All of which is why, in the movie, when the FCC no longer has authority, Prime moves in for the kill.

Otherwise, I defer to a previous statemnt: if he doesn't then he is an in-effective weak idiot of a leader that nobody should admire or respect.

 

So then we are back at square 1:

We say after being stupid in the past, PRIME decides that enough is enough and aims to finish him off.

You say that Prime has been a doof in the past, so therefore he'll continue to be a doof.

Does that sum it up?

 

Pretty much. Those saying that Prime will continue to be a doof also state that he should be a doof because it is true to the spirit of his character.

I'm thinking that the Saturday AM format inhibited Optimus in a lot of ways. The "moral guardians" (who do nothing to actually guard real morals) would have every hero act like an idiot in this case. I would have loved to see Optimus kill Megatron just to see their reactions.

 

That fails as well.

The films creators made the film with the idea that they would soon be airing it on TV as well.

And its not like there werent regulations in place that governed what could be seen in a kids movie.

Which is why we didnt see and Autobots killing Decepticons at all.

If you want to see it that way its up to you.

Holding ones fire and upholding an ideal can also be consider something to be admired.

Its all in the eye of the beholder.

 

I would have loved to see it just to add some even realism to the conflict.

 

I doupt it.

 

There's also the fact that he's missing his fusion cannon, which becomes his gun mode's telescopic sight. If he did transform at that point, he'd been missing a piece and we have no idea how the absence of it would affect his accuracy and/or effectiveness as a weapon.

Yes, yes...we heard you the first two times you brought it up. You want me to tackle this one? Fine.

First of all, Megatron's fusion cannon has a self-contained power source as far as I know, presumably powered by nuclear fusion. Separate him from it and he's cut off from that power source.

Now for the armpit gun barrel you keep bitching about.

Since Megatron's been separated from his fusion cannon, that means that he'd have to draw on his personal energy reserves in order to fire the damn thing. Considering that he's just spent all night laying siege to Autobot City (presumably without recharging, though we have no evidence one way or another) and has just gone one-on-one with Optimus Prime, I'm pretty sure he's not exactly running on a full tank of gas. My best guesses are 1) he didn't have enough energy left to use it or 2) using it would've consumed everything he had left and left him powerless to fight back if he missed.

Judging by how cautious Prime was being, I'm pretty sure he knew this was a possibility and that's why he was keeping Megatron is his crosshairs.

And then there's the time delay. Even if Megatron used the armpit cannon, he'd still have to flip it into position, aim it, and fire. Optimus Prime just has to pull a trigger. Or, to put it in Wild West fast draw terms: Megatron still had his revolver in his holster and his hand at his side while Optimus Prime already has his gun drawn, cocked, and aimed at Megatron's head. Who do you think's gonna win that shootout? If I were a betting man, I wouldn't put my money on the latter. People mock Prime for being a doofus, but I think that "push the button"/"pull the trigger" is well within his mental faculties.  

Prime's also not aiming for his head or chest. He's shooting Megatron in the stomach as the latter flails his limbs about like an overturned pet tortoise.

Honestly, that scene is hilarious. Prime looks blasé, even bored, by what he's doing, like he's watering the lawn or something. I've seen people get more excited washing their laundry. And Megatron looks more annoyed and irritated than anything else.

 

I didn't read most of the posts but I get what some fans mean when they feel that Optimus won't pull the trigger on a helpless Megatron as it would be out of his character.

On the other hand, Optimus will most likely out of "justice" for his friends who fell in battle (for example, Ironhide). So shooting Megatron will be like executing a war criminal on the battle field.

Let's not forget, we're talking about Megatron - a "ruthless being" who has probably had more than his fair share of victims and not some "helpless" villager"! LOL!

 

NICE!

Thread: WON. 

Good quote, and you just hit it on the nose. Being a Budiansky nerd, I'm amazed that I forgot that line from his extended bio. It pretty much ends the discussion right there, in my opinion.

Yes, but it's clearly not a fatal attack. Apparently for the first 2 seasons, all TF weapons were set on "tickle". The lethality paradigm in the movie shifts pretty radically, and without ANY consistency with the cartoon... so really, it's pretty hard to cite cartoon references for this sort of thing.

It's in the very midst of the battle, and Megatron is still very much in the fight. It's not a long pause, when he already knows that Megatron is just about finished. Again, in the example you cite, Prime's MERCY is the thing that stands out more than anything. Again, a poor choice of supporting document.

  You're really reaching here...

No... it's a threat. It's saying "I have total power over you right now..." power to kill or wound or spare you... Prime gave Megatron the chance to make that choice for himself. If not, he would have pulled the trigger on the spot. But he didn't.

*yawn* It's called a comeback. They were bantering. And if the battle had gone differently, Prime might have killed Megatron... but not in cold blood.

Yes, a great distance. What... 50 meters?  

Prime's gun is effective up to 30 miles, based on his Bio. Clearly in that scene, we're just seeing the non-fatal dynamic of the cartoon in effect.

While technically correct, it sounds like a dodge to me. "Well, I'm not right, but technically I'm not WRONG either!"

Whatever you need to sleep at night, buddy.  

Unsupported conjecture, I'm afraid.

That is a matter of opinion, and is certainly a point that could be discussed at length... but that doesn't mean that he WILL kill Megatron outright... only that you think he should have, which is not the same thing.

It's like saying Superman is stupid for not disintegrating Luthor with heat vision after the FIRST 5 times he tried to kill him. Or that Batman should have killed the Joker years ago. Maybe, but they didn't... and your morality is not necessarily theirs. It's about the character, not about what you (or Kup, apparently) would want them to do.

Also, remember that unlike superheroes, Prime's code isn't against killing... just against killing unnecessarily or dishonourably.

I see no reason why after millions of years, he would stop now. It's who he is. I'm sure that in his mind, if he crosses that line, it makes him as bad as those he's fighting against.

This is way more detail than I would have gone into for what I consider to be a pretty minor point, but I have to agree with everything you've said.

Also, this is all pretty evident. The whole point of that scene was to determine just how Megatron was at Prime's mercy. Even with the hidden ray gun, Megatron's chances were pretty much nil... until Hot Rod came along.

zmog