The Energon Pub

Looking through the Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers page on the TFWiki, I've been wondering what other misconceptions we as fans have made or heard of over the years.

I myself have made few, such as when, as a child, I used to think that Cybertron was a character.

Back when Beast Wars was airing in the 90s, as I'd watch it, I'd often here the characters talking of something called "Cybertron". Since I did not know that it was their home planet, and since there were characters running around with names like "Megatron", "Tigatron", etc., I simply assumed that this "Cybertron" was also a character.

Though, the way they spoke of having to get "back to" Cybertron being of great importance, I assumed that that meant this Cybertron fellow was also someone important. Like an authority figure of some kind. But since both the Maximals and Predacons spoke of the urgency of reach Cybertron first, I figured that maybe this Cybertron was some kind of neutrally-aligned figure who would take the side of whichever team got to him and gained his favor first. Like, if the Maximals would reach him, they'd gain his favor and he'd help them destroy the Predacons. Or if the Preds got to him, they'd gain his favor and he'd help them beat the Maximals.

Now you may be asking me, "What about all the flashbacks and other scenes to Cybertron showing it to be their home planet?" Well, I simply took those scenes as showing their home, yes, but I did not make the connection of that place being called "Cybertron". I simply saw it more as just the place where the guy called Cybertron resided. Like his sanctuary or something.

So when Beast Wars ended and Beast Machines began, you can imagine my surprise when I saw that this "Cybertron" that they had been talking about all this time wasn't a person but a place. When the characters all left Earth in the Beast Wars finale, and then Beast Machines was announced, I was like, "Oh, cool! Now we might finally get to see who this Cybertron guy is!" BOY, was I wrong.

Though, thinking back on this, I guess it wasn't TOO off the mark for me to have thought that, considering the whole aspect of Primus = Cybertron (and the TF: Cybertron cartoon making the planet be a character). Back then, I didn't know about Primus, so I guess what I thought back then about Cybertron could retroactively be considered a primitive concept of Primus that was completely unintentional and coincidental.


So, what about you? What misconceptions and false assumptions have you made or heard about the Transformers?

I always thought that the UK G1 comics were canon (with the exception of Earthforce) but with the advent of Regeneration One that has ceased to be the case So all of my favourite stories (target: 2006, Timewars etc) didn't happen

I also thought that the deluxe insecticons were readily available in the UK so happily swapped Barrage for Pointblank

A funnier story was that I got Ironhide way before I had seen the cartoon or comic, and assumed he was disabled, and that his platform was a wheelchair

Banjo-Tron wrote:I always thought that the UK G1 comics were canon (with the exception of Earthforce) but with the advent of Regeneration One that has ceased to be the case So all of my favourite stories (target: 2006, Timewars etc) didn't happen

Sure they did. The UK stories are canon, just in their own timeline.

The Marvel comic stories reside in multiple timelines:

• Marvel U.S. G1 --> Marvel U.S. G2
• Marvel UK G1 (including the modified reprints of the U.S. issues, but excluding Earthforce) --> Another Time & Place
• Marvel UK G1 (same as above) --> Fleetway G2
• Marvel UK G1 (up to "Perchance to Dream") --> Earthforce --> The Magnificent Seven!
• Whatever Marvel UK G1 annuals don't fit into the above timelines (these might be multiple micro-continuities all on their own)
• UK Generation 2 Annual
• Marvel U.S. G1 --> Fun Pub Classics comics --> Invasion (Classicverse is destroyed, Classics Earth gets pulled into Shatteredverse) --> Fun Pub Classics/SG world comics
• Marvel U.S. G1 --> Regeneration One

Different timelines, all canon. Not to one another, but to each of their own timelines.

Banjo-Tron wrote:A funnier story was that I got Ironhide way before I had seen the cartoon or comic, and assumed he was disabled, and that his platform was a wheelchair

Back when FP City Commander came out, I thought it was an official toy. I was so excited for when we'de get him in the stores, so my classics Ultra Magnus would be awesome. Sadly not so.

"Cyberverse Commanders = Scouts"
That one really bugs the crap out of me.

When I first heard of Transformers, I thought Optimus Prime was Octopus Prime, Landmine was Lambmind, and Decepticons were Ceptecons.

PrymeStriker wrote:When I first heard of Transformers, I thought Optimus Prime was Octopus Prime, Landmine was Lambmind, and Decepticons were Ceptecons.

I think I once thought "Optimus" was "Octomus".

The kids at school would swear black and blue that the Dinobots could combine, even after you'd show them the checklist and point out that there was no combined mode. They'd still insist "it's a secret mode" "it's not on there".

Since the animated movie I thought Blurr moved at light speed, but he only merely moved at supersonic speeds.
I also thought that Elita-1 was Lena-1 for decades.

Here's an embarrassing one for me... I once thought that Countdown's Rocket Base was not a real Transformers product given its size.

Plus, when my mother pointed out the RiD toys in a toy catalog in 2001, I dismissed them as being "modern wanna-bes", not true Transformers. Although, that may have been the Geewunner in me talking back then.

*Edit
When I saw first trailers and pictures of it, I thought that War For Cybertron was a part of G1 storyline, bringing them back. It was a surprise to find out it was actually a part of new TF series.

Also, since I saw Energon series before Armada, then seeing the opening of Unicron Battles part of Armada cartoon, I thought the characters from Energon EVOLVED into Armada forms.
I blame that one on language-barrier. Since I couldn't understand it at all.

I didn't know that Armada, Energon and Cybertron were a trilogy until recently.....

Red 50 wrote:*Edit
When I saw first trailers and pictures of it, I thought that War For Cybertron was a part of G1 storyline, bringing them back. It was a surprise to find out it was actually a part of new TF series.

don't feel so bad about that one, I think High Moon Studios were under the same impression until someone at Hasbro sent them a memo telling them otherwise.

Red 50 wrote:I blame that one on language-barrier. Since I couldn't understand it at all.

I totally hear you. As great as the latinamerican dub for Beast Wars was, they simply didn´t understand some in-universe stuff, so the words that came out sometimes didn´t make sense and made the viewers miss out important information.

I didn´t know back then that Rampage´s spark was created in an experiment to recreate Starscream´s, what happened was that the dubbing guys translated the words star and scream separately and not as a name, so the line from Primal didn´t make sense at all.

Edit*
Back when I had not yet seen the 2007 movie, but only clips and cuts from it, I was left with an impression that Megatron could basically transform into anything that other decepticons did.
For example: when he turned into jet and flew at Optimus to crash through the building I thought it was supposed to be Starscream's jet-mode.
And when in the building with statues, when he was crashing through the floor to get Sam, I thought he was using a rotor like Blackout.

Then, being a young fool that I was (still am) I actually believed one fan-made casting video for the second movie to be true. It featured more characters than DOTM had decepticons. And get this: Megatron was cast as a convertible Cadillac.

I remembered a good one. I watched Transformers G1 for the first time when I was 2 years old (1990), or maybe even before, well, the thing is that I didn´t watch it again until I was 14. For most of that time I believed some stuff that never happened, I guess I dreamed it ´cause they were very vivid memories.

According to me Astrotrain was huge, gigantic, he actually was the Decepticon base or ship, he would only transform in a few episodes and, get this, Megatron didn´t shrink down in gun mode, be stayed big, and Astrotrain was the only one who could use him as a gun.

IHide wrote:I didn't know that Armada, Energon and Cybertron were a trilogy until recently.....

Ditto.

I got into Transformers during the Beast Wars series but forgot and came back during Armada. I had my own Deluxe Hot Shot for a long time, and when the 2007 movie rolled into theaters, I thought Bumblebee was suppose to be Hot Shot and they changed his name.

Long before I actively joined the online fandom, there was a time where I was of the impression that the various Transformers cartoons and movies held the highest regard of canon truth for Transformers fiction, with comics, books, video games, etc. being lesser mediums whose stories were just something for non-serious fun instead of being anything that important, making them either not matter at all or be overridden by what the cartoons/movies stated if they did not match up with the cartoon/movie versions.

This mostly came from having relatively easy access and more exposure to the cartoons/movies than any other mediums at the time.

Sabrblade wrote:Long before I actively joined the online fandom, there was a time where I was of the impression that the various Transformers cartoons and movies held the highest regard of canon truth for Transformers fiction, with comics, books, video games, etc. being lesser mediums whose stories were just something for non-serious fun instead of being anything that important, making them either not matter at all or be overridden by what the cartoons/movies stated if they did not match up with the cartoon/movie versions.

This mostly came from having relatively easy access and more exposure to the cartoons/movies than any other mediums at the time.

And now you've learned that the cartoons are just as unimportant in real life as comics, games and books?

Sabrblade wrote:Long before I actively joined the online fandom, there was a time where I was of the impression that the various Transformers cartoons and movies held the highest regard of canon truth for Transformers fiction, with comics, books, video games, etc. being lesser mediums whose stories were just something for non-serious fun instead of being anything that important, making them either not matter at all or be overridden by what the cartoons/movies stated if they did not match up with the cartoon/movie versions.

This mostly came from having relatively easy access and more exposure to the cartoons/movies than any other mediums at the time.

As have I. With comics I am limited, but I find myself reading novels and playing games a lot more now alongside buying the toys and watching what's on the screen, sometimes just to know what links where in-continuity. Before the 2007 movie game (one of the best Transformers console games IMO to this day), I ignored all other mediums and exposed myself to those parts of the franchise that was of easier access.

RhA wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Long before I actively joined the online fandom, there was a time where I was of the impression that the various Transformers cartoons and movies held the highest regard of canon truth for Transformers fiction, with comics, books, video games, etc. being lesser mediums whose stories were just something for non-serious fun instead of being anything that important, making them either not matter at all or be overridden by what the cartoons/movies stated if they did not match up with the cartoon/movie versions.

This mostly came from having relatively easy access and more exposure to the cartoons/movies than any other mediums at the time.

And now you've learned that the cartoons are just as unimportant in real life as comics, games and books?

You're talking to Sabrblade. Cartoons, comics, games and books are his life.

(That's a compliment, by the way, I'm not accusing you of not having a "real life"!)

Here's a big one. The way I first discovered the Generation 1 era of Transformers is chock full of misconceptions.

Since I was born in the 90's, it was Beast Wars that got me introduced to the TF franchise before any other. At the time, I had a friend who had told me that there used to be another show called just "Transformers" (as opposed to "Beast Wars: Transformers", which was what I only knew of at the time), and that that show had the characters called "Autobots" and "Decepticons", who turned into vehicles (cars and trucks for the good guys, and jets and tanks for the bad guys) instead of animals, and were the giant ancestors of the Maximals and Predacons (who were more human-sized). And that the Autobots' leader was called "Optimus Prime" instead of "Optimus Primal", and that he turned into a truck, large enough for a person sit inside. This info intrigued me, but I didn't look into it any further since Beast Wars was what really appealed to me at the time.

Some short time after this, the Machine Wars toyline started showing up at KB Toys and, because these toys matched everything that had been told to me before (with the exception of the toys being called "Machine Wars: Transformers" instead of just "Transformers"), I assumed that these were rereleases of the older characters that were the ancestors of Beast Wars cast, and that my friend got his info wrong on the series being called just "Transformers" instead of "Machine Wars: Transformers". And since I still had no knowledge of the real G1 at the time, I just assumed that Machine Wars was G1.

Though, I gradually began to notice that some things did not add up. Like, when the episode where Starscream possessed Waspinator reaired, I noticed how Starscream in that episode's flashbacks looked significantly different from the Machine Wars Starscream toy. And then much later, when "The Agenda" three-parter aired, I noticed how Ravage was described as being a former Decepticon and yet had no Machine Wars toy. And in the third part of that three-part episode, I saw how G1 Optimus Prime barely resembled his Machine Wars toy counterpart as well (at that time, I also thought the idea of mouthplates was silly, since none of the BW cast had them--I assumed Optimus Primal's was just a "mouth cover" that he wore only when necessary; and the Machine Wars Prime toy didn't have a mouthplate either). And finally, during the season 3 episode "Master Blaster", I saw how the original Megatron in that episode didn't look that much like his Machine Wars toy either.

So, what did I tell myself to make sense of all these discrepancies? I simply brushed them off as cartoon mistakes and took the Machine Wars versions as being the "correct" versions (and assumed that Ravage had been a non-toy character, or that his toy was not included in the Machine Wars "rereleases"). Silly naive me.

Finally, circa 2001, Beast Machines was coming to a close and the first commercials for a new cartoon called "Transformers: Robots in Disguise" began to air. Such a name and look resurfaced memories of old. Memories of what I had been told before of a series just called "Transformers". I saw that, to me, the Optimus Prime in this show looked close enough to the one seen in the Ark during Beast Wars, but I still figured that that Megatron lying in the Ark was an animation error. Having momentarily forgotten about the short-lived Machine Wars toyline at the time, and after seeing these commercials and episode 1 of RiD, I assumed once again that this was G1, and that the whole "Decepticon" thing had been some kind of mistake (since the main bad guys here were still Predacons). Yes, I had then also momentarily forgotten about Ravage and the stasis locked Decepticons on the Ark in BW. But then when they introduced the Decepticons for real in RiD, I retreated my previous assumption and just figured that the Decepticons would later become the dominant faction later on, with the Preds disappearing and new Preds showing up again later as the Decepticons' descendants.

By 2002, however, my belief of RiD having been G1 was ultimately killed primarily by two factors:

1. Hasbro.com began promoting a new series called "Transformers: Armada", and I was like "Huh? What is this? I thought they already had a show like this. Why are they making another series with Autobots and Decepticons? Is this a sequel or something?"
2. I stumbled upon VHS tapes of a show called "The Original Transformers" at a local video store. I later picked up a few, watched'em, read the back cover descriptions of how these were episode from a 1980s cartoon, and gradually came to understand that this was the original series after all, and that both Machine Wars and RiD were just their own things.

Once I came to understand how the concept of reboots worked, I was able to warm up better to the idea of another Autobot/Decepticon cartoon than my initial reactions had been. Though, this was still long before the Armada cartoon came out. After having watched a fair number of G1 video tapes, I began to notice some fanwank references added in to the RiD cartoon, like how RiD Optimus and RiD Ultra Magnus were built by "Alpha Trion", and how RiD Optimus had been given "the Matrix" by "Vector Sigma".

Since then, I went on to collect the Kid Rhino DVD sets of G1 around 2003-2004 and watched them all from start to finish. And having watched the G1 movie during this DVD watch, I finally understood who Unicron was and what his appearances in Beast Wars were about. That fake flashback with him killing Starscream and his giant golden head being projected by the Vok finally made sense to me.

So, yeah, if it hadn't been for Armada and Kid Rhino, I probably would have been in the dark about the true nature of G1 for a lot longer than I had been. ^_^'

Sinnertwin wrote:The kids at school would swear black and blue that the Dinobots could combine, even after you'd show them the checklist and point out that there was no combined mode. They'd still insist "it's a secret mode" "it's not on there".

My uncle is this way. He watched the show when he was a kid in the 80's, and even gave me the original Galvatron, Starscream, and Skyfire toys. To this day, I cannot convine him that the Dinobots do not combine.

I have a knockoff Beast Wars Quickstrike, I never cared to buy the original since the figure is very simple and the knockoff isn´t that bad.
Ever since I got him, I thought Quickstrike was a deluxe size figure. I just found out that the original toy is a basic, it turns out that my figure is slightly oversized.

I would sometimes see a new TF in stores (back before I had money to buy them and had to mostly rely on birthdays, Christmas, and other such gifts to get them) and misread the names then report back to school the next day on the new TF I saw. Then a few weeks later we'd see a commercial or the new catalog poster and figure out the guy's real name.

Omega Supreme to Optimum Supreme was one such instance, how did you think I came up with my user name? heheh

Another was calling Metroplex Metropolix, like Metropolis with an X.

Oh and there was also Devastator, though I somehow misheard his name the first time I saw him on the cartoon, not on a toy package. For a few weeks I had all my friends talking about Demolisher. Hey, at least I didn't call him Brawl.