Transformers: Beast Machines
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1) The 'pseudo-Soundwave' robot shown in episode 5 in the flashback isn't really Soundwave, right? In the recent episodes I have noticed a unique repetition, Soundwave. Why does it seem that most of the former inhabitants of Cybertron are relatives of Soundwave? Nightscream seems to be a Rumble relative and the Revelations Episode 1 most of the corpses seemed to be either Soundwave or a Prowl/Bluestreak. Is this just a "recycling" of robot images from the Beast Wars series? Or is it something else? After seeing "Forbidden Fruit" I had one question. Is/was Nightscream Rumble (G1), or was this a trick the animators put in? The scene I refer to is when Nightscream recalls how he came to be a bat. We see a transformer who looks like G1 Soundwave, and then a smaller blue transformer run out from behind him. Please clear this up for me, and anyone else who caught it. If Nightscream was Rumble, I'm not sure how that could fit into future stories - but it would be an interesting subplot to your already great show.
Basically, since the non-descript Transformers we've seen in our show have been less-than-full characters, the animators are reusing existing bodies/designs to save time, allowing them to concentrate more fully on more pressing details. So, no , you haven't been seeing Soundwave or Rumble.2) I have sat back and watched and can't hold my tongue anymore. I was a great fan of the Transformers cartoon, a HUGE fan of Beast Wars, and I want to add my two cents on the Beast Machines.IT ROCKS!!! The story has been excellent so far. I love the way you started slowly and are throwing in little subplots here and there to spice it up. The animation is more than I anticipated, which is only to be expected from the CGI wizards at Mainframe. Please continue to keep up the good work, I trust you will do the Transformers universe justice.
The thing I was wondering about is TigerHawk. I have been able to piece together the fates of Rhinox and Silverbolt, and love the twist involved, but I have yet to see any mention of the Vok emissary. I just want to know if he will appear, as I thought he was one of the best characters in Beast Wars, even though we only saw him for a short time.
That is all for now. Your fans are out there, they just don't say much.
I'm really glad you're enjoying the show! TigerHawk's story (short as it was) ended in Beast Wars, and will not be picked up in our current series. But that doesn't preclude him from appearing in our next series, beyond the ending of Beast Machines...3) Hey, Bob, im sorry to admit that I dont have any questions to ask you. (the only ones I have, im waiting for the series itself to answer)... The reason im writing this is to give all of you mega kudos. The animation ROCKS!!! The CGI wizards deserve a big wet kiss... Now, as for you, Bob Skir, and the other plot-makin-dudes, i have some information for you.... yessssssssssssssssss.... (As megatron would say) Your stories ROCK!!! You've been able to reignite my excitement with transformers in a huge way, and your shows pretty much the only reason i get up early on Saturday. BTW, i saw the episode where your "Special plans" for cheetor start being revealed, and i say ITS ABOUT FREAKIN TIME someone besides an Optimus variant took command for a while. Dont let any of the nay-sayers get ya down; YOU GUYS ROCK!Thank you *very* much! We're having a lot of fun taking Cheetor to a new level, along with all of the other characters, finding new ways for each of them to stretch and grow (despite rumblings from certain quarters who aren't happy when we keep the characters the same *or* change them!). Keep watching...4) Hi Mr Skir, I have been watching Beast Machines lately and I must say I am loving it!. You once said that bots from Cybertron are shattered all over the Galaxy and some of them will come back to cybertron and will not like how its being run. I First thought they were the vehicons but now I know better. Will the bots from space be making any appearance or something? Thank YouYes. Absolutely.5) Just wanted to add my voice to the others. The show is really a step up from the original. In both animation and story. I would just like to ask if there would ever be a chance for at least one episode that the Maxi's could be on the offence. It just feels a little depressing seeing them always on the run, altho It does add a sense of urgency on there parts to keep going and find safety some where and look for other transformers that may had fallen through the grip of Megatron's glowing claw. Thanks for keeping the Transforms fresh and alive!We're doing this series as a novel for television, so in the early chapters our guys were getting their bearings while getting their asses kicked a little. As the story progresses, so will heroes. And, as you've just seen in Episode # 8, our guys *will* be playing offense, rather than merely trying to win a defensive war!6) If their are only 13 episodes per season, and we are coming up to episode 8 in a few days, will re-runs be added in between the rest of the episodes? If not, this season will end before Christmas, and waiting from then until next September for season 2 would be excruciatingly difficult. Or do you plan to keep this season going until around May (like Beast Wars - which had more episodes per season)? Could you clear this up?Well, either Fox will run the series in order over and over again until next September, when we move into the second-half of our story, OR they will decide to begin airing the second season early next year (Feb or so). But... if they do run season-two later this season... what will there be to watch next Fall?!7) Just a quick question, in one of your earlier posts, you made a comment about how "Your"" heroes don't use guns, and that any one who wants to see that kind of thing should read the Punisher comic book. This statement has caused quite a bit of an uproar, both for and against. (Mostly against from what I read in discussion groups.) Could you clarify the statement a bit for us, and was it your decision, Fox's, or both to have the good guys not use guns? If so, why? Was it A PC decision, or a personal one. The reason I don't think it was Fox, is other show like the Big Guy seem to use guns on a fairly regular basis. Thanks for any help you can give on this.Your question would require a dissertation to answer, but simply put, I personally would rather see heroes winning the day using their natural abilities and cunning than firepower. That's my personal preference. Hasbro said that this approach was what they were looking for, so we were both in synch (I didn't approach them with this radical notion; we approached each other and agreed). And whereas Fox will allow certain forms of guns and ammunition to be used in their shows, they generally shy away from it when it isn't necessary (and with characters with as many abilities and as much smarts as our Maximals possess, why arm them?). So, let's just say that We (the writers), Fox, Hasbro, and Mainframe agreed to dis-arming our heroes, thus pitting them against a planet of heavily-armed villains which will push them to their very limits, making them all the more heroic for the victories that they achieve.8) Okay. I was thrilled to see everything looking so wonderful! The writing is top notch, but I noticed a bit o' a lack of that witty banter between Rattrap and the rest of the Maximals! Rattrap and originally Dinobot use to wisecrack back and forth a lot! After Dinobot died, Rattrap and the rest of the Maximals provided that sort of fun humor! SO far in Beast machines there has been some, but not nearly as much as there use to be. Heck, Rattrap has barely said "We're all doomed!" True, true, they're in shock about being on the run and all, but will we ever see that sort o' witty banter return? Please?I'm sorry if my personal approach/preferences disgusts/annoys/offends fans who like seeing heroes heavily armed. But for them, there *are* heroes who *do* need guns (such as the Punisher). Spider-Man doesn't need guns. Neither does the Hulk. And neither do Optimus, Cheetor, Black Arachnia, et al.
Keep watching... it'll be there.9) Just thought I'd let you know you're doing a FANTASTIC job. The characterizations are getting better and better and better (cheetor in particular, its neat seeing the character that he was, in form of nightscream, and the leader he has become after all the madness...quite amazing), and I LOVE the multi-series continuity. Off the top of my head I can think of no single series that has kept a coherent thread of continuity not only across episodes but across SHOWS better than the TF universe. Thanks for giving it the attention it deserves, and writing it for everyone, not just the kids. I have loved and enjoyed the whole universe since I was a wee lad, and its nice to be able to still enjoy and appreciate the adventures of some of my favorite heroes even now, while approaching 30. Once again, thank you.You're very, very welcome!10) Hey Bob and Marty. Great job on the show, it's getting really interesting and I like how the storyline is getting really dark and angst-filled. Since Megatron removed all the sparks of the TFs on Cybertron, does this mean that he once again has possession of the G1 Megatron's spark? Or any other Decepticons or Autobots of the past?Megatron has them *all*!11) I would just like to compliment you on creating a very good continuation of the Transformers saga. I was initially upset, like may others were, about the morphing of the Maximals but I think I can get used to it if the episodes are as good as they have been. I would like to also give a big kudos to finally giving these characters some actual personalities: Primal loosing it and blaming himself for what has happened to Cybertron, the Vehicon generals being Maximals rebuilt and Rattrap doing whatever he needs to get weapons. Nice touch by the way, the Maximal who needed his gun the most has to find other ways to fight. Also the scenes in the recent beginning of the three parter Revelations was incredible creepy. When I first saw that transformer "cemetery" I could feel the goose flesh running up and down by spine. Really creepy and kind of fitting for Halloween weekend. The spark removal machine was also very terrifying and spooky. Keep up the good work.Thanks! A *lot* of people found the whole cemetery-thing spooky! (Which is gratifying because, when you can pull it off, creepy-science fiction is really quite wonderful (ie: Alien).) We had a great time putting this three-parter together (especially working with Brynne Chandler Reaves, Marv Wolfman, and Steve Melching). And wait'll you see how it all ends!12) Umm...correct me if I'm wrong...but wasn't Unicron's giant head floating over cybertron. When the original Transformers ended, I think Unicron was still the planets newest moon. I can just imagine RatTrap saying,"My the Unicron sure looks lovely tonight...WHY didn't we ever BLAST that thing out of the sky!?" Or a lovely seen with Black Arachnia, and her newly remodeled boyfriend (since SilverBolt is now Thrust), admiring the big robots head. Now that's what I call romantic (and disturbing!?)A giant head floating over Cybertron.... what a wonderfully creepy image! (Please note that I'm deep-into writing #26 as I make this observation!)13) Why is it that Beast Machines seems to be 90% action? Is this because of FOX? Hasbro or other factors? Too be honest I see little plot development.Have you been watching the three-parter? The plot is thickening even now...14) You've said that besides the five carryovers, there'd be ten or so featured characters. We've only gotten four thus far (five if you count Diagnostic Drone) and we're halfway through with season 1. Will any more of these characters be introduced first season, or will all six or so be introduced in the second season?I meant that there would be ten or so total characters, which is pretty much where we are. Expect some new faces, and some changing faces, next season!15) The Maximals are very concerned about their fallen brethren (And rightly so)... will similar concern (or mentions) be given to the rest of the cybertronian populace? The Predacons, and the few remaining Autobot and Decepticon carryovers?We're trying to refer to Cybertronians as "Transformers", which includes *all* factions. We are avoiding terms like "Predacons" because the conflict between Maximals and Predacons doesn't factor into our current storylines, and we don't want to cause any confusion. But rest assured, Cybertron *was* populated by all four of the "species" you mentioned.16) Beast Wars established the Maximals (and Predacons) as having many, many colonies and outposts. Might some of those colonists try to return home to reclaim what Megatron has taken?Yep.17) What exactly is the matrix? I've seen the movie and all the episodes of Beast Wars and Machines were they say something about the matrix, but i still cannot get it clear.In Beast Machines, when we talk about the Matrix, we are talking about the AllSpark, made up of every Spark that ever was, and every Spark that ever will be. (Which, if you replace "Spark" with "Soul", is my definition of God.)18) I just wanted to start by saying, wow, you did a great job on BM. Was it hard trying to make a series based on a couple of toys and turning it into something worthwhile?Sometimes a couple of toys are all you have to work with. In *this* case, however, we had the benefit of a vast universe with a rich mythology (which some people think we are enriching while others feel we are bastardizing!). And whereas Marty and I are very proud of the work we're doing on Beast Machines, we fully recognize that we are building on concepts and characters made by others, most significantly Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, who did such a great job on Beast Wars! (Plus which, Marv Wolfman provided the basic scenario for the current series, which we then outfitted with an overall arc and novel-style story structure.)19) How the heck did Nightscream get his bat form? Was the Oracle involved, or was it that funky tree?You'll find out the answer to this as soon as Nightscream does... in just a couple of weeks!20) Well this is more of a comment than a question. I'd just like to tell all of you that you are doing a great job! I have been a long time fan of both G1/2 and Beast Wars, and despite what some of the fans feel towards this series, I think that this is one of the best! I love the way that you keep the audience in the dark, while slowly revealing bit by bit of information to us, but seems like we'll get an episode or two where we will be hit in the face with info that we've been wanting. I love how you're exploring Cybertron's past, as well as the origin of the transformers. I have one question though, is this the original Cybertron, or are you following the G2comic or Japanese series continuity? In the Japanese series Cybertron (Seibertron) was destroyed, while in the G2 comic it was shown that Jhiaxus had terraformed something like 17 planets into a cybertron-like state. It's not really important, just something that has been bugging me. Anyway, I'd just like to say keep up the good work, and don't let the fans who don't like the series get you down. You're doing a fine job, and I don't think that anyone who is complaining about the series can do any better.Thanks for enjoying the show. The answer to your question is: Yes, we are on Cybertron, the one true Cybertron. (See? You *can* go home again!)21) This is a reference to "Godzilla: The Series:" Are there any plans of bringing Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidora to the series?Godzilla is done, done, done, with the completion of all forty episodes. I would personally *love* to go back and do many, many more of them. But as for the "marquee" characters, they were never available to us -- because they needed to remain "unencumbered" for their own licensing needs. Which left us to create new villains -- a giant bat instead of Rodan's bird, a giant snake instead of Mothra's caterpillar, and (my personal fave creation!) a cyborg-zombie Godzilla (Cyber-Godzilla) instead of MechaGodzilla. Oh, and did you see my giant robot yeti? (Man, did I love doing that series! Especially when I got to destroy my hometown in "Lizard Season"!)22) Hi! I like the show... Just wondering, does Megatron's "Secretary" (who is my favorite non-toy character, and one of my overall favorites)have a name?He is the Diagnostic Drone. And, for the record, he is an AI, with no Spark of his own. (And I love him, too!)23) You guys are doing an excellent job! I really don't know why some fans are disappointed. Here's my question, How large is Cybertron? Is it still as small as in the original Transformers series (Moon sized), or did it get larger. Thanks for a great show.I envision Cybertron to be a good-sized planet. How big? Well, let's just say *I* wouldn't want to paint it!24) I've watched about 2 episodes thus far (missed one due to work schedule and another got pre empted by baseball). Anyway I quite enjoy the look of animation (in the words of my Mother 'that other show looked like it was drawn by a 4th grader') - I'd like to note I don't agree with her observation *grin*. I'm sure by now you have received some gripes about the look of the characters themselves (i.e. ye gods are they ugly) so just add me to the list. Poor Rattrap looked way better in BW IMHO. I do like Opts new gorilla form though. BA's spider look is nice but I don't really like her rail thin robot form (reminds me way too much of the sickening amount of starlets starving themselves these days).. I certainly look forward to the storyline as it progresses. Sure got me guessing as to who's spark Tankor has that felt familiar to Opt. I wish you all much success with BM and that you will manage to please some of the fans some of the time. *grins* I'm totally with you... I like some of the designs far more than others. But... even the ones you are cold to at first start to grow on you in a big way (Black Arachnia's robot form being chief among them. Didn't love it at first... bigtime like it now!) (And, no, she isn't modeled after Calista Flockhart!)