What a great lady me & a friend were able to chat with! She's one of the writers for RB & Prime, but my interview was skewered towards RB since it was on my FB page. Please enjoy! Also drew a pic to go with it! Heatwave: Areia L. Carroll asks "With Transformers Prime now over, are the writers thinking of any ways to further tie the shows together since they have been said to be in the same universe? Something like Agent Fowler, Unit:E or even Ratchet having cameos?" Nicole: The writing team is always trying to think of ways to put Easter eggs in Rescue Bots that tie it to the Prime universe -- a lot of people have noticed the "I hope there's no such thing as a Skyquake" line Blades has, or the implication that Morocco was trying to sell off technology to Silas. I can't spoil anything that's coming up, but know that we're still treating the show as existing in Prime continuity and we pay homage/reference that whenever we can. At one point in season 1 there was a chart of where the Rescue Bots episodes happened in the Prime timeline. Now we lag the Prime events by quite a bit, obviously. Heatwave: I know me & several others have often tried to put the timelines together... like when Morocco got the team fired & the bots couldn't contact Optimus, we often wondered if that was during the Orion Pax events. Gennie Shively asks "Did she grow up watching transformers or have other inspiration/motivation? The show is so intelligently written that I enjoy it as much as my kids." Nicole: First off, thanks for the compliment! The writers all take this show very seriously (Jeff Kline is a stickler for plot clarity and Brian Hohlfeld is always doing the "is this in-character" check) and we never want to talk down to our audience. I did indeed grow up watching Transformers G1, and playing Transformers (I was always Bumblebee), and I wish I had kept my Grimlock and Ravage toys. How cool were those?! But the biggest inspiration on this show has been the characters themselves - they're so fun to write for, and there's such a depth of mythology to reference and draw from. Also, this show is kinda my love letter to the 80s, as you can probably tell by all the pop-culture references. Heatwave: Lots of people love all those references! It makes for a fun game! Especially in the Alien Invasion ep! I love that you’re willing to take the time to do this! Boulder appreciates it too whenever he's on, heh. Boulder: Hi Nicole, Yes, I appreciate you doing this, as Heatwave says. It’s an awesome gift for you to give to the fans, and believe us, they ARE devoted fans! Heatwave: Andy Blair asks "Will we be seeing Hoist, Medix, or any other new bots in future episodes?" Nicole: Sorry, Andy, can't spoil anything, but I will say you'll meet more of the Burns family... Heatwave: Ha! Cool! That actually brings me to a question I had... would we ever see any of the moms? The few female characters we have so far have been absolutely great! Nicole: Can't say either way, sorry about that! BUT I can say you will see more female characters. Heatwave: Oooo exciting! You guys have done an excellent job with female characters in this series as well as in Prime! How did you come to work on RB? Was it because you were working on Prime already? Did Hasbro ask you or did you want to do it to begin with? Nicole: As we were wrapping up season 1 of Prime, Jeff Kline asked me to develop Rescue Bots with Brian Hohlfeld and himself. While we were in development (writing the bible and the pilot for the show), I kept writing for Prime season 2, but when we got our pickup, I started full-time on Rescue Bots as a co-story editor with Greg Johnson (who was just finishing on GI Joe Renegades). Heatwave: Krysta Osborn asks "Which Bot is Nicole's favorite to write and why?" Nicole: I love writing for all the Bots for different reasons -- cranky pants Heatwave is fun 'cause I can hear Steve Blum's snark in my head. Blades is hilarious and Parv always plusses the lines with his reads. Boulder is sweet and the emotional core of the Bots, and Imari brings such warmth to him. But I have to say, writing for Chase is my favorite. His dead-pan reads make for some really great stuff, and the "that's what she said" line (in fact, that whole episode where he's learning about Earth humor) still crack me up -- D.C. knows how to deliver! Stay tuned for some more great Chase episodes this season. Boulder: Thanks Nicole. I've met DC at a con and he does deliver, it’s very true! See, Heatwave, I'm sweet! Nicole says so! Heatwave: Phssh... you can be the huggable one... I don't need hugs! When I first started watching, I was kinda meh about Chase, but I've really come to like him, DC does a great job & you write some great lines for him! One of the new promos made laugh! "There are times I wish gravity wasn't a law!" Nicole: I shoulda said stay tuned for great episodes for each Bot, as we try to feature them each at least twice per season! Heatwave: I always look forward to my eps. Nicole: Yeah, the Heatwave ep I wrote for s2 might be my favorite this season. Heatwave: Ooooo! Now I'm excited! What about the human characters? Do you have any favorites you like to write for there? I'm a pretty big fan of Chief myself, love him! Nicole: My favorite part of the humans in Rescue Bots is that we get to write them as families who work together, who are smart, and caring…Still-quirky, but ultimately people you want to spend time with. Yes, even Kade. It's probably easiest to write a line for him, and again, I have to give huge credit to Jason Marsden for his hilarious Kade deliveries. Maurice LaMarche delivers Chief as the dad everyone on the crew wishes they had -- he's so reassuring, caring and capable, with a sense of humor. Lacey Chabert brings a fun feistiness to Dani, and Shannon McKain handles all the techno-speak we throw at him with a lovable, nerdy quality (yes, Graham is the guy I would date). Writing for Tim Curry was a dream come true. Doc Greene has a fun way of speaking where he reverses what he's saying mid-sentence -- it could be this, or it could be that -- and we like to come up with fun science sayings for him: "boiling chips" is a throwback to my organic chem lab days. LeVar is amazing. And the kids are always so prepared with their lines. Elan Garfias plays Cody, and the emotion, range and sweetness he brings to the role makes the character real and the heart of the show. Diamond White has a sassy brightness that made Frankie appear in way more episodes than we originally planned. Oh, and who can forget Jeff Bennet, our love-to-hate Mayor Luskey and Huxley Prescott! (I think I got all the humans in there -- whew, probably more than you wanted to know!) Boulder: I like the Chief myself....and Doc Greene cracks me up! Speaking of casting, were there any changes made to the characters after the voice actors were cast to accommodate great ideas they came up with? Also, any fun stories to share about the casting process? Nicole: After the characters were cast, our amazing actors began to "plus" their roles -- sometimes with a reaction or ad lib. As writers, we love hearing this stuff, and we pick it up and run with it. The actors, by the way, are the closest-knit voice acting cast I've ever known -- we all hang out for fun after work and on weekends. We definitely write to them, and sometimes a story idea will come out of a joke one of them makes. Parv's dancing in the recording booth is evident in Blades in 201, for example. Fun casting stories -- well, Elan was Cody from the moment we heard him. It was a very easy show to cast; everyone just seemed to click! Heatwave: I bet having Tim Curry was a ball! Everyone was so excited he was announced! So that's where the boiling chips came from... had several people wondering! & good on Diamond! I really like Frankie! & I remember Jeff from so many older cartoons like Gargoyles & such. You guys do a great job with the humans. I rarely like them in TF series, but in RB & Prime I've liked them all! Especially Fowler in Prime! Kudos! Boulder: Great cast and we can tell they have so much fun! Our next question is from ABates. They ask: “Were there any scenes from season 1 that had to be cut during production that she wished could have been included?” Nicole: I am sure there are scenes that have been cut, and certainly we're always losing jokes because of time constraints. Specifically in the pilot, there were a lot more scenes/gags where Cody shows the Bots around Griffin Rock for the first time. Our scripts start out at 35 pages and we usually have to get them down to 31 for production, so a lot of stuff gets trimmed. We try to keep the bits in our minds that get cut, and find a place for them in future episodes. Heatwave: Pravus Prime asks "Rescue Bots has a lot of non-essential character development (such as the bots preferences in movies they like to watch), has this always been intentional from the start or is it something that has come about as the series progressed?" Nicole: The writing staff takes great delight in the character moments -- sometimes whole stories will arise from them, like "what if Blades was a pirate fanatic?" It's very intentional and a lot of fun. We want to really get to know our characters and their quirks and we try to put that in as much as possible. To me, that's what helps make a character real. Heatwave: I love character quirks! They really make them seem more alive! Partly why I find this show so endearing. Moreprimeland asks "Where did Dr. Morocco get his anti-aging machine? And WHAT does it run on? He mentions it was the best technology he stole... from who?" Nicole: All of your questions will be answered… In time! Stay tuned. Heatwave: And our last question would be...Is there anything in season 2 that you could tease us with? Nicole: In season 2, expect our characters to meet with even greater challenges… And undergo some serious changes. Also, this isn't off a particular question, but I want to put in a shout-out for our amazing artists, directors and crew who make the show as good as it is. They put their heart and soul into Rescue Bots and really believe in creating a great story. Frank Molieri and Brian Hohlfeld are two halves of an awesome executive-producing coin. Nathan Chew has been our director for all three seasons, and the passion and joy he brings to the board is incredible. Props to Jerry (the driver among other things), Matt, Austin, Bess, Zac, Judge, Patrick, Tim… Our composers and international artists... We've had tremendous support from our executives at Hasbro and the Hub (they give very helpful notes - you should have heard our time travel discussion!). And of course, major thanks to Jeff Kline for making this all possible. (If I forgot to mention anyone, it's my own lack of coffee, not their lack of talent!) Heatwave: It takes a lot of people to make a great show! The music has been topnotch & often gets stuck in my head, especially the tune often played when they're out in the water (that whistling tune). There's so many great little moments in the show that make me go "Cool!" like in ep 2 when Chase did that flip transform. Ah coffee... hot brown water in a spherical container... Nicole: LOL about the coffee comment, Heatwave. Thanks for the opportunity to do this, it was a lot of fun! Boulder: Actually, thank you, Nicole!!! Taking the time to chat with us is a wonderful gift to the fans, and much appreciated! Heatwave: Yes, thank you again! This was absolutely wonderful and gave us some great insight into the workings of the show! You have been absolutely great!
WHY did he stop watching?? It's great entertainment. Anyway, thanks for the interview.... gotta say she kept dodging all of our questions that might be answered in Season 2. Guess she's hooking us like Heatwave did a certain mechanical shark. btw, thanks for using my ?, cool. Of course, it was another one of those she couldn't answer.
I tried to give this show a shot but it was really too kiddie for my tastes, nothing edgy, the kid is the hero, moral story for the youglings. I watched episode 1 of season 1. Does this show get any better...if so, how does it get better. What makes you hooked on the show...and please don't tell me it's "great entertainment".
I think the characters are absolutely great, including the human ones. The kid isn't always the hero, as he's often back at the fire house since he's too young to accompany them on most rescues. The stories tend to be fun and often crazy, like with the Flobsters or the giant mechanical shark. When Morocco shows up, things get more intense and rough. It's really a fun show.
Awesome! It's so great to "hear" a bit about when the RB timeline is supposed to take place as opposed to the Prime timeline. I hope they'll share that info with us sometime in the future.
A good interview, but I'm sadly not into Rescue Bots. As much as people keep telling me it's great with all the references and humour and stuff, but for me it isn't. I only watched one episode "Bumblebee to the Rescue" (for Prime tie-in), after that nothing else. It's just... eh... not my thing, guys. It's difficult to explain why, but I just don't like it.
(Not meant to troll or insult anyone, but I had to chime in with how over-rated Rescue Bots is. Sorry, if this insults any fans! Much love to you guys and Bronies! ) The flobster episode was terrible. The show is just... stupid. Hear me out: if you remove all guns, violence, evil... then you're left with an after-school special about making friends and not doing drugs. Even for kids, it's horrible. The only reason my 2 yr old likes it is because he loves the toys. If any of you guys have some 5 yr olds who live by the program, feel free to chime in how often then re-enact these politically correct episodes full of mutual understanding and respect and Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Why on Earth would so many grown men swear by this program? For that matter, why on Earth would so many grown men watch past episode one? Granted, I realize this is a website for collecting "toys", but Rescue Bots is aimed at toddlers, according to Hasbro's marketing. So... ??? Still, if you remember the 1984 Transformers, you might consider some of those episodes "edgy", and I don't recall any kids shooting people while screaming "NOT TODAY, MEGATRON!!!" (i.e. it's not the presence of guns that intrinsically creates violence in young people). Thanks for saying that. If I hear one more grown guy talk about how great this show is... GROAN. It's not just that the show has no teeth and is ultra-baby-mama-safe; it's the insult to G1 -- Rescue Bots is the "appropriate" version of TF for young kids. I don't know about you, but I disagree. Side by side, I think Rescue Bots asks less of our kids and makes them stupid. G1 isn't miraculous by comparison, no, but at least the formulaic episodes deals with a more realistic depiction of two factions at war. Rescue Bots touches on that (even mentioning that BB lost his voice box in the war... wow, a little graphic, considering their previous record of kid safe, but they were going for continuity with Prime, I guess ). Rescue Bots avoids labeling anything as evil or wrong, and simply deals with idiotic mistakes and personal disagreements as the main conflict. OH NOES! CODY SOUPED UP HIS GO CART BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE'D BE MORE AWESOME GOING FAST, DESPITE WHAT HIS DAD SAID ABOUT GETTING PROPER TRAINING BEFORE GOING FAST! Guess where this is going, guys! RESCUE BOTS TO THE RESCUE!!!!!! YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I understand the show is enjoyable in the sense of how Bronies "enjoy" My Little Pony. To each his own, and no hate to any of you guys who genuinely enjoy it. I just wish you could stop gushing about how great the program is and admit that maybe it's more for kids than most TF fans. There's nothing worse than getting an overly enthusiastic recommendation for a product that's VERY NICHE among 30-somethings. And yeah, that statement is full of irony, I know! I mean, niche among niche!
I'd like Hoist and Medix to show up as guest stars, but considering they haven't had toys in awhile, I'm feeling it's not as likely.
ZapRowsdower, just curious why you felt the need to put this on the interview with the show's creator… Instead of say, in the General forum. Kinda not so nice, just saying. I can bet this'll make want her to do more interviews for us for sure. *eye roll* Although I do applaud your knowledge of numerous episodes - obviously you have watched with your 2 year old. But I guess you missed the Doctor Morocco episodes, where he takes over the island in a post-apocalyptic version of the future. I'd say that's pretty evil, as things go. *shrug* Yeah, to each his own, but does it really do any good to anyone to dis what someone else likes just for the heck of it? Surely you didn't learn that from G1? Oh, and BTW, saying "no offense" and then vomiting vitriol doesn't excuse the puking part. The more you know... *star streaks across the screen*
Sorry, you're completely right about "time and place". I in no way mean to diminish the interview or pertinent discussion in this thread. Nor do I intend to insult the kind interviewee in any way or diminish her excellent work - my comments were aimed at the overzealous adults who over-promote a fine children's product. Please accept my apology, and do not interpret my negative comments as a larger demonstration of the fandom as a whole. Nah, I don't watch as closely as one would think, but I thought some pertinent examples to complement the criticism was necessary. Very astute, however, of you to notice I have not caught the Morocco episodes (a few pieces here and there, though). However, knowing a good counter-argument would be, "MOROCCO!!!" I stopped and thought about the contradiction that is Morocco - if Rescue Bots professes to offer an entertaining program that's devoid of violence, guns, and villains... then doesn't Morocco kind of contradict all of that? To me, Morocco has to be a brilliant addition, because no television program is sustainable on what Rescue Bots set out to do (eliminate good vs. evil and replace it with good vs. human incompetence and natural disaster). That's not to say it isn't a worthy topic (human incompetence, for example - i.e. Professor's experiments gone awry because he failed to include proper fail-safes and/or secure dangerous nanites)... but it's not exactly big enough to keep your attention for long. It's more of a philosophical complaint - can you eliminate evil by refusing to teach children about it (or omitting it from entertainment)? I don't particularly prefer stupid evil, where characters profess they like doing evil things... but this is the sort of programming most children television programs take the form of (i.e. Doofenshmirtz from P&F). I was trying to point out that over-excited enthusiasm for a mediocre (to adults, not children) product is as damaging as soul-crushing negativity. There's nothing worse than being let down after someone REALLY builds you up. Get it? I'm not cool with hatred toward all negativity. Yeah, I said, "no offense", and then expressed an opinion counter to your own (or that of the thread?). Again, it's not to hate you, but to express frustration with adults acting like the show is made for adults and should be given a chance. Don't confuse my honest, heart-felt criticisms as vitriol. If you think this is vitriol, you must not get much criticism. I guess you think I hit too hard with these points? I seriously didn't intend to hurt anyone's feelings. Especially since I'm not insulting people, but the program they profess to be so great. I guess I'm shocked to see so many news postings about the prospects of future seasons of Rescue Bots, and no where in these posts do they say something like, "tell your kids it's back!" No, this is news for... adults? Ehhhh, I don't get it. But my criticism isn't about that: I'm genuinely concerned that Rescue Bots carries an unintentional subversive message of dumbing down our kids by removing villains and violence (and guns! Guns are EVIL!!!!). I'm just unhappy with the way they kind of shoehorn rainbow positivity and life lessons like that (without a proper conflict, IMO). And why are guns evil again? Have there been studies that directly correlate gun violence with 1984's TF cartoon-watching? Thank you for the reply. I won't clutter this thread any more than I have. I realize I'm in the minority, or people just don't care to discuss the topic. I was just hoping to find some discussion about Rescue Bots as a whole (to be honest, I glazed over the actual topic and fixated on the words "Rescue Bots"). Sorry to rain on anyone's parade; please disregard my criticisms if it offends you. I'm not trying to insult or be a troll!
Everything comes down to good writing. A show does NOT need to have vicious villains and violence to be fun and enjoyable to a wide age group. It just needs well written, enjoyable characters and fun, interesting, challenging situations for those characters to inhabit. Rescue Bots has both those things. ZacWilliam, That's why it's popular with a wide range of age groups and why Hasbro is revamping their main TF show to be more like it.
