Transformers: Beast Machines
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) I love the show you have created and the evolution of the characters. Which continuity are you using comic (Primus) or cartoon (Quintessons)?
Mostly, we are using playing-off the mythology we've inherited from Beast Wars! But, in general, things from both the comics and the cartoon have been creeping into our scripts (The Key To Vector Sigma ring a bell?).2) Tankorrhinox was a largely unexpected twist, and while I do like the character (especially the fact that he acts just like evil-Rhinox in "Dark Designs"), we haven't really gotten an explanation of how he went bad. *Is* Rhinox's spark corrupted, as Cheetor suggested, or are we meant to believe Primal when he says that the decision to side with the Vehicons was based on free will? It wasn't really clear in the context of the story, especially since both Cheetor and Primal have been wrong so often recently. So what should we-the-viewers think? Has Rhinox been reprogrammed? Is this meant to be character progression and the same guy we knew from the Beast Wars? Or is the truth a mystery which will be revealed later on?Rhinox has seen all sides of the argument, and chose to go more in Megatron's direction (which, quite frankly, puts him in good company considering the reviews I've read from certain quarters -- who would like to perpetrate violence on me for introducing the idea that Cybertron may have been organic in the dim, dark past!)3) Will Fox Kids continue on to the next season of Beast Machines in January 2000? I heard a "rumor" that YTV will be airing the second season of BM...btw the show rocks...my mind is overloading with possibilities on what the next episode will reveal...and i like it! Thanks for keeping the spirit of Transformers alive... looking forward to the next installment of Transformers... Till all are... well you knowIn # 9, Rhinox explains that he disagrees with Optimus. The reading from the actor has Rhinox growling and shouting these lines, which makes him seem corrupted (or, at the very least, not in his right mind). It was my *actually* intent for the lines to be read SADLY, to give the turnabout a poignant tone! But I wasn't there, so what can you do? I wanted the friends to be reunited... only to part company. But the "angry" reading makes it look almost like Optimus is abandoning his friend just when he needs Optimus the most! (This isn't a complaint against the actor or the director, just an observation on intent versus execution.)
Rhinox's subsequent activities will show the lengths to which he will go in order to see *his* vision of a perfect Cybertron come to fruition. And the net-effect is that certain forms of fanaticism can be even more dangerous than Megatron's megalomanica.
Fox *was* considering airing the second season in early 2000, but now it appears it won't be on until September. (I hope YTV will also wait - I'd hate for all the YTV people to see it and spill the beans MONTHS before the Fox people get to see the shows for themselves!)4) I've always been a big fan of TF, but this has got to be the most mature story line thus far. I've been watching since i could talk, and I'm 18 now. I always felt a little strange watching BW cause of my age, but since BM came out, it's freely talked about in my high school. PLEASE don't ever make it more kiddy!More *kiddy*. Trust me, we're going in just the *opposite* direction in Season Two. It's the second half of our "novel", and we're raising the stakes on EVERYTHING! (By the way -- thanks for watching! And also for not condemning us for trying to do something a little *different* with the series.)5) You said that season 2 will be the last of Beast Machines. Please tell us that you guys will still have a contract with Fox and produce more Transformers??Fox has just picked up Season Two. The final script for the final segment of Beast Machines will be done next week, and the story will thereby end. But... Transformers WILL continue! (There's even talk of an all-new feature!)6) Good job with Beast Machines. You have created a great show even if those morons at Fox Kids got rid of guns (I wish I could get away with shooting them with Rhinox's big guns). I have been wondering about Dinobot coming back or adding another Dinosaur to the group. I like Dinosaurs better than any other animals and I think kids do as well . I also like the more serious good guys and would like to see another Maximal who doesn't get all the jokes like Silverbolt or Dinobot or Perceptor (the scientist in the original transformers). I know Optimus is like that but he's the leader. Any way great job and keep it up even with out the guns (until the end of Fox Kids as we know it.)Whereas Fox is glad there are no guns in our show, I have to confess I'm just as "guilty" of getting rid of them as they were. (Not to mention Hasbro, who designed the characters -- sans guns!) As far as serious-minded new characters... you'll just have to wait until Season Two (and you *won't* be disappointed!).7) Great job on the show! Just one confusing element: in Revelations, Part 3, Optimus said the Matrix/Oracle sent the Maximals (and, it seems, the Predacons) to Earth in order to reintroduce the organic element to Cybertron. Is he saying that the Matrix wants to return Cybertron to an organic state or just reintroduce organic matter to coexist with the technological Cybertron?Optimus is currently under the impression that the Matrix wants Cybertron to be completely organic again. And, driven by guilt over "losing" the Beast Wars (or, at least, dropping the ball at the three yard line and letting Megatron free), Optimus will do anything he deems necessary in order to make that vision come true. (Is it my imagination, or is he becoming almost -- or more! -- dangerous than Megatron?!)8) I must say the story line has been great for BeastMachines. I have been a Transformer fan since it started back in 1984. The show is great I love it but I just have one question, How can Cybertron be organic when the Quintessons built it as a factory for building robots. I guess what I'm trying to say if Cybertron was built how can it be organic?Anyway, your question is an excellent one, which will be fully addressed over the next few episodes!
There may be more to Cybertron's history than we've been told so far...9) I just wanted to let you know that it is very refreshing that this old man of 41 can sit down with his young children of 4 and 6 and watch Beast Machines together and really, really enjoy it. We started watching Beast Wars when it began, when my kids were just pups and they like the characters have grown with the show. My youngest, Connor, is growing as fast as Cheetor is. It is so wonderful to follow the development and maturation of a character, as my kids grow and become "little people" as well. It was quite a shock to the oldest that Rhinox has chosen not to follow Optimus, and because of that decision her little 6 year old mind had to process why he did it. We talked about our own personal decisions and how important they are. So you see, you might be sitting many miles away, writing a show that is seen by many millions of fans worldwide, but know that that show comes into MY house. Into MY life and the lives of MY children. I welcome you and all the Beast Machines in every week. (Mom does not follow the show, but she peeks in and wonders what is going on and feigns that she does not care, then asks the kids to clue her in, yes, a closet fan.) I just wanted to say keep up the good work and keep us guessing. Thanks for allowing us to come along on this wonderful ride.Thanks for inviting us into your homes, and into your children's imaginations. Rather than presenting characters in/as absolutes (Optimus as pure good, Megatron as pure bad), we're trying to inject a little grey into the stories -- giving Megatron a point of view that *is* justifiable, taking Optimus into a realm that may prove less-than-justifiable... and we're glad that you're watching with your children to help them through the idea that people who are good *can* do bad (for good reasons), and contrariwise that bad people can do evil using arguments that, on the surface at least, sound reasonable.10) Why is Optimus' name Optimus Primal? I know it is to honor Optimus Prime (G1), but don't the leaders have to end in Prime? This would imply that Primal is NOT the leader of the Maximals (it was revealed in BW that his command of the ship was his 1st). So, who was the REAL leader of the Maximals..or was it just the council. I thought having the Matrix made you leader. Can you please explain?Again, thanks for watching!
The Council Of Elders was the ruling body on Cybertron. Until Megatron instituted his own pecking order -- of one leader presiding over a population of one!11) Why did Megatron keep the sparks? Why not kill off everyone and rule the planet, why pose a threat to yourself in keeping them. I just think this is a MAJOR error and will come back to haunt him. I mean, now, everyone (almost) can be set free.Why keep the Sparks? I dunno. Maybe he has a really good reason that we haven't seen yet!12) I've been a LONG time fan of TF's and I just wanted to write you a big thumbs up! "Survivor" was just wonderful! Great JOB! Giving Tankorr the genius of Rhinox makes the whole Vehicon threat so much more ominous and adds so much to the whole plot line! Regarding that promo for next week's show, that "key" they referred to sure looks a LOT like the KEY to "VECTOR SIGMA" Just for kicks, I pulled out my old TF tapes and watched those two absolute classic "The Key to Vector Sigma" shows from the original Transformers cartoons. Man would that fit into the whole Beast Machines storyline. Being that the key has the power to turn organic material into metal, among other things! (Though wasn't it destroyed in the end? Well, maybe "they" made another one!) I hope you and the other authors took some time to view these shows as well. It's great to have consistency and continuity between these new shows and those we loved as kids so many years ago. All I can say is great job and thanks for incorporating as much of the original TF mythos into these new stories. It just adds SO much more to the suspense and intrigue of the plot. Oh and one last thing. Yea I agree with ALL of the other letters you've received about it. Please have those Mainframe animators show Unicron's head orbiting Cybertron. That'd be just the icing on the proverbial cake! Keeping my head skyward and hoping!Hope you liked # 11... As far as having a big head orbiting over the horizon... well, we'll see if we can find some reference material on that to make you Unicron fans happy!13) I was just wondering if you could put all five members of the Maximal group in order from oldest to youngest.(Some are obvious, but I want to be sure) Keep up the great work on the show!If I had to guess.... Optimus is oldest, then Rattrap, then B.A., then Cheetor, then Nightscream. (There may be some wiggle room between the first three, actually. But their ages never really come up in the stories anyway!)14) I was wondering, since you mentioned something about other Transformers coming back to Cybertron from outposts and such, if the ones returning will be Maximals/Predacons or Autobots/Decepticons? Or, will they be from some other faction? If you can't say at this time, I understand, but it'd be cool to see what their allegiance is.We'll see...15) How is "Beast Machines" doing in the ratings on the Fox Network? Are the ratings equal to or better than expected for the 11 a.m. E.S.T. slot? I hope they're good since I'm curious how the Maximal/Vehicon war will turn out. (The idea of Rhinox/Tankorr secretly plotting to overthrow Megatron certainly puts a new twist on things.)Beast Machines in ruling in the ratings, as Fox's #2 show (behind Digimon -- following that Pokemon swell), and #1 with boys 6-11. Put it this way... they've renewed us for another year, and they're VERY happy with us all!16) In the "Revelations" 3-parter, one of the flashbacks explained how the maximals were reverted to their pre-transmetal bodies... except Optimal Optimus' body never had a pre-transmetal form, because, as explained in "The Coming of the Fuzors, pt. 2", his spark was transferred in to a new, transmetal from the start, body. How could Optimal Optimus' body revert to something it never was?I'm sticking to the answer that his original body mutated into a Transmetal one, as did the other Maximals. To be perfectly honest, for purely thematic reasons, we needed to begin the series with our characters as ANIMALS. If doing so has created a huge continuity problem for longtime fans, I deeply and sincerely apologize for it. But in the context of our current series, it was necessary to begin with robots chasing animals, otherwise the story would not have worked visually for our new audience.17) Why put an Eagle for the Beast Machines logo?I frequently wonder the same thing!18) Wow. easily the best show on television. PERIOD. thank you for giving us intriguing storylines, well drawn characters, and super slick/super sexy lookin' scenes. i love all the characters, especially black arachnia and nightscream. can't wait to see the next episode every week (actually get to watch it twice a week - on ytv wednesday night and FOX saturday morning). such a refreshing change from most of the mindless plop masquerading as kids television (Spongebob Squarepants being the exception) and BM is canadian too! YAY!! cheers and keep up the good work!Thanks for watching!19)Any Word on whether or not past BM story scripts can be published on your site? Those of us who don't get to see the ep's first time around would still like to know the story.Mainframe has requested that, at present, that we don't publish the scripts. If and when they let us, I'll post them immediately (so you can see the progression of ideas).20) I am a 19 year old female and a huge fan of the show, and I love everything you are doing with it.I must say my only complaint is the lack of female characters. I know there is going to be one more female added next season, but come on!! I hope that by the next series there will be an even number of males to females. Now on to my question, in the revelations three parter I noticed that Blackarachnia's spark was green the same color she glows when transforming. Does that mean that Rattrap's spark is red, Cheetors pink, etc.? Also I've seen that all other sparks look the same, so would that mean the matrix did not just reformat their bodys but their sparks as well? If so what would that mean and how would it make them different from other transformers? Or was it just a artistic decision?Hey, I argued till I was blue in the face for our new bat to be a female (in my mind she was Newt from Aliens. Now, instead, he's John Conner from T2 !). So.... if I had my druthers, half the cast would be female!21) What I have to say is not a question but a comment. Awesome!! You both have taken Transformers to a new level. And an incredible level at that. Beast Machines is everything I have ever hoped you both could make it. I grew up watching Transformers. They were my favorite cartoon. Now, my 5 year old son and I watch the show. He thinks it is the best show on. Again, thank you for, what I would call, doing your homework on the show. You guy's are great. Thank you.By the way, there will be TWO females added next season! Happier? (I know *I* am!)
I'm glad you like the new direction! It's met with a lot of controversy on the 'net, with people wanting to lynch us for "ruining" Cybertron and "corrupting" their mythology (by using many ideas that Hasbro insisted on, Fox wanted, Mainframe liked...). Marty and I are very happy with the story we're putting together, and we're happy that some of you out there are happy, too.22) About Unicron's head, it seems that many people saw the Movie, but missed most of G1 season three. Yes, after the Movie, Unicron's head became a moon of Cybertron, but in "Ghost in the Machine", Unicron's head was blasted into space. In "Grimlock's New Brain", Unicron's head was shown somewhere NOT in orbit around Cybertron. If Unicron's head had still been in orbit at the start of "Rebirth" (It wasn't.), it wouldn't have stayed there when Cybertron itself was moved. So, basically, Beast Machines has been right so far by NOT showing Unicron's head. Unicron's head should not appear in orbit without a really good explanation. Great work on Beast Machines, by the way.Well, so much for having a floating heading hovering over Cybertron!23) Will we ever hear again the "classic" transformation sound, like the one Ravage gave us in BW "The Agenda Pt2"?That's the one I hear in my head whenever I write them Transforming... but I don't do the post production sound, so I'm not really the person to ask!24) Like many other posts on the website, this is not a question but a note of hearty thanks to everyone who's working on Beast Machines. You guys took a phenomenal base (Beast Wars) and improved on it/remained consistent with it! Kudos to a job well done, indeed! Some small comments: Cheetor's evolution from juvenile to adult was/is incredibly fascinating to watch; Rattrap's new look *does* eventually grow on you; and I CAN'T WAIT to see what happens with the vehicon generals now after seeing the three-part episode. Mr. Skir, I also wanted to interject applause for you: as a HUGE fan of both the Batman and Gargoyles series, I wanted to let you know how great those shows were. I appreciate that you write intelligent, moving, interesting, and well-rounded stories. Keep up the good work!!!Again, thanks for watching. I can't wait to see what you all think of how we end this season.. and where we are going in Season Two!25) Is Optimus Prime dead? Granted, this is a direct question, and it probably won't be answered directly, but could you at least throw us a bone here (all of us Optimus lovers)? I mean, Optimus was in both G1 AND Beast Wars, so is he going to be in Beast Machines AT ALL? There hasn't been a single Transformer series he hasn't been in yet, so are you going to break this chain or leave it? PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION I'M DYING TO KNOW!!! The Optimus statue wasn't enough-even if there is only a vague reference that he is dead of old age or he is chilling somewhere on Cybertron, it would be GREAT! I know you've probably already sorta' answered this question, but even a "You'll see!" answer would be cool! We already know Megs has EVERYONE'S spark, but will they ever get around toward retrieving Optimus's? Thanks.Optimus Prime will not be factoring into our series in a major way. Although his presence may eventually be felt...Well, that's all for now!
Keep watching!