We’re near the end of the production notes before finally seeing the second sales pitch to bring the Transformers to CBS.
Last time we saw Hasbro’s notes, and for obvious reasons (which I also stated flat out) they didn’t like the complete reimagine of the very concept of the line. For CBS it’s a different story. Between parent groups and the Federal Communication Commission (usually bossed around by the parent groups), there were less things you could get away with on Saturday morning than you could in syndication. Granted, the only reason a Transformers cartoon was made was due to deregulation, as then-President Ronald Reagan was a hawk about reducing the scope and power of the Federal government. This led to a change in the rules that forbid TV shows based on toys. This rule hurt Hot Wheels when they tried to make a Saturday morning cartoon, ironically about a car club given that was a potential idea for this show.
I don’t care if the show was created by a toy company or if the toy company is pushing for new toys of an existing show. You’d be surprised how many shows were NOT based on a toyline but had a toyline as a bonus source of income. This would be really important for first-run syndication, but with a Saturday morning show the network would be doing some of the funding, making it more profitable for Sunbow, Marvel Productions, and even Hasbro. Transformers were a hot property, as robots that turned into vehicles and other machines were something new. That was before we got dinosaurs and all of the later gimmicks like combination and triple changers.
Meanwhile the show has to be good in order to push the toys. This was already true for toys based on existing shows. Megatron’s Japanese counterpart was inspired by role-play toys for The Man From UNCLE, an American show that was surprisingly popular in Japan. I had toys based on Star Trek, Adam-12, Emergency–well, a play fireman’s hat with branding, Star Wars, and a talking fake CB radio based on a show called Moving On. You can blame my parents for the stuff not based on a sci-fi franchise. I didn’t watch the first two until I was older and Moving On came on when I had moved to bed. The show has to be good, whether selling toys is the main goal or not, so writing off a “30 minute toy commercial” is lame because if it wasn’t a good show that we would fondly remember years later if only for nostalgia, those toys aren’t moving.
So we already saw what Hasbro wanted. What were CBS’s suggestions for making this new idea work?
Our document for CBS’s notes is dated 3-1-84. At this point it was apparently decided to keep the miniseries canon, which frankly was the right move. You have something to build on and don’t have to worry about those pesky origin stories Saturday mornings rarely bothered with outside of the intro.
TIME FRAME –
TRANSFORMERS – 5 YEARS LATER – TIME ELAPSED SINCE TIME OF SYNDICATED SPECIALS.
NO TELETRAN – Robots are all computerized, don’t need him anymore. Too confusing. Say he was destroyed by Decepticons.
Wow, way to throw Teletraan under the starship. You’d think they’d need an outside computer even more to look up information and do scans and what not. I promise you no kid was confused, though the anime would show a Cybertronian-optics view once in The Headmasters, including BASIC of all computer languages. I never though of Transformers as being those kind of robots prior to the Maximals and Predacons, at least in this continuity. Nowadays showing software active in Transformers audio and video scanners isn’t uncommon.
DECEPTICONS have taken over and rule the earth, or at least the parts they need.
They out number the Autobots.
The idea that the Decepticons took over Earth in the five years between the miniseries and SatAM show isn’t impossible, I guess. It would be odd considering last we saw them they were headed to a watery grave, with Megatron going swimming as the only proof they made it. Also, the toys show the Autobots had the greater numbers and more versatility while Huffer once noted the Decepticons were just better fighter. I guess all the mis-colored Starscream clones made up the difference?
DECEPTICONS GOAL
They’re making a robot army to take over the universe and use earth as base of operations. (rich in natural resources & human labor force) They have enslaved certain people of earth and are using big manufacturing companies and earth resources to manufacture an army of robot warriors. Show is global in impact, but U.S. in focus and geographic references.
Let’s just say “where baby Transformers came from” took a long time to be universally agreed on.
Where baby Transformers come from was different in those days. In the full first season Megatron says he built the Constructicons in their debut episode, but that was apparently forgotten in season two, where we learn the Constructicons were actually brainwashed by Megatron in the early days of the war while they’re shown building Megatron in a flashback in season three. The Dinobots were built on Earth in season one, but in season two they need Vector Sigma, a supercomputer deep within Cybertron, to bring life to the Stunticons and Aerialbots, as Vector Sigma didn’t play favorites. You just needed a key to turn him on. At this point in the series, this isn’t out of the realm of possibility, and maybe later additions like Vector Sigma wouldn’t have made it to the show, since the focus would be on reclaiming Earth rather than anything to do with Cybertron.
THE FEEL – WAR OF THE WORLDS
People of earth are opppressed [typo theirs] as a labor force, but commerce does still exist. In some areas its life as usual.
PLUS – 1984
People don’t know if devices surrounding them are real or disguised Decepticons. Kids at home could be surprised and suspicious of everything, as well. Lots of spying.
Now this could have worked. This is definitely one way to play up the “robots in disguise” angle. Usually they’re just trying to hide their existence or if Transformers are known just trying to hide they’re in a particular location. This is a case of actively playing on fears that you’re being spied upon. Not quite the Cold War allegory but Big Brother. It’s an idea that might be worth revisiting in some future series. Kind of dark for Saturday morning, though.
MAIN TITLE would show:
1. normal earth.
2. Sirens go off – air raid – ala “DAY AFTER”
3. UFO invasion – Decepticons attacking & winning.
4. Decepticons take over.
Could make for an interesting intro, though I don’t see the usual theme song/commercial jingle working the same way. Might need a new one.
AUTOBOTS – Starwarsian, humanity, fallible, making do the best they can to help save earth from these alien dictators. They are galactic good guys determined to save the people of earth, the planet, and the universe from domination by Decepticons.
I could see some humans not wanting the Autobots help either out of fear “all them robots is the same” like they did in the comics. Already this is more interesting than the first draft’s ideas, or at least it feels more like Transformers.
DECEPTICONS arrived 1st on scene took over the earth. Autobots rose-up to answer the challenge of their domination.
If this is including the miniseries as canon to this version, they didn’t arrive first. They awoke at the same time, maybe a few hours before the Autobots at most, depending on how long it took Teletraan-1 to revive Megatron’s forces before Starscream accidentally woke up the Autobots when he was “saying goodbye”.
MEGATRON = der Furher -other Decepticons are all lower in rank
I don’t know if Megatron necessarily matched Adolf Hitler. Hitler was killing Jews for being Jews. Megatron believed in “peace through tyranny” in his tech spec, and having power in the original show. Just a bit strong is what I’m saying.
“LIMITATIONS”
DECEPTICONS who are planes need to be in their vehicular form to fly.
MEGATRONS = non robot form is a laser tank with treads, etc.
AUTOBOTS – do not fly as cars – can’t fly period, except short robotic leaps and propulsion.
I don’t remember a faction called Megatrons, unless that’s another typo. 😀 I can see them pushing back against the handgun again, before toy restrictions made it illegal to sell toys that looked like real guns. He would get a tank mode in Generation Two as a result, which is frankly a better option. I do like the idea that Decepticons can’t fly in robot mode, when it became a plot point in the full series being that they could fly in robot mode. Even Orion Pax, the future Optimus Prime, admired that ability until Megatron nearly killed him and his girlfriend, while what happened to his best friend is still a debate in the fandom. The Autobots could fly in the miniseries, with Sideswipe’s rocket pack I’m assuming just providing better thrust for faster flying or something. Once the series proper started, no flying Autobots unless they had a flying alt mode. The Dinobots could fly in robot mode for some reason, though.
“SOUNDWAVE” is large getto blaster transforms 8′ tall robot.
GOLDEN CONDOR – size of cassette folded out – used as a spy decepticon.
Blaster doesn’t even exist yet and somehow Soundwave is still being mistake for him. Look at the toys, guys. Go to a toy section or toy store. Soundwave was a microcassette recorder and “golden condor” had a name! Then again, given that the show would replace Buzzsaw with Laserbeak for most of the run I’m not surprised they don’t know it. I doubt CBS cared that much.
Female Decepticon Amphibious flying craft/submersible
Female Autobot = motorcycle.
The blue text is back with potential names for the Decepticon (Whirlpool) and Autobot (“Firecycle” and “Firewheels” are both suggested, but the latter sounds too close to Hot Wheels). When we get to the second draft we’ll see what the final names were. Interestingly, either of them would work for Transformers names.
BACKSTORY ON ON GIRL’S V.W.
Clutzy Autobot running from Decepticons seeks refuge in used car lot, turns into V.W. Before he can change back, girl buys him.
V.W.’s best weapon is clumziness. He’s a coward of sorts.
You know, I just realized how often Bumblebee ends up in used car lots in this franchise.
Misspellings aside, they keep trying to do my boy Bumblebee dirty…by replacing him with this mess. At least they aren’t going with “Toad” anymore, but it’s still ignoring Hasbro’s existing characters.
ROBOTS RUN ON NUCLEAR POWER CELLS, NOT CONVENTIONAL EARTH FUELS.
Again, if the miniseries is canon, they could collect various Earth energy resources and store them in Energon cubes, before Energon became the name of actual Transformer fuel. After that, they could still make a sort of artificial Energon out of fossil fuels, sound, temperatures, or whatever else made for a good story. Nuclear energy was an option, but not exclusively.
ADDITIONAL HUMAN NOTES:
The girl who owns the v.w. comes from a typical suburban family. They live in a tract house ala the family in “POLTERGEIST.” Their home reflects as many common possessions and middle-class attributes as possible for audience recognition. An ordinary family living in an extraordinary time and place.
I don’t know much about housing design, so I don’t know why the type of house mattered. I do understand making a middle class home, but this is being interpreted by someone who probably had a much nicer house, being a CBS executive and all.
She is 16-ish years old, like Dominique Dunne in “POLTERGEIST.” She has a little brother, (like “POLTERGEIST” kid). He is great pals with the v.w. and likes to go on adventures with him (sitting in the backseat). Adds human jeopardy to v.w.’s predicaments.
I hope the kid gets a name. I guess it worked for Spritle in Speed Racer, but I don’t think Transformers needs a character like that. Also, since Not-Bumblebee The Second is already a dumb clutz, this puts the kid in even worse danger. Normally I defend these character types, but in this case it just doesn’t work for me. Also not sure what the obsession is with Poltergeist, unless this also explains the possessing energy orbs they first intended. Plus we already have the comedy of the girl’s car being a robot, ala Sam Witwicky in the first Bay film, carrying over from the possession idea even when Conroy and Optimus’ situation is now different. I don’t know if we need another hijinks situation.
Man who owns the truck has a great dog, like a german shepherd or labrador. This dog is the one character on the side of the humans able to sniff out the difference between a Decepticon disguised as a juke box, and a real juke box. He (the dog) is a great asset to the Autobots and a target of the wrath of the Decepticons. (More jeopardy that kids can hang onto)
Glad they made clear it was the dog and not the Decepticon juke box being an asset. So the dog addition was a CBS idea, not a Sunbow or Marvel Production idea. I can see it from a promotional perspective, and under this scenario, Decepticon-sniffing dogs would probably a be a benefit to the underground. Worked in sniffing out Terminators in that franchise. We then get another report that basically summarizes everything here, again with extra notations. I’ll just add those real quick:
World isn’t totally taken over.
Commerce still goes on, so “slaves” can eat and survive (Megatron knowingly lets this happen).
Under titles, robot nerd running from Decepticons, hides in used car lot as VW, Wendy buys VW. This is how she gets involved with them.
VW’s best weapon is his clumsiness. He might lose a tire, which rolls into Decepticon, tripping him.
Wendy is Russian ala Nadia Comeniech. Speaks with slight Russian accent.
Comes from town in Russian that was already taken over.
Governmentally and militarily, the world is controlled by Decepticons.
Decepticons far outnumber Autobots, because they’re building new Decepticon warriors … but not Autobots.
The file ends with a bunch of other notes it seems a waste to go over since we’ll start seeing them in the final pitch, though if we don’t I’ll hopefully remember to reference it. Thus we end our look at all of the production notes. After the Christmas break we hit the second sales pitch. We already know it was rejected, but what was wrong with it? We’ll start examining in the next exciting installment of CBS Transformers.
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