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 Beast Wars CharactersI don't know if I will ever have a list of the "Top 5 Transformers TV Shows" because there isn't that much competition and to me the only real discussion point would be why Beast Wars is better than the G1 Sunbow show. That's because if I were to write that list (which I don't plan to at the moment) Beast Wars would trump G1, for sure. So I will cut to the discussion right away and tell you why: the characters. Beast Wars has the best Transformers characters we will ever see on TV and I want to give a breakdown of the ones I like best, so here it goes!
5. DepthCharge/RampageI for the two rivals duking it out until their death. I also love the Batman/Joker rivalry and this it is the most prominent and legendary rivalry in all of fiction (anyone dare go against that?) and the Deptcharge/Rampage rivalry seems to take direct inspiration of that. The temperaments of the characters involved in both rivalries is very similar too with an obsessed lone wolf badass hunting down an agent of chaos. It's a fun dynamic and very fun archetypes and I am glad that they were part of Beast Wars.
4. RhinoxPart of me wanted to put Rhinox at number 1 just to make a statement. He is by far the best maximal character with all the best attributes you can think of. He is the smartest on the team, while also having brute strength and insane firepower. He has all that it takes to be second in command, which he technically is, and yet we don't think of him that was due to his humility and much gentler side (which is an amazing contrast to his arsenal and size). He is the ultimate support to the team and from beginning to end (especially end). I don't know how much is just coincidence or good planned out writing, but Rhinox also ends up being the only character in the entire show to retain his organic beast mode until the end. It shows how that character was quick to accept this new organic life (a lot like Tigertron) and kept exploring it and welcoming all that it had to bring.
3. BlackarachniaAs mentioned in the
best female characters of all time in the Transformers franchise, she is one of the characters with the most depth in any Transformers fiction. The reason why she is still only third place on this list is because she lacks a certain gravitas that number 1 and 2 have. But please remember that Beast Wars has the best written characters we will ever be given on a screen so being top 3 is just as good as being number 1.
2. MegatronIt is impossible to express the joy of watching this villain on the screen. He reminds me of Hans Gruber and other villains which just reek of charisma. He knows he is bad and is loving every second of it and that is so infectious to the viewer. I love his assurance too, its very seductive, just ask Ravage. We almost want to see him succeed in his plans and that is the marking of a perfect villain.
1. Dinobot Unlike almost every other Transformers character, Dinobot doesn't seem to have a predetermined personality based on his allegiance. That is also what makes Beast Wars such a smart show. We see around the end of the second season that the Predacons are not a simple analogue to the Decepticons. They are another clan with different values and ideals. While Megatron has ambitions similar to the previous bearer of that name, it only makes sense that his lietenants share similar aspirations. However, Dinobot shows us that evil is not a hardcoded trait in this world anymore. I love how he never chooses to be a maximal but simply
Dinobot, to me, is not just the best Beast Wars character, he is the very best character to come out of Transformers.
Honourable mentions: All of them, with the exception of maybe Scorponok and Tigerhawk who didn't really do much for me as a kid and even less so now.