about this panel news.

Burn wrote:Haven't been impressed with "Prime" news so far, and the limited character list makes me even more unimpressed.

Feel free to prove me wrong show creators.

This should not be taken as a comprehensive list of starting characters. This was all that they could commit to release at this time.

Very interested to see what Bulkhead will look like.

eh, thing is, we've had this same group of characters for the last few years.

It just boils down to Hasbro not wanting to create/develop/copyright some new characters. That and their lack of faith in children to accept change because kids are apparently that damn dumb.

Burn wrote:That and their lack of faith in children to accept change because kids are apparently that damn dumb.

Im suppose that could apply to todays gen not ours.

I told you people that this series was movie-verse or an alternate take on it but you all said it wasnt and dogged and bashed me cause I was saying it was going to be a movie-verse series.

I knew most of the info regarding Prime but I didnt know it was going to be 65 episodes I knew that the 1st season was going to be 26 episodes like I previously stated before.

I even said Susan Blu was back as voice-director and would be a possible voice for a character however I didnt know that Arcee would be returning in it but since this is bases on the movies I kinda of expected it.

Now since the series is 65 episodes it will be about 3 seasons long.

On how they will break up these episodes I have a theory on this. The 1st 13 episodes will air between October to December or Jan. Then the rest of the 13 episodes will air that summer in 2011 sometime cause 13+13= 26. unknown how they will break up seasons 2 & 3 or when they will air my guess for Season 2 is Late Fall 2011.

I also stated that this show would be in complete CGI similar to Beast Wars but better and more sophisticated that that was also the tech has improved since Beast Wars aired so expect considerable changes to the looks in CGI.

There will be humans in Prime but only in certain episodes and not as much thank god for this Transformers is about the bots anyways not Humans although humans have a role in the series at times they could easily make a series without them in it and this has been proven before.

I posted info regarding Prime through the news section on Seibertron.com but since I couldnt post my proof they never posted my findings on Prime.

I got everything regarding Prime correct but I didndt know about

Clffjumper
Bulkhead
Arcee and her being just 1 single Bot
Megatron looking G1inish and being a Jet
And Opitmus transformation & look

I did know
Megs
Starscream
Optimus
BB
Ratchet
Gen.Fowler

Was in the show we knew about Ratchet & Gen.Fowler for months but unknown what role Gen.Fowler will play my guess he will be a NEST Commander or a high ranking military commander who 1st meets the Autobots.

I guess you people should be paying closer attention to what I say cause I am now 2 times right 1st on Animated now with Prime.

Instead of dogging & bashing me you should be thankful I take the time to research these things I spent countless hours reseaching this.

I cant provide proof cause my reseach comes from all over the place from various sites such as my research on Animated did.

I been doing research on TF 3 as well figuring out which Bots will be in the teams and more on the plot of the film.

I have some info regarding TF 3 until i get more info on this I will keep it to my self for right now until I am 100% sure on this I dont wanna get hated on for sending false info on the movie.

But I been right so far on Prime and others I wanna keep my track record good.

Well I am back to playing Transformers WFC on my 360 now and Red Dead Redemption next 2 games: Dragon Quest IX and Persona 3 Portable.

I will send more info on Prime if I come across any I am also suprised we didnt get a full trailer for Prime I was sure they would cause Animated debuted at Botcon I was hoping the same on Prime.

I guess we will have the trailer in another month or so I hope it worth the wait.

Elita One wrote:

Burn wrote:That and their lack of faith in children to accept change because kids are apparently that damn dumb.

Im suppose that could apply to todays gen not ours.

All generations don't you think? Kids always have things dumbed down for them, and then adults wonder about "kids these days". You could argue its convenience culture, and short attention spans, but that's garbage, kids always want just as much variety in their LIFE, let alone their entertainment, as they ever have! I know I did! I loved G1 because there was a crazy cavalcade of different stuff happening ALL THE TIME, episode to episode, just think about how many episodes are in G1! My kids devour content like there is no tomorrow, the more the better! I show them G1, and while they look at it quizzically, because it doesn't look as great as newer animation, the variety keeps their little eyeballs glued to the tv, it's a feast for their ripe little minds. And just so you think that they do it to placate their dad, they actively ask for it! (who am I to stop them!? When I enjoy it too! WIN-WIN! )

Never think it's the kids that are "apparently that damn dumb", it's certain adults that treat kids that way.

gigazarak wrote:Thats good, in a way, and contradicts the fact that it's claiming to be GEEWUN, because it's a different take on the origin on the TFs on earth that G1 setup, maybe it's G1 in other ways? and not just a retelling of the G1 series, oh well, we can only hope for that one day, maybe when I'm in my 70's?

Um... it's not claiming to be G1.
They never said that.
They said G1 is their biggest inspiration, but they never said it actually had anything to do with G1...

gigazarak wrote:...and people before didn't? Are they saying that SOME writers don't research their subject matter thoroughly before writing their stories? Or is that they just don't care about what came before? Or is it a case of wanting to do something different? TF:A was the best yet at explaining all of these different viewpoints, what a success! It just needed a more teenager-focussed artwork style!

Again, they never said that. You're just reading too much into what they said.
I think they're just trying to reassure the fans that this is being made by people who get the franchise, just like mainframe ad the TF:A guys etc.

gigazarak wrote:It's a "goal" not a commitment, if the show bombs, I'm sure they'll "review" this number... But still, thats a LOT of episodes

About 3 seasons. 4 if they go for the shorter length seasons that seem to be popular right now.
About the same as animated and the Beast Era.

gigazarak wrote:Well that's a given! Who cares about those international viewers!? Besides, there's only ONE way people from outside of the U.S. of A get their TV. Yeah, I think you know what I mean.

Um, they probably care a great deal since this is where a lot their revenue will come from.
They probably just haven't finalised it legally yet, and as such cannot comment.

gigazarak wrote:The whole stylisied movie deisgns thing could work pretty well, it could also suck pretty hard, previous attempts at CGI TF tv shows have been painful, I remember the way Roadbuster/Iron hides feet DIDN'T move as he walked!(in Superlink/Cybertron) But I guess thats just the nature of a brickformer model being casually stuffed into a 3D program and moved around with a limited bones system!

On the other hand... Beast Wars