Transformers Cybertron rewatch - Overall series discussion

####[**Everyone, thanks for participating in my last Transformers rewatch!**](https://i.imgur.com/oqNxgkO.jpeg)

I don't actually have much to say for this one. I might have I hadn't wasted all my time on other things, but at least I got the main post looking pretty good.

[Here's a bar graph version of the poll results,](https://i.imgur.com/eDJfbG2.png) and [one without the images.](https://i.imgur.com/UvGWqHH.png) Highest turnout was unsurprisingly on episode 1, with 8 votes, later it fell somewhat, affecting vote variability. Thanks everyone who participated though!

Also don't forget to check the trilogy discussion tomorrow. Even if you don't have much to write I'm gonna spam more fan art

[](#thebutton) Also I was supposed to have the questions prepared beforehand so you could prepare them too, but here I am, finishing *this* post at the last minute, as usual

[](#tiredaoi)

It was a good time, hope to see you somewhere out in the [cosmos](https://i.imgur.com/hJGNgbX.jpeg) again

---

###Final soundtrack of the day:

* [Our Journey Is at an End](https://files.catbox.moe/2dysd5.mp3)

[Time really flies, huh](#wipetears)

---

[Fan art album](https://imgur.com/a/aaJaKon)

[And this one's](https://i.imgur.com/xRLUi08.png) for /u/FD4cry1

**Galactic First-Timer, subbed**

This show was worth it for Flame Convoy alone. [](#utahapraises)

But seriously, I did enjoy this one a bunch even if the CGI was bad. The ending in particular was fantastic, more shows should have a full-on epilogue episode. Wish it had better subs than the ones it does though, ‘cause that makes for an even harder sell than the CGI in my opinion.

[9/10.](#kannathumbs)

I guess there’s still the trilogy as a whole thread tomorrow, but still, thanks for hosting this, u/Nebresto! [](#michaelwink)

**Rewatcher**

So, I know I watched at least some of this show as a kid, but after seeing the whole thing again, it probably wasn't much of it. Granted, I was also probably dealing with Transformers Fatigue at that point, because I had been watching the franchise off and on for like five years at that point.

Anyway, this was no Transformers Armada, but it pretty alright. We had a lot of good setpiece action scenes, even if the CG meant that most of them looked like recordings of a kid smashing their toys together.

I probably should have switched to the sub for my own enjoyment, because dear lord does the dub add so goddamn much inane chatter. Adding a quip or two to otherwise silent footage is fine, but then they started stretching the dialogue to fill every second and it just annoys me.

Anyway, [here's the big lad in his full glory.](https://i.imgur.com/dyMzaze.jpeg)

Questions

1. ARE IN DANGER!

2. Lori and Scourge

3. The show definitely had found its footing by the time we got to Gigantion. Velocitron's endless nonsense races were easily the worst.

4. Like two or three.

5. I didn't use them, personally.

6. Optimus Prime! Suuuper Mode!

7. ~~Redo this show with either significantly better CG or just be hand-drawn~~

8. [](#morecomfy)

9. [I had to look it up]>!and he is apparently named Phreaker.!<

**First Timer**

I joined on the promise of giant robots punching each other, and I wasn't disappointed

[](#mechablush)

Not a ton to say here, Cybertron, all in all,l is a rather simple show, and it's very fun and effective within that simplicity! I really don't know how to correctly word this feeling, but it feels very prime and quintessential kids' show in all the positive connotations of that! Like, something I can just put on, empty my head, and *just have fun*, because it's always a simple baseline entertaining with a lot of personality (But critically, not really dumbed down either).

Although I will say, even though I came in only with the expectation of cool and senseless giant robot action, Cybertron did really often pleasantly surprise me! I mean, there *was* the aforementioned punching, but there were also some genuinely pretty great character arcs and story moments here, even including a few surprisingly emotional parts! I'm happy to report that my childhood bias for the Decepticons hasn't changed a bit lol.

And while I generally liked the entire cast, I do feel some props are in order for Lori, Bud, and Coby. Off the first few episodes, they were my biggest worry, because the kid self-insert characters can be really annoying and distracting in shows like this (And I mean, aren't the cool robots enough?! ), but not only were they pretty consistently entertaining, they were actually shockingly well integrated into the plot at times! Bud and Lori, in particular, were really great by the end, and I don't think that's a given at all.

[](#skyhype)

The CG isn't exactly stellar or anything, but it's pretty solid all around and fairly easy to get used to. Certainly by the end, there are some pretty great fights here! Plus, as I mentioned before, the jank is also an important and positive part of the experience.

[](#seasonalfoodie)

I guess in terms of major flaws, the one that stands out is just pacing, specifically the early pacing, with all of Velocitron and most of Jungle Planet feeling way too dragged out. Maybe a bit extreme, but you could reasonably trim upwards of a cour of episodes here if you really wanted to. This is kind of where the simplicity backfires, because while all of these characters are fun, most are certainly not designed for lengthy and repetitive arcs (And it makes sidelining *very* obvious). Or at the very least, that time could've gone to some of the more unexplored elements, like the Planet X gang, for example, which I honestly would've loved to see more of.

Also, while no one ever dying™ is hardly surprising, the show could stand to draw these cliffhangers out just a little more? Just have like, *one episode*, where Megatron is "dead" instead of instantly bringing him back, y'know?

[](#yuishrug)

Anyway, [8/10](#shirayukiappeased), this was a great time and a great way to rediscover the charm of a franchise I hadn't touched in years!

Haven't watched the other Unicron shows, so I'll be bowing out here (Although, this was good enough to convinceme that I should definitely try Armada [](#mugiwait)), so I'll also give a huge thanks to /u/Nebresto for hosting!

It's been a blast! And beyond the great engagement, I also genuinely really appreciate all the effort into the little things for the rewatch, like the polls, OST features, character charts, etc. Not to mention the presumably large effort that went into actually making a release for the rewatch!

[](#grouphug)

> OUR WORLDS ______?

[ARE NO LONGER IN DANGER...](#protest) Until Starscream comes back

[](#mugiwait)

> Who were your favourite duo of the show?

Specifically *duo*, probably the good old Terrible Twosome? I want it to be the Planet X boys, but really, it's mostly just Soundwave since Sideways kind of fell off.

[](#rengethink)

> What was your favourite planet & arc? What about least favourite?

Favorite is for sure Gigantion! Just a string of fantastic episodes there. In terms of specific arc, obviously, the God Emperor arc gets a mention.

[](#grandhype)

Least has already been mentioned lol, but it do be the speedy planet

[So many races](#tiredaoi)

> How many final showdowns did we have?

[](#seasonalsecret)

> Were the character charts of any use?

[Yeah!](#anko)

Plus, as mentioned, I always liked the little changes between episodes!

> Favourite transformations?

Not counting Primus because that's unfair, Wingsaber sticks out to me as really memorable.

> What are you doing at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us by collecting the 4 cyber planet keys?

[](#cosy)

> What is the name of the telephone autobot?

[Got me there](#hisocuck)

**Rewatcher misses this era of Transformers**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, Cybertron was pretty fun! It's always cool when, after a franchise has one of its most infamously bad shows ever, the creators really lock in, take all the criticisms, and make something that's better in every way.

The Cybertron toyline was one of the best we've ever seen, with simple but efficient transformations, well-engineered gimmicks that didn't interfere with the toy at all, and a much more forgiving budget than we have these days. The engineering of Armada and Energon have finally been refined, ushering in what I believe to be the greatest era of Transformers (lasting all the way up till the budget cuts hit at the tail end of Prime and the lines started diverging into kid-oriented and collector-oriented).

The show was a huge step up from Energon, both visually and plot-wise. The CG was noticeably less jank than Energon's (admittedly not a high bar to pass), and although it was still a bit awkward in the beginning, improved significantly over time. The bots actually have facial expressions now! Our cast was far more interesting this time around, with character arcs that actually go somewhere and humans that manage to be legitimately useful. And hey, it tells a far more entertaining story than Energon's endless struggles to fill its episode count.

That said, the plot perhaps got a bit too ambituous for its own good. Its need to advertise toys from multiple planets at once led to early episodes juggling a bit too much, with constant cuts between multiple plotlines and the Velocitron story getting dragged out really quite too long. But once they finally got the Velocitron key and the Omega Lock out of the way, the cluster of plotlines gets pruned enough for the show to really pick up.

And of course, then there's the matter of stock footage. There is a *lot* of stock footage. Like, there will be fights that are 50% just everybody transforming and activating their Cyber Key gimmicks. For as good as the stock footage looks, it does get a bit overwhelming at times. The dub at least had them talk over it to make it less monotonous, but as those lines didn't exist in the original, those are mostly just throwaway filler lines that don't contribute all that much.

Questions of the day:

* OUR WORLDS ARE IN DANGER TO SAVE THEM AND THE GALAXY WE MUST FIND THE FOUR CYBER PLANET KEYS BEFORE THE DECEPTICONS CAN USE THEM FOR EVIL IT IS OUR MISSION HOT SHOT JETFIRE VECTOR PRIME LANDMINE SCATTORSHOT OPTIMUS PRIME TRANSFORM AND ROLL OUT

* Sideways and Soundwave!

* The Jungle Planet arc was great! Velocitron was a bit of a drag.

* A lot.

* Probably helpful to first-timers avoiding spoilers. I just checked TFWiki.

* SIGNAL LANCER

* A sequel about them exploring new planets with the new space bridge network!

* Before the Decepticons can use them for evil? It is our mission.

* Phreaker! Named by Ask Vector Prime before he got sick of naming unnamed characters for us.

**First-Timer**

Transformers Galaxy Force/Cybertron is a pretty good show and I had a lot of fun while watching it. My expectations for this show were honestly pretty low because I did not enjoy Superlink/Energon that much. But, Galaxy Force/Cybertron was a marked improvement. I don’t think it ever reached the highs of Legend of the Microns/Armada, but It was still an enjoyable series.

I enjoyed the cast of Galaxy Force/Cybertron. Crucially, I don’t believe there was ever a character who really annoyed me or got on my nerves. Even the children were pretty good additions to the series. Out of all the kids, I admit I enjoyed Lori the most when she was pissed off. This was a solid version of both Optimus Prime and Megatron. The supporting casts of other Autobots and Decepticons were good as well. From the Autobots, I especially liked Vector Prime, Ligerjack, and the Vanguard Team. Flame Convoy had a good character arc about learning to become a better leader. Special shoutout to Starscream for being far more competent than he usually is and actually succeeding at gaining the ultimate power he was after, even if he lost in the end. Lots of other Decepticons were great comedic relief, like Thundercracker, Gasket, and Landbullet. I like that there were a lot more factions than just Autobots and Decepticons that the characters encountered as they travelled to all the different planets. It helped to make for a nice change of pace from the usual Autobot and Decepticon dynamic.

Speaking of those different factions, that ties in well to the major themes of this series. The big theme is the power of friendship and how people are much stronger when they unite together. This is a pretty typical theme, but the series does a great job at incorporating it over and over into various aspects of the series. The Autobots and Decepticons work differently and have very different styles of leadership. Optimus trusts his subordinates to do their best and works with them as a team while Megatron just bullies all his subordinates into submission. Optimus and the Autobots regularly use the ability to link up, combining their power together to become stronger than they could ever be on their own. The Autobots also constantly expand their membership, with more and more characters joining the Autobots as they decide they want to become a part of something much bigger and more important than themselves. Optimus and the ideals of the Autobots inspire others to want to join them and work together to save the universe.

I touched on it already, but another major theme is leadership. What makes someone a good leader? That question gets asked for the various leaders we see throughout the series. Megatron sees it as someone powerful enough to bend others to their will. Optimus sees a leader as someone who must be responsible for their subordinates, but also willing to trust and rely on them. Other leaders like Nitro Convoy and Flame Convoy go through character arcs where they learn what it means to really be a leader and grow accordingly. Nitro Convoy joins the Autobots because he sees he should care about more than just himself. Flame Convoy becomes the kind of leader who will look after his people and ensure they are all properly cared for.

A third major theme is peace. The ideal that gets everyone to join the Autobots is the hope of bringing peace to the entire universe. This is also the big theme handled by the epilogue of the series. Now that all these people have united together, how do they ensure that peace is maintained? The space bridge project, designed to link the galaxy together and allow greater connection and communication, is their answer for how to maintain peace. Seeing all the characters, including those that had initially scoffed at the Autobot cause, set sail on this mission of peace was an incredibly gratifying conclusion.

The animation for Galaxy Force/Cybertron was definitely a step up from Superlink/Energon. The CGI in Superlink/Energon was very stiff and also poorly composited against the backgrounds. Here, in Galaxy Force/Cybertron, the CGI is much better. The CGI Transformers are actually capable of expressing some emotions. The CGI is also better looking and better composited. The music is also well-done.

Now, onto the most important question: is the title “Galaxy Force” or “Cybertron” the better title for this series? It’s not even a contest, “Galaxy Force” is by far the better title. It actually fits the major themes of the story. This is a show about people from different planets all uniting together to save the universe and bring peace. “Galaxy Force” fits that perfectly. Plus, Cybertron isn’t even present for most of the series. It was stuck in the Grand Black Hole most of the time.

So overall, I quite liked Galaxy Force/Cybertron. It was a fun show with an enjoyable cast of characters and some well-handled themes. I think it was a good note to end the Unicron Trilogy rewatches on.

**Overall Score: 7/10**

Thank you to /u/Nebresto for hosting this rewatch and to everyone who participated. I hope to see you all again in another rewatch.

**QOTD**

1) OUR WORLDS COLLIDE!

2) For duo, it has to be Gasket and Landbullet/Armbullet as Dumb and Dumber.

3) My favorite was planet was Gigalonia. It was cool seeing all the characters get a chance to participate and the myriad of battles and encounters that took place there. It provided a lot of good payoffs. My least favorite was the racing on Speedia. Ironically, it really seemed to drag and go on for too long.

4) Too many to count. [](#spinning)

5) Very much so. They helped me keep track of the different Japanese and English names.

6) Nothing will ever beat Signal Lancer's transformation! [](#utahapraises) The link ups between Optimus and the others were awesome as well.

7) I really do think we needed more of a conclusion to Noisemaze and Soundwave. Nothing much ever really came of their plotline.

8) I am the happiest rewatch participant in the world [](#ilovethiskindofshit)

The trilogy thread will likely be delayed by one or two hours due to [christmas activities](https://i.imgur.com/Uve1Zoq.png)

[](#mugiwait)