Optimus obviously thinks humans as innocent people to the conflict between Autobots and Decepticons. So when Raf gets hurt, he nearly loses his cool and became determined to take down Megatron. However, does this also prove Optimus cares about humans more than his own kind? Bulkhead said Optimus never loses his cool and Ratchet said Optimus keeps his emotions in check. The series started with the death of one of their own, Cliffjumper, yet we never saw much emotions from that loss. When Ratchet had his judgment impaired from the synthetic energon, he accused Optimus that Optimus have no problem endangering the lives of his fellow Autobots. Judging from what we've seen, there may be a little truth to it, although one can argue Opimus have more confidence in Autobots's abilities to take care of themselves than humans. Still, the fact that Optimus also had wished to change Megatron's mind, and it took Raf, a human on brink of death to flare up Optimus's emotions and finally determine to kill Megatron? What should we think of this? Optimus loves humans more than his own kind?
I think it has to do with how he thinks of humans as innocent people. I mean what did Raf ever do to Megatron before Megatron infected him with dark energon?
It´s a difference between a soldier killed in the middle of a conflict, and a 12 years old bystander harmed to near-death for no reason. Besides, I think Optimus feels remorse of having brought the cybertronian war to Earth, specially considering what that war costed to his own planet. He doesn´t want to see history repeat.
I think that Optimus does care for humans a little more than his own kind, but I think it's because he sort of sees them as what Cybertronians used to be before the great war. Starting with the death of Cliffjumper, we have to remember that the war has been going on for (millenniums?) and most of their kind have been killed because of the war. As a leader, he's probably seen a lot of his kind die and he may still be effected by it, but I think he's become somewhat numb from seeing it so many times before and having to keep his composure to reassure the Autobots who follow him. As for humans; looking at Cybertronians and humans, we may be different species but we are similar in many ways. We are sentient beings who create technology, evolve throughout time, we both feel emotions and there are good/bad sides to both species. Optimus most likely sees humans as Cybertronians' equals in some way. Before I go on forever, I'll just get to the point. I think that Optimus doesn't want humanity to suffer from what destroyed the Cybertronians and their planet. He probably believes that humanity, like his kind did before, can achieve a 'Golden Era of Peace' and live in prosperity. However, if the Cybertronians' war becomes humanity's war as well, they may never be able to reach that point and possibly be extinguished from the universe itself because of them. And knowing Optimus, he may just take the guilt of everything onto himself because of his personality; he probably just can't bear with the thought of killing another species when he failed to save his own from the one he used to call his brother, Megatron.
Optimus watched a war devastate his planet, take away from him both friends and his home. I think he just REALLY REALLY REALLY doesn't want THEIR WAR to fuck up ANOTHER world.
Cliffjumper was a soldier, and new the risks of war and willingly accepted them. Raf was an innocent, and the Autobots brought their war to his world.
Maybe it's a little mixture of both. Optimus cares for humans for their innocence, but perhaps also to the point that more than his fellow Cybertonians. Or he wouldn't beg Unicron for humans' survival.
Optimus is fully aware of the evil in humanity. But he trys to protect us because we are not a part of the war between Cons and Bots.
I agree. I think hearing that from Ratchet made him rethink his position the way he did in One Shall Fall.
Here's my breakdown of my answer to this question: As stated before, and has kind of been stated in show if memory serves, Optimus sees humans much like how the transformers race used to be. In them he sees the potential that they once had for greatness. It's not that he values humans over his own kind, but that he wishes for them to have the chance to not make the same mistakes. As for Raf being harmed and Optimus getting majorly peeved, I think of it this way. A soldier at war is trained, has it drilled into his head that death is always possible. Not only to ones self, but to his fellow soldier. After so many years of endless battling, it's not unthinking that losses of fellow soldiers can be numbed to such a degree. Then there's the situation where you are a soldier, and a civilian you know from around the battlefield is wounded, someone who did no wrong. That can make something snap in a mans/bots heads. Lastly, to Primes dealings for Unicron and begging for the humans safety. Wouldn't you try to stop the genocide of an entire sentient species if you could?
That, frankly, is a sentiment that cannot be taken seriously enough. Optimus Prime, is a hero. That is the best explanation you will ever get.
Prime seems to be distant from his fellow Autobots because he knows it's war with the Decepticons and all the Autobots will not make it. When Cliffjumper dies I'm sure it hurts Prime but at least there is some rational reason for the Decepticons to kill Cliffjumper because it gives them a military advantage. No military advantage to harming Raf. I think emotionally it's one thing for Prime to see a fellow Autobot soldier die but it's a whole other thing to see an innocent child get harmed.
Each of you summed up my own thoughts very well. I don't think he cares for humans more but he cares for them in a different way than the Transformers who choose to war (regardless of what faction side they're on). Optimus already sees that the war has ravaged both Cybertron and its Transformers; that's enough for Optimus. For Optimus to witness yet another world and it's inhabitants get caught up in it and have its own casualties is deplorable to him.
