Following the terrific response and interesting feedback to the why I collect vid/thread. I thought I would try again,. So here are my 10 most influential series/continuities in the TF Franchise. By influential I mean significant, as in they added something unique that has endured to become part of the legacy. They may or may not be among my favorites and, of course, it isn't a definitive or exhaustive list. See if your favorites made it and please, speak up about which ones you think have been the most influential!
Pretty easy question: G1 - Because it started it all and has nostalgia going for it Beast Wars - Because it saved the franchise, and also has nostalgia going for it (though probably not as much as G1) Bayverse/Movieverse - Because it helped to reinvigorate the franchise, brought in TONS of new fans, and made/makes so much money for Hasbro that it's not even funny.
G1 - Now I don't collect the line but you have to give it respect. Its what started it all. Cinematic Universe - Despite all the criticism and pure hatred for it. This is the one continuity you can point to that has brought in new fans like me. It made Transformers relevant again. Heck I'm sure there are people who were brought back by them as well. Beast Wars - Saved the franchise from dying and again brought in new fans. CHUG - Brought G1 back to the limelight and even introduced new fans to the original G1 guys that the long time fans knew. (I consider this line to be my G1, my BW, etc.) MP - Again I don't collect this line but it gave fans a chance to have what they would say, the DEFINITIVE versions of the characters they saw on TV as kids.
G1 is the most influential and/or important. Introduced the idea and the vast majority of the important characters. Second place is a toss up for me between Beast Wars and the live action movies. I feel like Beast Wars kept revived the brand. The movies are responsible for the biggest explosion in popularity since G1.
G1 for starting it all Beast Wars for reviving Transformers Movies for bringing TF back to the mainstream Animated for pushing TF design aesthetics into new directions Rescue Bots for showing that a TF show doesn't need huge battles to be successful
Lots of stuff from Animated have stuck. Magnus' hammer, Prime's Axe, Lockdown, Bulkhead (in Prime and I'm looking at you AOE Hound). Reverse engineering Megatrons head. Lots of influences still today from that series. - Agree with the above for Beast Wars largely reviving the brand.
Technically Prime's Axe goes back to G1, even if it wasn't a "physical" axe. As far as things from Animated that stuck, I can't argue with the rest of your list. I just kinda wish that animated Prowl and Animated Sentinel Prime also stuck. I've got one that hasn't been mentioned: Armada, for introducing Minicons as a separate faction. It was used through out the UT and has been revived as a concept in RiD 15 in season two, especially the newest episodes from the back half of season 2/season 3. In the newest episodes their relationship to the bigger bots is closer to Armada, and may be shaping up in an interesting direction.
CONTINUITIES: 1) Generation One (Takara) REASON: It is ongoing! In 2007, they had officially added CarRobots and Kiss Players into this continuity. And then they also had Brave Maximus become the reason why the Headmaster technology exists. Then around 2012, they officially had officially transferred Straxus from the (currently) defunct Marvel/G1 continuity into theirs. In 2014, they introduced the Wreckers. And by doing so, transplanting both Roadbuster and Whirl from the Legend World to the JG1 universe. (They also have Topspin and Twintwist be part of this continuity.) And 2016 has them continue Super-God Masterforce with events tied to LG21-LG40. SERIES: 1) Super-God Masterforce REASON: This might be the best written, best handled Transformers series. In this case, the characters have more emphasis than the gimmicks they promote. The Cybertron (Autobot) Pretenders had four different transformation styles, with two of them tied to their human appearances. The humans being both Headmaster Juniors and Godmasters made defending the Earth that much better. And having God Ginrai be the only way to defeat Devil Z was, for me, very prolific. 2) The Headmasters REASON: It's gimmicky. Out of all the flaws I see in this series, this is the one that makes me stick with it. Plus, it has a large lot of things, and characters, that were among my favorite things during my childhood. Namely... Soundwave, Highbrow, and the Beastformers/Battle Beasts. And the best part of this series is the fact it helped lead into the creations of the Headmaster Juniors, the Godmasters, the Brainmasters, and the Powermasters. "Super Convoy" anybody? 3) Legends REASON: It's a trilogy for the Headmasters gimmick. Ha ha. No... Seriously. Instead of just creating CHUG material for those outside of Japan, they put actual thought into this line. And the end result allowed them to fill in plot holes created for characters that include Jetfire, Ultra Magnus, and Armada Starscream. And it also gave follow-ups (as well as official toys) to Nightbird Shadow and Slipstream. And also, the current Headmasters arc just makes me want to collect these until the end. Honorable mentions include... Beast Wars II, Beast Wars Neo, Super Link, Operation Combination, Scramble City (both versions), and Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Prime.
I would say G1 for sure, since it started everything and is arguably the backbone for the entire Transformers franchise. Just based upon talking to fans, and listening to fan chatter, other continuities that have been influential would include: - TF Animated. While I never got into this, TFA has a strong following. - Beast Wars. I never got into this either, but there is a loyal following for this sub-line. - Prime. I liked this series a lot, it was well done and my little ones liked it as well. - MTMTE. This is the only one I'm listing that doesn't have a cartoon, but the comic series has been so strong and has generated many toys. James Roberts has done an outstanding job with this series.
I'd also suggest Armada, mostly for bringing the franchise back to its roots after Beast Wars and RID. The Unicron Trilogy in general seems to be rather underrated, despite being the genesis of "modern" TF engineering/design and arguably setting things in motion for what would eventually become Classics and Generations.
G1: Like many said, it started it all. Themes from all three primary G1 continuities (Marvel, Sunbow, Japan-cartoon) persist to this day and lays the foundation for which all modern series build upon. G2: Primary contribution was the advent of full articulation. This was the first time you could REALLY have Megatron and Optimus participate in a pose off. Beast Wars: Primary contribution was as a reinvention of the brand. As many stated, it saved the franchise from a fate like GIJoe. But it also introduced the concept of protoforms and sparks, the latter which has continued into modern series. Protoforms were used in Animated...but not much more, IIRC. Beast Machines: The official closure of the G1 cartoon universe. For better or for worse. Also introduced morphing Maximals that, thankfully, was never revisited until recently in AoE's Vehicons. Car Robots/RiD: Perfected the highly articulated Transformers toy. Armada: Gave us the first official Unicron toy. Energon/Cybertron: Not much new in these, although older gimmicks were revisited with varying results. Dreamwave: Made Sunstorm a household name for Transformers fans. Also, was the first (and only, I believe) media to recognize Ultra Magnus as a white OP in armor. Movie Series: An attempt at reinventing the brand, although I'd say and agree that the primary contribution was the push for Transformers back into the mainstream. No longer was it a kids toy...it was now revered as much as Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. Animated: Introduced the character Bulkhead. Much of the rest of the series was loose to firm homages to G1. Classic/Universe/Generations and the Japanese derivatives: Primary contribution has been in maintaining the collector segment within the fanbase. This was the first place we saw fully articulated updates of classic G1 characters in obvious homages. IDW: Primary contribution has been in keeping the adult portion of the fanbase occupied. Arguably the first to introduce more socially taboo ideas to the Western fiction. Has influenced the CHUG toyline in aesthetic in places.
Amazing suggestions. For me, tops is anything G1 but I appreciate the logic of going back to its roots in the unicron trilogy that was mentioned.
G1 - Well duh, it's G1. Beast Wars - Introduced the concept of Sparks Armada - Introduced Minicons and the concept of Optimus combining with Jetfire Animated - Gave us Lugnut, Lockdown, the Elite Guard and the concept of Blitzwing having fire/ice abilities. Bayformers - Revived the franchise, introduced Barricade and Blackout and sadly made Bumblebee the overused posterboy he is today.
G1- Duh Beast Wars- Pretty much saved everything Movie-Loadsamoney from ticket sales and merch pushes, brought us Barricade and Blackout, who have both transitioned to multiple other mediums IDW- Definitely taken an educated perspective to the story, with a lot of analogy to very real world issues, definitely seems to constantly reject the status quo and do it's own thing.
I think there is a general consensus here. 1) the G1 continuity, purely because it is what started it all 2) Beast Wars, because it provided the franchise a desperately needed reboot and singlehandedly saved Transformers as a whole 3) Live-Action Movies, for doing a muted version of what Beast Wars did and proving Transformers could still be relevant in the modern era
I'd echo what many have said and go with. G1: Started it all, was a fantastic toy line and laid the foundations of the franchise. Between the TV show, movie and comic books it created the lore that all subsequent series go back to and mine over and over. Plus it is still the most iconic and well loved. Beast Wars: Reinvigorated the line, had the best TV show and some of the best characters across the entire franchise, added many concepts to the lore still used today and had some innovative toy design to boot. Live action movies: I hate them but there is no denying the huge influence they've had both good and bad.
