A bit late to the party, but the way I'm seeing it is this: Bumblebee is simultaneously in two distinct timelines: the narrative as spelled out by the five Bay films, and the new direction they're taking the live action franchise into 2019 and beyond. I.e., the same way the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies are both Canon and Legends simultaneously.

 

For the first time I'm excited about movie figures.