The only way I could see this working is if they give him a large role in the upcoming animated prequel. Then maybe they could have his ghost show up in a future movie. Although whether or not that would work is still kinda iffy, but I feel like it's the way that the audience would be the least likely to be asking "Who's this...Star...scream?"

However, I would prefer Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm, Acid Storm, Slipstream or Thrust appear instead of Starscream's ghost. Or they could even combine these two. They could combine these two ideas by having someone (maybe KSI or Unicron or a revived Shockwave) take Starscream's remains, extract his CNA and use it to clone him. Personally I think this clone should be either Sunstorm or Thundercracker as a nod to the fans (the latter would be an Armada reference to when Starscream's got Thundercracker's color scheme during the Unicron Battles). However, they could really do this with any Seeker (or whatever they're called in the movie series).

 

Perhaps they may not do a G1 Ghost storyline for him as they could take a page from Animated where he has a device/artifact that allows him to stay alive even after being through things that could kill him or even make it so he has a mutant spark like in BW where he's tough to kill. Either of those would fit into the movie verse better.

 

But isn't the Mutant Spark the reason why he is a ghost since G1 and BW are in the same continuity?

 

Absolutely not. I don't see it actually panning out well in the movieverse

 

Yeah I know. He also got a new body, but ended up disappearing into space.

 

Like Zoinks!

Personally I don't see it happening, but then again they've pulled bigger ass pulls in the movies before.

 

Yeah but I was offering a different take on that idea for the future movies since it wouldn't be too outlandish.

 

And that's REALLY the problem, ultimately.

The idea of a "ghost" is just so ridiculously hokey and gooftarded it really deserves to stay relegated to the realms of the G1 cartoon.

But there ARE ways it could be adapted to fit the live action films, fwiw. If it could be handled in a way like the "ghosts" of the Primes were in TF:RotF then it would be excusable. I mean, their sparks theoretically fused with the Matrix and survived within it and were therefore able to commune with the Witwickys through the AllSpark energy but someone as cunning and underhanded as Starscream could presumably made to have conjured up some crafty manipulations along the same lines if the writers see fit to concoct such a conceit, I suppose.

But there are better ways to bring him back and better characters to focus on instead, I'd say.

 

What if Starscream had somehow become a sort of computer virus? Or is that too Ultron/GITM?!

 

Given that is what I dearly hoped would end up being the case with Prime Soundwave (and like every goddamn thing else in that show I was incredibly let down in that regard), the idea of a sentient computer virus is pretty much an awesome idea that totally should be explored.

I mean, it's basically how they fucking rationalize Galvatron in AoE isn't it? Trace data of Megatron still in his parts that apparently manipulates the morons called humans into rebuilding the motherfucker who tried to kill them all three times over? Hell, it worked for Sigma in the Megaman X games.

 

There was a time I would have said, "Yes."

Honestly though, I think the movies for the most part have been better at depicting the under-used characters of the brand than the brand's most famous Cybertronian faces. The movie versions of Lockdown, Sentinel Prime, Hound, Crosshairs, and Drift have been awesome! Rather than see over-used characters be resurrected yet again I'd rather see robots known to be surviving as well as new Decepticons. Let's focus on Megatron/Galvatron, Barricade, Onslaught, and other Decepticons that have not appeared yet. I'd be down for Ratbat or Cyclonus or Sixshot (however unlikely that may be) or Astrotrain or Bludgeon or Swindle or others. I love Starscream, but I'd rather let other Decepticons shine.

The films are going in a new direction, and I think the survival of Barricade and return of Simmons, Lennox, and Epps are enough as far as bringing back old characters that skipped the last film.

 

I disagree. We know Megatron is back, but without Starscream even being present, there is going to be something lacking because of what Starscream represents. The entire logical reason Megatron ever kept someone as openly disloyal as his second in command is that the one thing Starscream could be relied on was to try and ursurp Megatron at a moment's notice should the chance present itself. Thus, Megatron would always have to be on guard for whatever spontaneous ploy Starscream tries next - never directly trying to kill him even through sneak attacks of brute force, because that isn't Starscream's way, he's the underhanded schemer. But he's so alert on trying to exploit any weakness to ursurp Megatron that he doesn't really think in the long-term for his schemes, and so just as reliably as Starscream siezes opportunity, he reliably can't push the advantage far enough to prevent Megatron from simply coming back and kicking his ass like a can for discipline, only to repeat the cycle again and again because Starscream's power mongering is never sated and Megatron needs Starscream as an important asset of protecting his position as Decepticon leader. He doesn't consider Starscream a threat in the least with these constant attempts to overthrow him - but the fact Starscream keeps trying to drop him at a moment's notice actually is invaluable to Megatron as instead of simply being paranoid in trying to protect every last gap in what keeps him in power, he just has to deal with Starscream every time he finds such gaps and predictably flubs it to the point Megatron can revise is defenses while also making an example of Starscream to keep discipline and control over the other Cons - in effect meaning Starscream's disloyalty and constant attempts to ursurp Megatron are actually one of Megatron's greatest assets in keeping his grip on power should literally anybody other than Starscream actually have long-term designs on taking power for themselves and are smarter about it than Starscream.

What makes Starscream's Ghost a natural evolution of that role is that despite constantly failing, Starscream's obsession to overthrowing Megatron/Galvatron is so strong that even killing Starscream - which after so many times of the cycle you'd think Megatron would go ahead and do (and does in Animated) because he grew tired of the game - isn't a viable option to ridding himself of the idiot.

 

No, silly idea.

 

But does Starscream always need to be there to be a thorn in Megatron's side? See, I love it in G1 or Animated when Starscream is there to be the treacherous bastard he is, but by the same token he doesn't need to be in every Transformers story there is. Transformers is so diverse in terms of its possibilities that I would rather see something a little different with the Decepticons in future films than "All dead Decepticons resurrected, Starscream betraying Megatron...again, Soundwave eavesdropping, Shockwave performing an evil experiment." Let's do something a little different with future films, please.

I love the Starscream-Megatron dynamic, but you know what I love just as much? The Galvatron-Cyclonus relationship, which is in many ways the polar opposite of Megatron and Starscream's relationship.

And if Starscream does return I don't want it to be in the form of a ghost wandering the Earth or galaxy taking over Cybertronian bodies. Heck, I'd much rather they go the route that was a concept for Megatron where he had this ship filled with spare bodies in case he died. Maybe Starscream also has a hanger that has backup bodies in case his main body died that has his information/spark sent to? Who knows, but I definitely don't want a bodiless specter causing mischief everywhere he goes. Might as well have Kremzeek be the villain if that's a route they're going to take.

 

Kremzeek as the main bad guy would be fucking amazing.

 

Well, in many ways I can't disagree with that!

 

Sure, why the hell not? Might give him a chance to be a bigger dick than normal.