Beast Machine Hunters> The First Story Bible finale

Last time we finished Marv Wolfman’s story treatment but the whole story treatment includes one last section. In this part the focus is a description of the Maximals and Vehicons themselves, and while there are two more books to review in this series it is the end of the Beast Hunters version of what became Beast Machines.

The biggest issue with Wolfman’s treatment–outside of more typos than me, not remembering who was supposed to have Silverbolt’s spark, and that in four seasons the Maximals seem to still have trouble transforming because even without the page order mistake in the file I couldn’t follow the timeline of events–was that what he was pushing was way too ambition. He went over four seasons and it still didn’t end. The background character count would have been impossible given computing power at the time and a Fox Kids/YTV/Hasbro shared budget. And in four seasons not much really seemed to happen. If what we got was too condensed this wasn’t condensed enough.

I am kind of curious how much of the characters’ personalities they got right. We already know he hated Rattrap, seemed to keep the season 1 personalities of the Beast Wars survivors, and retread plot ideas from all three seasons. We’ve seen in previous story bibles that not everything makes it to the final product and I’m sure that will continue as we dive into the season one and season two guides. However, I wasn’t impressed with Wolfman’s story presentation. Let’s see if the short character profiles fared any better.

The Characters

THE MAXIMALS

The Maximals may appear as sentient robots, but they are to be treated like human beings. yes, they fight, but they also care, they love, they hurt, laugh, cry and more than that, they desire peace and happiness. Like human beings, each Maximal has his or her own personality, his own needs, her won desires and agendas.

Are they capable of spell check? Did Wolfman use a typewriter or Wordpad because I don’t think he used a program with spell and grammar check…which even I had around this time. Maybe I should re-install Grammarly but they have this annoying little icon that keeps distracting as it counts up what it thinks is a mistake.

They are capable of caring and of jealousy and we want to milk those emotions as best as we can. Beast Hunters may be a high-tech action series, but it is also a soap opera and we are to get as involved with each of our character’s live sand tribulations as we will with their battles for freedom of their world.

We’ve seen animated wars before, but to make Beast Hunters Season Four special, we really have to care for the lives of our heroes.

Now that sand one is a typo I would make. Frankly this is just a good idea for Transformers as a franchise. Not necessarily the soap opera approach. I’d rather look at good military TV shows and movies over the year for inspiration since in my mind Transformers is more interesting as a war story. My dad watches a few old ones currently airing on Heroes And Icons, shows like Black Sheep Squadron, Rat Patrol, Combat, Tour Of Duty, and you could put in movies like Saving Private Ryan. I’d also recommend something like Roughnecks: Starship Trooper Chronicles, but my problem with adding those two is that it misses the lighter sci-fi elements and lighthearted moments that also make this franchise work for me. And I liked Roughnecks enough to make it a Saturday Night Showcase entry. You don’t need to be a soap opera to focus on the characters. Characters and story shouldn’t fight each other. Depending on the writer one may take the spotlight but events without characters aren’t very impactful and characters without events are just boring.

From here we get into the actual character profiles.

OPTIMUS PRIMAL

Beast Form: An 800 pound gorilla

Isn’t that part of an old joke? I’m not sure where the weight came in.

Robotic Form: Gray/purple Humanoid w/jets (flight capability)

That’s close to what Mainframe went with. It should also be noted that there was discrepancy with the toys and character models, and if you’ve seen the early Beast Machines promo images you have an idea why. Hasbro didn’t send Mainframe’s animators the final designs and the early designs were quite far removed. I’m guessing Wolfman would only have those early concepts and not the final product.

Weaponry: Mini-double-barreled missile launcher (left forearm); Mega Missile launchers (shoulder mounted); dual Ninja-style sonic swords.

Never mind, apparently all he had was the first Optimus Primal toy from Beast Wars, the Ultra-class gorilla. I guess we should be happy he didn’t think Optimus was a bat, which was his first form in the toyline. How outdated was the info Wolfman was working with?

Skills: Leadership, strategy & tactics, combat, computer, biology, zoology, astro-navigation, ancient cultures

Not sure on that last one but the rest sounds accurate. As the captain of an exploration mission that left Transformers on other worlds to study the native lifeforms in their form instead of just their machines these would be useful talents even without the Beast Wars. Once he was drawn into conflict he would have developed the rest as the show went on.

Optimus Primal is a strong, steady leader of the Maximals, much more interested in reaching a peaceful settlement between enemies than in waging a war. However, when push comes to shove, Optimus is also a great battlefield commander who is an expert in warfare.

Again, accurate to the bot we saw in Beast Wars. Now comes the new stuff for Beast Hunters.

Once Optimus Primal merges with the Oracom, the Oracle Computer that was created long before the first Transformers appeared on Cybertron, he finds he has been somewhat changed. Optimus, more than any Transformer, knows that he has a destiny which must be fulfilled. Although he is not certain what that destiny is, he somehow knows he must find and organize the Transformers and somehow seek out the original essence that created them.

Would that be Primus or Vector Sigma, because at times the Beast Era couldn’t seem to remember if they followed the show or the comic books. I’ll get more into the Oracle we got when we start looking into the story bibles for the show we got.

Optimus, from the Maximal Tribe, is now a sensei to the other Transformers, no matter what their tribe. He will guide them both on their military battles, but also their ‘spiritual’ journey as they rediscover their origins and purpose as well as rediscovering their ability to transform.

Optimus is now more thoughtful than he had been, and that makes him the brunt of jokes from his long-time friends who find his new nature amusing. They never pass up a chance to deflate him. Optimus, perhaps because he has become wiser, also sees the humor and allows himself to be an easy target.

Granted the show could have used a bit more of that. Being too serious was as much one of Beast Machines‘ failings as it was Optimus. I’d make a joke about deflating Optimus but unless you’ve seen the episode you wouldn’t get it.

CHEETOR

Beast Form: Cheetah

Robotic Form: Blue and Orange Humanoid

The final design was more yellow with purple bits but again, they didn’t even have the final designs when the actual show was in pre-production.

Weaponry: Quasar Canon (hand held) also known as a Gut Gun

Again, season one, and the “gut gun” referenced Cheetor’s original toy, where in beast mode it was on his gut, had intestine-like markings on the bellows, and shot water. The Quasar Cannon was actually part of Cheetor’s butt. And I thought I had weird digestion issues. Imagine your guns being part of your whole pooping system.

Skills: Speed, agility, marksmanship, tracking, jungle survival, acrobatics, pilot, driver

Cheetor is emotionally the youngest of the Maximals and therefore the most emotionally volatile. He is always excited about what he’s going to do and always cock-sure that he’s doing the right thing.

Again, seems more like season 1 Cheetor. By season three he had a Transmetal 2 body (where the gun was now on his back after his Transmetal 1 body had a spiked whip thing that also attached to his butt as a tail) and with it a more rebellious teenage attitude. He basically crushed on Blackarachnia because she was the only fembot there…though crushing on Airrazor would have been weird for some reason. This feels like a regression of character, which is par for the course from what I’ve seen on the story side. Fearing reaching Rattrap.

Because his emotions run high, Cheetor either has the best of friends or the worst of enemies. He also has a secret passion for Black Arachina and is crushed when he thinks she has fallen for one of their enemies. Cheetor immediately turns on her and when he discovers the truth, he simply wants to punish himself. Cheetor is like a teenager running hot and cold with very little in-between.

Apparently I didn’t transfer this from my old Transformers fansite, but I did a parody fanfic once called “The Beast Machine Episodes You Won’t See”. In it I had Blackarachnia give up on getting Silverbolt out of Jetstorm…because she fell for a very unwilling Rattrap. In his disappointment Cheetor allows himself to be turned into Mirage, one of the non-show Vehicons, to forget about her like he was going to the French Foreign Legion. Instead he just developed a “you never understood me, dad” bit with Optimus Primal before all the characters gave up on this nonsense and went to Hasbro and Mainframe to complain. Not really here nor there but when I am going to ever get a chance to bring it up? Plus I’m prepping myself. It’s time for…

RATTRAP

Beast Form: A 5′ gray and brown rat

Robotic Form: Gold and gray humanoid

Weaponry: Fusion pistol (handheld)

I’m not sure where he’s getting these weapons from outside of the original show. They’re done away with according to the story treatment. For example, Cheetor was shown with nunchucks with a very long rope, not his quasar cannon.

Skills: Steal, marksmanship, computer, infravision, traps (set and detect), demolitions, sixth sense, spy infiltrator, thief

Isn’t “steal” and “thief” pretty much the same thing? “Steal” sound like a Pokémon move. (Also did a Pokémon/Beast Wars hybrid parody thing by the way.)

Rattrap is a wise guy who loves to tease everyone, and he never runs out of nasty remarks. He is also a whiner who loves to complain that he is always being put into the line of fire. Rattrap may pretend to be a bit of a coward, complaining about his assignments, his missions, etc. but he always grumbles and does his awareness of what is going on around him and the ability to see a skunk no matter how it disguises its smell. Maybe it takes one to know one.

Showing your Rattrap hate to the end, are we Marv?

BLACK ARACHNIA

Beast Form: Giant Black Widow Spider

Robotic Form: Black and Gold humanoid

Weaponry: Shoulder-machine guns, hand missile launcher, power-kick, pincers

Skills: Close combat, subversion

She’s also really good with machines, something Beast Machines forgot and for some reason made Rattrap the gadget guy. The only gadgets he every had was his spy gear and I’m not sure Rhinox didn’t build those for him.

Black Arachina is incredibly intelligent and knows more about the enemy than any of the other Maximals. Because she was once a Predacon, Black Arachnia has a sense of mystery about her and she does nothing to dispel it. Because of her past, Black Arachnia’s motives are suspect. She learns to have feelings for Megatron’s new warrior, Thrust, because she has no idea he was once her love, Silverbolt.

MAKE. UP. YOUR. MIND. WHICH. VEHICON. HAS. SILVERBOLT’S. SPARK!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, this is getting annoying and we still have to read Thrust and Skybolt/Jetstorm’s profiles.

The information should not be revealed in season four and should be held back in order to make Black Arachnia question herself even as Cheetor and the others wonder what is going on with her.

Four seasons and still not letting this info out? I know this was the Saturday morning show but how many episodes were you expecting a season, two? This was still the thirteen weeks make a season period of television.

THE PREDACONS

Evil, without redemption, the Predacons exist to destroy the Maximals and the other Transforming tribes. Like the Maximals, the Predacons do have human emotions, but their emotions tend toward the darker side. They are rules by anger, jealousy, and rage.

That goes back to my discussion on the themes of Transformers factions. The Predacons (which should be the Vehicons in this show but it’s possible the new faction name hadn’t been thought up yet) are the darkest parts of human nature.

MEGATRON

Beast Form: Dragon

Robot Form: Purple and black humanoid

Weaponry: Missile launchers

Skills: Combat, leadership, strategy and tactics, computer, cunning, abnormal psychology, astro-navigation

The dragon was red. The dinosaur was purple and yes, we all made the Barney joke at least once.

Megatron is the leader of the Predacons and completely evil, but he does not cackle, snort of constantly scream out “destroy them”.

Okay, I’ve only brought up his typos so you readers can tell them apart from mine and to keep this from being a dry read for you, but this sentence looks like it came out of Google Translate.

He speaks softly rather than shouts, and the angrier he gets, the quieter is his voice.

Most of the time this is correct. When everything goes totally wrong he will visibly show his anger, more so in Beast Machines as his deal was fighting his beast mode, but most of the time the plan has to go horribly wrong due to some factor or his troops screwing up to get a huge rage reaction.

He will quietly sacrifice all his troops and even his home world to get what he wants.

Considering what he wants is a Predacon-ruled Cybertron sacrificing the planet seems like a bad idea to achieve his goal.

He has no loyalty for anyone, but he does have a grudging respect for Optimus Primal because Optimus is the only one he considers almost his equal.

THE NEW HENCHMEN

Megatron’s new henchmen are all reformed Maximal protoforms converted into Vehicle changers. As such they have an instinctive understanding of how Maximals fight and can counteract their actions in battle. They have absolutely no recollection of ever having been Maximals and they exist only to destroy them. We should not learn their true nature during this season, but there should be a mystery about how they can seemingly anticipate Maximal warfare tactics.

During which season? Wolfman planned out four seasons and while the treatment keeps telling us they’re old Beast Warriors, not deciding who has Silverbolt or who the third Maximal is since the Axalon survivors are all accounted for and Waspinator isn’t part of this treatment.

SKYBOLT

Vehicle Form: High-tech flying machine

Skybolt is daring, inventive, and deadly, a Top Gun pilot gone to the dark side. he has stealth, the ability to move quickly, take advantage of situations, and is always thinking on his feet.

Funny thing is Jetstorm, the robot this eventually became, wasn’t depicted with feet. Instead he kept the legs in a version of the toy’s hover mode.

Like Megatron, he doesn’t shout, think a dark Errol Flynn, fast with the quips. there is no good side to Skybolt other than the fact that he is funny. However, Skybolt’s use of weapons is always deadly and he always means to destroy his target, whatever it might be.

That’s close to the Jetstorm we got.

TANKORR

Vehicle Form: Giant power-tank with massive weapons

TANKORR is huge and destroys anything he rolls over. Nothing can stop him, not even moist Maximal weapons.

“Moist”? Okay, that one is just unintentionally funny. I guess it could be the water-squirting gut gun the Beast Hunters version shouldn’t have.

It would take several Maximals working together to stop Tankorr. He is nearly impenetrable. Tankorr is a near mindless berserker who only exists to crush everything under his treads. He believes the answer to everything is destroy, destroy, and DESTROY! He also believe Megatron and the others are simply too weak. If they were strong, they should have defeated Optimus and the Maximals ages ago. Tankorr is not bright, but he is crafty and evil, and even Megatron has to watch his back.

Interesting. This take is like two parts of Tankor’s two personas, one where Rhinox was locked away and one where his personality was corrupted by being awakened in Tankor’s body, like his shell program (the program used to turn Blackarachnia into a Predacon until it was wiped out in her conversion to Transmetal 2) messed with his personality program. Locked away Tankor was a moron who just crushed stuff while corrupted “Tankorhinox” showed the same evil intelligence he did that time in Beast Wars tried to turn Rhinox into a Predacon. That backfired, too.

THRUST

Vehicle Form: Super-speed motor-cycle

Why the dash on “motorcycle”?

Thrust is the fastest thing on two wheels and armed to the teeth to destroy anything that gets in his way. Thrust is dark and brooding and the only one of the new henchmen who is somewhat bothered by something, not realizing his reprogramming has not been one hundred percent effective. He has a tiny bit of Maximal spark still inside him and that allows him to instinctively care for Black Arachnia.

Has this come to pass, and they finally settled on Thrust holding Silverbolt’s spark, it might have been interesting to see Silverbolt in Thrust’s head, slowly gaining more and more control as the two fought to be the persona of this spark and body.

However, whenever Thrust feels he’s becoming weak he gets angry with himself. He refuses to let himself show emotion and therefor forces himself to become angrier and more resentful of the Maximals. In essence, Thrust is beating up on himself for having feelings he despises and tries to over compensate for those feelings.

This is kind of interesting. I’ll get more into this and what we got when we go over the actual show bibles.

HUMOR

I love Humor. He’s my favorite Transformer! Yes, I know what he means. I’m making fun of the fact that this is in the character section. It’s just where Marv put this part. No big deal.

Humor has always been a critical element in the Transformers series, and it will continue to be so here. Despite the fact that this story is dark and grim, the characters will continue to spout one-liners, act over the top, and generally enjoy their moments of battle. The humor may sometimes be dark, but it will always be there. Rattrap and Cheetor supply the most humor for the Maximals, whereas Skybolt and, in his own way, Tankorr, add a lot of humor for the Predacons.

Instead Beast Machines was so bad at humor that when it finally happened it felt odd rather than a natural part of the show. It did lack some of the sillier parts of Beast Wars that went too far, but what we got was low on the comic relief.

I thought this was going to be the shortest article of this treatment, but instead it turned out to be the longest. Guess I had more to say. However, that does it for Beast Hunters…but not this series of articles. Join me next time for the actual season one story bible so we can see what did and didn’t make it from this concept and ultimately into the show itself. It’ll have a slight logo change so you can tell we’re on the next phase of this series. See you then.