IDW has put Starscream in charge of Cybertron, and is doing great with that storyline. But this also has the potential for a great political satire. The British have done wonders with political satires, with two of their best shows being YES MINISTER and THE THICK OF IT. The first show is about a couple of ministers of different political beliefs conflicting over how to rule a government, and the second involves political screw-ups that have to be unscrewed. Personally I enjoyed the first one more than the second; I only really watch the second one for all the swearing that goes on in it. I don’t know any American satires unfortunately, just dramas like THE WEST WING and HOUSE OF CARDS. Already IDW is doing a story that focuses on the issues the ruler of Cybertron would go through trying to cope with a newly-ended/ongoing civil war, but it may be more interesting if it was more satirical, ie Starscream having to deal with people behind him, acting like him: trying to cut him down, trying to grub for power, etc in a humourous manner. It'd probably be more entertaining, as it's Starscream vs himself and that would be quite a dynamic to watch. Can Starscream beat someone as sneaky as him, or would he be defeated instead? A political satire along those lines would make for an interesting story.
Something I found really interesting in IDW was Starscream's final monologue in Robots in Disguise #19 "Three Monologues", in which he says "You have to keep proving yourself, nonstop. The people, they don't want to thank you. They just want somebody to blame. They'll tear you apart for doing your best." It presents a different type of political satire I haven't seen in anything else. Most things that parody politics are from an outside perspective: the good, honest working class looking at the heartless corporate puppets who are supposed to represent them and seeing either nothing but greedy swine (as in George Orwell's Animal Farm) or something to fight against and topple (as in The Hunger Games), but RID #19 presents the satire from the politician's point of view, which I think is very refreshing. I know a lot of working-class people on Facebook who whine 24/7 about government decisions they find morally and ethically wrong, whether it be increasing tax, making certain recreational drugs illegal or even something little like closing down public toilets. At the same time though, I imagine there are probably dozens if not hundreds of politicians out there who genuinely want to make their country/city/whatever a better place, but become disheartened and frustrated because the public are so aggressively against every decision they make, so they end up having to explain themselves, compromise and try to put things right, but in the end the damage is already done and the angry public still hates them. While Starscream is anything but a noble political leader, his line about being hated for doing your best really made me think about this: It must suck for politicians to be despised by the people they represent because of certain decisions they make. In politics, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't, and that monologue presents this very clearly and also very powerfully.
No Government or president leaves office popular. It must be tough knowing that the very people that put you there in the first place will inevitably remove you again sometime down the line. Starscream will fail. It is the nature of things. But I don't think he'll relinquish power easily. He is a dictator waiting to happen, providing he surrounds himself with like minded individuals.
Let's see, Screamer is a lying, manipulating, selfish/self-centered opportunist who is hungry for power and control who knows how to shape events and be on both sides of an issue. Sounds like a politician to me.
There's no shortage of Cobra Commander for President ads, but this is the one I always liked. Cobra Commander 04 - YouTube Close enough, OP?
Oh it will end all right. This thread will be closed at some point. Somebody will take it too far. Lets enjoy it whilst we an eh?
I guess few people here have heard of Humphrey Appleby or Malcolm Tucker, because when I think of Starscream as a politician that's how I see him going. If the right people don't have power - Yes, Prime Minister - BBC - YouTube Malcolm Tucker rant - YouTube
While I like him fine where he is, I really would like to see Roberts tackle the politics of Starscream's leadership sometime. Barber's adequate enough, but Roberts is the superior writer and is no stranger to dropping some satirical references. With all the work he's done making the pre-war Senate a group of political nasties, I'd love to see his take on Starscream's rule.
I love the concept of starscream being a politician it just fits too damn well to not be utilised. I do feel a little like Idw could push it further as it feels like we have only seen bits of his reign in late season 1 of rid and in the windblade mini. As for what someone earlier has mentioned about there not being much fiction out there that looks at things from the politicians point of view in a fair way, try watching some of the later seasons of the wire as they are pretty fairly balanced in there portrayal of politicians.
Just chiming in to say that a good American political satire is Veep, on HBO. If you enjoy that sort of thing, check it out. Anyhow, I like your idea. I enjoy politics and political stories. While Transformers (as a kid-oriented franchise) will likely never venture far into that territory, if it did your "Starscream as politician" idea is a good one. He does have a lot of the stereotypical character flaws that people associate with politicians... arrogance, cravenness, opportunism, disloyalty, etc., but with just enough smooth-talking charm to keep himself in a leadership role.
I like this idea. I would probably enjoy Barber's ongoing a lot more than I currently do if it didn't take itself so seriously. Thundercracker is both likable, and funny, even if the joke isn't a well thought out one, so I think Barber can do humor. I would love to see more goofiness like Thundercracker, and less seriousness like... Absolutely everyone else.
