...why didn't Hasbro just use the movie as a way to upgrade the existing characters while also introducing new ones?

It's simple, really. Optimus is heavily damaged in battle with Megatron. The Matrix upgrades him to a new body (Powermaster without Hi-Q, maybe) and Megatron becomes Galvatron.

A few TFs could have died, but fan favorites like Ironhide, Ratchet, Wheeljack, etc. could have received new bodies and thus, new toys.

Hod Rod and company could have still been introduced, and Season 3 could have divided time between a team on Earth (the new bots, maybe) and the original-yet-restored cast returning to Cybertron in the wake of the defeat of Unicron and the Decepticons.

This way, new toys could have still been made, no childhoods would have been destroyed, no kids would have locked themselves in closets, and very likely, the series would have continued on beyond Season 3.

 

You must be thinking of Beast Wars  

 

Because Rodimus Prime was far more interesting as a character.

Problem is, kids watching the show at the time didn't see it.

 

The only problem with that would be: "No, Tommy. You already have an Optimus Prime."

 

That would have been cool.

 

There was a thread concerning the Death of Prime in 86. In it was mentioned the idea that up until that point, big toy companies didn't really place much stock on the longevity of the characters. Prime was a fan favourite, but they didn't realise just how much and just how many versions of the same character people would buy.

Hence killing off old characters that were just cluttering shelves as it made more sense for kids to be interested in new exciting characters rather than just the same characters but a bit different looking.

 

What Optimus becoming Cybertron to fight Unicron?

Hey I watched it as a kid and I wasn't traumatized as some of you would like to portray. Perhaps I was desensitized but as a child I already knew personally the concept of death. And shows around that time aren't soccer mom friendly. Voltron, Blue Noah, Macross, Super Sentai acknowledged good people can die.

Heck that historical vid that Spike and Carly watched showed Decepticons killing Autobots. It wasn't called a war for nothing.

 

That would've been cool. I wish that Powermaster Optimus could've gotten introduced at some point in the series, maybe in Rebirth.

When the original movie came out, I was only five years old. So I just accepted all of the changes that were made. I guess I wasn't really old enough to question their decision to kill off many of the original characters.

 

I agree, death was no shocker. In fact I could not believe with all the laser fire the characters took every day that no one had died earlier in the first couple of seasons. I'm sure we all understand that the cartoon was really a 30 minute commercial, five days a week, so it only makes sense to kill off the old characters to make room on the shelves for the new ones.

 

Basically this is what Lego had done with Bionicles every couple of years and now recently with Hero Factory.

That would have been interesting, But i'd see having Optimus Prime get reformated in Season 3 and not in the movie though. Makes his comeback more special.

 

There is the fact Optimus Prime is already a rebuilt robot. His origin in War Dawn showed him, his friends and co-workers massacred by Megatron.

 

That would have indeed been interesting, but then I think the reason TF: the Movie became so ingrained in our memories and evolved into a cult hit, is because of the deaths of so many fan favorite characters   Look at GI Joe, I don't think people hold it in the same regard  

 

Well, considering that most of our Transformers look the same to our parents (which is funny, since this somehow remains true when comparing a red semi truck to a black jet), I don't know if the toy sales wouldn't gone down "that" much. However you're right, as new things generally sell more than an old thing that's been retooled, and it's not like Beast Wars "only" had toys of the main 15 or so characters. If anything, most of the toys has nothing to do with the show.

 

They would have had a tougher time introducing the matrix that way but the certainly could have done that. On the other hand there is a certain history of heroic sacrifice and evil escaping death that makes this version more powerful in a lotof ways.

TF:TM didn't suck tho'...

 

Don't underestimate your parents. Your parents were paying attention. Remember how popular this cartoon was? Every kid watched and every kid wanted them. There is a reason you got the right transformer for you. Your parents might have been bored but they paid attention and heard the names you threw out a million times. They spent their hard earned money on this and come Christmas time they were scrambling around town looking for particular transformers and fighting other parents for them. I can't say the same for grandma who would show up with the generic transformer though
.
To this day my dad may not remember the names, but he'll ask me about which ones I have. The red truck (Optimus), the rocket with the track (Omega) the purple gun that made noise (SHockwave) and the construction vehicles (Devastator, who was his favorite because he worked in construction).

 

Your parents were much better gifters than mine, pal.  

 

In neither of your responses do I find anything I can comprehend.

 

I thought everything was pretty cool, why pick at it?
I didnt cry over Prime, like someone else said, I had already cried over a shot uncle, etc....
My mom cried for Prime when she first saw that part though.

I really liked the comics with PM Prime, but the way they built him makes it seem kinda hokey....The floppy disk thing, idunno, I guess it would work, but what about his spark? Didnt they basically just "recreate" a slightly ******ed version of what *was Optimus Prime? (not tryin to be funny)

 

Sparks were shoehorned into G1 after Beast Wars, so the floppy disk was basically comic Prime's spark.

I think the deaths were important to the movie. Bringing them back would make death not matter. It was special when Optimus came back in The Return, he's "The Chosen One", not just a leader. Not to offend anyone, but there's a difference between Jesus and a soldier. It was a really good WHAM Episode.

 

I'm sure if done in this day and age, they would have been upgraded. Back then they didn't come up with "upgrades" until Powermaster Optimus Prime, Jazz, Bumblebee, Starscream, and the Action Masters. Though Galvatron was technically the first...

Nowadays it's common practice to upgrade the cast.