I'm trying to think of any continuity where the Decepticons wiped out their own civilization. In most continuities, they hold multiple planets. Even in the broken season 3 they've still got Charr.

Anyway, let's flip it. Why doesn't Optimus just surrender?

A conditional surrender would actually have been far more beneficial then fighting to the point of extinction or in any kind of attrition, which is what the Optimus in most continuities does. In Animated, Megatron actually hammers out an agreement with Ultra Magnus to end the war just to save lives and resources. Take Prime, where there are thousands of Decepticons and about 10 Autobots, yet the Autobots fight because that's what they do, they're terrorists to their own people with no real end goal in sight other than to massacre those who don't have the same badge on their bodies. If the greatest good is all that matters, then having the Autobots surrender with some clauses would be for the best. Fractures in the Decepticon militiary political industrial complex would be highly stressed and with time and normalization instead of a war of badges, it would be a war of ideas again, leading to either a reformation or a new conflict.

Questioning such behavior is always fascinating to me, as it's seldom questions like, why doesn't Galvatron just start wiping cities out until the Autobots surrender or are exterminated in them? Dude can blow up planetoids and crack planet surfaces like an egg, and set back advanced civilizations by centuries in five minutes, that he isn't winning a violent war is just weird.

Instead, people try to turn Optimus into a psychopath. Often.

 

I do agree to an extent that negotiate would have spared numerous lives.
Except that in the deeply flawed season one and two of G1 we see numerous times that this would only lead to an unopposed Decepticon reign of terror.
One might argue what is preferable: violent death or enduring exploitation and suffering.
Maybe negotiations at the start of the conflict might have worked, but I doubt by the time the war spread outside of Cybertron it would have done any good. Mostly because the Autobots wouldn't have anything to negotiate with.

 

Perhaps not the civilization, but Megs definitely did render their homeworld uninhabitable in Aligned by poisoning the core with Dark Energon....

 

Okay, point by point here:

1)

The other Decepticons aren't going t o simply stand around for this; trying to pull an attack like this si a sure way to get them to retaliate with EVERYTHING in their forces, including weapons like Monstructor, Trypticon, Scorponok, Predaking, Devastator and Menasor. Any of those boys are going to hurt you in ways you did not think hurt could ever exist.

As for "death camps", who do you think the Autobots are exactly, anyways?

2)

Optimus Prime isn't going to do that kind of thing, and those who serve under his command do so because they aren't like that either. if they were, there most likely would not be a war. You're talking more along the lines of Straxus, whom even Megatron didn't care very much for. Not to mention most Cybertronians would not "worship" someone who demonstrated that they are basically Megatron with a different faction badge.

Also: do you honestly think Primus, Alpha Trion or the Matrix (in whichever combinations and continutities) would have chosen Optimus if he were this way?

3)

Some joke, considering that Earth takes them pretty seriously. While several episodes indeed make a farce of them, in many others, the damage even their failed plans cause (such as The Ultimate Doom) nearly end all life on Earth and leave it in ruins. As for specific Decepticons you mention;

Trypticon the Decepticon City doesn't need "arms" per se to go up against Metroplex. He has a gigantic set of teeth that could shred city blocks for miles, and onboard weaponry that is comparable to the Autobot City's armament. not to mention a tail that he could swing around Godzilla-style (swing his read end) if he chose.

Soundwave: Soundwav'es main purpose is communications and espionage master, not 'brawler". Your comment "he gets beaten to a pulp many times by Brawn" doesn't seem to take into account that Brawn is one of the strongest Autobots:

Transformers Tech Specs

While this is from G1 tech specs before the newer Autobots came in the next wave, Brawn is nobody's lightweight. Compare to Soundwave:

Transformers Tech Specs

He's only "8" on the scale.

Now, as for Blaster, he's on par strengthwise with Sondwave. But while Soundwave may be a bit smarter, Blaster has more courage, endurance and firepower:

Transformers Tech Specs

All of that said: Blaster is nobody's chump either.

As to the issue of Megatron's Combiners and other forces: the series never shows them all at once, nor what they are all doing at any moment. I doubt Megatron is simply having them sit around doing nothing, especially since the movie states that the Decepticons had completely overtake Cybertron by the time Unicron had come on the scene. All of them are a serious enough threat to where Earth has to form an alliance with the Autobots and sanction the construction of Autobot City due to the necessity posed by their continual efforts.

4)

Do you know what they call the entire army being in "an open field" in a war ?

DEAD.

That fact I had an issue with in several episodes, as doing so leaves you without cover and vulnerable to Combiners, giants and Cityformers simply stepping on you or vaporizing you with portable artillery. I think Prowl would never suggest a plan of action that had nearly zero chance of success, let alone could reduce the Autobots' fighting forces to scrap.

You seem to forget also that the Decepticons do one thing that most Autobots cannot: fly.

But to the final point: if Optimus Prime seems to you to be a coldblooded ruthless killer who only dreams of crushing his opponent, nothing could be further from the truth. He didn't treat Jetfire as an enemy, and welcomed him into the ranks (albeit it was a bit delayed until Fire on the Mountain) when he had a change of heart. The kind of Optimus you're suggesting would have gladly drained the earth himself of energy, and it would have simply been a race to see which side could screw Earth over first.

 

Autobots don’t fly!?

 

I would assume that some form of negotiations had been tried, with it ending rather badly.

 

@Caminus Prime Just watch the Optimus origins episodes and you will see just WHY he would NEVER condone doing the things you are suggesting should be done.

Historically, an army that just charges in without a plan is dead. The Autobots would be no different.

Any attempts to off the enemy leader will only lead to others taking power. Look no further than the U.S. Presidential assassinations in history. Heck, look no further than world history for such things period!

Death camps? Again, this is a faction that supports peace and freedom! No way would the Autobots do such a thing, as that is what dictators and facists use.

So stop assuming something like that would be acceptable even by HASBRO’S standards. They might be the ones who created the lore and care more about the money, but even THEY have standards. Plus...*war ends with death camps and Megatron killed in first episodes* Transformers? What Transformers? No TFs = no money.

 

Then, that begs the question: Why can Megatron, Soundwave and Reflector fly? The Seekers make sense, but a gun, tape cassette and a camera?

 

The Dinobots, built on Earth, can fly unaided.

 

Assume that Wheeljack added that in deliberately. If you're looking for a "Gotcha!" moment against the posts made by @JackKnife earlier, this would not be it. I get the cartoon was sometimes inconsistent, but it did reference the no flying thing several times.

 

Because you really don't want to be leaving your leader, comm officer and reconnaissance bot/team to walk when you have to go from place to place.  

 

If you'll notice, everybody that's not a Dinobot is wearing a jetpack in that shot.

Pretty much, yeah. This was something that was inconsistent as early as the More Than Meets the Eye pilot in which the Autobots could fly in the first episode but not in the third one where Optimus Prime specifically requests Sideswipe's rocket pack so he can chase after the Decepticons in the air.

The show was terrible about maintaining the rule at times but it did exist, nonetheless.

That seems to have been because the Decepticons were military builds (while the Autobots were civilian builds) so flying was just something they could do. It's similar to how the Dinobots, built specifically to be power houses, can fly despite not possessing aerial modes.

Incidentally, the Decepticons being military was also suppose to make them more powerful than the Autobots which was why Megatron remained a threat despite having fewer soldiers than Optimus Prime (until season two where both got a significant population boost).

 

There's many decepticons who defected and deserted the cause but megatron never gave chase, the rest would follow suit if they know what's good for them.

Same applies for autobots. Even in the third MTMTE pilot episode, Optimus offered his men to volunteer in stopping the cons from going home but they already knew the risk from the start. beachcomber never told anyone about golden lagoon and has risked the lives of Perceptor, Warpath, Omega Supreme, etc. But Optimus never banished him. The autobot/decepticons weren't "forced" into fighting. if any from either side chose to leave, Optimus and Megatron would let them.

TFP, G1, Bayverse, Unicron Trilogy, all reduced to nothing but Autobots and Decepticons. I wonder which one's responsible, hmm.

 

Again, where's the evidence for that? Sounds like you're just making it up because I've never heard that before.

 

In G1 there were several planet colonies of Transformers.

 

Because this is a cartoon and if Optimus did that, G1 would consist of like 2-3 episodes.

 

@Caminus Prime I am not going to try to convince you what you suggested that the Autobots do is wrong anymore since you won’t listen. But one more time I will explain something to you you don’t seem to get. Also, you seem to have skipped over my last post.

First off, WAR IS NOT ABOUT JUST CHARGING AT THE ENEMY WITHOUT A PLAN!

Second off, DEATH CAMPS?! That is like saying what the NAZIS did was right with their own death camps! Executing someone just because of a faction they chose is wrong on SO MANY LEVELS it is NOT funny! I rest my case.

 

Because then how would they make a show that lasts more than a few episodes and be able to sell toys?  

 

Ok, ok, I get it! you guys made your point.

 

Ok. Good. Look, we know why you are curious about the Autobot not just targeting megs and getting it over with, and on paper, it does makes sense. That is true, but in terms of actually being done, that is a whole different matter. As in, not practical.