No, this is exactly the Optimus I wanted.

 

I'm just happy we've got Steve Blum back as Starscream.

Also dad Prime is pretty cool.

 

THIS. He’s easily the best Prime in 15 years. He has more personality and charm in a few episodes than Aligned Prime had in nearly a decade worth of media. Granted that’s not an impressive accomplishment at all, but it’s still nice.

 

...ahem. Mate, you're literally putting words into my mouth here - if you didn't care to read into it, I literally spoke about the fact that there's nothing wrong in having a simple villain, as long as said villain is entertaining and fulfills his role in the story, so don't try to paint me like I praise one thing, while also criticizing the other thing, not that politics never were a part of the franchise's history. The only thing I'd argue in this case is the fact that the politics in Prime weren't the primary focus of it, instead being the background for why they're fighting instead of just living on Earth peacefully, since it's primarily an action show.

P.S. Megatron's "redemption arc" in Predacons Rising was indeed half-assed, unnecessary and, worst of all, pointless.

 

In fact, based on this aspect of the Autobots and Optimus Prime in particular, of course he'd stand for and respect the way people want to be referred to and their right to request that. That's not "woke politics," that's just...Normal. Seriously people, come on. Get a grip, so they take the time to clarify, that's not "politics."

 

Just finished it and Damn, depending on where this goes in the second half, this could be the top contender for one of the best TF shows. I am genuinely blown away at how good this actually was. The characters were likeable, funny, charismatic and funny. It was goofy, cheesey, nostalgiac, dad joke heavy and even tackled some interesting and at times very deep topics. The most surprising thing to me was how many jokes actually landed.

Man I am diggin the Autobot Megatron arc and his constant personal struggle of conflictions around his formers soldiers. The battle with Soundwave was top notch. I don't think we've seen this good choreography and fight scenes since Prime.

I am genuinely struggling to find things I hate. My biggest other gripe is just the random Gender Swapping. It still a bit aggravating when we have a roster of Fembots that could use more Spotlight. I'm enjoying they are putting more in, but at the same time, it's fucking aggrevating when they do a random gender swap when they could have used someone like Slipstream or a repaint of or just create a new character to sell more toys. It just seems highly unnecessary. Besides that, I have a few minor nitpicks, but nothing major like the fucking Netflix trilogy.

Now I'm pissed because I have to wait and pay for the second half now. Speaking of they give a timeframe for it yet?

 

One bit of criticism I will offer the show is I think it would've been better to space out the Terrans a bit more: Twitch and Thrash still have a lot of growing to do and I think it would've been better to obtain new Terrans as the show progresses rather than just dropping three new ones in episode nine, because now Bee has five brats to deal with instead of two and he's still getting used to being a teacher.

It could've been a nice novelty seeing the team get bigger as the show progressed rather than just drop three new characters when we aren't even halfway through the first season.

Thrash and Twitch... they're a bit extra at times and for every joke I found charming I rolled my eyes at others, but overall I quite like them, I think the show would've been solid if they were the only main Terrans.

I can't really comment on Jawbreaker, Hashtag (really?) or Nightshade that much because they show up in the last episode and haven't had enough time to annoy me yet. My favorite of them is probably Jawbreaker, I'd very much like to see Grimlock meet the young new Dinobot.

 

I'm hoping they won't live with the Maltos, but get assigned to other bots. Maybe team Arcee

 

Also just G1 Decepticons hunger for fuel, Energon and power is inspired by the cold war I believe. Or some political problem/conflict at the time.

 

Agreed. I would have hoped for a spacing similar to new protoforms in Beast Wars, and perhaps in more than one location than that cave.

Can't debate my points properly so you just claim I mean something else.

"Nuh uh!" is not an argument.

There are themes and there are scenes, please learn the difference. Transformers has always had vague themes of energy and environmentalism. The problem is when writers insert conspicuous present-day talking points, usually in a preachy manner. For example, in Micron Legend episode 6, Rad talks about illegal logging and deforestation and links it to the oxygen supply and climate change. His explanation is preschool-level and somewhat bizarre and would have been less of a problem if it was just between the kids but you'd think the ancient Autobot Convoy would have a far better understanding of physics and chemistry. Instead they should have stuck with something more "neutral", immediate and appropriate to Rad's level of education, something like being concerned about the Decepticons destroying the forest and killing animals. In episode 10, Alexa has a line about land zoning and construction routes which comes off more like a writer's frustrations than the genuine observations of an 11-year old.

When people say they don't want politics in their shows, it's shorthand for saying they don't want present-day social and political issues to be obviously and crudely shoe-horned into certain scenes. I think most people would be fine if the subject of gender in Transformers and what it means to be a "male" or "female" or non-gendered robot was explored cleverly and tastefully as an overarching theme.

If the tables were turned, other groups of people would be the ones claiming the show is too political. Consider these examples:

1. After a long and arduous fight defending a critical location, Optimus turns to the team and says "that's why you need a strong border wall!"

2. The gang discover a Quintus Stone which remarkably has a visible developing Terran spark in it. However, a scan reveals that the spark has been hacked/corrupted by the Decepticons. The team argue about the fate of the stone, with some insisting that it should be destroyed immediately. In the end the team come to the conclusion that doing so would be murder and the Terran should be given a chance at life and they will try and save it later.

3. Alex buys a new electric car and gets some Autobots to help him install some solar panels. He explains how he wants to do his part for the climate. Wheeljack overhears this and says "ridiculous! My scans of the planet indicate that current human emissions have almost no impact on global temperature."

4. The children are kidnapped by Mandroid's drones. After being rescued, the Autobots give them mini blasters and explain that "being armed is the best deterrent against evil forces."

Do you see how some groups of people would be loudly screeching about these "political" scenes?

Many people don't want any obvious politics (see definition above) from any side from any country in any entertainment, particularly children's entertainment. For me, the closest it should get is Star Trek TNG-style using sciece fiction to explore complex situations and the human condition, however far too few writers are that clever.

 

What the actual fuck are you on about?

 

I agree, the TNG episode where scientists discover that high warp speeds are doing damage to space and urge the Federation to only use lower warp factors had nothing to do with concerns about vehicle emissions.

The one where the psychic alien ambassadors use their powers to pass off bad thoughts onto Troi had nothing to do with how people in power are able to cover up and get away with sexual assault.

The Cardassian storylines introduced towards the end of the show called to mind no shades of the legacy of colonialism in Africa or post-Cold War relations between the US and former USSR.

None of the many, many episodes about Data had anything to do with him representing an other, and his struggles to integrate and be accepted by a society that doesn't understand him. That definitely wasn't a relevant topic in the 90s.

TNG was always incredibly subtle. It never tackled then-current and relevant issues in overt ways, it was always vague and generic and never ever had anything timely and obvious to say. Don't even get me started on DS9, that show was the master of obfuscation. You need a political science degree to notice the messages in that show.

They just don't make sci-fi like they used to.

 

So, is there a date for season2?

 

season 1 s not even over yet  

 

So, what I see here today? People discuss the show, some offer critique and ways the show could've been handled better, some ignore their words and instead declare them detractors over not liking the way it is given to them, while others are puzzled at what is happening and yadda yadda yadda. Typical internet beef, if I ever seen one. Me? Just watching it unfold and munching on popcorn, seeing that nothing else happens here.

 

Season 2 was only recently greenlit, we still have more of S1 left.

 

No offense but your "points" aren't exactly the best and make no sense and literally just point back to you having a fit that a character is LGBTQ+ and framing it as political.

Fiction always had political and social commentary and allegories whether it's subtle or overt. It's just some, like you don't want to admit it or don't have the media literacy or are being obtuse. Again inclusion, especially of LGBTQ+ people is not political, their mere existence shouldn't be seen as that.

Please don't try and frame it as something else because you're upset more people are given a chance to be recognised in fiction, the franchise and the fandom and you have to share.

 

As TF Hot Rod said, season 2 has been greenlit already but nothing more about dates on when it'll air. Best guess is it'll air around November next year as well.

 

Finished the available episodes with my kids yesterday (7yo and 5yo girls), we all loved it. This is the first time my girls ever connected with Transformers content, so just a very cool experience for me all around. Twitch is the big favorite (shame I missed the boat the on pre-orders, had I known…).

Agree with all the positive praise I’ve seen so far. Only thing I’d add is that the synth score is amazing and really takes a cool story to the next level. Works on both a nostalgia level and really amps up the tension when it’s called for.

 

Something I thought was interesting.

Spoiler

The crate back there is labeled "MarsX." It's definitely a double reference, playing off of both SpaceX in real life, and a reference to M.A.R.S Industries.
Doubt the second reference means anything, though, just a neat reference to another Hasbro property.