Something occurred to me. Why are the dinobots even autobots? They don't fight for the autobot cause and they have even helped the other side on a couple of different occasions (meltdown twice and blackarachnia.)

Alot of their firepower came from Megatron's upgrades. Also, they didn't earn the right to become Autobots they just kinda had the Autobot logo on them all of a sudden.

How did they become Autobots even though they don't fight for the cause? I mean even the Constructicons had to earn the right to become Decepticons and the Autobots didn't automatically induct them when they were still neutral like they did with the Dinobots.

Can anyone explain this? Any theories?

 

I think Prowl kinda dubbed them Autobots when he rescued them. I dunno if that meant he had a conversation and stuck stickers on them during that time, but it was pretty clear they have a limited trust of at least Prowl at the beginning. I suspect Prowl would have given them the symbol as a gesture of trust.

Or because the toys had the symbol...

 

I personally think that Sari's key made them Autobots when it gave them sparks. In the end it's not a big issue, imo. If anything, I'm more interested in how Wreck-Garr had both the Autobot and Decepticon emblems with him.

 

I think it's just a story-based suggestion to imply that they are inherently good, but just need some proper guidance towards the side of the Autobots.

 

Hate to say it, but the reason doesn't get any deeper then this folks

 

Story wise, they really have no reason to have those symbols yet given they haven't officially joined the Autobots. They even refused when Optimus asked for their help against the Deceptcons. Most likely the animators are drawing them with the symbols because that's the standard animation model they have (because the toys have them).

 

Because they had no funny faction swap, robot revolution or bovine marking scene.

 

They were in his pile 'o' garbage he carries onk his back. He has everything in there.

 

I don't get how he got the Autobot symbol back at the end of the episode, because Ratchet took it off of him then he was a Decepticon...


My head hurts 

 

He probably had a full sheet of faction symbols.

But I wonder why anyone would throw their ReproLabels sets on the garbage.

 

look at Grimlock's teeth.... would YOU tell him he can't wear the Autobot badge?

I think not!

 

Sumdac probbably put them on in homage of the Autobots.

 

Prowl probably put them on them so if they happened to encounter humans the humans would assume they're with the Autobots and not shoot at or otherwise fear and antagonize them.

--Moony

 

The Dinobots were brought to life by an EM Pulse from Bumblebee and Ratchet boosted by Sari's key perhaps because the conduits for the allspark energy were Autobots it made the Dinobots Autobots by default while the Constructicons and Wreck Gar were brought to life by Allspark fragments and so had no inherit faction.

But yeah toys are Autobots.

 

I'm gonna say they're at least on decent terms with Prowl. Maybe he gave them faction stickers for not going on a rampage after liberating them.

 

I guess it will take Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons to attack
the Dinobots and maybe that will convince Grimlock to join up with the
Autobots. But right now, I have no love for the Dinobots when they joined
up with Blackarachnia and Meltdown. But when BA double-crossed Grimlock,
that should have told him something.

Anyway, are they planning to add the other two Dinobots, Slag and Sludge?

 

I think the plans are to keep it at three dinobots, just because adding in the additional ones would mean
- additional animation (which = additional cost)
- little or no characterization for the additional 2 dinobots (we have very little characterization for slag and swoop right now, anyway)
- less focus on the pivotal characters of the show