Just saw my first episode of Beast Wars

So I just saw my first episode of Beast Wars, courtesy of YouTube. It was...um...different. Optimus Prime as King Kong...I'm not so sure about that. I can see the appeal of having robots that transform into dinosaurs and insects, even rhinos and big cats. But being a child of the G1 cartoons and toys, this feels really weird to me, especially Optimus Kong. And what is up with Rattrap??

I sorta like the concept established in the first episode, that the energon on that planet is so strong that they can't stay in robot form very long, that they have to stay in their beast form most of the time for protection. That's interesting. But why the hell do they have to give themselves the command to transform, why can't they just do it? It wastes a lot of time! Megatron as a T-Rex is very cool, as is Starscream as a velociraptor. Did this series come out just after Jurassic Park? Megatron looks like he ought to be able to breathe fire in T-rex form; when he transforms, the t-rex's head ends up on the end of one of his arms and does fire. Why not in beast mode? (Granted, I've only seen one episode.)

Now for some questions...
1. Presumably they did not have these beast forms before they crashed on the planet (it's not earth, is it?), and yet right away they're calling themselves Maximals and Predacons. Where did these terms come from? Are they from Cybertron? Were they "Maximals" and "Predacons" on their home planet?

2. Is this taking a blend of Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime? Why does Rattrap keep challenging Optimus as leader, like he's new at it?

3. The Autobots' ship sent out a bunch of escape pods before it crashed, what happened to them?

4. Couldn't they have come up with a better name for Starscream than "Dinobot"? Especially given that we already have Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, and Swoop--THOSE are Dinobots! (And a velociraptor is such a cool critter, and "Dinobot" is...well...underwhelming.) (Apologies to ILoveDinobot on these boards!) I don't know, it's like naming the giant 3-headed dog in Harry Potter "Fluffy."

5. Do the Maximals and Predacons have G1 counterparts/prior incarnations? Obviously Optimus Prime and Megatron do. Am I right in linking "Dinobot" *shudder* with Starscream? Is Rhinox Ironhide? Cheetor makes me think of a combination of Cliffjumper and Sunstreaker. And what is up with Rattrap? (I know, I asked that already!) The writers wanted to have a little more conflict among the Autobots?

OK, those are my first impressions from my first viewing of Beast Wars. I'm trying new things...
Input, explanations, and recommendations will be appreciated.

you gotta keep watching it for all three seasons. this is a show that builds upon character development. in this series, primal isn't the be-all and end-all leader, but instead sort of like a field commander. so he gets challenged more so than prime would've.

for Q.#4 I think Cheetor is actually supposed to be BB.

The answers to all your questions are answered as the show progresses.

Beast wars is one of the shows where you should watch it from beggining to end, it really changes after the initial two parter. Only thing i'll tell you, since its never actually said in the series I think, none of the maximals/predacons are the G1 characters, even if the names match up a little.

They were, actually. What I think is much weirder is the fact that their individual names were the same, too. On Cybertron, if we're going by the Botcon toys, Rattrap turned into a motorcycle. Dinobot turned into a crane. Waspinator turned into a jet. And so forth.

In BW, the Maximals aren't exactly soldiers...more like explorers. Optimus Primal is just an ordinary guy who has found himself thrust into combat. I actually like Primal much more than Prime, since it's easier to relate to Primal...he makes mistakes, he has a sense of humor, he's not the infallible god-like figure Prime was.

You'll find out.

I agree with you to some extent, but in hindsight I think Dinobot is just such a cool character that he more than makes up for it.

Not really. BW Megs is a descendant of G1 Megs (and another example where I've come to like the BW version way better). But there are certain general character archetypes that are definitely shared between BW and G1.

In interviews with the writers you see that they really wanted to push the "infighting" aspect. Stories aren't nearly as compelling when everybody just mindlessly gets along.

Keep watching and your questions will be answered like everyone says. And now thanks to you I'm going to watch the entire series all over again. Thank you !

Junkion Feedback + My sale thread ! = Love

Although I'm loathe to answer all the questions for you, you need to do one thing:

Allow G1 to pass. I don't mean that from a fanboy POV, but to not think of these as G1 characters. They're not. This isn't Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. It's Optimus Primal, Captain of a survey ship.

Dinobot isn't Starscream.

Keep watching, please. This show develops very well, and by the last season, you're going to be hooked like you wouldn't believe.

Dinobot is not meant to be Starscream or anything close to him.

Terrorsaur is the closest thing to Starscream in this show, even though.... ehhh, I won't spoil it for ya. Also, if you come across any missing episodes on YouTube, shoot me a PM, I'll help ya out.