Prime seems to be drawing on the backstory established in Exodus, which to me was really a mishmash of everything that came before it.

It's been a while since I read Exodus, but I don't really see War for Cybertron fitting into that continuity. Granted, some of the events in the game mirror what happens in the book, but I see War for Cybertron as being separate from the aligned continuity - regardless of Hasbro's claims.

 

This is where beast wars took the story line...way out in the future...and then hasbro kind of caused a three car pile up A/E/C...then blew up the 3 car pile up (R.I.D) and then flushed tf's to disneyland (animated)...

that is my feeling anyway.

I would love to see going forward a CONSISTANT story line...does not have to be linear...say year to year...but be consistant...no more bullshit techno reformatting of a mechanical world like the end of beast machines...

 

Aligned continuity means same shared universe concept, but the story-tellers are free to put their own twist on it. It's taken DC and Marvel the best part of seventy years to figure out continuity is a pain in the balls, and while some creators and readers may love it, others find it massively obtrusive. Take your iconic characters, and try and tell iconic stories with them.
At least Hasbro are trying with TF: Prime, and while the Exodus / Exiles novels may be poorly written they at least allude to clues into the canonical back-story of Cybertron.

I think people need to be patient, most of what the OP wants is happening but it is taking time to build.

As far as the Beast machines thing goes, just pretend it is set thousands of years into the future which is always changing, always fluid, so it might not happen. Remember when DC collected Alan Moores best imaginary stories and he said "I thought they were all imaginary?"

 

I actually like the concept of the multiverse with Transformers. The comic that the TFC Battle Rollar came with is really cool regarding this, and I really enjoy things like that. I also like characters like Vector Prime being able to exist in all of the universes as the same character, while interacting with other characters that may be similar, but not exactly the same as their other generation's counterpart.

 

Can anyone recommend the correct shows/comics/books for me to really dig into the back story?

I have been a fan since G1, and have seen pretty much every TV series since. I wasn't a big fan of the Unicron Trilogy, but I will include them if it is necessary.

I also own the War for Cybertron game and the Exodus book (I have not read it)

So, where do these fit in:
- G1 Cartoon
- Jap Headmasters/Victory/Masterforce etc.
- recent IDW comics (I have most of them)
- New IDW transformers comics (I have thru issue #14 currently)
- Original Transformers Marvel comics
- Reboot/continuation of the original comics (Issue 83 or w/e is restarting soon?)
- Books, etc.
- Beast wars
- Beast machines (I hate)
- RID, Animated/Prime, etc etc.

I'd like to keep it as G1 TV show centric as possible. Bonus points if we include the Megatron as a gladiator stories from the IDW comics etc.


I realize this is a huge question, but a rough timeline of how things play out, and which series/comics are in direct opposition to each other would be great. Or pointing me to a good resource would work as well.

 

The thing about Transformers continuity is that it was way too messed up to begin with. Hasbro also is in the business of selling toys, toys that are basically the same characters, over and over again to different generations of kids. In that sense, they really have no need to give a set continuity, since they can make one to satisfy a new generation, instead of working around it to do so, which is a lot more difficult. The only major media/toy property I can think of that's such a stickler for continuity and still manages to make it work is Star Wars. Even Star Trek gave up on it.

 

Until you start reading the novels and comics, which the movies and Clone Wars in particular basically threw out the window. At this point, Lucasfilm is playing fast and loose with a LOT of continuity issues for the sake of compelling product, much like Hasbro has (and does) do with Transformers.

 

I actually prefer having many story lines to follow with my Transformers. IMO, they all revolve around the same basic idea, but I really enjoy seeing different interpretations of the franchise. Star Wars is just one of a kind in my mind and it'd be so difficult to try and replicate it.

 

Where do these fit in in regards to what?
When Hasbro mentions an ‘aligned continuity’ they’re talking about the current non-movie Transformers projects.
There will be an aligned continuity from Prime going forward.
That doesn’t mean that they’re going to shoehorn in the G1 Cartoon with Transformers Animated and Marvel Comics’ Car Wash of Doom.
There may be elements of these things in the current mythos but that doesn’t mean that everything is going to be boxed into some ‘alignment’.

And we all know that the ‘aligned continuity’ will only exist until the next reboot.

 

Me too.

Mostly because by trying to fit everything together into one continuity, the best material becomes held hostage to the worst material. Great stories must be changed and thus ruined in order to make them fit with terrible stories that weren't worth the effort to include in the first place. It's better to have multiple continuities that stand on their own, imo.

There are multiple back stories. Even within G1 itself, the cartoon backstory is completely different than the comic backstory. And even within the G1 comics, the US continuity is slightly different than the UK continuity (despite the fact the same guy wrote huge portions of both).

They don't fit in.

The G1 continuities I recognize are:

1. The G1 cartoon seasons 1, 2 => the 1986 animated movie => seasons 3, 4 => The End

2. Marvel UK G1 comics => the 1986 animated movie => continuing Marvel UK G1 comics => Beast Wars seasons 1-3 (and none of the Japanese Beast shows) => Beast Machines => The End

3. Marvel US G1 comics => Marvel US G2 comics => The End

And that's pretty much it. The three continuities are pretty separate, and despite similarities, can't really be combined into one. I guess you could add Beast Wars and Machines onto the end of the Marvel US continuity, though.


As for the upcoming Regeneration 1, beginning with #80.5, I'll look at that as yet another separate continuity. GI Joe did something very similar with bringing back a "continuation" of their classic Marvel comics series beginning with #155 1/2. And I really LOVE the new Hama ARAH comics. But I can't see them as an actual continuation from the original series because the world the characters exist in have been updated to the modern day, whereas SO MUCH of the original continuity was built around the fallout of the Vietnam War and the fact that many of the characters had served in it. By changing that -- as enjoyable as the new series is -- it caused a fundamental shift in the book that made everything and everyone different. And I'm expecting something similar with the upcoming TF series.

Which is fine. I'll still love it, just like I still love the current GI Joe ARAH series (which, honestly, really has been outstanding and a lot of fun).

 

Where has this misconception come from that the Star Wars franchise somehow has a massive, unified continuity?? Lucasfilm propaganda? Blinkered fans?

That franchise has had so many retcons and inconsistencies in the "expanded universe" (and even in the films themselves!), it's hardly a good example...

I have no problem with how Hasbro is treating the franchise. I am primarily only a G1 fan, and feel well catered for with the comic series coming in 2012. The fact that fellow TF fans have multiple other choices - Movieverse, "Prime", heck even Rescue Bots - is (for me) only a good thing, not a source of frustration.

 

Personally, I think the end of G2 provided an opportunity to unify G1 with more modern series. All those little Cybertrons in the Cybertronian Empire. I could see so much potential. It's possible that G2 Cybertronians evolved from Decepticons AND Autobots. All of whom tired of the war and happily left with the Liege Maximo.

What if after G2, Megatron and the G1 Decepticons grew bored with what they perceived to be a stagnant peace. Megatron once again yearns for conquest and sees the Cybertronian Empire as the fruition of his dreams. He sets out to overthrow the Liege Maximo and take control of the Empire. The Autobots learn of this and pursue him.

Similar to Cybertron, they travel to various Cybertronian colonies where newer species of TF's have evolved like Maximals and Mini-cons. There are many breakaway worlds. Some ruled by Autobot descendants like Maximals, others ruled by those who want their own rule like Predacons and Vehicons. The various Megatrons are Viceroys. On the 'Armada' colony, the Viceroy wishes to capture and manipulate the Mini-cons, using their power to attain his dreams of conquest.

Basically, we get the characters and concepts from the likes of Armada and RID but merge them with Marvel G1, with name tweaking where necessary. I've always liked the idea of RID Magnus as a law enforcement official on a Predacon ruled colony. Grimlock and the Dinobots arrive inciting Autobot descendants to revolt and cross swords with Magnus who initially sees them as troublemakers. Always saw RID Magnus having the potential to be an Autobot badass like Grimlock and Impactor if handled correctly.

 

Thats great, thanks. I wasn't looking for them all to be shoehorned into one huge continuity, I just wasn't sure which ones were playing off each other. I figured G1 cartoons pulled from something prior for their Alpha Trion and co backstory. I was trying to get a decent set of things to read detailing the early cybertron years.

I don't mind separate story lines, i just wanted to know roughly what the major tracks were.

 

That's it. I wish the end of Prime and the start of new reboot to come sooner, despite of fear that it will be even more non-classic than movies and this two last American series.

 

... sucks.

Just take a look at the current MisAligned continuity to see what a budget that Hasbro has access to coupled with today's level of communication and technology has actually achieved: a tv show and book series that are supposed to mesh together but do better isolated from each other... anchored to a video game series that cannot decide if it is a G1 restart or the TV show.

Each title better serves itself independant from the other... not to mention credibility is better served.