For a while, I've been thinking about the G1 and G2 series of the franchise, and wondered what could be the Generation 3 (4, 5, etc) of Transformers. Like say, Beast Wars, the Unicron trilogy, Aligned/Prime, Cyberverse, the Movies, etc.

What do you folks think? If there was any subseries of Transformers that you would consider the Gen3, Gen4, and so on, of the franchise, what/which would it be and why?

 

It depends on how G1 is defined. Beast Wars is firmly a continuation of G1 and in Japan even G2 and Robots in Disguise/Car Robots were retconned as part of G1. I'd argue that regardless of the Japanese continuity's later retcons, Robots in Disguise is G3, the Unicron Trilogy is G4, etc. Prime is influenced enough by the Bayverse that it's possible to consider them part of the same Generation in the same way that the Marvel and Marvel UK comics are considered G1.

 

I guess Armada is G3? really if we're defining G as a Generation of characters in a single continuity then we've got like... 7 or 8 clear defined "G's" G1, G2, AEC, SG, Movies, Prime, Animated, RiD01, RiD2015, Cyberverse. etc etc. But now with the increased focus that every generation of kids has their own defined cast while collectors lines visit common characters over and over it's becoming almost meaningless

Also I might be miss remembering but at one point there was a planned official G3 line but it never went far. I believe it would have been the alternative to Armada and would have been almost 100% new characters. I want to say this is something Aaron Archer said once but the mandate came down that they wanted something with a heavy collectable focus to we got minicons etc.

 

G2 was a continuation of G1 with new gimmicks and characters.

What continuation of G1 with new characters and gimmicks came right after G2?

Beast Wars; In 3D action!

 

Well, G2 was a continuation of G1. This wasn't clear in the cartoon (just a repeat), but it was clear in the toys and especially the Marvel comics.

Thus using the Generation [insert number] monicker should indicate a sort of sequel to G1, or at the very least take place in the same timeline. That's Beast Wars, Beastmachines and Universe. Takara tries to incorporate many other series in the G1 timeline (Car Robots, Binaltech, BW2, BWneo) but many are problematic at best.

I think my number one choice for a G3 would be Machine Wars. It has little to no fiction (save for the botcon comic) but it does have several classic characters. In my headcannon Machine Wars is sort of the final part in the G1 war: G1 (marvel) -> G2 (Marvel) -> Machine Wars -> BW -> BM -> Universe.

All other series are their own thing and seperate from the G1 timeline (Armadaverse, bay) or alternate realities of G1 (like Alt/Bt, the Combiner Wars tv series, Cyberverse, and wfc).

 

I don’t think it’s that clear cut, especially with how long some of them run juxtaposed to others(Beast Wars/G2, Animated/Bay, RiD’15/Prime Wars, Cyberverse/WfC, Aligned in general)

 

Logically it would be Beast Wars as that was the next thing after G2

 

I mean, it depends.

If your talking Japanese canon, I guess that would be Armada as it was the first new continuity as in JP, The timeline starts with Primacron and ends with BWNEO, Thousands of years after Beast Machines.

 

I think that's impossible to answer. Everybody has their own interpretation of what makes it a Generation, and there'll never be a consensus, so it'll always be whatever you think it should, unless/until Hasbro officially comes out and names the Generations.

 

Everything that came after G1 was a new continuity, so none of them can be truly classified as ‘G(blank).’ Even Beast Wars cannot be firmly tied to either the G1 cartoon or comics, although it gets close. But even then it’s more of just a continuation of G1, not an actual ‘G3.’ The closest thing we got to an actual continuation of G1 was Machine Wars, and even that was just a tiny toyline with minimal info (mostly from the toy bios), and didn’t even have its own fiction.

There were actual plans for a ‘G3’ continuity, but it never happened:

Megazarak (Universe) - Transformers Wiki

 

Obviously, G3 is the trailer accessory that FansProject made for Classics Optimus Prime

 

I mostly agree with @Max Rawhide

Uhhhh
G1: G1
G2: G2
G3: Machine War
G4: Beast War
G5: post BM whatever happened in canon
G6:

 

Yes

 

Binaltech, since that story's entire purpose was to basically fix the plotholes of G1/Japanese G1.

 

It doesnt make sense, but for me G3 is classics toyline and all its successurs (Universe/Henkei/Generations)

 

At least Hasbro didn’t try that with Alternators

 

Big problem with considering Binaltech G3 is that it takes place during G1. The events from the Binaltech story take place between season 2 and the Movie (just like scramble city).

Bit strange to refer to events that happened in G1 as G3.

 

I don't consider twelve toys to be a generation. Besides, Machine Wars came out a year after Beast Wars in 1997.

 

This.

G3 = Machine Wars, although I don't feel like this story is fully fleshed out, beyond what we have in the Botcon comics.

 

Beast wars, Machine Wars, beast Machines and the japanese shows where all an extension of G1/2.
I would say Unicron Trilogy and Dreamwave were G3.
IDW, Movies, Video Games, Prime, nuRID all G4 (The "Aligned Continuity").
Cyberverse, nuIDW, Prime Wars and war for cybertron I would call G5.

Just IMO.