Hi there! I was reflecting on the overall Transformers universe and began to wonder about the lasting impact the films will have on the larger picture. We all know that the BB preview shot from TF: Prime shows some kind of Movie influence, but say in...5 years? 10 years? What things have the movies permanently grafted onto Transformers as a legacy? The 86 movie gave us Unicron, Galvatron, Rodimus and more. Will Prime always have flames? Will Bumblebee be forever silenced? Will the Fallen always lurk in the shadows, threatening a return? Will the main human now be Sam forevermore? Will the Decepticons now always have a more monstrous appearance and have gross slimy technology? Will NEST now be a permanent addition? Will Barricade and Blackout be Decepticon regulars? Will Transformers always be able to scan on sight? It's fun to consider...but only time will tell.
Transformers scanned on sight in Cybertron/Galaxy Force. Bumblebee was not mute in animated, far from it, but the black striping was there. Optimus is too iconic to be "ruined forever" by flames, young "pre leader" versions might have flames or some such "turbo revvin' punk" vibe though. Humans may be more problematic to transformers but not too potent I think, nor will they always be "sam". Decepticons are likely to be less friendly looking. The Allspark is likely to be more important.
I don't think the movie verse will have a grip on Transformers forever. It's got some nice special effects, it's got some really cool action sequences, but it just lacks anything really substantive to really run with. Like all things Transformers it will change over to time to reflect what is currently big for kids. From a story point someone may decide the Decepticons need to be tough again. Hasbro already has Snake Eyes as the silent guy so I'm sure at some point we will be back to talking Bumblebee. And heck the way Hollywood loves reboots who knows what the live action future may hold. The only things that don't really change are the things that have always been the same. Autobots as the good guys, Decepticons as the bad guys, and the Autobots having a thing for helping out the humans.
Hasbro is filling in some of the nebulous areas of the Transformers' origin. That's likely to be the most lasting effect. I think the Fallen, the concept of the "original thirteen," and the AllSpark are going to be permanent additions. (Come to think of it, the movies owe some of this to Simon Furman and The War Within miniseries.) As for characters, Barricade and Blackout (at least their names) will probably show up in future iterations. Jetfire may well remain an "old" character.
Some elements that are deemed improvements/good additions will probably be integrated into general TF lore over time, but even though it seems Hasbro is blending movie designs into their new toys, I think those will wear off over time. Some thing I believe will be/become part of general TF lore from now on: -The Allspark -Prime having a retractable faceplate. -Prime owning various internal melee weapons (unless it doesn't fit in the universe, like Animated) -shifting focus from a big group of bots landing on earth to smaller groups who battle in secret. -Some new characters introduced by the movies will probably appear in different incarnations.
Interesting topic for discussion. I think that in terms of style and design, there won't really be too much effect. There may be a bigger push to make characters and toys more detailed and intricate, but that is a natural progression and movement that was going to happen anyway, and that has been happening ever since Transformers were first created. I think for the movie, Michael Bay and team just accelerated/exaggerated that process of evolution. But clearly it couldn't have had any drastic effect, as we can see with TF Animated, which came right after the movie.
I concur, no one was expecting the movie characters to look like a CG G1 cartoon and already EJ Su's designs for the comics where going in a more realistic direction before Don Figueroa's work this year. The Unicron trilogy was such a throwback design wise. Regarding the alienness, I hope it will be maintained because it gives each character such distinctiveness, rather than the same metal face with a different helmet. Certainly in WFC we see that G1 homage incorporates the angular look of the movie Decepticons.
We have argued about the quality or lack thereof of the second movie but it has made this franchise alot more mainstream. In the last year I have gotten many comments when I wear my Transformer shirt that I never got after the first one. It's not just kids, women in their 20's and 30's have told me how much they love my shirt and where can they get one.
Probably the core aspects like Allspark, maybe character choices too, heck I really don't think we would've gotten Barricade and Brawl in WFC if it wasnt for the WFC versions. Certainly hope they keep some of the character design aspects such as Ironhide's transformation and Bee's overall look (like it much better than g1 design), I would like to use a Starscream using that helmet instead of square head too. and btw guys, Animated was being produced around the same time as the movie, so you really can't use it as definite movie influence guide other than really minor stuff like "oh bee is in movie?! lets get him in TFA!"
In 20 years, The Optimus that my kid will remember is the Movie verse, much like 20 years ago the Optimus that I rememeber was G1.
I think the Bumblebee stripe is probably here to stay. Even WFC Bumblebee has it. It's one of the changes that doesn't bother me. Makes sense, and it actually works pretty good. I think the movie also solidified the importance of Bumblebee as a character. I was glad to see him back after quite a lengthy absence. I'd just like a return of the more earnest and less show-offy side of the character.
One thing from the movie universe that I hope never gets integrated into upcoming TF series is the ease with which human weapons take TFs down.
Agree completely. Same goes for bumblebee, and ironhide Personally I hope the design aesthetic is here to stay. I know I'm in the minority, but I love the movies designs. I do think the Allspark is pretty much concrete now.
Actually I think the whole retractable faceplate thing started with Energon Prime. In fact if you really want to stretch the blame, you could take it all the way back to Beastwars with Optimus Primal's first form. I still say he pioneered the retractable faceplate.
