Slashercon wrote:I think it would be a cool idea if we saw another team of autobots and decepticons fighting elsewhere in space without the appearances of Optimus and Megatron. (Apparently, its too much to simply ask for them not to be mentioned.)
That would be something I'd watch. Some deep space exploration maybe. The protectobots on a mission and they encounter Seacons or a group of Seekers.
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Sabrblade wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:The Rebirth was made to properly end it after the funds for a cartoon were cut,
And yet, in spite of that, Sunbow went and made "season 5" with new Tommy/PM Optimus material.

Of which the live-action segments only took a single week to record. The rest was just a precursor to Generation 2.

Holy feta! There is a season 5, you guys were right. Never knew. And they got Cullen to do the part. Cool
RhA wrote:Sabrblade wrote:RhA wrote:Japanese Headmasters, Masterforce, Victory and Zone.
-edit- and a large part of season 3.
It was Hasbro-related cartoons that were specifically asked about. The Japanese ones don't count.
But season 3 does, as it had Rodimus Prime and Galvatron instead (minus three episodes where Optimus did appear).

What about these cartoons isn't Hasbro related? It's TF cartoons, all in the same continuity. If you're going to ask questions like that, you might as well ask a question like 'what TF-cartoon didn't have Bumblebee, not counting AEC, BW, BM and RiD?'*
*not a complete list, just an example.
Same should go for Bee, Starscream, and now maybe Ironhide and Soundwave. But as a constant looks like it's only Prime and Megs are the ones that appeared.
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:And in the movie leading into Season 3, Optimus Prime was gracefully killed off "permanently", leaving millions of kids traumatized. That was in 1986, and times will not change for the better.

And to be a bit pedantic (not to mention tease Sabrblade a bit), RiD Megatron was never meant to be based on the iconic character we know and love. Instead, in Car Robot he was a run-of-the-mill bad guy with a bad case MCSPS (Multi-Change Split Personality Disorder): each of his modes had a different personality and voice, which only got worse when he upgraded to a 10-changer.

I guess that's why they couldn't let him die in Revenge of the Fallen or TFP. Makes it sound like Optimus Prime as we know him
is the entire brand. It's his world, and everybody is just living in it.
In the eyes of Hasbro, without Optimus, it's just robots that don't sell too well.
Each mode had a different voice? lol, I really gotta watch that show sometime. Come on Netflix bring RID.
Sabrblade wrote:RhA wrote:Japanese Headmasters, Masterforce, Victory and Zone.
-edit- and a large part of season 3.
It was Hasbro-related cartoons that were specifically asked about. The Japanese ones don't count.
But season 3 does, as it had Rodimus Prime and Galvatron instead (minus three episodes where Optimus did appear).

you're right, Season 3 had reduced Prime and entirely lacked Megatron. And from what I was told Season 3 was a gongshow that ended up ruining the show.
Of course many fan fictions have been Primeless for years. I wonder when that step will phase to official. Maybe with what's going on with MTME, the franchise has matured enough to allow that to happen. And as you guys have described, Japanese shows had no Optimus either. A more risky approach. But I'm guessing the Japanese aren't as invested into Optimus as the American market, since his persona is an American symbol. The Japanese analog would be wing saber style?
Come to think of it, is there an Autobot like Optimus? HotRodimus doesn't fit his dedication, he's unsure. When you think of Optimus, you think of a strong leader. Not even Magnus, or Prowl. Many like Megatron, but I think Optimus is alone. How many Autobots have we encountered, too many? Who could be a true replacement for him? Definitely not Bee, especially after he went silent in aligned. My candidates would have to be any of the smaller faction leaders, Silverbolt or Hotspot.