Barring the name recognition for sales, would a Transformers series be successful without Megatron or Optimus Prime as the lead characters?

Beast Wars had characters that were decidely not the original Megatron or Prime, and that was rather good, wasn't it?

Robots in Disguise doesn't have to be about Megatron or Prime, instead the Car Robots Gigatron and Fire Convoy.

Animated Prime was Optimus Prime in name only- and that was pretty interesting.

Could a Transformers series work without the big names?

 

I would love a series of something focus on this. Actually this is one of the reasons I'm digging both of the current ongoing comic books.

So yes.

 

I know it's an old question, but I think it's one that could be brought up every now and then.

 

I don't know. Beast Wars went out of the way to make their Optimus and Megatron look like the original and Car Robots did the same with Optimus. Next, Animated shared a lot of Optimus' traits; he was just less experienced. I would like to see series focus on other characters but I still think Optimus and Megatron need to exist in that series. I know others disagree, but I believe Optimus is to Transformers as Superman is to DC.

 

Oh it could work if the story was there and Hasbro wanted to do it. They just don't want to do it.

I can think of tons of story ideas that could be epic without them.

The cons win, Earth is enslaved, Megatron kills Prime, and Bumblebee, Jazz, Ironhide, ect falls to Soundwave, Starscream, and the Seekers. The only big name Autobot that survives would be Grimlock and he takes charge over surviving Autobot soldiers and battles to liberate Earth. Megatron leaves Earth in the command of Soundwave and returns to Cybertron to aid Shockwave in removing the Autobots there.

Something like that could work, but they won't ever do that.

But still though, why not show off another unit in the war? There have got to be commanders on both sides, leading troops far from Optimus and Megatron. Show them off, show the bot/con war in a different way.

 

A TF series with none of the usual names could work well if effort was put into making the new cast as iconic as the old ones. Beast Wars is an outstanding example.

This I would like very much. A TF series that focuses on small units comprised of non-mainstream characters, where Optimus and Megatron are supreme commanders who are very far removed from their troops and make only occasional appearances that hold ordinary Autobots and Decepticons in absolute awe.

 

I agree. That could be a very interesting idea for a series. It especially helps because it seems that it is hard to portray characters as powerful when they are always there. But, if the big guns are saved until needed, then you'll really feel the gravitas of their appearance on the battlefield. As I've said, I just wanted to point out that I feel those two are too iconic to be completely removed.

 

Rescue Bots is pretty much a super kid-friendly version of this. Optimus barely shows up, Bumblebee and the Decepticons are nowhere to be found, and all four bots use names that haven't been used alot (save Heatwave, since he shares a name with the chest of Nexus Maximus)

 

I love the idea. A definitive timeline, that would explain the main cast's absence or disappearance from he show, would keep my interest. Maybe cameos here and there for (preferably) minor character's to tie the timelines. The main cast for this one should be completely new but has somewhat ties to the original ones. Please don't repeat the failures of Beast Wars at the very least do not give them alt modes from the animal kingdom.

 

Should've put Continuity or series in the thread title.

 

i dont think so. cause alot of people are used to transformers. its like Mcdonds when they used have those characters on tv adds, and now its just the arch! so NO. and no cause no one fuckin cares about prime/megs all they care about is fuckin bbbs!!!!

 

Obviously yes. Even BW/MW had a Megatron & a leader that sounds extreemly close to Optimus Prime. And no, it doesn't matter if technically BW Megatron & the other Megatron are two different people, the toyline had Megatron.

 

Starting in G1, the death of Optimus killed the line. Every line since has suffered the same fate and is always rejuvenated once the original leaders return. The formula works with those two, that's why they're here...again.

 

The current ongoing comics feature everyone but Optimus and Megatron to some degree or another, and they're amazing.

I do think it comes back to the idea that it could work, but Hasbro is unwilling to take that risk with a primary fiction or toyline. Which is why the comics can get away with it without a hitch. Maybe if those catch more steam, Hasbro might be willing to take more chances.

 

Not likely. They're key to the brand identity, which is a result of millions of fans and kids being used to seeing them in primary media. If Op and Megs aren't there, then all kinds of confusion, wailing, and gnashing of teeth will occur. The key is to make the two characters interesting, to do them well.

 

See Last Stand of the Wreckers. Optimus and Megatron get mentions, and that's it. A great piece of Transformers fiction starring no first-stringers.

 

I think the comics like Last Stand of the Wreckers illustrate my point quite well.

Most of the Japanese fiction last long without a Prime or Megatron (a character like Prime or Megatron does not equal actually having a Prime or Megatron).

 

not for me,TF's are boring without megatron.

 

Rescue Bots, Masterforce, Victory, BWII, and BWNeo seemed to do just fine.

The problem isn't can the series do it, it's that Hasbro will never allow it. My answer still hasn't changed since the last time this question has been asked.

It wouldn't be hard to have a series like BWNeo which features the crew of a ship that traverses the universe as the war rages on across the stars. This allows for storyarcs dealing with the planets they encounter and the supporting characters to change every few episodes to keep the story fresh and evolving. Some planets they win, some they lose, some they may alter the status quo. Establish a rivalry with a counterpart Decepticon group that we sometimes see on another planet for even more continuity fun (as sometimes they could arrive after the Autobot ship did and sometimes before, and sometimes during!). Optimus and Megatron would be the mentioned but seldom seen chess masters moving their crews about in an effort to win the war.

This format allows for a huge cast without trying to juggle such huge casts and has such flexibility that we could have character deaths and cast changes as needed, which for a toyline allows the assortments to stay fresh. There are a lot of Transformer characters and this is one way to revisit a lot of the oft forgotten ones without making them permanent feature characters.

Also, there's nothing from stoping some old faces and new faces from being part of the primary cast, so there's a lot of creative freedom in coming up with the casts.

 

thats what i think