The Energon Pub

at botcon at the prime panel hasbro was all our inspiration is g1 it is to be like g1. with the designs i have seen its movie the cartoon which makes me disapointed for all the hype i hear about it. maybe its gonna be good but its also gonna have anoying humans that the autobots are going to be like lets take you people to battles with giant evil robots and wonder why we always have to rescue you. we were sopposed to fet g1 reborn but we are getting movie because kids would be confused if bumblebee had horns on his head bet he wont be able to talk either.

It won't be as human-heavy as you think dude. Hasbro isn't stupid. They've done this enough times to know a succsesful formula.

The hell do you mean kids would be confused? Bumblebee had horns and was able to talk oin Animated.

SlyTF1 wrote:The hell do you mean kids would be confused? Bumblebee had horns and was able to talk oin Animated.

i was speaking from hasbros position kind of mocking how he has to look movie like along with everyone else

Honestly, I'd love for them to do a straight G1 cartoon remake. Not because I'd necessarily enjoy it, but it would forever silence all the fans ranting and raving with their G1 purity nonsense. Now, don't get me wrong - G1 is freaking classic. It launched the whole franchise, obviously. But you have to look at it without the nostalgia and realize that the first two seasons largely consisted of episodes with self-contained plots, corny dialogue, and no continuing storyline. Characters show up out of absolutely nowhere to fill the ranks on either side, and every Transformer can fly like Superman if he needs to (whether they're flight-capable or not). There are also continuity errors galore, with the conflicting Constructicon origins, the army of unexplained Seeker clones that vanishes overnight, and accidental color palette swaps all over the place. The kind of story pacing that worked for 80s cartoons wouldn't fly for today's audiences.

As much as people hate Armada with a passion (and as much as I'm sure I'll get flamed for this), it was the closest thing we ever got to a modern G1 remake - and look how that turned out. Think about it - it mirrored G1 in almost every way, from the huge bulk of the early episodes consisting of self-contained plots that were resolved in one episode, to the human companions reflecting the youth culture of the time period (anime, extreme sports, etc.), to the corny dialogue and groan-inducing one-liners, to the seriousness and involvement of Unicron toward the series' end - the series was almost a direct parallel in structure to pre-Season 3 G1. And even beyond that, if you look at the hated Energon sequel, it actually strongly parallels G1's Season 3 - from its sci-fi/space opera setting & tone (G1 Season 3 & Energon are the only 2 series set almost entirely in outer space), to its overarching plotline continuing from episode to episode, to being generally misunderstood & overlooked by fans. So basically what I'm saying is, G1 the cartoon is dead. Let it lie. You can reuse its character designs in a newer show, but its writing would have to resemble something like Animated in order for anyone but the hardest of hardcore fans to consider watching it.

As for your post, it really depends on what aspects of G1 they're referencing. It's obviously not design, so I'm assuming it's plot elements. I suspect that the G1 hype is just to appease fans, much like many metal artists always insist that their latest album will sound like their debut material, even if they know it won't. But if they're thinking of using story elements unique to G1, such as the Quintessons, Vector Sigma, or the heavy use of gestalts, then it might get really interesting. I'd especially like to see a ton of gestalts, because that's really what made G1 iconic for me. No other series has implemented gestalts in the same way, as powerhouse soldiers with regular star appearances and a slow reveal of each combiner's individual components as actual characters (typically spotlighting one each episode) - I mean sure, RiD had Landfill and Ruination, one for each side, and Energon had Constructicon Maximus, Bruticus Maximus, and Superion Maximus. But since then, what has there been? The only taste of gestalt we've gotten has been through ROTF, and most everyone agrees that wasn't enough (or executed properly, either). If they really want to bring out the core appeal of G1 without resorting to copying an outdated 80s cartoon structure, they need to make the armies on both sides massive, with tons of minor characters and lots of unique abilities. But this is a CGI show, and that would be pretty unrealistic. Plus, they've already shown us the core roster, and it's pretty small.

So yeah, I'm still excited about Prime as a show, but it irks me to no end that they're advertising it as the next G1, because that's what fans want, not what they need. They either need to get more specific with the G1 comparison, or drop it entirely. In my honest opinion, I bet you anything it'll come out as a hybrid child of Cybertron & Animated. Does it look like anything other than that? Judging from the character roster thus far, does it sound like anything completely different from what these two shows have offered? Not really.

i liked armada but no with energon

UM Prime wrote:at botcon at the prime panel hasbro was all our inspiration is g1 it is to be like g1. with the designs i have seen its movie the cartoon which makes me disapointed for all the hype i hear about it. maybe its gonna be good but its also gonna have anoying humans that the autobots are going to be like lets take you people to battles with giant evil robots and wonder why we always have to rescue you. we were sopposed to fet g1 reborn but we are getting movie because kids would be confused if bumblebee had horns on his head bet he wont be able to talk either.

Calm yourself. When they said that it's gonna be like the next G1, they meant that in a sense of time. Hasbro's plan for TF:Prime is for it to become a new master continuity that is, if things go good for it, supposed to last for about seven years (like how G1 lasted for seven years, 1984-1990, in the U.S.). That's what they meant.

As for the designs, they're more like a blend betwee nthe design aesthetics of the live action movies and Animated, with some new designs thrown into the mix. And Bumblebee does NOT have horns in this series.

As far as the humans go, there's only three of them, and as we've seen with Sari, Hasbro has learned from what works and what doesn't when it comes to the Autobots' human sidekicks. Out of the three that we'vee seen, only Rafael "Raf" Esquivel has me concerned. Jack Darby and Miko Tezuko both look decent enough.

Senator Ratbat wrote:Honestly, I'd love for them to do a straight G1 cartoon remake. Not because I'd necessarily enjoy it, but it would forever silence all the fans ranting and raving with their G1 purity nonsense. Now, don't get me wrong - G1 is freaking classic. It launched the whole franchise, obviously. But you have to look at it without the nostalgia and realize that the first two seasons largely consisted of episodes with self-contained plots, corny dialogue, and no continuing storyline. Characters show up out of absolutely nowhere to fill the ranks on either side, and every Transformer can fly like Superman if he needs to (whether they're flight-capable or not). There are also continuity errors galore, with the conflicting Constructicon origins, the army of unexplained Seeker clones that vanishes overnight, and accidental color palette swaps all over the place. The kind of story pacing that worked for 80s cartoons wouldn't fly for today's audiences.

AMEN! Fact to the tenth power! While G1 may have been the first and longest-lasting series, it ain't nowhere near perfect. It is lightyears away from being a true, flawless, masterpiece.

Senator Ratbat wrote:As much as people hate Armada with a passion (and as much as I'm sure I'll get flamed for this), it was the closest thing we ever got to a modern G1 remake - and look how that turned out.

Sad, but true. what really turned people off was it's "Gotta Catch'em All" Pokeformers theme with the Mini-Cons.

Senator Ratbat wrote:And even beyond that, if you look at the hated Energon sequel, it actually strongly parallels G1's Season 3

Except that Energon had even poorer quality than G1 season 3.

Senator Ratbat wrote:I mean sure, RiD had Landfill and Ruination, one for each side,

And Rail Racer for the Autobots too.

Senator Ratbat wrote:So yeah, I'm still excited about Prime as a show, but it irks me to no end that they're advertising it as the next G1, because that's what fans want, not what they need. They either need to get more specific with the G1 comparison, or drop it entirely. In my honest opinion, I bet you anything it'll come out as a hybrid child of Cybertron & Animated. Does it look like anything other than that? Judging from the character roster thus far, does it sound like anything completely different from what these two shows have offered? Not really.

As I stated above, the G1 comparison lies in the longevity of the series.

Senator Ratbat wrote:Honestly, I'd love for them to do a straight G1 cartoon remake. Not because I'd necessarily enjoy it, but it would forever silence all the fans ranting and raving with their G1 purity nonsense. Now, don't get me wrong - G1 is freaking classic. It launched the whole franchise, obviously. But you have to look at it without the nostalgia and realize that the first two seasons largely consisted of episodes with self-contained plots, corny dialogue, and no continuing storyline. Characters show up out of absolutely nowhere to fill the ranks on either side, and every Transformer can fly like Superman if he needs to (whether they're flight-capable or not). There are also continuity errors galore, with the conflicting Constructicon origins, the army of unexplained Seeker clones that vanishes overnight, and accidental color palette swaps all over the place. The kind of story pacing that worked for 80s cartoons wouldn't fly for today's audiences.

As much as people hate Armada with a passion (and as much as I'm sure I'll get flamed for this), it was the closest thing we ever got to a modern G1 remake - and look how that turned out. Think about it - it mirrored G1 in almost every way, from the huge bulk of the early episodes consisting of self-contained plots that were resolved in one episode, to the human companions reflecting the youth culture of the time period (anime, extreme sports, etc.), to the corny dialogue and groan-inducing one-liners, to the seriousness and involvement of Unicron toward the series' end - the series was almost a direct parallel in structure to pre-Season 3 G1. And even beyond that, if you look at the hated Energon sequel, it actually strongly parallels G1's Season 3 - from its sci-fi/space opera setting & tone (G1 Season 3 & Energon are the only 2 series set almost entirely in outer space), to its overarching plotline continuing from episode to episode, to being generally misunderstood & overlooked by fans. So basically what I'm saying is, G1 the cartoon is dead. Let it lie. You can reuse its character designs in a newer show, but its writing would have to resemble something like Animated in order for anyone but the hardest of hardcore fans to consider watching it.

As for your post, it really depends on what aspects of G1 they're referencing. It's obviously not design, so I'm assuming it's plot elements. I suspect that the G1 hype is just to appease fans, much like many metal artists always insist that their latest album will sound like their debut material, even if they know it won't. But if they're thinking of using story elements unique to G1, such as the Quintessons, Vector Sigma, or the heavy use of gestalts, then it might get really interesting. I'd especially like to see a ton of gestalts, because that's really what made G1 iconic for me. No other series has implemented gestalts in the same way, as powerhouse soldiers with regular star appearances and a slow reveal of each combiner's individual components as actual characters (typically spotlighting one each episode) - I mean sure, RiD had Landfill and Ruination, one for each side, and Energon had Constructicon Maximus, Bruticus Maximus, and Superion Maximus. But since then, what has there been? The only taste of gestalt we've gotten has been through ROTF, and most everyone agrees that wasn't enough (or executed properly, either). If they really want to bring out the core appeal of G1 without resorting to copying an outdated 80s cartoon structure, they need to make the armies on both sides massive, with tons of minor characters and lots of unique abilities. But this is a CGI show, and that would be pretty unrealistic. Plus, they've already shown us the core roster, and it's pretty small.

So yeah, I'm still excited about Prime as a show, but it irks me to no end that they're advertising it as the next G1, because that's what fans want, not what they need. They either need to get more specific with the G1 comparison, or drop it entirely. In my honest opinion, I bet you anything it'll come out as a hybrid child of Cybertron & Animated. Does it look like anything other than that? Judging from the character roster thus far, does it sound like anything completely different from what these two shows have offered? Not really.

Why your post is the best I have read about this show in a long time.

I agree with Armada being a better show then Energon. Alas Armada was the last of true animated shows, and it shows how much Cartoon Network really cared about it's audience by giving it's viewers a rushed product. I still liked the show, but Micron Legend is far superior cause they got the correct (better) animation and the dialogue to boot.

G1 is over. It's nostalgia but only a few episodes stand out as epic like the two and three part-er episoes that had decent animation. Kids in the 80's were cartoon driven. We had cartoons coming on mrning noon, and Saturday on all 3 stations until 12PM. Todays kids have access to way more things than the 80's kids did. If we had internet and could watch anything we want at anytime some cartoons may have never reached their iconic status as they have done now.

Every time I watch G1 I get goosebumps from my childhood, but the mistakes and discontinuity make it very hard to stomach. I loved the show, but I wanted the toys more. I agree, the Autobots could fly in the first episode, but by halfway to the second and third they could not. That was something even I though was odd. How many Soundwaves are on the ship? Armies of pastel-colored seekers that disappeared. Yeah it was bad. I don't think I want to see that again. I think what everyone wants is the Beast wars story, but with the G1-like robots. I didn't like Beast Wars until they went Transmetal. Then I watched repeats from the beginning and I thought man I missed out. the G1 nods gave it a nice touch too. The story was epic. Ongoing...had me until Beast Machines which I liked but left a sour taste in my mouth.

Animated wasn't bad It flowed in some parts, then it had those self-contained episodes. personally, I would have loved to see more of the characters and story from the first 5 minutes of episode 1 from season 3. Watching season 3 it was there best for the show.

This time I hope it works. I'm not looking for "Fringe" type quality, but a show I could get into, and maybe buy toys for.

UM Prime wrote:i liked armada but no with energon

Who doesn't hate energon? I loved Armada though! It was the one that introduced me to the wonderful world of Transformers. So many memories!

I see what the piont is. Honestly TFP better outdo it's ancestors by atleast a micro-mile. But I do want to make something known. If it wasn't for the U.T., crappy-ass Animated would have come out before the 2007 movie. That right there would suck hydraulics fluids because I grew up transforming classic U.T. characters like Sky Blast, Payload, Astroscope, Dirt Boss, Crumplezone and Primus. The one that challeged me the most was Supreme class Starscream. I honestly threw my Cybertron Jolt at the tv when I saw Retreat where Starscream got the slag kicked out of him. But had I not seen the G1 movie when I was eight, half the stuff I know now would make no sense to me.