I think that Optimus has had some good development, while still keeping his past a little mysterious, and also showing him as being a super hero among heroes.
There was the mention of the fact that he used to consider Megatron a brother.
There was his holding hands moment with Arcee.
And in that same show he offered to bring Raf back a snowball.

I really have no complaints with the storyline of Prime at all.
My only complaint with the show is that I don’t like it that Skyquake and Wheeljack both had Earth-mode kibble before either of them acquired an Earth mode.

 

Not to mention some risks it is taking. Killing off a main character (two actually) having only one off visits with no one sticking around.

Actually if I were to really really complain about a character it'd be that military guy. Comic relief fail. Still that's so much of a nothing. The only thing they could do to make it better is hire the writers from Batman and give them free reign.

 

I'll disagree SUPER ALOT at that. Fowler is hilarious, first time I actualy laughed at Transformers cartoon joke ever when that tree branch took out his "hostage"

 

Wow, a lot of talk about the characterisation of Optimus Prime going on here. True, there hasn't been much exploration of his character yet, but I am certain it's simply a matter of time. This is the most mature version of Optimus Prime we've ever had imo. I'm confident the creators of the show have definitely got a major plan for him and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all unravels in bits and pieces.

At the moment, I'm seeing Optimus as the most composed example of someone who has lived and coped with centuries of war. He's learnt to keep a 'safe' emotional distance between himself and others that allows him to make clear judgements as a leader and not to be afraid of sending his troops out into battle, but not to the point of not caring about others. It's interesting to think that he probably is a more successful example of what Arcee has yet to sufficiently learn: how to cope with the loss of those you care about. As recently shown in the "Predatory" ep., Arcee has a great fear of losing those close to her and she suffers emotionally because of this fear. Her history of lost partners has psychologically traumatized her and she is still embittered, angry and hurting about her losses. She becomes more 'difficult' as a character and starts 'pushing away' those close to her when she is most vulnerable and afraid. Optimus Prime, though undoubtedly having the same fears as Arcee, is not a victim of those fears as she is. He possesses the most disciplined control over mind and emotions out of all the Autobots. He is not without feeling (he was visibly affected by the sight of CJ's body falling to the ground in the DR eps., tho' he said nothing), but he won't completely break down and become emotionally cripplied when he loses friends and comrades. He'll still fight on and continue his bigger mission. I think he operates on an emotional level above his subordinates and that's probably because he's had the hardest experiences of all. He's steeled to pain, but he hasn't forgotten what he's fighting for. I think that makes for a really well-developed, deep and mature Optimus Prime. If he ever has an emotional outburst, it'll be a very big deal, coz this Optimus Prime has godly control over his feelings.

 

and he is quite content being a background character  

 

Agreed. Black Oracle makes the best points when it comes to Optimus.

 

Oh Black Oracle you are oh so wise.

 

I don't think we'll see a lot of deep storylines for Optimus mainly because...well, everyone knows who he is and what he stands for. While I can't speak for Optimus Primal, or the Unicron Trilogy versions - Optimus in all his incarnations is virtually the same character - yes, Animated gave us a rookie version, Prime has the grizzled veteran, Bayverse the aggressive warrior, and G1 the classic version - long and short, apart from storyline considerations, we KNOW who Optimus Prime is. Unless the writers are explaining the Prime universe's history between Optimus and Megatron, why waste time on developing an iconic character?

Optimus will have his time in the spotlight - that's just a given. But until then, give me some Bulkhead, Ratchet - heck even Bumblebee-centric episodes with Raf. Or even better, some Decepticon episodes featuring Starscream and/or Soundwave.

 

Just wait until Megatron shows up again!

  I blame the Optimus Prime voice in my head.

Ah, but do we? Do we really know who and what Optimus Prime is in this universe? Remember Orci and Kurtzman saying before that this series would be exploring 'what it means to be Prime'? And I believe they've stated before that they view him as a 'King Arthur-type' character. Sure, Optimus Prime has always been known as the strong and compassionate leader of the Autobots, but that really is just a basic and simple description of him. There are ways to develop and interpret him whilst still maintaining his expected qualities. I have hopes that the Prime series is going to go deeper into and do a more mature and complex take on Optimus Prime's character than any previous series. Already, the former brothers relationship he has with Megatron has created a new kind of personal conflict between them. That's definitely going to be explored further. And there's a lot they can get out of that.

 

I agree with that - we don't know a lot about the Prime Universe Optimus Prime. I posted earlier that I see him as a father figure to Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead - and also to the children they now team with. Up until now, Optimus has been the one to lead the charge in the big battles, and save the kids (flesh and robot) from the bad decisions they make. He doesn't "hang out" with the young ones - which I don't necessarily see as a result of his long and probably gruesome experiences, but rather a "generation gap". But it's apparent he does care for those under his charge, and will go to any length to keep his charges as safe as possible.

I have no doubt that there is a lot more that we will learn about this Optimus Prime - his history with Megatron, the wartime experiences that shaped him, etc.

On further reflection, I'm starting to think that Megatron's incapacitation is a device being used by the writers to flesh out the rest of the Transformers on the show. Think about it. With Megatron out of the picture, Optimus only really has to worry about MECH (and at this point, it can only really be a very vague worry, unless Fowler has intel on the organization that he channel to Optimus - a situation I doubt exists since Silas' introduction to Fowler was apparently a surprise to Fowler. If MECH wants to stay hidden, they'll remain hidden), since his team has proven to be more than capable of ruining Starscream's plans (if I ever hear him holler about he would have gotten away with it, except for those darn kids....) on more than occasion. When Megatron returns, the fuzzy parts of Optimus Prime will start coming into sharp focus.

And I think this is a pretty sharp decision - Optimus Prime is such an iconic figure, people who aren't Transformers fans recognize the name, so it makes sense to develop Bulkhead and Arcee for viewers, since casual fans probably won't recognize them or even know who they are. Ratchet should also fall into this category as well - he gets exposure in the movies, but I'd really like to see a Ratchet-themed episode, even if was a comedy piece where Bulkhead was the only 'bot available to help him with an experiment or a delicate operation. Jeffery Combs has been good thus far, I'd like a chance to see him really shine in this role. Bumblebee - any episode revolving around him will most likely be a filler episode that develops Raph as a character, and also hopefully explain why he doesn't have a voice. Other than that, I think everyone pretty much knows who Bumblebee is - the little Autobot that could   The Decepticons could use some love too - I'd really like to see an episode from the Deception point of view - granted Starscream and Soundwave are iconic figures as much as Optimus and Bumblebee, but I think that they are different enough from previous incarnations that they could benefit - especially Soundwave!

So, long story short - you are absolutely correct that there is much to learn about Optimus Prime   It just might take a while before we get the whole story. And given the quality of the show to date, I'm more than willing to wait for the rest of the story.

 

The dude can't even get his troops to respect him. He has such great potential and he's a highly enjoyable character, but that's what makes it so frustrating that he hasn't yet been given a chance to shine. I want to see him have a great moment of his own, and not just to have those moments be while trying to undermine Megatron.

Why must we assume this, and why can't it be shown? Why can't we see them being active, why can't we see the drones being send to scout out under Starscream's command? It would make the Decepticons more of a looming threat, up the stakes and would actually do something with their numbers then throwing the occasional squad at the Autobots.

I enjoy the show so far, it's better then Animated IMO, but it still has some problems of it's own that I hope it will manage to grow out of. And no, it doesn't have to throw every single good thing at us all at once, but they could do a bit more then they are now.

 

Cause then it wouldn't be Starscream. Also wouldn't be as entertaining.

 

Nail head meet hammer.

 

My biggest complaint is Orzi and Kurtzman involved. Get rid of them and I bet the show will be better.

 

They're pretty much the reason the show exists, and they don't even write the episodes. They got the idea made, they made the bible for boundaries, now they don't touch it, they let the other workers do their jobs and make the episodes while they write for movies and shows.

 

That comment is pure fandum Bay hate.

 

I'm going to have to disagree.

I can honestly say that I haven't liked everything they have done in entertainment and some times I'm not too crazy about some of their ideas.

But come on these guys figured out a way to modernize Hawaii 5-0 and turn it into a hit for the network so the guys seem to know a bit about making shows work.

 

It seems insane to complain about Prime after years of A/E/S. This is Oscar worthy next to that dreck, and for that I'm grateful...

But when you put it next to Beast Wars and Animated...

Prime is just missing "the touch". Animated and Beast managed tons of genuine humor while still fitting in genuine tragedy in small doses. It kept it upbeat and easy going while managing to hold the older crowd as well. TF: Prime seems too self-conscious to smile. I know we've wanted a "serious business" Transformers series, but I'm beginning to think that "serious business" just doesn't work here.

Still... Soooooooooo much better than A/E/C that I feel silly complaining.