Written by: Erika Echegoyen
I’m sure most of you have at least heard of Transformers — giant alien robots from outer space that have the ability to turn into cars, planes, tanks, space shuttles, et cetera. Maybe you’ve even seen the films (but we won’t be talking too much about those…) and perhaps you picture huge hunks of unrecognizable metal clashing in a heated battle while fires rage and things explode around the battlefield. In general, most people know Transformers by this image, so were these big, mean machines always gun-shooting, Earth-devastating, warring metal nightmares?
In short: not quite. The Transformers was the original cartoon from the ‘80s (first released in 1984 and ran through 1987), and, much like most animated children’s TV shows at the time, was largely created to turn profit for its proprietor, Hasbro. However, that’s not to say it can be so quickly dismissed. There’s a lot more than meets the eye to these 23-minute-long toy commercials. Through iconic characters such as Optimus Prime and Megatron and their memorable voice performances by Peter Cullen and Frank Welker respectively, this show about a millennia-long war between alien robots that no one seems to ever really win has undoubtedly made such a lasting impact in popular culture and has inspired other shows that explore deeper aspects of the Transformers lore and characters. Now, as much as I love this world and its characters, I won’t pretend this show is the greatest ever, complete with complex character arcs, thoughtful analysis of profound themes, and serpentine plot twists. That said, I will attest to it being loads of fun for several reasons:
- The characters. They are, in my opinion, the greatest part of the show. Icons like Optimus and Megatron made their debut here. Optimus is a heroic, compassionate father-figure to the Autobots, and he is their irreplaceable leader. Megatron is his direct counter — he is the cackling, scheming, Decepticon leader bent on destroying Optimus and ruling the world while navigating a chaos which would never feel complete without his treacherous air commander, Starscream, who often causes him more trouble than Optimus does. I have personally always found the Decepticons to be more entertaining to watch than the Autobots — with all their backstabbing, banter, bickering, and comical dysfunction, how could you not enjoy every second they’re on-screen? Unfortunately, because the show was focused on selling products, some characters were very randomly introduced, which always felt a bit jarring, and others fell out with no explanation. The 1986 movie infamously did a complete reset on the main cast in the worst way possible, and the show was not quite the same after that. Nevertheless, these characters live on in other media, such as comics, other shows, and on repeat watches of seasons 1 and 2.
- The animation…is not the greatest, especially in the later seasons (post movie, so seasons 3 and 4 (if you can call 4 a season — it only has 3 episodes)), but that’s all part of the charm! There are moments when characters are mistakenly colored in a completely different palette, and we may see an Autobot casually infiltrating Decepticon HQ. There are times when a character is comically smaller or larger than they should be. Sometimes we get clones. Sometimes they just glitch out altogether. “Carnage in C Minor,” a season 3 episode, is notorious for having the worst animation of the entire show. These goofy visuals unintentionally create some great, humorous moments that have nothing to do with the plot (examples below).
- Story. Like I said before, this is not a show to find deep thematic explorations of anything really, and sometimes the plot, action, or events are nonsensical or contrived so that the good guys can win the day in the end, as is customary. Still, they are undoubtedly entertaining and do include broad themes of friendship, honor, teamwork, and family. Some of my personal favorite episodes include:
- “Triple Takeover”: two triple-changers (Transformers who have two alternate modes instead of one), Astrotrain and Blitzwing, conspire with Starscream to overthrow Megatron. It’s primarily Decepticon-focused and great fun watching them take turns selling each other out.
- “Kremzeek!”: Megatron creates a little electric nuisance to keep the Autobots distracted on a wild goose chase while he attempts to activate an energy magnet. It has a more cartoony feel to it, and the heroes don’t quite solve everything at the end, so it’s an interesting deviation from the norm.
- “The Gambler”: after an alien, Bosch, freezes a group Autobots in space with intent to sell them, Smokescreen, the only one who remains active, travels with Bosch to a gambling asteroid to earn enough Energon to power Bosch’s ship and free his friends, all while having fuel-hunting Decepticons on his tail. There were few episodes in the first two seasons that took place entirely in space, and this paired with such an interesting concept for the setting makes this one a standout.
- “Make Tracks”: Tracks, a vain, Earth-loving Autobot (whose alternate mode is a winged car) befriends a human named Raoul when needing repairs after an assault, and they work together to stop the Decepticons from turning human vehicles into a remote-controlled drone army. Tracks’ dynamic with Raoul is the heart of this episode, and it would have been great to see this duo team up more often throughout the show.
I could go on and on, but overall, The Transformers is goofy and pretty light-hearted. It has maintained its legacy for fans who watched the show back in the ‘80s, and it’s still around for new fans who are just discovering their wacky hijinks for the first time.
P.S. Transformers content makes fantastic out of context videos/meme material!
Featured Image Caption: The Season 1 title card for The Transformers. The intro animation and music/theme style changed each season.
