I like the theory that the alt modes are copied from the vehicles of other races that they have picked up transmissions from or met in space exploration. We know that Jazz was up on earth culture early in the series. And since we don't know that this, being a new canon isn't current day not 4 million years ago... It's logical to assume alt modes were developed for their space explorers to blend in or "disguise" them on alien worlds. Aliens who are just as often as not, small fleshy creatures in the mythos.
You rephrased my question, brother. "Why" indicates the request for a response, which is the same as your "What would be your explanation"... "For Cybertronians" which is my fancy way of saying your "Transformers"... My "Have cockpits" is understandably indicating "Functional" in that we all knew that I meant functional because SPLIT even commented on what a (functional Cockpit) entailed, and "Pre-earth period" indicating (Before they required the need for earth modes), thus "Pre-earth," as you said. I don't believe my phrasing was that vague, in that most people immediately moved on to the notion of whether or not they were functional cockpits, so they understood my question, they just didn't all agree that what we were seeing in "any" iteration (because I didn't specify a continuity) were actual cockpits for smaller beings to sit in. Split... once again you are assuming that I am only talking about this game. When I indicated this before, you mentioned that I should have posted it in General Discussion.... I didn't. Not the first person to do this, and not the last. Interestingly enough, if I asked a Mod to move this to General, your argument stating, might need to be changed, because I specifically referred to Wheeljack's internals in MTMTE, and never once in my opening statement mentioned WFC as my only source for the question. The only thing WFC did was spark my question because I noticed these "cockpits" in the wallpapers posted this morning. So we're talking about two continuities, but I am just going to disagree with you and call it a night as far as WFC's (cockpits), because this isn't about whether they are or aren't, rather it about the ones that absolutely are in other continuities, and I wanted to know fans' take on why. WFC seems to be the only continuity where these characters don't have cockpits.... just painted ones, I suppose. And Wheeljack does have all the things you mentioned in MTMTE. HotRod and Springer all do, as does Arcee, and they never adopted Earth Forms. Cyclonus has a cockpit, one that Galvatorn miraculously shrunk and flew in. Anyway, we'll find something else to agree on, in another thread. In the meantime, I think we have set the record in using the word COCK on the internet
Some people get so bent outta shape for the silliest reasons... And for the record, until I see inside those "windows" and find a chair of some sort (whether it be for an ass or tentacles), they're sensors.
Actually i have an interesting question. Why are airplane cockpits called cockpits in the first place? =) Is it because the place the pilot sits in looks like a pit, and the pilot is always a cocky dude?
Record is set. Watch the first episode of Transformers. Again, I never said War For Cybertron. The wallpapers reminded me of something I always wondered about. Why? Because the characters in those wallpapers have something that (apparently up until now) have been cockpits, yes, with actual chairs and such. Jetfire never took on an Earthform and he has a cockpit that Spike and Sparkplug ride around in. It was supposed to be a thread about fan speculation and bullshit, but people get into the logistics only when it makes for argument. If we took that stand for every single myth-related thread.... Because if that Jet transformed, that area would be where his cock would be, and it has a pit in it for people to sit in
Right, the re-phase was due to most of us inferring that you were claiming (as fact) that WFC alt-modes were pilot-able and wanted to know why. The main response (from those that believe as I do) was that we haven't seen anything to justify that assumption and said so as our replies, instead of the intended question response which was hypothetical and directed at the Transformers canon in general.
Not quite, according to Dictionary.com cockpit 1580s, "a pit for fighting cocks." Used in nautical sense (1706) for midshipmen's compartment below decks; transferred to airplanes (1914) and to cars (1930s).
And what happened almost immediately after when I explained that I was not referring to WFC? Why is it still an argument after I clarified? Split agreed that War Within characters had internal controls, and We know for a fact that G1 do. So even if we agree that WFC is the absolute only continuity (sans Beast Wars) where the characters simply have painted cockpits, why (after I clarified) are we still arguing about it? The question was vague enough to encompass all Transformers, and when it wasn't, I cleared it up. Cybertronians have working cockpits, in every continuity except for WFC (which I don't agree with). Why does anyone, but those who simply want to argue about that, think this is the case? Also, while on topic, let me ask you this.... Why would the artists to WFC make this the only Transformer story where the Cybertronian forms would only have things that LOOKED like human vehicle cockpits? Was it their choice to simply make them familiar? Familiar to who? The Fans? Fans who might be familiar with these characters having forms which resembled earth vehicles? Earth Vehicles with COCK-pits? Why not take the logical stance and not make them look that way, since, you know, they are trying to go for a more adult stand on the franchise? Since we're not talking mythology, but rather design-specs. edit: looking at Bumblbee in WFC... if anyone looks like he doesn't have internal controls, if would be him. It seems like he only has side windows.
It's not. I was being vague with the term because I was looking more at the jets from the TF universe. I wonder how many times we've used the word cock in this thread
If that is indeed your real question, that you posted in the WFC-specific discussion section, then the answer is "because most TF shows have bad writing and limited time/budget to apply toward new character models." Based on the G1 first episode, we may assume that A) they are not real windshields, merely pseudo-cockpits, for all the earlier reasons stated (visual recognition for the audience, sensor hubs for TFs in-continuity) or B) for other Transformers... which is of course contingent on whatever mass-shifting tomfoolery the writers for a particular episode are ready to indulge in. or C) a combination of the above.. Skyfire is an easy one... he's actually scaled to fit other Transformers in space-jet mode... so his cockpit (etc) is designed to accommodate his own kind. In the Marvel comics, the appearance of cockpits depends largely on the writer, the artist, or what toys needed to be featured in a given issue. However, in some of the earlier issues, before stuff got totally dumb, it is noted that TF "cockpits" are missing some key features that would be featured in a regular car, indicating that the Earth-mode cockpits are really mostly for show. I think it may be presumptuous to assume that pre-Earth TFs in "all other" continuities have functional cockpits. We don't see much of the TFs "pre earth", though we do sometimes (as in Cybertron) see other TFs with cockpits that have never encountered humans. The simple explanation for this in most cases, is that it is stupid. Which should come a surprise to nobody... the TF series over the years are just brimming with stupid, inconsistent shit that doesn't really make any sense. Best thing you can do as a fan is to simply ignore it. zmog
Obviously they have interiors the their vehicle alternate modes regardless of them being a car, truck, ship, plane, train, rocket, tank or whatever—they are robots in disguise; and a disguise is only as good as it is to the real thing. In the very first episode, Wheeljack opens up his trunk so that storage could be placed inside, Bumblebee too. I'm sure this isn't something unique to just Wheeljack. Even before Soundwave was a cassette, his chest-deck opened up and his little minions popped out from just as they did in 1984. Whatever worked on Cybertron worked on Earth too, and vice versa—they only altered their forms; they didn't gain new skills. Teletran-1 chose things of this world best suited to their alien one.
They could write an origin story that could relate to humans on earth. cybertronians were people like us with similar vehicles, they got into technology to live longer and became transformers. that would explain cockpits and earth like vehicles we can relate too. When transformers come to earth, they give us the technology, megatron uses it to enslave humans. then humans can fite the transformers on an equal footing. this would also give more gameplay options.
I was under the impression that WFC is closely or directly following the time line of the G1 cartoon. In the G1 story, Cybertron originally was built by the five faced jellyfish like aliens called Quintisons. It is a planet sized robot factory that produces consumer robots (Autobots) and military robots (Decepticons). The A.I. brains of the robots got ever more sophisticated and they became sentient (the Quintison equivalent of Skynet and the terminator robot rebellion). The robots themselves then developed vehicle transformation "camouflage" while fighting each other. It seems to me their design is more "cut and paste" rather than "evolution and natural selection". They ripped off Quintisonian vehicle design and got stuck with superfluous details. All of this is detailed in the 5 part mini series "Five Faces of Darkness". YouTube - Transformers G1 season 3 Five Faces of Darkness Part 1
some cybertronions are rumble and frenzy size. i bet they are happy for cockpits as they can't turn to vehicles.
