I found this entry on TV tropes and made me wonder, is there more to this ship?

 

We found out a lot of it's significance and intrigue in Elegant Chaos, such as why so little is known about it. But yeah, I'm sure the previous owners will eventually have an effect on the plot.

 

The irony of course being that the Sparkeater and turbofoxes and quantum irregularities had nothing to do with the Death Cult.

In a way, as its mysteries get explained, the Lost Light becomes less ominous all the time.

zmog

 

It's a moving city. In space. Powered by one of a kind engine. That was created millions of years in future after its conception. It's a symbolic ship of people that has their light (reasons, raison-d'etre, drives) lost. It's also a good way to post 1986 movie characters in their own adventure. Also a good way to remind people that RODIMUS IS A LEADER!

 

Honestly... MTME Rodimus is actually a very bad leader. I'd love him being back to his pre-MTME self, still with faults and ego, but more a character than a comic relief.

He's the only part of MTME I can say I don't like.

 

I would agree with this. I never really liked Rodimus, and I do get a chuckle out of him in MTMTE, but it is at the expense of character. One of Roberts' flaws is that sometimes his characterizations veer a bit too wildly towards broad comedy. Magnus also had this problem...

...though at the same time, this is the most I've evern enjoyed Rodimus, so it's a tough call.

zmog

 

Never liked Rodimus myself, I always felt that if anyone should be leader they should be Prowl or even a more matured version of Grimlock, but at the same time previously Rodimus was able to get his scrap together and see things done.
Nowadays it looks like he's devolving to his least mature traits and if he manages to have anything done it's because of luck or with help from others.

Dunno, it wasn't that long since he barely was voted to remain as a captain. Maybe he will take some clues. I would, if half of my crew was fed up with me.

Unless I were a Decepticon captain. Then I'd gun malcontents down and called it a day. But it's an Autobot ship.

 

Rodimus was going to make amends after the Crisis vote... until Megatron was made captain. Now he no longer feels the need to.

 

I feel exactly the opposite. This is the first time I've truly enjoyed Rodimus as a character. As a kid, I never really got past the whole "you killed Prime!" thing. It persisted through my life until reading MTMTE.

 

Does the ship still multiply after every quantum jump though?

Dont know it wouldnt

 

No, the duplication during the first jump happened when Shock (or Ore?) got too close to the engines and caused them to malfunction. If they're working properly, it doesn't happen.

 

I felt the same way in the beginning about Rodimus and Magnus but I over time they've both grown on me and the exaggerated characterization has become part of the charm. To my surprise, Magnus has actually become one of my favorites.

 

Oh, I definitely enjoy them. It's only occasionally that the humour crosses the line where it pulls me out of the story, and I just start seeing the characters armatures for gags.

zmog

 

Felt the same in the beginning, but Magnus being an over the top caricature of himself actually ended up being a plotpoint and was addressed.
But that doesn't quite work with Rodimus.

 

I agree. I love MTMTE Rodimus but at the same time I want him to get his shit together soon. Everytime it looks like he will and something happens that keeps him from doing so.

 

Thing is, IDW Rodimus is not the same character as the animated movie Rodimus, and his MTME characterisation really comes apart of his pre-MTME IDW self.

Technically his character traits are the same, bravado, a bit of vanity and ego, but now those are pretty much the only character traits he has. Or simpy gravity is put only on them.

If you started reading with Death of Optimus Prime and then MTME, then he's fine. He always was a comic relief. But if you started reading back in -Ations run, Rodimus's characterisation is inconsistent.
There's a sense of consistency between pre-war miniseries, his spotlight and even Costa's run, but then it has a tone switch with MTME.

 

In general I never really like Rodimus that much and I seen most incarnations. I wouldn't vote him Captain. Of late his interactions with Megatron makes somewhat interesting

Ultra Magnus in his previous incarnations remind me how 1 dimensional his character was. I mean Prime had the most memorable and MTMTE even rule bound as Ultra Magnus he has more depth than say StrongArm.

 

This seems like a weird thing to me.

Ore was only planting a tracking device on the engines and standing too close to it when they tried to jump caused the malfunction.

Wouldn't, you know, shoving the sparkeater and Rodimus's hands (and head) into it and jumping again cause another malfunction?

or did I miss something?

 

The first jump happened as an accident, when they weren't ready. The sparkeater jump was intentional and activated by Perceptor from the bridge. That's probably why the one did the duplicating and the other didn't.

The thing I'm puzzled by is what caused the explosion and accidental jump. I don't think Ore being too close to the engine would be enough to do it. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure they only said that Ore was standing too close and got totally mashed up in the engines when they jumped, not that he was the cause of the jump. Hmmm... weird.

 

Interesting. What if there's a LLIII and LLIV running around as a result of the Sparkeater caper?