I feel like Starscream was intelligent, but incredibly lacking in personal insight, lol.  

 

Starscream.

Contrary to popular belief, Starscream was not stupid. (Or a coward for that matter.) In fact, he was the smartest character on the entire show.

-Many are quick to point out that it is his fault the Autobots were reactivated. This may be true, but let's look at the mentality here:

Megatron: Leave the Autobots there. The volcano could get active again and they could get reactivated the same way Skywarp/Thundercracker (Which one was it again?) first did.

Starscream: Destroy the Autobots and make sure the Decepticons can conquer this primitive planet unopposed.

He at least had the right idea.

-He not only built the Combaticons/Bruticus, he built Bruticus with a failsafe in case he rebelled.

-THEN he came up with a plan to convince the Autobots that they destroyed Bruticus when they really didn't, a plan so great that Megatron even forgave him for his latest backstabbing!

-He regularly points out the stupidity in Megatron's plans, which, surprise, end up falling apart.

-When the Autobots disguised themselves as the Stunticons, Starscream knew right away something was wrong. Megatron thought everything was fine. (And he even brushed off Soundwave when he told Megatron the weapon was going to explode in the same episode! Yes, Soundwave, the one Decepticon Megatron can trust!)

-He had a great plan that would have destroyed the Autobots on Earth AND get lots of energon for Cybertron. Optimus Prime and Megatron had to work together to foil it.

-In the Atlantis episode, Starscream knew they were going to backstab the Decepticons long before Megatron figured it out. (And loyal Soundwave who translated them didn't even warn Megatron?) Megatron however, was all like "Shut up Starscream. Everything's fine!" Until the actual betrayal happened.....

-Here's a good one. Right in the first episode:

Starscream: Let's just blow them away! They've seen us!

A sound plan that would have destroyed the Ark, Optimus Prime, and the last hopes of the Autobots. The show would have been over in the first 7 minutes.

Oh, but Megatron had a BETTER plan!

Megatron: No. I want to know what they're after.

Okay, I guess it's a good idea to find out what they're planning.....

Megatron: Prepare the tractor beam!

I, uhh..... what?!

Your plan to find out what they're after is to stop them in their tracks, then board their ship for a brawl, leading to no one piloting it..... smart idea Megatron!

And so on.

But who is the dumbest? Megatron. He made the guy who wants to kill him and take his job his second in command! (And of course, some of the other things I've mentioned. It's his fault they got stranded on Earth to begin with.)

 

I'm going with Shockwave.

 

I don't know how people are getting that Shockwave was smart in the G1 cartoon... he was pretty stupid most of the time (and despite being a gun couldn't hit the broad side of a barn).

His charm point was being described as a model soldier by Megatron.

 

They're all pretty smart.


But I'd say Starscream is up the top, Improvised a way to recharge with no energy, created an army out of derelicts, there are many examples.

Shockwave is pretty smart too, he created a time machine, too bad he never had any depth perception.

Soundwave never did anything inventive or creative, why is he even on the list?

 

I agree with this.
To add to that: Even in G1's story line he was a scientist. Which he backed up a little by building the Combaticons, and if the Cons needed exposition; it was ether Megs or Star who said it. Which showed he had some knowledge to him.

 

Soundwave never did something particularly stupid. That has to count for something.

And undoubtedly Starscream is the most intelligent in the cartoon. Despite all the stupid ploys and failed schemes, he's always the one to point out the flaws in Megatron's plans and even makes a few good suggestions only to be brushed off. Of course there's this to say otherwise:

Starscream "I'm stupiiid!" - YouTube

 

On the contrary, Starscream did the wise thing in that perilous situation.  

 

I'm undecided between those two. Based on my childhood memories. Megs seems to be the smartest con.

For example, he had his moments in MTMTE, Key to Vector Sigma, Meg's Master Plan and Ultimate Doom. But of course like all 80s cartoon villains, he would eventually lose in some of the most ridiculous manner.

IMO if G1 was written today, he would do decent damage to his enemies.

Shockwave...I don't have much of a good impression of him - can't anyone blame me? That dude didn't even know the fembots still existed in one of the episodes!

 

For once I agree with Mechaking. They all lacked competence and that's why they always lost

 

Megatron
Soundwave
Shockwave
StarScream

 

Going by the way they all acted in the cartoon, I'd say this question is like asking who was the smartest of the Three Stooges. They were all kinda dumb.

 

Shockwave

Soundwave


Megatron

Starscream

People smart means good at reading people and figure how to work em

Megatron (being the leader he knows how to work with diverse personalities)

Soundwave (none of the people antics get under the his circuits. He may not understand them but he does know how work with them)

Starscream (If weren't for his ego he could work with people. Screamers understands people but he can not generate enough empathy or respect to work with them.)

Shockwave (Logic circuits says what people skills. I can intimidate them to work logically. Gender is illogical.)

 

Going by the the cartoon only:

Megatron
Soundwave
Starscreem
Shockwave
Scrapper
Swindle
Cyclonus

 

For me, I'd say Shockwave, then Megatron, then Soundwave

 

If we're going by the cartoon as the OP says, Shockwave can't really have that much intelligence to wait for a signal from Megatron for SEVERAL MILLION YEARS.

 

In the g1 cartoon, Shockwave the Soundwave.

 

Eh, I can forgive this as Megatron deciding that since they've been spotted, they may as well pull the Autobots in and rifle through their nav computers to find out what their destination was going to be. THEN blow them away. It would have worked, too, if a planet hadn't leapt out in front of them during the fight.

If anything, Megatron was guilty of overconfidence due to the Autobots losing the war so badly they were next to extinct. When he had the power to crush his opposition any time he wanted, why not indulge his curiosity and find out what could have led Optimus Prime offplanet?

Of course, Starscream was right from a tactical viewpoint - whatever it was the Autobots were headed for, it would be moot compared to being able to destroy Optimus Prime and a significant chunk of his most experienced warriors. From a strategic viewpoint, though, it might have been worth the (apparent) minor risk to find out if they were attempting to recover some revered Autobot artifact, power source, or weapons cache to bolster the courage of the remaining Autobot presence on Cybertron. Being able to return with the Autobots' last desperate hope firmly in their control, plus Optimus Prime dead, could have made the last of the Decepticons' opposition crumble.

(Come to think of it, even without that potential prize, Megatron would have realized the emotional power of returning to Cybertron with Optimus's head on his belt, as it were. Simply blowing the Ark to kingdom come would have made Prime a symbol of hope whose body was never found.)

 

Starscream was also able to trick Unicron into giving him a new body.