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[NovaSentinel]

Oh, and speaking of Predacons in Prime, it does sort of confuse me that they can link the Prime plot to this plot and sudden;y have like dozens of different kinds of animalistic Decepticon subspecies and yet, in the Prime cartoon, it seemed absolutely baffling to them that any Cybertronian life could have been so animalistic...

Cybertron was a dead world by the time of Prime, so it's couldn't support a whole host of wildlife by that point. The only fauna that we saw to still be alive on the planet were a bunch of Scraplets and at least one Insecticon. Though, Arcee, did mention "vermin", suggesting there could have been other creepy crawlies roaming the planet at the time, but not many.

But after the planet was revived, it was hospitable again and could support life once more, including Cybertronian animals.

And there was Soundwave's avian Minicon Deployer Laserbeak in the show, too.

Surely all of the animal based cons became Decepticons and were captured before the revival of Cybertron. There is no indication in the show that the war is ongoing, so any current/ex Decepticons must have joined the faction prior to the events of Predacons Rising, and so animalistic cybertronians in the RID timeline do predate the rebirth.

I'll put it down to artistic license but it is still a bit of a continuity point.

[Sabrblade]

Oh, and speaking of Predacons in Prime, it does sort of confuse me that they can link the Prime plot to this plot and sudden;y have like dozens of different kinds of animalistic Decepticon subspecies and yet, in the Prime cartoon, it seemed absolutely baffling to them that any Cybertronian life could have been so animalistic...

Cybertron was a dead world by the time of Prime, so it's couldn't support a whole host of wildlife by that point. The only fauna that we saw to still be alive on the planet were a bunch of Scraplets and at least one Insecticon. Though, Arcee, did mention "vermin", suggesting there could have been other creepy crawlies roaming the planet at the time, but not many.

But after the planet was revived, it was hospitable again and could support life once more, including Cybertronian animals.

And there was Soundwave's avian Minicon Deployer Laserbeak in the show, too.

Sure, but then how much farther in the future is this supposed to be set? Or, alternatively, how long have these Decepticons been kept in stasis in prison? etc.

If we take this as a completely new series that only throws odd references to the past at the viewer then it doesn't matter, but if it is a true sequel to Prime and WFC/FOC then it is truly confusing.

Am I asking too much from Children's programming? Possibly.

But there were more animals on Cybertron before it went dark. The Well created a whole bunch during the Age of Evolution. And after the planet was dead, they couldn't survive anymore.

And not all of the Decepticons in this show have been said to be full on animals. Steeljaw's only wolf aspects are his head and tail. The rest of his body is like any ordinary bipedal Cybertronian.

And some of them might not even originally be from Cybertron. Like Hammerstrike, for instance. Though he was on Cybertron at some previous point, his being a Sharkticon means that he (or his ancestry) would have to have originally been from Aquatron, the Sharkticons' homeworld.

[Dead Metal]

Oh, and speaking of Predacons in Prime, it does sort of confuse me that they can link the Prime plot to this plot and sudden;y have like dozens of different kinds of animalistic Decepticon subspecies and yet, in the Prime cartoon, it seemed absolutely baffling to them that any Cybertronian life could have been so animalistic...

Cybertron was a dead world by the time of Prime, so it's couldn't support a whole host of wildlife by that point. The only fauna that we saw to still be alive on the planet were a bunch of Scraplets and at least one Insecticon. Though, Arcee, did mention "vermin", suggesting there could have been other creepy crawlies roaming the planet at the time, but not many.

But after the planet was revived, it was hospitable again and could support life once more, including Cybertronian animals.

And there was Soundwave's avian Minicon Deployer Laserbeak in the show, too.

Sure, but then how much farther in the future is this supposed to be set? Or, alternatively, how long have these Decepticons been kept in stasis in prison? etc.

If we take this as a completely new series that only throws odd references to the past at the viewer then it doesn't matter, but if it is a true sequel to Prime and WFC/FOC then it is truly confusing.

Am I asking too much from Children's programming? Possibly.

But there were more animals on Cybertron before it went dark. The Well created a whole bunch during the Age of Evolution. And after the planet was dead, they couldn't survive anymore.

And not all of the Decepticons in this show have been said to be full on animals. Steeljaw's only wolf aspects are his head and tail. The rest of his body is like any ordinary bipedal Cybertronian.

And some of them might not even originally be from Cybertron. Like Hammerstrike, for instance. Though he was on Cybertron at some previous point, his being a Sharkticon means that he (or his ancestry) would have to have originally been from Aquatron, the Sharkticons' homeworld.

You're putting too much thought into this Sabre, nobody on this show knows or cares about what the Covenant says, just like the author of the Covenant didn't care about what everything else in the universe was doing.
They have ideas for something, and they will execute them pre-established continuity or rules be damned. So no, they likely don't know about Sharkticons originating from Aquatron in Aligned, they just know that the term Sharkticon is something that's old and popular and went with that. Same logic behind Grimlock or anything else in this show, or any other part of this "Continuity".

A shame, because had the show not been sold to us as part of Aligned and the sequel to Prime, I would have enjoyed the humor in this.

[Cobotron]

just know that the term Sharkticon is something that's old and popular and went with that.

Or owned the copy right/trade mark for.

Am I asking too much from Children's programming? Possibly.

Possibly. I think this is a really good point. I understand peoples disappointment and desire to have a consistent continuity. After being a die hard Star Wars (and TFs for that matter) fan for so long I think I have just learned to except inconsistency, fill in the blanks with head canon, and forget the existing things that don't work for me.
But, I think really, what it boils down to is These shows are made to hook new generations of fans. Every 4 or 5 years we get a new show, and every 4 or 5 years there are new generations of 7 to 12 year olds and their respective cash wielding parents.

Would anyone mind outlining what the "Aligned " continuity is, or what stories that encompasses?

[kaijuguy19]

Oh, and speaking of Predacons in Prime, it does sort of confuse me that they can link the Prime plot to this plot and sudden;y have like dozens of different kinds of animalistic Decepticon subspecies and yet, in the Prime cartoon, it seemed absolutely baffling to them that any Cybertronian life could have been so animalistic...

Cybertron was a dead world by the time of Prime, so it's couldn't support a whole host of wildlife by that point. The only fauna that we saw to still be alive on the planet were a bunch of Scraplets and at least one Insecticon. Though, Arcee, did mention "vermin", suggesting there could have been other creepy crawlies roaming the planet at the time, but not many.

But after the planet was revived, it was hospitable again and could support life once more, including Cybertronian animals.

And there was Soundwave's avian Minicon Deployer Laserbeak in the show, too.

Sure, but then how much farther in the future is this supposed to be set? Or, alternatively, how long have these Decepticons been kept in stasis in prison? etc.

If we take this as a completely new series that only throws odd references to the past at the viewer then it doesn't matter, but if it is a true sequel to Prime and WFC/FOC then it is truly confusing.

Am I asking too much from Children's programming? Possibly.

But there were more animals on Cybertron before it went dark. The Well created a whole bunch during the Age of Evolution. And after the planet was dead, they couldn't survive anymore.

And not all of the Decepticons in this show have been said to be full on animals. Steeljaw's only wolf aspects are his head and tail. The rest of his body is like any ordinary bipedal Cybertronian.

And some of them might not even originally be from Cybertron. Like Hammerstrike, for instance. Though he was on Cybertron at some previous point, his being a Sharkticon means that he (or his ancestry) would have to have originally been from Aquatron, the Sharkticons' homeworld.

You're putting too much thought into this Sabre, nobody on this show knows or cares about what the Covenant says, just like the author of the Covenant didn't care about what everything else in the universe was doing.
They have ideas for something, and they will execute them pre-established continuity or rules be damned. So no, they likely don't know about Sharkticons originating from Aquatron in Aligned, they just know that the term Sharkticon is something that's old and popular and went with that. Same logic behind Grimlock or anything else in this show, or any other part of this "Continuity".

A shame, because had the show not been sold to us as part of Aligned and the sequel to Prime, I would have enjoyed the humor in this.

Don't you think you're just jumping to conclusions too quickly? We're only 9 episodes into the series so we still have plenty of time to see how RID15 connects to the algined universe assuming that it won't get canned. Also you can't assume the writers don't know or care about the pre-established continuity without any proof to back it up with. As for the tone of the series why is having it more light hearted such a bad thing? Isn't it better that Hasbro keeps bringing more vareity into their shows? If they all retain the same general tone people will get bored real quick.

[Sabrblade]

I really don't see what the big deal about Cybertron having animals is. It didn't have them before because it couldn't sustain them. But now that it can, it does. What's the problem?

Is it the Predacons? Everyone's reactions to them in Prime? Those reactions were no different than how humans of today would react to seeing dinosaurs walk the Earth again in the present. Predacons were an ancient extinct species no different from the situation of the dinosaurs. To see a Predacon alive and well in the 21st century would be just like seeing a dinosaur alive and well in the 21st century.

[Shadowman]

Would anyone mind outlining what the "Aligned " continuity is, or what stories that encompasses?

Hasbro specifically said it was going to be a new timeline for all TF productions going forward. War for Cybertron was the first of the entries into it, followed by Prime. The problem is that there was no real communication between High Moon Studios and Hasbro Studios, so it was rife with continuity errors. They patched this up in season 2 and Fall of Cybertron, with more apparent links between the two. And now RID dropped a cherry bomb in that toilet and we've moved back behind square one.

[Cobotron]

Would anyone mind outlining what the "Aligned " continuity is, or what stories that encompasses?

Hasbro specifically said it was going to be a new timeline for all TF productions going forward. War for Cybertron was the first of the entries into it, followed by Prime. The problem is that there was no real communication between High Moon Studios and Hasbro Studios, so it was rife with continuity errors. They patched this up in season 2 and Fall of Cybertron, with more apparent links between the two. And now RID dropped a cherry bomb in that toilet and we've moved back behind square one.

I see. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I lost interest in Prime after season 1 and have yet to play those games.

[Sabrblade]

Would anyone mind outlining what the "Aligned " continuity is, or what stories that encompasses?

The War for Cybertron video game, the Exodus novel, the War for Cybertron one-shot comic, the Prime comic, the Prime cartoon, the Exiles novel, the Rescue Bots cartoon, the Fall of Cybertron comics, the Fall of Cybertron video game, the Rage of the Dinobots comics, the Beast Hunters comics, the Covenant of Primus book, the Retribution novel, the Rise of Dark Spark video game, and the 2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon.

[NuclearConvoy]

Would anyone mind outlining what the "Aligned " continuity is, or what stories that encompasses?

The War for Cybertron video game, the Exodus novel, the War for Cybertron one-shot comic, the Prime comic, the Prime cartoon, the Exiles novel, the Rescue Bots cartoon, the Fall of Cybertron comics, the Fall of Cybertron video game, the Rage of the Dinobots comics, the Beast Hunters comics, the Covenant of Primus book, the Retribution novel, the Rise of Dark Spark video game, and the 2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon.

I have only been exposed to the Prime cartoon and the RID15 cartoon. I want to play the games (WFC/FOC) but haven't found them yet.


And, honestly, I don't really care if this series is actually connected to anything else or not. It just seems to me like they want it to be a sequel to Prime (Optimus is dead, Bumblebee talks again etc.) but have sort of made a lot of it incompatible with Prime. Also, the combat in this show seems a bit weird, considering the Prime cartoon and the bay-verse movies have tried desperately to make the TFs all have built in weapon systems and then *poof* everyone has to carry pistols (terribly designed ones at that) or "Decepticon Hunters" etc.

[Cobotron]

Would anyone mind outlining what the "Aligned " continuity is, or what stories that encompasses?

The War for Cybertron video game, the Exodus novel, the War for Cybertron one-shot comic, the Prime comic, the Prime cartoon, the Exiles novel, the Rescue Bots cartoon, the Fall of Cybertron comics, the Fall of Cybertron video game, the Rage of the Dinobots comics, the Beast Hunters comics, the Covenant of Primus book, the Retribution novel, the Rise of Dark Spark video game, and the 2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon.

Cool. I like that Rescue Bots fits in there.
Guy's I am really a "toy guy" and head canon subscriber. That's why it intrigues me to read these conversations. Please carry on.

[kaijuguy19]

Would anyone mind outlining what the "Aligned " continuity is, or what stories that encompasses?

The War for Cybertron video game, the Exodus novel, the War for Cybertron one-shot comic, the Prime comic, the Prime cartoon, the Exiles novel, the Rescue Bots cartoon, the Fall of Cybertron comics, the Fall of Cybertron video game, the Rage of the Dinobots comics, the Beast Hunters comics, the Covenant of Primus book, the Retribution novel, the Rise of Dark Spark video game, and the 2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon.

I have only been exposed to the Prime cartoon and the RID15 cartoon. I want to play the games (WFC/FOC) but haven't found them yet.


And, honestly, I don't really care if this series is actually connected to anything else or not. It just seems to me like they want it to be a sequel to Prime (Optimus is dead, Bumblebee talks again etc.) but have sort of made a lot of it incompatible with Prime. Also, the combat in this show seems a bit weird, considering the Prime cartoon and the bay-verse movies have tried desperately to make the TFs all have built in weapon systems and then *poof* everyone has to carry pistols (terribly designed ones at that) or "Decepticon Hunters" etc.

To be fair the movies do have some of the characters like AOE Hound,Drift and Crosshairs carry guns and swords that aren't intergrated into their arms and Prime did have Wheeljack carry swords and Magnus with his hammer not to mention Knockout carrying a staff for example so the combat in RID15 isn't really that far off from what Prime did.

[NuclearConvoy]

I guess. Still doesn't change how terrible the gun designs are in RID15.

[Cobotron]

It all just ends in fist fights anyway, and I think there is more proof that this is children's programing.

[NuclearConvoy]

It all just ends in fist fights anyway, and I think there is more proof that this is children's programing.

That's no excuse for lazy design.

[Cobotron]

It all just ends in fist fights anyway, and I think there is more proof that this is children's programing.

That's no excuse for lazy design.

Very True. But I think they are really trying to under play weapons all together in this show. The only Charactor with a gun is Strongarm, and she is a police officer. But I have yet to see her do much other than point it at a con before they kick her in the chest and disarm her.
I do like the Decepticon Hunter though. I think it's kind of a cool concept, and after watching episode 9, I think it will have more significance.

[Dead Metal]

Oh, and speaking of Predacons in Prime, it does sort of confuse me that they can link the Prime plot to this plot and sudden;y have like dozens of different kinds of animalistic Decepticon subspecies and yet, in the Prime cartoon, it seemed absolutely baffling to them that any Cybertronian life could have been so animalistic...

Cybertron was a dead world by the time of Prime, so it's couldn't support a whole host of wildlife by that point. The only fauna that we saw to still be alive on the planet were a bunch of Scraplets and at least one Insecticon. Though, Arcee, did mention "vermin", suggesting there could have been other creepy crawlies roaming the planet at the time, but not many.

But after the planet was revived, it was hospitable again and could support life once more, including Cybertronian animals.

And there was Soundwave's avian Minicon Deployer Laserbeak in the show, too.

Sure, but then how much farther in the future is this supposed to be set? Or, alternatively, how long have these Decepticons been kept in stasis in prison? etc.

If we take this as a completely new series that only throws odd references to the past at the viewer then it doesn't matter, but if it is a true sequel to Prime and WFC/FOC then it is truly confusing.

Am I asking too much from Children's programming? Possibly.

But there were more animals on Cybertron before it went dark. The Well created a whole bunch during the Age of Evolution. And after the planet was dead, they couldn't survive anymore.

And not all of the Decepticons in this show have been said to be full on animals. Steeljaw's only wolf aspects are his head and tail. The rest of his body is like any ordinary bipedal Cybertronian.

And some of them might not even originally be from Cybertron. Like Hammerstrike, for instance. Though he was on Cybertron at some previous point, his being a Sharkticon means that he (or his ancestry) would have to have originally been from Aquatron, the Sharkticons' homeworld.

You're putting too much thought into this Sabre, nobody on this show knows or cares about what the Covenant says, just like the author of the Covenant didn't care about what everything else in the universe was doing.
They have ideas for something, and they will execute them pre-established continuity or rules be damned. So no, they likely don't know about Sharkticons originating from Aquatron in Aligned, they just know that the term Sharkticon is something that's old and popular and went with that. Same logic behind Grimlock or anything else in this show, or any other part of this "Continuity".

A shame, because had the show not been sold to us as part of Aligned and the sequel to Prime, I would have enjoyed the humor in this.

Don't you think you're just jumping to conclusions too quickly? We're only 9 episodes into the series so we still have plenty of time to see how RID15 connects to the algined universe assuming that it won't get canned. Also you can't assume the writers don't know or care about the pre-established continuity without any proof to back it up with. As for the tone of the series why is having it more light hearted such a bad thing? Isn't it better that Hasbro keeps bringing more vareity into their shows? If they all retain the same general tone people will get bored real quick.

I'm not jumping to conclusions too quick. It's the result of experience.
I read the first novel, gave up on that because the author of it either didn't care enough or is just plain sh+t at writing to stay concistant with itself let alone the other fiction it was supposed to connect to.
I read the comics, the first one, the much touted prequel to Prime was later contradicted by an episode of the show, an episode written by the same guy that wrote the comic.
The Covenant of Primus then went ahead and contradicted the rest even more, heck it doesn't even know what evolution is and uses it as a fancy word for creationism. So while the Prime show set up the Transformers as having evolved and the characters having aged and matured, note how Ratchet and Prime comment on not being as young as they used to, the book establishes them as having been that way even when the Predacons were still alive. Heck, I have no idea how the Predacons are supposed to have become extinct in the first place, it even describes how the Well just produced a dublicate whenever something died to keep the numbers up.

This show is by the same people that worked on Prime and the aligned comics. Scott even made a name for herself writing the Dinobot centric comics, which were supposedly their way of including the Dinobots in the cartoon cannon. Yet is there any sign here? Nobody knows who Grimlock is? Not even BB or Sideswipe who faught alongside him during the war?

Yes the tonal shift is a problem, I'm not saying this show has to be as grimdark as Prime, but it just feels far too disconnected. Prime took itself seriously and didn't have stuff like robots with muscles. It had its fair share of fun and comedy, and light heartedness, but this is too far removed from Prime. This is like billing the original TMNT show as a sequel to the 2002 series.

And I'm sick of this excuse of "keeping it fresh" so "it won't become stale". I'm tired of having to get used to all new designs and esthetic and tones every two years because god help us if there was any kind of consistently people would loose interest. I'm sick of that. I've long stopped buying the toys because I know that I will never be able to get all the characters I like in plastic form because Hasbro will lose interest half way through and restart with something brand new.
Then they start this media thing and state that they want to be like Marvel and be also known for stories and rich franchizes, so now we'll get a coherent TF universe with actual continuity for us to be invested in just that that's not what we have at all.
They said they want to be like Marvel, but completely ignore or don't understand what ames Marvel Marvel. Marvel's been keeping up a mostly coherent continuity since 1962, or even 193something taking Captain America and Namor into account. There we have consistency, a coherent universe that progresses naturally, we get invested in that. If Marvel keept restarting every two to three years and never finished anything properly, would people stay invested? Hell no.
I'm not invested in Transformers anymore, I still read the idw comics, but mostly necause MTMTE is so good, but I know I won't be reading the comics forever, sooner or later we'll get another AHM that breaks it again. I collect MP, because there I get characters I care for without having to fear that the last few will be cancelled to amke way for the new line that's incompatible.
Even Lego manages to tell a coherent and consistent story while shilling their products.

[Sabrblade]

This show is by the same people that worked on Prime and the aligned comics. Scott even made a name for herself writing the Dinobot centric comics, which were supposedly their way of including the Dinobots in the cartoon cannon. Yet is there any sign here? Nobody knows who Grimlock is? Not even BB or Sideswipe who faught alongside him during the war?

During the live Twitter session with the RID creators that occurred during the U.S. premiere of RID, people were asking the creators questions about the show and the creators were answering them. HOWEVER, several people asked Ms. Scott specifically about Grimlock in this show and what, if any, connection he might or might not have to the already established FOC Grimlock whom Ms. Scott wrote into the Prime cartoon world via the comics, and while she answered other questions, those particular ones were dodged, given no answer, as though she wasn't permitted to speak of the matter at this time, possibly suggesting something pertaining to this to come in the future.

Rather than constantly complaining about things not matching up all the time, why not have a little faith in these writers and just be patient for possible explanations to come?

Yes the tonal shift is a problem, I'm not saying this show has to be as grimdark as Prime, but it just feels far too disconnected. Prime took itself seriously and didn't have stuff like robots with muscles. It had its fair share of fun and comedy, and light heartedness, but this is too far removed from Prime. This is like billing the original TMNT show as a sequel to the 2002 series.

Well, like I said before, Rescue Bots is still in continuity with Prime, happening simultaneous to it, and it's bright and uplifting all the time.

[NuclearConvoy]

Is the Optimus of Rescue Bots the same one from Prime?

[Sabrblade]

Is the Optimus of Rescue Bots the same one from Prime?

Yes. The two shows occur simultaneous to one another. Optimus is a guest star in Rescue Bots, so he's not always in that show and only shows up occasionally, since he's over in Prime fighting the Decepticons most of the time.

[NuclearConvoy]

Is the Optimus of Rescue Bots the same one from Prime?

Yes. The two shows occur simultaneous to one another. Optimus is a guest star in Rescue Bots, so he's not always in that show and only shows up occasionally, since he's over in Prime fighting the Decepticons most of the time.

How is he also a Dinobot?

[Sabrblade]

Is the Optimus of Rescue Bots the same one from Prime?

Yes. The two shows occur simultaneous to one another. Optimus is a guest star in Rescue Bots, so he's not always in that show and only shows up occasionally, since he's over in Prime fighting the Decepticons most of the time.

How is he also a Dinobot?

He scanned the form in the first episode of the third season of Rescue Bots for a mission that called for him to do so, but after having severe difficulty controlling that mode, it's become a nuisance to him and not a form he likes to assume anymore.

However, it's my theory that the timeline between the two shows isn't an exact 1:1 match (and certain episodes between the two shows support this idea), so I'm thinking that third season of Rescue Bots still takes place within the second season of Prime, before the destruction of the base in Jasper.

[NuclearConvoy]

Okay. I saw these cute simple PlaySkool Heroes Rescue Bots toys at wall mart. The size of like a bit bigger than RID15 Legion class toys and I wanted them. Super simple but the designs are LOADED with personality.

[Rodimus2006]

I think this is the worst Transformers series in history, this is coming from a G1 person who has been with Transformers since day 1.

I just dont like it, & yes I have seen the pilot, now I know what they mean by Kiddyfied.

This will be the 2nd series I have not watch or will watch since 1984.

Mainly I am in utter disbelief of how Kiddy The new Graphics look.

Dont even get me started on the new Bot Designs & how they Butchered & Missed up Grimlock, Bee & Sideswipe.

However RID did have Moments I was pleased with such as Underbyte Loved how he Chopped Metal it made him Stronger.

His VA is also Top Notch, Strong Arm is also another Suprise but didnt enjoy the 2 Humans.

RID would be Better without a Human Presence in it but since everything is now Kiddyfied I susped future Shows to be even worse than RID.

I am skipping RID, also I dont like the 5:30 AM Time Slot also another WTF.

Then again 5:30 Is when kids goes to School or get ready once again Aimed at Kids.

By by Transformers guess I am out till Transformers 5.

[Flashwave]

Oh, and speaking of Predacons in Prime, it does sort of confuse me that they can link the Prime plot to this plot and sudden;y have like dozens of different kinds of animalistic Decepticon subspecies and yet, in the Prime cartoon, it seemed absolutely baffling to them that any Cybertronian life could have been so animalistic...

Cybertron was a dead world by the time of Prime, so it's couldn't support a whole host of wildlife by that point. The only fauna that we saw to still be alive on the planet were a bunch of Scraplets and at least one Insecticon. Though, Arcee, did mention "vermin", suggesting there could have been other creepy crawlies roaming the planet at the time, but not many.

But after the planet was revived, it was hospitable again and could support life once more, including Cybertronian animals.

And there was Soundwave's avian Minicon Deployer Laserbeak in the show, too.

Sure, but then how much farther in the future is this supposed to be set? Or, alternatively, how long have these Decepticons been kept in stasis in prison? etc.

If we take this as a completely new series that only throws odd references to the past at the viewer then it doesn't matter, but if it is a true sequel to Prime and WFC/FOC then it is truly confusing.

Am I asking too much from Children's programming? Possibly.

Yes, I think you are. But remember, the Predacons, were never expected to be able to Transform. Maybe Shockwave knew, but this was a complete surprise to the Autobots, megatron, and Starscream. (and I think Predaking himself) I don't know that Animalistic Alt modes were ever uncommon, because you had Airachnid, who clearly drew from Spiders, and the Insecticons, it was more "Here's a PREHISTORIC Cybertronian Moster and OH SLAG IT CAN TRANSFORM TOO??!!"

Besides, has RID!5 confirmed these are Cybertronian Fauna and not simply the name of a classification of bodytype? Put another way: Is Springload (Amphibioid) a seperate species from Bumblebee? Or is "Amphibioid" a label for "Frog Shaped Cybertronian Entity? Remember, Grimlock is called a Dinobot, but is that because he turns into a Dinosaur, or because he is a different kind of Lifeform? (All questions I doubt this show will answer, but fun Geek-talk.)

I do hope the show addresses the amount of time passed, if only to say "Bumblebee can't go see Raf, Miko, and Jack because that was 100 years ago." Would make a loud part of the show's naysayers shut up about why the old humanfaction was not reused. I doubt going by Bumblebee's alt mode that its been that long, though. However, here's a theory: Enough time has passed that Cybertron has been rebuilt and hospitable, even welcoming. It has traffic, and guards, and civilians, and Cadets who seemingly have not seen war. So its probably been a while.

Fanmade back story: Bumblebee's a beat cop now, because like his IDW counterpart, he wasn't ready for the rigors of planetary leadership. Team Prime was able to establish the planet for a time, but once Cybertron started to spin again, a new, actual leader was required, which could, a la Animated, be Ultra Magnus, or what if its Star Saber?