Gauntlet's Guide to Optimus Prime!
Gauntlet's all-time *favorite* fictional character! Leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime.
THE GOOD
Right. I am dating myself here, but mysteriousness must take second banana to this guy. Optimus Prime is my all-time favorite fictional character. When I was younger, I looked up to the guy very much. Truly an inspiration for me. Green Ranger, Shadowman, Green Lantern.....none match up to Optimus Prime.
For those of you who don't know of Optimus Prime (you poor souls you), he was the very first leader of the Autobots in the TV show Transformers. He fought Megatron and the Decepticons for many many seasons and could transform into a truck. Just hearing his patented "Autobots - transform and roll out!" was enough for me to get excited.
Optimus was the best leader in all fictional history. He could formulate a winning plan in a second. He fought valiantly and earned the respect of his men. He had a great voice which boomed out from the TV. He had a huge gun which really impressed me. It could take down any Decepticon with a direct hit. Hell, just look at the movie! At the same time he never lost touch with his men. He always stayed among them, not over them. When one was in deep trouble, they could count on Optimus to come to the rescue.
In Transformers the Movie, Optimus died fighting Megatron. It was a great death. If there was any doubt as to how to kill off any favorite fictional character, the titanic battle to the end Optimus and Megatron received is the best example you can look at. Many, many, many old G1 TF fans complain about the amount of deaths in the TF movie. Weeljack, Iron Hide......I'd say there was not one TF fan who did not lose at least one of their favorite characters in that movie. Most happened in one-second screens and did not get the recognition many fans felt they should. I'd say that most of that had to do with time. And not too get the movie bogged down in depressants. Optimus had the greatest battle with Megatron in that movie, however, and Megatron was very true to form bargaining with the planet-eating Unicron while floating in space and dying. The only real complaint I have about the movie was that Soundwave would have fought for Megatron to the end.
Yes, Optimus Prime died valiantly and the repercussions of that would shake the TF universe forever. We would now be subjected to a variety of Optimus variants (especially the Japanese and their Convoy version), but none would equal the greatness achieved by G1 Optimus Prime.
THE BAD
As great as Optimus was, and still is, he is *dead*. Since the 80s. However, endless amounts of toys kept commin through with Optimus as the Autobot leader. That probably had an adverse effect on the new leader Rodimus Prime. He wasn't accepted as leader by most of anyone, because Optimus was so effective. It is impossible to follow up Optimus Prime, the greatest Autobot leader (and, on the flip side, Megatron) with another leader and expect him to be as good and accepted. See the poster up there? That only covers the AMERICAN versions of Optimus, it doesn't even touch the Japanese stuff!
So fans and marketers refused to accept Optimus' death. And subsequently the new season of Transformers. Which led to the return of Optimus Prime. I'll admit that if Optimus didn't return I'd hate the movie to this very day. But it cheapened his death. Although a return was expected, a sacrifice is not a sacrifice if it can be undone so easily. And to add to that, he dies shortly afterwards anyway. In every continuity, either by being absorbed into Vector Sigma, eaten by the Swarm or fighting a reborn Unicron, Optimus Prime dies again and again. The series ended with that episode, unfortunately. It was continued in comics, and had series after series in Japan, but here, in North America, Transformers was effectively dead.
Transformers the Movie should have been brought in to effectively end the series. Neither Galvatron nor Rodimus were done right afterwards. It has the very real sense of finality.
AND THE PRIMAL
Optimus Primal is not Optimus Prime. Even if you squint Optimus Primal is not Optimus Prime. Even if you shut your eyes Optimus Primal is not Optimus Prime. And I haven't even got to Beast Machines yet!
Y'see, Transformers got re-made into Beast Wars a while back. There are goods and bads to the show, but I figure the corporations wanted to hearken back to the old show by naming their characters after many G1 people, such as Optimus Primal and Megatron. Hell, almost all of the characters are renamed. Thrust, Inferno, Dinobot...... And it would be fine if they weren't used so goddamn much. Except that Primal does not act like Prime. It is irksome to have a character with the same name but not the same attitude as the original. What would be the point?? Optimus Prime had charisma, courage and a deep booming voice! Optimus Primal has courage I guess, but he ain't no Optimus Prime!
And then he goes all "shaman" on us. What is up with that?? To a totally new TF fan, Beast Machines is a fine show. I like some parts of it too, and can see the appeal to new people. But to anyone familiar to the G1 universe, Beast Machines is a big ol slap in the face! "Technorganic" nonsense. "It must take purity of spark to Transform". And then there's Botanica. Optimus Primal looks absolutely NOTHING like Optimus Prime and certainly acts nothing like him either. Hell, he isn't even the leader of the "Maximals", he was just a ship commander.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't hate Beast Wars. On the contrary, I thought it was done pretty well. But, there is one thing I dislike about it, and that's the reuse of names on inappropriate characters. It also cheapens OP'd death if his character is revived endless times. As well, it makes little chronological sence. There's all these none-Optimus Prime leaders right until OP takes command and then - BAM! Optimi everywhere.
And worse yet, now the Japanese have gone down the same trend too. They have the Convoy Council, Lio Convoy, Big Convoy, Fire Convoy.....and they went the same trend with Megatron as well. Galvatron, Gigatron, Magmatron.....notice a pattern here? Why not just create new leaders? Star Trek doesn't have a rehash of Captain Kirk all the time.
Primal is *nothing* like Prime. Prime had a big-daddy gun that could blow buildings with a single shot. Primeal has a variety of weapons, but none as cool. Prime transformed into a powerful, recognizable truck. Primal transforms into a smelly ape and occasionally scratches his armpits. While Prime is off fighting the Decepticons in a battle to take back Cybertron, Primal fights kiddy villains and a Megatron who wiped out his own people! This Megatron actually succeeded in taking control of Cybertron - and he still lost. Hardly the epitome of evil. If a hero is measured by his villains, Primal is surely at a loss. Megatron was cunning, ruthless, cruel and a brilliant tacktitian. Although he was sometimes portrayed as cowardly, his courage shone out in many circumstances as he managed to thwart every single overthrow, setback, counterattack, and trap ever thrown at him. BW Megs talks to himself, takes baths with his rubber ducky, is shortsighted, a control freak, disloyal to his own men, and was defeated by a FART! ANYONE, even the Power Rangers, could take this guy down! How tough does Primal have to get? All he needed to do in BW was order an attack on Megatron at the height of his power and the Maximals would have taken the day. BW Megatron could not unite his troops who showed little loyalty to him, and he killed those who were loyal. G1 Megatron was loyal to his followers and could unite his troops. Prime had to have guts and fighting skills to defeat Megatron. Prime never had to upgrade to stop his foe. His nemesis was a true challenge with an army to back him up, Prime had to be ever-alert for a direct attack. While BW Megatron did get better in Machine Wars, he was still an incompetent leader as he never just cut loose with a full scale assault until it was too late.
So, leave Primal back at the zoo and bring back the real Transformers.
I am Gauntlet and this has been Gauntlet's guides.
