Transformers: Beast Machines
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) Striker? Strika? Strykka? Which is it? And is the character based on the six-wheeled assault vehicle toy that Hasbro has been calling Blastcharge?
It's Strika. (Although I lobbied hard for the name "Tananka". Lost that fight bigtime!) I don't know what they based the design on, but the character drew a lot from the Sarah Douglas character in Superman II (when I was writing her, at least).2) Hi, Mr Skir and all the Guys (and girls I hope). Let me tell you my situation.I'm from Costa Rica. My connection to Beast Wars from Season 1 to 3 was always HBO Latin America. Well, It seems that Beast Machines is not aired in my cable system, so I've had to "experience" Beast Machines by all the synopsis and comments I read on your page (thank you!) and others. So, I have to imagine almost everything I read of the episodes (unless I get some images). All this is to ask you: Savage/Noble is full organic. Does he have a Spark or a soul? And, by the way, YOUR WEBSITE ROCKS! and so you do!
Thanks! I hope Beast Machines comes to your area so you can enjoy it for real.3) I have been a Transformers fan ever since I was a little kid in 1984, now that I'm a young adult I still watch the show as Beast Machines. I really have to commend you on this second season, it's been the best source of domestic TF entertainment I've experienced in years (usually I wrote BW off since I discovered it around the same time as the anime). And you needn't worry too much about the negative opinions of others, BW faced the same thing when it began as people passed general judgement with seeing only a little of it.Noble/Savage was Megatron, and thus possessed Megatron's Spark. Once that was removed, what little remained of that Spark (residual energy, if you will) accounted for the creature's having a personality/soul.
Obsidian and Strika's drones. Do they have actual names like Aero/Cycle/Tank drones? Or would I be right in calling them Chopperdrones and ATVdrones?
Well, we just called them Obsidian-Drones and Strika-Drones, but you can refer to them however it makes sense to you.4) We are a married couple who love the show and have been big fans of Mainframe since the first episode of Reboot. And we want you to know that two English majors love the show and can't wait for each new episode. We really haven't been this addicted since Reboot III.While speaking to the fake Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal calls him his "ancestor". Does this mean that transformers procreate and if so, how? Will we see a little Blackarachnia or Silverbolt?
Thanks for such shocking and addicting stories!!
Thanks for watching! (Having English majors enjoying the show means a lot to someone who earned a BA in English himself!)5) What *is* the time gap between G1 and BW/BM? We were told 300 years in Beast Wars, which seems like an awfully short period for all of the changes we've seen. Now in "Spark War Part 2," Iacon has been lost for "eons". It's wonderful to finally be getting some background information on Old Cybertron, but it's a bit confusing as well.The "ancestor" line was more metaphorical than literal. The way my current HP is the "decendent" of my old ALR, which was the decendent of the IBM I originally owned...
Black Arachnia and Silverbolt... there was a line in a very early draft of Episode 8 in which Rattrap tells them that, now that the war with Megatron is over and they are returning to a peaceful Cybertron, they can finally settle down and have a couple of small appliances! (The line got cut for time, as do so many lines and scenes!)
Do Transformers mate and procreate and reproduce? I'd have to say yes, but not in any form that we organic creatures do. It's all about software upgrades and new hardware, and not nearly so much fun as we humans enjoy!
Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little confused myself on the issue. I think a LOT of time passed between G1 and BW, and so that's how it is in Beast Machines. (However, in BW itself, 300 years have passed, since that's how Larry and Bob portrayed it there.) Yeah, I know it creates a sense of contradiction, but all you REALLY need to know is that the entire civilization turned over between G1 and the later series.6) Some websites are reporting that Botanica is not based on a toy. Is this true? Would Hasbro and Mainframe and the writers really focus so much effort on a character that doesn't promote a Transformers toy?Well, Hasbro came up with the design, based on MANY conversations we had with them. (I think the idea for a Plant-Transformer originated with me, however.) Whether they decide to go ahead with a toy is entirely their decision. I kind of hope they do... I really like her! (BTW, the Nightscream figure RULES, looking totally formidable (rather than really, really silly, the way his robot mode looks on the show!)).7) Will we be seeing the Maximals actually using or consuming energon? Only seeing energon's true functions in BW once or twice left alot of fans in the blue about just what energon actually was. Thanks for the FAQ Mr. Skir. It is very nice to have a writer that takes both time and criticism and shows true compassion for his fans.I realize how important the Transformers are to its many fans, and I deeply respect all of you.8) Have you been approached to begin any work on the next Transformers TV series? Did you quit X-Men to work on additional Transformers stories beyond season 2?The consumption of Energon will not be portrayed in the few remaining episodes... we'll be too busy burning it up in battle!
No word yet on anything in terms of any future Transformers series -- and you won't until Season Two airs on Fox and they decided whether they want to move ahead for another round. (If they say no, then Hasbro/Mainframe will PROBABLY move ahead on their own.)9) Since Botanica was an explorer like Optimus Primal, she should have had a crew like Optimus. What happened to the rest of Botanica's crew?I left X-Men for reasons that were entirely personal. (My love for the X-Men began with the introduction of the All-New, All-Different X-Men in 1975, and I saw this series as a chance to do it MY way, and have a great time doing it right. ((It was done VERY well at Fox, but I always felt I could have done it just a little better. Personal bias based on deep devotion; you all know the drill.) Anyway, despite my love for the property, and the fact that the approach that the WB wanted to take would actually take us ENTIRELY in the direction I wanted to go, I decided to leave the series. Again, my reasons were personal, and had you been in the room, you'd TOTALLY understand my position.)
Having said that, I wish Bob Forward well, and think that he'll deliver the X-Men as a terrific series.
We didn't say, but in my mind they all remained behind while Botanica returned to see what was happening on Cybertron.10) Okay. About the new Vehicons, how did you and Hasbro decide to base characters for season 2 on toys that are being released this year? Why Obsidian and Strika(aka Blastrax)? Do you know if there are toys for them scheduled for next year, or are you allowed to give that information? I'm wondering what the reasoning was, since Beast Machines season 2 was meant for September 2000-2001 airing, yet the toys are from a long time before. Obsidian is shipping now!When we got together to discuss Season Two, Hasbro showed us designs for the figures you mentioned. We worked them into the series as the characters they became. It's that simple.11) I kind of like Botanica. Whose idea was it to make an alien plant? Fits with a variation on Beast Wars, anyway, which is an agreeable way to introduce the character as a fellow explorer. Was the species she took the form of sentient, because the plant form appears semi-humanoid?The idea of the Plant-Transformer began with me (since the overall theme of Beast Machines involved returning the organic element to Cybertron, and as Beasts, our heroes only represented half of the flora/fauna equation). And yes, she did land on a planet populated by sentient plants.12) I watched "A Wolf In The Fold" on Wednesday night and something confuses the hell out of me. This Hate Plague Virus that Megatron implanted in the back of Silverbolt's head....Is it the exact same virus that Optimus Prime had to deal with in the episode: "Return of Optimus Prime"?Well, not the EXACT same virus. Think of it as a variation...13) have all the Beast Machine warriors forgotten that Waspy is in Thrust?! Did BA tell them Waspy was in there? And if so (or if not) why have they not tried to bring him back? I know he's a Pred/vehicon but they could still use his help. I don't think it would be that difficult to convince him to help. Thanks for your time. Love the show!P.S. Waspy is the best!
Thrust works better as Thrust than as Waspinator. (Basically, we made the joke and then we moved on.) Which means, as much as we all love Waspinator, the series itself was better served by keeping Thrust around than it would have been by reverting him.14) Dear Bob,I have been following the second season of Beast Machines through several fan web sites, since FOX has decided not to air it until this fall. Let me say that I love your work on the show; I have only recently discovered the Beast War/Beast Machine story, and I was unaware that there is a whole history that stretches back decades in connection with the toy line. For a forty-four year old man to get enthusiastic about something like this these days is rare indeed, and I find I am obsessing about plot details and what is going to happen next on the show.
This leads me to my question. It is obvious that the second season is going to end on some sort of climactic note. I anticipate that there are going to be more deaths (in addition to Noble), but I am wondering whether you will be leaving the series in disarray by having it end, as Beast Wars did, with the threat of Megatron continuing. It seems to me that he is the show; without him, there can be no further episodes, at least along the story lines suggested so far. Beast Wars ended with Megatron being carried into hyperspace on the back of the shuttle, paving the way for the Beast Machines. But if there has been no renewal of the show for a third season, the idea of continuing this particular story line will be a big frustration to the fans without a proper resolution.
I also am aware that unlike Beast Wars, where the Maximals sometimes won the fight, Beast Machines has them always on the run. If they win, it is always with great loss or the threat of Megatron beating down their door once again. Can the Maximals ever truly win in this show? It would be nice, if the show has to end, to see it end on a truly positive note for once.
I would be interested in your thoughts on these matters as well as any spoilers you care to give away. ;-)
Best wishes
Sorry, no spoilers from ME! But since the series will be concluding in a matter of weeks, you'll be getting all of your answers soon enough!15) Will we be seeing you and Marty Isenberg @ BotCon 2000(The Official Convention celebrating The Transformers, featuring Beast Machines)? Please help bring Beast Machines(toys + both seasons) to the UK. Thank you!Would people LIKE to see us there?Well, that's all for now!