Transformers: Beast Machines
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) What was Marv Wolfman' storyline treatment for Beast Machines?, Can you tell us what some of the other writers' concepts for the new series were? Thanks for the Discussion boards!
Marv came up with the Maximals returning to Cybertron, who stole the sparks and planted the virus. The Vehicons and the Generals were their ideas. All the mystical stuff came from Marty and I, based on Hasbro's request that we add a "spiritual dimension" to the show. The overall arc of the series, the quest that Optimus et al are on, was also our idea, based on many conversations with Hasbro, Mainframe, Fox, and us.2) Will we ever see any of the new Transformers with guns? Tankorr has a big cannon, but what about everyone else? Cheetor and Primal block shots, Blackarchnia has electricity, and Rattrap has his ah...tail.Our heroes use their wiles and resourcefulness, plus a few cool weapons. Guns? I've never been a fan of them myself, and do not write heroes who need them. My heroes win by *not* firing a shot, but rather using cunning. For those who like guns, go read the Punisher.3) Thanks for the discussion boards. Don't let any of the trolls get you down. You guys are doing a great job. Now, if only you could get the animators to start drinking decaf. :) I look forward to the rest of the season. Incidentally, do you guys plan to have a cliffhanger at the end or no? Thanks for keeping TF aliveThere will be a huge cliffhanger at the end of 13. And will you have to wait until next September to see the outcome. At first we thought "Yes", but now Fox seems to have other ideas... <s>4) It isn't so much a question as it is a complaint. I had high hopes for Beast Machines. But after seeing the show for four weeks I feel as if I'm being cheated. The character designs do not look robotic enough and the beast forms are even worse. The show is moving far too slowly and seems to be incredibly childish. I will stick around to see if it improves any over the next few episodes if for no other reason than morbid fascination seeing a ship sink into murky waters with people still on it.Another satisfied customer! Seriously, though, stick around. You might be surprised!5) Hey Mr. Skir (and the rest of these amazing writers)-- First off, I have to say that BM may quite possibly be the best Saturday morning Cartoon ever. I'm not just being a fanboy here, I honestly feel that it has the potential to become the most complex and well balanced cartoon in the U.S. However, there are some things I was wondering about. I know the show's only on episode 4 and all, so most of these will probably get cleared up, but I'm just dying to ask! 1)Right now the cast feels a little small. Other than Nightscream, are we going to get to see any new (or old) characters? I'm particularly hoping for more vehicons, as the maximals just don't seem to be very outnumbered at this point. I guess, though, if the three generals were to command waves of brainless vehicons, that too, would be ok. 2)Is Cybertron going to remain deserted throughout the show? Again, the cast size thing (I guess it just doesn't feel epic enough to me with these few characters present). I'd hope, at least by season 2, that there will be some signs of life from the planet itself, if not some neutral 'bots. Again, thanks a lot for what is rapidly becoming the only show I make a concerted effort to watch on Saturdays.I'm sorry, did you say you actually *liked* the show?! Hmmmmmm, must have been a computer glitch, since all the reviews I've been reading indicate my popularity is somewhere between Lee Harvey Oswald and O.J. Simpson!6) What's with Beast Machines? You've totally screwed it up! Megatron getting angry and falling to the ground was cool the first and second time, but is this going to become a weekly routine? And why the "I am Transformed" crap? It's getting old. I think moving to Fox was a big mistake. They've tamed it down so much it's stupid. Please, please, save BM before you lose all your fans.In Season Two, the cast *does* get larger. However... the overall population on Cybertron remains pretty much the same!
Yeah, Fox sucks! Blame Fox! Let's get 'em!!! Except for one tiny detail....7) Beast Machines is an incredible continuation of Beast Wars!! I've had to continually laugh at myself because every week I find myself counting down the days until the next episode. (I have to laugh because I passed being a kid a long, long time ago.) First, the kudos. The memory flashbacks/dream sequences that Blackarachnia had were extremely well-done. The daydreamy expression she had when Primal was lecturing was priceless! Megatron's current state of mind and rationale follows seamlessly from what happened in Beast Wars - very well thought out. The Tankorr-spark mystery is quite intriguing. I hope you reveal the whole story that we've been appetized with! Now, the questions. Will we ever revisit Waspinator or is he out of the battle for good? Why hasn't Cheetor had any dream sequences yet? He knew which sparks had been combined to form Tigerhawk, so why hasn't he had any visions about Tankorr's spark? Will a comic book series ever be in the works? Thanks for making me feel like a kid again!The "I Am Transformed" invocation came *entirely* from our friends at Hasbro! (Don't worry; in Season Two we abandon it for "I Am A Sock-Puppet!") Also, they haven't tamed-down *anything*! We haven't received a single note from them complaining about the violence... we've gotten to do all of it we want to! So... blame us writers! The network has been absolutely supportive!
Wow... that's *two* people who seem to like the show!8) Thank you Mr. Skir and all the others who have managed not to loose one ounce of the Spirit and fun of the Beastwars in Beastmachines. I love Black Arachnia's new look, all the eye's included. The humor and adult theme of the story have remained the same if not upped a notch. My only regret besides the millions of commercials that seem to take up all of the show is when it ends. The Men and Women who work at Mainframe have astonished it's audience with all the new effects, sounds and execution of each episode that I have seen so far. The future for this show is promising. Okay Now that I have pumped your head full of rave revues, It's now time for the good stuff. Like question's you'll dodge and sputter " YOU'LL SEEE." PHAAHH!!!Waspinator, when last seen, was king of the cave-people (after spending simply forever being blown to bits)! Why in the world would he want to leave there?
Also, we're leaving all of the vision-stuff to Optimus. So Cheetor will not be doing any of that. (We have other plans for him!)
1. Bring back Rhinox and Silverbolt no matter what, you evil non-answering a question demigod writer.
2. Please explain who or what gave Megatron that scar over his eye.
3. What Time Period did Megatron fall into when the Autobot shuttle carrying him transwarped at the end of Nemesis 2 in relation with time period he came from ? Any changes to the far past could have Unicron coming for dinner.
4. Will we get to see the Pit and the Matrix and all the cute infant sparks? What about other Transformer worlds?
5. Will Megatron receive a new transform mode to match his new found evil ? Like Galvatron's Cannon mode ? I like the dragon and all the missing parts but common Megatron is in control of all Cybertron. I sure he can afford a little body work and wax.
6. Last but not least how soon till Megatron turns his eyes back to Earth? Plus will humans come to play on Cybertron in the next season ? Allright Mr. " Wait and See." Some of these questions you've heard before and you'll here again that just because we love the show and we love the writers and CGI wizards who allow us to be kids again for twenty minutes on Saturday mornings. Keep up the great work.1. Nope, they're gone! Sorry!9) Here's just a quick note with my thoughts on the series. 1) I'm 28, and I love the show. Thanks for not writing it "down" to a younger audience. It may not be Shakespeare, but it's good solid entertainment. 2) Being the age I am, I collected and love the original TFs. So thanks for the "cameo" by Optimus Prime in episode 3. It referenced history for us older fans without detracting from what you are doing now. In fact, it appeared to be a good visual metaphor for Megatron's view of TF history, since he's doing his level best to wipe it clean and start over. 3) Making the transformation process itself one of the key plot elements in a Transformers series is great, and it makes a lot of sense. I love the fact that you've moved beyond the "Maximals/Autobots stop Predacons/Decepticons from getting the energy to conquer the galaxy" story that fueled so much of G1 and early BW. I think it's great that you've moved past that and are doing some new things... you're carrying the TF concept forward. 4) I enjoy the broad storyline that reveals just a bit at a time as we move through the episodes. The mystery is one that I enjoy seeing unfold week after week. 5) The animation is superb! Kudos to Mainframe. 6) Purely mechanical TFs again... a nice touch for an old fan like myself. Out of your new characters, ie the three sentient Vehicons, JetStorm's personality is a blast! His dialogue in ep 3 was great fun. "Spider babe at 12 o'clock!"
2. Scar?
3. We aren't doing any stories involving time travel/time-streams. So... he didn't fall into the past or anything. (Also, the original Megatron Spark *was* returned, so DON'T GO THERE!)
4. Nope. And nope. We're staying here. And "The Matrix" we're dealing with is not part of that whole Matrix/Pit thing.
5. Giving Megatron a new mode. Hmmmmmmmm...
6. Megatron will not be turning his attention on Earth at all. He's set his sights on Cybertron, and *that* will remain our arena for these two seasons!
And, hey, thanks for actually liking the show!Looking forward to more. Keep up the great work!
PS - oh yeah... I enjoyed the cameos by Rhinox and Silverbolt. Out of all the mysteries posed so far, the lack of any mention of them was the one that I was impatient to see addressed. Now that we've seen them (in a limited way of course) I can sit back and wait.
Good job guys.
Thanks! Just wait till you see what's coming...!10) Every one seems to be confused at what the two disk Optimus Prime's statue means (from "Fires of the Past"). I think their the two disks from the Voyager space probe 1 and 2. Others think they mean their like lions at the front of a library. Data disks instead of lion though. Finally some people think that it's the two disks in the Beast Wars. The alien disk and the Golden disk (from Voyager one). Can you please tell us what the disks represent?They represent collateral damage! They got blowed-up, will never appear again, so please don't give it a second thought! (Also, the script doesn't mention an Optimus statue at all, let alone gold discs, so whattaya askin' *me* for?!) ((Oh, another possible answer: he won them in the 2,395,989 Annual Cybertronian Spelling Bee!))11) Hi Bob. Beast Machines is an awesome TF continuity. You guys are doing a great job. My question is, as of October 12, 1999, how many episodes have you finished for Beast Machines? Have you guys started anything on season two yet?(stories, models, plots, characters) Thanks, keep up the great job!!! =)I am currently editing the script for #20, and the stories through episode 26 have been conceived (although not thoroughly outlined!).12) In fires of the past Megatron's Info Drone carried on an in depth conversation with him. Furthermore he exhibited fear for his own well being. So my question is: Does the drone have a spark or just a complex Artificial intelligence and if so how is that different from the spark?The Diagnostic Drone is an AI. He does not possess a Spark.13) I've seen the 1st 3 eps. now and am totally floored. The computer animation is so smooth is looks almost like traditional cel, and is visually incredible. But the story is the true marvel. I love where you guys are moving with it. It is beginning to have a Babylon5 feel to it; the grand story arc instead of a more episodic feel which is all good. I love what you've done with the characters, especially Optimus. At first he was real 'zen master' till Megatron laid the 'you-killed-everyone' guilt trip on him. Nows he's having more trouble keeping his center than the rest of them. I see the parallels of the whole spiritual advancement line of thought with Megatron and Optimus. Megatron taking the external, bodily perfection route whereas Optimus is more internal, emotional mastery approach. Very classical and gets the point across very well I think. The concept of dropping back into a more primitive, unenlightened state (beast mode) when they become ruled by their emotions is a neat twist. Thanks!I'm glad you like what we're doing! (I guess we're going a better job than the louder voices in the room are suggesting!)14) 1. In fires of the past Megatron pulled up things from the floor that contained sparks. could there be more down there? 2. why was their shuttle shot down in times of peace or was there a pred+maxi war on when they got home? 3. are there other places in the Galaxy that contain Transformer life such as: Stations as shown in BW or on earth and finally who if anyone still lives on cybertrons moon there still is on out of three?The three Sparks used by Megatron were taken from the countless that he grabbed when taking over the planet. As for the shuttle crash... Megatron was behind it; the exact circumstances will be reported in a couple of episodes...15) Are there any plans to make a BM novel(book)? I mean it would be pretty cool to visualize the characters as you see them in your mind. Thanks.Ask Hasbro! I'd love to see our novel made into a novel!16) I do have one question about episode 3. When Black Arachnia was "remembering" Silverbolt, it sort of seemed like Silverbolt was speaking to her, perhaps telepathically. Was Black Arachnia's recollection just a series of flashbacks, or was Silverbolt somehow communicating with her?It was a recollection voice. From where Silverbolt is *now*, he ain't talking to *any*body!17) There doesn't ever seem to be daylight on Cybertron. Does it orbit a star? Surely it doesn't just drift in space! Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, it means a lot to us. You're doing a great job on BM - every time I watch an ep, I just can't wait for the next one!We like spooky night-time stories, so most of the time the sky will be dark!18) I was wondering if BM turns out to be hit (which it will the 3 episodes I've seen are excellent!)will Fox Kids continue the show after 2 seasons??? Because I personally think that there are many story lines a writer such of yourself could expand and 2 seasons doesn't sound like much.Once again GREAT JOB!!!Beast Machines is a novel for television in 26 chapters! After #26, the story ends... But the story of the Transformers *will* continue!19) I must say, I continued to be impressed with Beast Machines after seeing Master of the House, especially after seeing Megatron again. In fact, once ol' Megs appeared, it finally seemed like the show had gained something it hadn't had since Beast Wars ended -- Megatron is crucial to the series. Primal and he do have that chemistry... Thanks for the great story! Two comments, though. One, PLEASE bring back the "yes" and the "no"s! Just once? Please? It was an aspect of Megatron that I enjoyed greatly from Beast Wars, and it helped define his character. "Deliciously eeeeevil" or not, I think his signature way of talking needs to return. Second, Rattrap seems to have lost his edge rather noticeably, I think. I know he's in a weakened state, but he always seemed to deal with it much better before. Sure, he'd whine about it, but he'd still be a bada-- er, I mean, kickbutt. As a friend put it, he's no longer "Rattrap the <illegitimate child>" which we grew to love so much... Regardless, I look forward to each new episode with fevered obsession. Thanks for making me question my mental health. :)Megatron will be saying Yes and No, periodically. But like as much as before. Also, Rattrap *does* seem to be a little less feisty, doesn't he! We'll see about amp-ing up his 'tude! (Although, let's face it, he's severely under-powered these days!)20) Why didn't you just call the new series The Beast Matrix and have done with it?Uh.... because it wouldn't look good on the packaging?21) I really loved the personal interests of characters in Bw, but there's something that always bug me. Why that there's always villains who switch side (ex.Dinobots ,Silverbot Black Arachnia) but we never see a good guys going bad? I would have give my last penny to see in BW Silverbot going back as a pred for B.Arachnia. Don't you think that the story would be more rich if traitors were not always on the side of the bad guys? (also seeing friendship between villain would also be cool !)Good guys going bad?! Are you crazy?! What kind of story would *that* be?! <insert evil cackle here...>22) First off I'd like to say "thank you" for taking the Transformers into yet another new, exciting direction. Secondly I'd just like to ask you some questions about "Master of the House"?(1) Were those wall paintings in Megatron's lair symbolic of his rise to power?
(2) Did Megatron terminate his fellow Predacons as well as the Maximals?
(3) Will we be seeing more of the Oracle?
(4) Does Megatron feel the pain inflicted upon his Vehicon warriors?
(5) Is the Council Building the very same building that the Tri-Predacus Council and the Maximal Elders once convened?
1. The velvet paintings of him as Elvis, or the one's where he's playing poker with all those dogs...?!23) There seems to be an oxygen type atmosphere on Cybertron now that we've seen that the planet was built over an Earth-like one. I'd like to believe that BM will still respect the original series concept that the Quintessons built Cybertron. But in the original series, there was no visible atmosphere around the planet (even though that brat Spike was able to run around the planet with the Autobots). In BW, we witnessed the planet with no visible atm. either. Is the visible atmosphere and opening wind sound effects part of your story and will it be explained or was that a move by the animators or Hasbro?
2. Well, nobody's left on the planet but him so I'm guessing *that's* a big ten-four!
3. Yep.
4. Sadly, no. Unlike President Clinton, Megatron doesn't feel *anybody's* pain! (Although I'm told that both enjoy a good cigar!)
5. It's the former Citadel of the Maximal Elders.Cybertron *does* have a breathable atmosphere... otherwise our Technorganic Maximals would perish!