What happened to Originality in Transformers?

This may not be a popular opinion, but I think the G1 formula has been played out as far as it's going to go. It seems like every series after Beast Wars has relied on regurgitated characters with names and looks that fans are familiar with, which frankly strikes me as lazy fanservice. Remember when the writers went out on a limb and did Beast Wars? Even though Optimus and Megatron had G1 leader namesakes, they were new, original characters, and it worked out beautifully. How many original characters have we seen since then?

Consider Knockout. He's a one-liner machine, no real development or character arc, yet he's already a fan-favorite. We're thirsty for something new. What if they took that kind of thinking further? Anyone else have thoughts on this? I know there are plenty of geewunners who really just want to see G1 over and over, but I can't be the only one looking for some fresh writing, fresh ideas, and totally original toys that aren't trapped in slavery to previous continuities.

I'd love to see a new series that doesn't have Optimus Prime or Megatron, for starters. I personally think both characters at this point just need a rest, especially Optimus.

Read the IDW comics. They are original AND fantastic.

True dat! ^^^ Ryoku is absolutely correct. Check out the comics!

I just got caught up on MTMTE last night, and it's as good as all the praise I've been reading. The DJD is awesome and wayyyyy more brutal than I would have expected to see in a TF comic. RID is pretty darn good too.


But, outside of the comics...

I hear ya, JDK. I've had the same thought. I quite often wish they'd just do something different! I mean, I still enjoy Transformers whatever the incarnation (Prime, FOC, etc.), but I would like to see them significantly "expand the mythos" beyond the whole Optimus/Megatron/War-thing. They've beaten that into the ground and, like you said, just keep re-hashing it over and over again.

Not to hate on the movies here, but from BW to Cybertron, there were a crapton of original characters.

Being honest, this is how I see Transformers following Beast Machines.

It's like a car full of writers, that has got stuck in the mud. They can't go forward as the tires just digs deeper in the mud. So they tell stores, RID, Armada, Energon, Cybertron, Movies, Animated, and Prime. All of which have common themes, but a different take in the way it was told.

Really, the Transformer line has been stuck since Beast Machines ended. If Hasbro wants to keep the Autobots and Decepticons, fine. But there is other ways to handle them.

Its a war, there are other soldiers and other commanders, that never once even lay optics on the top leaders. Use that idea, and show off and tell the story of the Autobot and Decepticon war from that point of view. Maybe kids would fall in love with those characters, just like another generation had done without the iconic characters back in Beast Wars.

BW Inferno:"By royal command, vote for the queen drones!!! For the glory of the colony!!!!!!!!!"
BW Megatron: "Ugh..... just vote YESSSSS in 2013."

What about Robots in Disguise? I thought that had some original characters in it, plus some original ideas, like how the Predacons were the main enemies instead of the Decepticons. Plus, if it weren't for RiD, we wouldn't have fan-favorites like Shark Byte and Scourge. Granted, both are repaints, but the two themselves are original.

Hasbro is not required to give us Transformers fans anywhere near as much fanservice as they usually do. After 25+ years, the franchise has always been, still is, and always will be about selling toys to kids, with fanservice being secondary. Part of this is that Hasbro needs recognizable character archetypes and no other Transformers are as well-known as Optimus Prime and Megatron. Season 3 showed that the franchise can not survive without those signature characters, since they had to bring Optimus back to life at the end.

Sky Byte is a repaint?

Originally Posted by Violator Autobot Burnout, I don't care what anyone says about you, you're a smart cookie.

Originally Posted by Mechafire Burnout, you are my hero.

Originally Posted by Escargon Nobody can defeat Autobot Burnout. I suggest you give up now.

It was deemed... unprofitable.


No but seriously recurring or reincarnated characters make good business sense because it allows you to capitalize on brand identity you've established in earlier incarnations of the franchise, and in a character-strong brand like transformers, you've seen how rabid some fans can get when their favorite character gets a nod in a new series. Compare this to the (while more interesting) practice of making the cast of each series predominantly new characters, and you're taking a gamble on those characters (and starting from scratch in a brand equity sense) every time. It also helps you defend your trademarks and copywrites and saves you money on reserving new ones.

Up until the Movies there were plenty of original characters.

Hot Shot
Red Alert (though a name reuse)
Scattorshot (though a name reuse)
Override
Sideways
Demolishor
Cyclonus (though a name reuse)
Tidal Wave
Mudflap
Ransack
Crumplezone
Crosswise
Evac
Scourge (though a name reuse)
Snarl (though a name reuse)
Thunderblast

And they were all fantastic characters. Unfortunately ever since the Movies, almost everything has been G1, causing a lot of these characters to be left out. I'd much rather see these guys than pretty much anyone from G1