An Inside Look at the Making of Beast Wars

Friday I posted my "final" thoughts on rewatching Beast Wars.  While digging through my old reviews, I found some interviews I conducted with writers Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio back in the mid-90s.  Even if you don't like Beast Wars it kinda gives you an inside look at how a TV show is made and what it's like to be a television writer.

Screen capture from Tubi

Bob Forward Interview #1

Question 1. For those out there who don't know, could you briefly summarize some of the projects you have worked on previously?

Thank God for copy & paste. Here's the "TV Animation" section of my credits.

HE-MAN -- 2 episodes, SHERA -- 15 episodes, GHOSTBUSTERS -- 14 episodes, RAMBO -- 1 episode, BRAVESTARR -- 15 episodes, BRAVO! -- 11 episodes, C.O.P.S. -- story editor, SLIMER -- 3 episodes, CAPTAIN PLANET -- pilot, KABUKIMAN -- bible/pilot, SUPER DAVE -- 1 episode, HAMMERMAN -- 3 episodes, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA -- story editor, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG -- 4 episodes, BIKER MICE FROM MARS -- story editor, EXOSQUAD -- 2 episodes, WILDC.A.T.S -- story editor, DOUBLE DRAGON -- 1 episode, ACTION MAN -- story editor, THE SAVAGE DRAGON -- co-story editor (‘96 season), BEAST WARS -- co-story editor

Question 2. How were you chosen to work on the Beast Wars TV show?

I'd known Chris Brough for years, ever since we were both at DIC. We'd tried to work together before but had conflicting commitments. This finally worked out -- mainly because I loved the show from the get-go and told my agent to make it happen.

Question 3. Have you been surprised at all about the tremendously positive response to the show so far?

Yes and no. We liked it, but we were worried about the timeslot and lack of promotion. We were afraid no one would see it. We're very glad of the word-of-mouth though.

Question 4. "Fallen Comrades" was one of my favorite episodes. What was your inspiration for Tigatron?

Iron Eyes Cody.

Question 5. In "Call of the Wild", whose idea was it for Megatron to be carried in that chair?

That was Megs' own request. He enjoys getting a bit theatrical at times. And we figured what the hey, he's a star, let him have his fun.

Question 6. In "Before the Storm", Megatron was shown as quite cunning and smart, which is unconventional for a cartoon show villain. How did you evolve his personality?

Just as with Optimus, Megatron had ambitions but lacked experience in his field. The growth of characters is intentional. We felt a villain you saw develop would be more interesting than a cut-and-dried bad guy handed out on a platter.

Question 7. In "The Trigger" there was some great interaction between Tigatron and Airazor. Have you ever thought of maturing their relationship?

Yes, but... next question.

Now then, to what people want to know about it...Season Two.

Question 8. Everyone says that Terrorsaur and Scorponok are going to bump into each other, fall into lava, and die. To me that sounds a little...anticlimactic. Are they really going to die in this way?

You have to understand the realities of making a show like this. We live in this fantasy world where all the characters are real to us and they phone us up in the middle of the night complaining about their parts not being meaty enough. We deal with it. But then we get a hard dose of reality when the toy company that funds the show says: "Get rid of this character because it's off the shelves. Now. No dragging it out, we don't want to pay for another dime more of animation advertising something that is no longer making us money. But leave us a loophole in case we decide to reissue." So we do something quick and sort of permanent, like lava, but if we ever had to we could find them trapped in an underground cave or something.

Question 9. Has it been difficult to practically destroy everything you've built up and recreate the show?

Not as difficult as trying to convince Mainframe to scrap all their sets. :)

Question 10. As a writer I always feel a little sad when I kill off a character I've spent a lot of time maturing. How do you feel about killing off Optimus Primal?

At least he went out heroically. Frankly, I feel worse about Terrorsaur.

Those are all the questions. Thank-you for your participation.

Bob Forward Interview #2

1. You've worked on a lot of different shows, what show did you work the longest on?

BW is right up there. Many of the others were 65 episodes, but they were all done in a single year. Those were the grind-em-out days of syndicated animation. BW is looking to run almost three years at the moment, but without the pressure of five scripts a week, like in C.O.P.S.

2. Other than Beast Wars, has there been a show you've felt really good about, one that you've really loved to work on?

I generally enjoy every show I've ever worked on, for its own reasons. The only one that I detested from the get-go was "Captain Planet." For contractual reasons I was forced to write the pilot, but I hated the show so much (I considered it self-righteous propaganda) I changed my name on the script to "Billy Rubin." It almost aired that way but the producers figured it out at the last moment and changed that to "William Rubin." Other than that, I generally choose to work on shows because I think they will be fun.

3. Other than Beast Wars, what show would you just love to write a script for?

Gosh, there's so many smart-aleck answers to that I don't know which to pick. How about "One created by myself, with just scads of merchandising rights and a huge toy tie-in and movie potential?"

4. I heard that you directed the upcoming episode, "Code of a Hero". If so, how different is it to direct an episode compared to writing one?

Very. By the way, it's "Code Of Hero." I wanted to direct an episode for many reasons, not the least of which was I felt that I would learn a great deal about the CGI production process, which I hoped would help in writing future scripts. I've always felt that my background in cel animation production was useful in writing standard animation scripts -- I have a better idea of what to call for.

Anyway, this episode was one which I had initially conceived, but since I was hoping to direct it I could not officially write it -- it had to be written by a Canadian, to keep up the Canadian content. (Mainframe gets a certain amount of Canadian government funding.) I gave it to Ian Weir to write, who did an excellent job.

I then drew up an entire storyboard. The complete show, beginning to end, every single scene. This is, I believe, the first show that Mainframe has ever produced that had a complete storyboard. They'll occasionally board certain scenes, but not the entire show. But I came from cel animation and storyboards are how we keep shows under control.

Mainframe has a different technique. They use mostly live-action directors and they animate master shots -- in other words, they animate the entire scene, all the characters, doing everything, and then move the camera around to pick the angles -- closeups, medium shots, etc. For a live action director this must be heaven -- to be able to do infinite takes from any angle, and the actors always hit their marks and never flub their lines. Problem is, it isn't very efficient. Much of the animation that is done is never seen in the final cut, because it is taking place during one character's closeup, etc. The animators know this, and they are getting burned out, working overtime to do animation that no one ever sees. It also takes time and costs money. Storyboards force the director to make those decisions *before* animating, which can be tough. But at least there is a plan, and the animation can be done more efficiently. Mainframe is slowly moving in that direction, but the directors and producers are reluctant -- understandably -- to give up the freedom they had with the previous method. Still, the realities of time and budget will eventually make themselves felt.

Back to the board. Because I came from cel animation, I boarded it like a cel animated show. The show will probably have a different "feel" because of it -- it will be interesting to see if anyone notices. The original storyboard, all 169 hand-drawn pages of it, including several scenes that were cut for time, is being donated to the Botcon '98 charity auction if anyone is interested.

Ultimately, I learned a great deal, not the least of which was that in comparison with directors, we animation writers have an easy life. :) And I'm grateful for the education that was provided by everyone involved, especially my supervising animator (Walter Hsieh) who singlehandedly animated almost half the show, my editor (Patrick Carroll) and the entire crew of Suite G. I made up a crew tee-shirt and had them all autograph it, indicating the scenes they themselves had done -- this is also being donated to Botcon.

5. "Coming of the Fuzors" was intended to introduce the fuzors, but why weren't they given more air time in the episode itself?

The original title was "Recycled Steel," but it was considered too much of a giveaway about Primal's return.

6. How did you think up Silverbolt's ultra-noble attitude?

Mostly we try to chose character traits that will give us the most story potential. This generally means conflict. We didn't have a "white knight" yet and we could see a lot of ways in which this undeniable good guy could irritate the others. Silverbolt is Lancelot De Luc -- "My strength is as the strength of ten, for my heart is pure and my mind is clean" and like Lancelot, he *will* have a dangerous flaw that he cannot bring himself to admit.

7. What was your inspiration for the Wild West motif in "Coming of the Fuzors"?

Actually, that was suggested by Steve Sacks (one of the directors) during the first draft, and I have always had a soft spot for spaghetti westerns. I rewrote the scripts to fit, but I can't take the credit for the initial idea.

8. What kind of things would you like to do in a Season 3, assuming that it is a full season of 26 episodes?

In any case, as the Transmetals and Fuzors are no longer what anyone would consider "robots in disguise" on prehistoric Earth, I personally would like to get them off the planet. But we have no set plans.

9. When Terrorsaur and Scorponok fell in the lava, at least one of them was glowing. Does that mean that at least one of them will be back in Transmetal form either in this season or in the future?

No plans. It merely gives us that option.

10. Suppose that Beast Wars lasts beyond a hypothetical 3rd Season. What sort of access to prototype toys do you have to create characters with or do you just draw up story arcs and add the specific new characters later?

We're given some information about new characters but nowhere near as much as we'd like. And sometimes they change the characters on us at the last minute.

*Off the record: How annoying is it to be hounded by people like myself who want information on the show, especially those who want spoilers? Are there times when you think that maybe you have too much contact with BW fans?*

Oh, this can be on the record. It all depends on the attitude expressed by the questioner and the manner of the question. The thirst for spoilers puzzles me -- it's like wanting to know the final score of a football game before you watch it. After all, is it really the destination or the journey that you're supposed to enjoy?

As for too much contact -- well, it's been enlightening. I've never worked on a show with this kind of following, and the Internet has added accessibility. Ultimately though, I have to move on.

Larry DiTillio Interview #1

Question 1. For those out there who don't know, could you briefly summarize some of the projects you have worked on previously?

A1. I have been a scriptwriter since 1973 and have worked in film, television and animation. Starting with animation, I broke into that field in the early 80's working on He Man and the Masters of the Universe for Filmation. I then was given the task of developing a show featuring He Man's long-lost sister which eventually became She-Ra Princess of Power. From Filmation I went to DIC where I worked on Jayce and Wheeled Warriors and Hulk Hogan's Rock n' wrestling and from DIC to Ruby-Spears where I did some development work and wrote a few episodes of Centurions. After that I worked primarily freelance, staffing or story-editing on a bevy of cartoons including Galaxy High School, Conan the Adventurer, The Real Ghostbuster and others. I have written well over a hundred produced animation scripts. In Live Action I am best known as the Executive Story Editor on the first two seasons of Babylon 5. Other live action shows I wrote include Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, The Hitchhiker, Swamp Thing and Murder She Wrote.

Question 2. How were you chosen to work on the Beast Wars TV show?

A2. Chris Brough, the head Honcho of Mainframe, came to my agent Candy Monteiro(One of the best know animation agents in Hollywood) and wanted writers to helm Beast Wars. Chris felt that Mainframe's first hit "Reboot" had great CGI animation but lacked good stories. He wanted to correct this on Beast Wars, hiring veterans of the animation industry to guide the show. Candy suggested me and Bob Forward. We met with Chris, liked what he had to say and especially the price he was willing to pay. The rest is as they say "history".

Question 3. Have you been surprised at all about the tremendously positive response to the show so far?

A3. Frankly no. The animation is spectacular and the writing is on a level far above most shows of this type and that will almost always get you a great response. I was more surprised by the initial hostility from TF fans BEFORE the show ever hit the air.

Question 4. "The Spark" was one of my favorite episodes of the first season. What was your inspiration for the sparks that give Transformers life?

The thing that interested me most about the Transformers was not their awesome weaponry or how cleverly they transformed but rather that they were SENTIENT metal beings. I spent a long time trying to figure out how this sentience was achieved and what it was that made our heores and villains so "human". This led to a whole theory of exactly how a Maximal or Predacon comes on-line which was refined over the course of the season until I came up with "The Spark". Later this also led to more theories about the TF universe as it exists in the Beast Wars period and what the source of the sparks was. The last thing I came up with was the actual name - Spark. I wanted something I could think of as the SOUL of a Transformer but didn't want to call it that. Suddenly out of the blue, came a '"spark" of inspiration (Groannn!).. Thus was The Spark born.

Question 5. Inferno is definitely one of the most interesting characters in the show. How did you come up with his unique personality?

A5. Coming up with Inferno's personality was actually fairly simple. He was after all birthed from an ant and right from the get-go I thought of him as that. Ants are fercious and ruthless warriors, so that component fit perfectly. They are also devoted to their colonies and Queens and so came the on-going "My Queen" and "The Royalty" lines. They also hate spiders (in addition to many other sorts of enemies) so it was quite natural for Inferno to freak out when he thought a spider was invading his nest. Much credit also goes to Jim who does an excellent job with the voice characterization, creating that lovable nutty berserker whom fans affectionately call "Ole Blender Butt".

Question 6. In "Spider's Game" there is a lot of sexual chemistry between Tarantulus and Black Arachnia. Was there any concern voiced from anyone that this might not be appropriate for a children's show?

A6. Nary a word was ever said against it. However I would argue that most of the sexual chemistry is coming from Blackarachnia. Tarantulas is really not interested in her as anything more than an ally. And frankly she drives him pretty crazy. There will be many interesting developments in their twisted relations in the new season.

Question 7. Someone told me that my favorite episode of the season, "Law of the Jungle" had a lot of revisions done to it. Is that true?

A7. Very few of the freelance scripts we assigned last year escaped revision and "Law of the Jungle" by Mark Leiren-Young was probably one of the easier scripts to revise. It is the job of the story editor to revise scripts, so that each script has the right "flavor" for the series. Freelancers often miss on characterizations and other things which we as story editors know better (largely because many times last year they were literally working in the dark, not being able to actually see completed episodes until after their jobs were done). Beast Wars is actually a very tough show for freelancers to write, nevertheless Bob and I still give half the work to freelancers.

Question 8. Have you found a 13 episode season constraining to your story arc at all?

A8. On the contrary. Having half the episodes actually allowed us to concentrate more on our story arc and insured that Bob and I would be handling key episodes.

It has also given us more time to work with the freelancers and see that their stories all fit into the continuity.

Question 9. Has it been difficult to practically destroy everything you've built up and recreate the show?

A9. No, because we haven't really done that. Yes there will be changes in season 2, but this hardly means we're giving up what we spent a lot of time and effort creating in season one. Yes some characters will change, others will depart but our story-line continues right where it left off.

Question 10. As a writer I always feel a little sad when I kill off a character I've spent a lot of time maturing. How do you feel about killing off Optimus Primal, Scorponok, and Terrorsaur?

A10. I'm writing a science fiction drama, and what is more dramatic than the death of a character? So as a writer, I feel great.

Larry DiTillio Interview #2

1. You've worked on a lot of different shows, what show did you work the longest on?

Actually my longest stint on any one show has been two years. Though who knows I may work three on Beast Wars. I worked two on Babylon 5, two on Captain Power, two on He-Man, etc.

2. Other than Beast Wars, has there been a show you've felt really good about, one that you've really loved to work on?

Babylon 5, Captain Power and He Man have to be my favorites.

3. Other than Beast Wars, what show would you just love to write a script for?

Xena, Warrior Princess is number one, Buffy the Vampire Slayer # 2. I may get a shot at Xena soon since I have a meeting with them on January 6th.

4. "Aftermath" was a good episode, but it seemed a lot like a commercial for the Transmetals. Of course, it's understandable that Hasbro wants the new toys advertised on the show. However, did you feel that you had to sacrifice some of the story in order to work in the new toy line?

Yes and No. Since we met with Hasbro before we ever began working on scripts, we knew that we'd have to do a story introducing the Transmetals up front. This is of course, endemic to toy-driven shows and there is basically nothing you can do about it. I had hoped we could take our time introducing Transmetals. Indeed my first notion was to have Megatron come up with Transmetal technology and change himself, then change selected members of his crew. Then the Maximals would have to '"acquire" the process and change themselves to match the Pred Transmetals. Alas that was not to be Hasbro wanted everything in the first show and we needed to comply. Thus I simply threw up my hands and said okay, we'll do it all at once and get it over with. Since I meant to use the aftermath of the explosion anyway, it became the means to Transmetal all the characters. Remember to Hasbro, the show is a commercial, they don't care a whit about story.

5. In "Call of the Wild" and "Dark Voyage" there was the message that the Transformers are more than just robots with beast forms, that their beast forms are a part of them. Do you feel that adding the non-organic Transmetal and the Fuzors has changed this?

Absolutely. While I mainly like the new look of the Transmetals, we lost some of their nice animal mode stuff in the translation. Rattrap and Cheetor certainly are not as "cute" as they were and we find we kind of miss that. Of course Rhinox and Waspinator and others still have the old beast modes, so it's not all gone.

6. In "Aftermath", Rhinox took Optimus Primal's death harder than the other Maximals. Why is this?

Rhinox was much close to Primal than any of the others. They are old friends. Plus Rhinox has that mystical quality to him which we've played on numerous occasions and played again in his "sensing" of Optimus's death.

7. What kind of things would you like to do in a Season 3, assuming that it is a full season of 26 episodes?

Personally, I'd like to reveal a lot more of the alien backstory and even journey to Cybertron on occasion and provide more background on the social system there.

But as no one has mentioned a third season yet, it's all pretty moot.

8. Have you and Bob ever brainstormed on a Beast Wars movie? I am aware that Hasbro has not asked for one yet, but have you ever considered what you would do hypothetically? If so, what would you like to do?

NOPE. It's certainly an interesting idea, you could theoretically do a lot more in a movie version of BW (assuming Hasbro didn't treat it as a very long commercial). However, given the nature of show biz, writers seldom sit around brainstorming on non-existent projects. When one is done, we move on and that is what I intend to do.

9. When Terrorsaur and Scorponok fell in the lava, at least one of them was glowing. Does that mean that at least one of them will be back in Transmetal form either in this season or in the future?

As of this moment, they are DEAD... But if BW goes on, you never know. It's a tradition to revive characters like this, and certainly it is possible, though for the rest of season 2, they are gone.

10. Suppose that Beast Wars lasts beyond a hypothetical 3rd Season. What sort of access to prototype toys do you have to create characters with or do you just draw up story arcs and add the specific new characters later?

Usually very little to none. We just start with existing characters, then fold in any new ones as appropriate.

Larry DiTillio Interview #3

1. For those who weren't there, could you briefly summarize what you talked about during your panel at Botcon this year?

This year's BotCon Panel was mainly a question and answer session with the audience. We never had the time or inclination to just flap our gums but rather to answer those burning questions on the minds of Beast Wars Fans. Of course many of these questions we did NOT answer because they had to do with the events of the upcoming 3rd Season. One bit of information was confirmed, DepthCharge will be one of the new characters in Season 3.

2. How have you coped with the runaway success of Beast Wars to keep from getting overconfident?

We are professional writers, we don't get overconfident. Every script is still done with the same care and work as we put into Season One. More actually, since we are dealing with multiple storylines.

3. Rhinox is a favorite character of mine, and yet he was restricted to guarding the base for most of Season 2. Will he get a chance to get out of base more in Season 3?

Unlikely. Rhinox is a defensive specialist and the Maximals chief techno. He is in effect the last line of defense should anyway breach the Maximal stronghold. Certainly he is as formidable as anyone in the field, but he is more important right where he is.

4. Season 2 was decidedly darker than Season 1 with more emphasis on the villains than the heroes. Will Season 3 continue this trend or will it get back to the lighter, more hero-driven stories of Season 1?

Season 3 has quite a few very dark shows, but many of these are hero-driven. We try as best we can to give both factions equal time. In addition the stakes of our little war have gotten much higher and this will tend to add some dark moments.

5. Tigatron and Airazor were already in essence written out of the show, why was it necessary to write them out more permanently?

SHADES OF HASBRO! When I said I was doing a story to write Air razor and Tigatron out, Hasbro said "Why? Just let them wander around the planet". Well I explained to them as I am doing to you that even if Tigatron and Air Razor were off exploring the planet, they were still there and they were still capable of recieving communications from the Maximals. And all of our audience knew it, so at times of great crisis it would have been perfectly legitimate to ask - why don't they call in Air Razor and Tigatron. Indeed events of Season 2 would have HAD to lead to that eventually. In order to stave off this necessity, they were clearly written out.

6. In my review of "Other Voices" I made this comment about Airazor and Tigatron's final scene: "It came as quite a surprise to me, and overall I thought the scene just didn't work. The music, the lines, the situation, none of it sold the mood or the scene to me." Would you agree or disagree with this assessment?

I imagine you mean "Other Visits" (since this is where the scene between the two take place). And naturally I disagree, I thought the scene played quite well.

7. If all Maximals are gone, wouldn't BlackArachnia, Inferno, Quickstrike, and even Rampage disappear as their sparks are Maximal?

Yes to the first 3, but Rampage's spark is unique, being neither Maximal nor Predacon but in essence a new and quite terrifying breed.

8. If the Autobots were defeated, wouldn't the Decepticons and Cybertron have been destroyed by Unicron in 2005 as there would be no Matrix to destroy him with?

What IF questions are always chancy. Yes Unicron might destroy Cybertron, or perhaps the Decepticons, freed of the constant need to contend with the AutoBots might have developed their own method of dealing with Unicron. When time and space bcfome flexible, so does history.

9. Megatron referred to the "secret war" between the Autobots and Decepticons about the time the Voyager satellite was launched in the late '70s. Yet BlackArachnia said in Part 3 of "The Agenda" that the Transformers were not activated until 1984. How do you account for this discrepancy?

Megatron has information that Blackarachnia doesn't. Which is why he referred to it as a secret war.

10. It has been reported at Botcon that you said that Optimus Prime would remain dead, if so, don't you think you've desecrated the hero to many fans of the original show?

No. Optimus Prime has died in the TF saga numerous times, are we to consider every one of those deaths to be a "desecration" (a rather ludicrous term when dealing with a television show anyway). Add to that, that whoever "reported'" what I said apparently didn't report the tone as well, which was purposely casual.

11. Let me run some numbers by you. At the end of Season 1 there were 14 characters on the show. By the end of Season 2 5 of them were dead: Terrorsaur, Scorponok, Airazor, Tigatron, and Dinobot. Don't you think that by killing nearly half your cast in one season you are alienating some fans of the show who thought that one of the dead was their favorite character?

No, we are telling a story about a war and if characters didn't die, it would be tantamount to saying wars can be fought without people dying. Well you can't and I refuse to give kids that impression. We tell violent stories but we try to show the consequences of violence as often as we can. This means losing people dear to us, as well as to the fans.

12. Finally, Season 3 will only be 13 episodes not starting until November. Until then reruns will have to be aired, reruns that have already been shown many times before. Since most of your target audience does not know when new episodes are aired, can Beast Wars stay competitive with the many new shows on the market?

Season 2 also didn't start until November and also had only 13 episodes. The show never lost any of it's steam because of it, in fact it is more popular then ever. As long as we strive to tell good stories, Beast Wars will remain a good show and it's visual style puts it head and shoulders above most of the new shows it is competing with.

As you can see, the first couple interviews for each writer I did a lot of the same questions to see if I'd get a different response.  Forward kind of blew off a lot of my questions but when I asked about directing the one episode I got a lengthy response; I think if I'd known that in advance I would have asked more questions like that, but, hey, I'm not a journalist.  The last interview with DiTillio I got a little more adversarial; I guess I was trying to get a scoop or something.  But it didn't really work.  Unfortunately in an email interview it's hard to get one of those "gotcha" moments.

Obviously at the time I was focused on the show in most of my questions.  That is what my readership--such as it was--would really want to know about.  At this point I wish I had maybe asked more about their careers and the business and some technical aspects of how the show got made.  I mean, unless I go to a WGA picket line it's probably not as easy to get time to talk to a TV show writer these days.  That would be more interesting to me now.

Looking them up on IMDB, DiTillio died in 2019.  It doesn't look like he did a lot after Beast Wars, just a few episodes here and there, including one for Transformers Animated.  Forward is still alive and had a project as recently as 2018.  He's the son of physicist and sci-fi writer Robert L Forward--the IMDB page says "J" Forward but it should be "L" from some independent research on Google.

BTW, I was thinking this is why you should be careful about what you say online.  I mean, I unearthed these interviews from over 25 years ago!  I don't think anything controversial or embarrassing was said, but still, it goes to show that anything said online can stick around a long, long time.

Rewatching Beast Wars: Final Thoughts

Rhinox with "The Guns"

Wednesday I went back through the first two seasons and summarized the third season to compare how I felt back in the 90s versus today.  Now here are some other thoughts I had while I rewatched the series:

• The last two seasons were sabotaged by Hasbro's toys.  The first season the toys were pretty simple:  they were mammals, dinosaurs, or insects that turned into robots.  It took the "robots in disguise" thing to a new level because just about anything from a rat to a T-Rex could be a Transformer.  But then in season 2, Hasbro decided to introduce gimmicky new toys:  Transmetals and Fuzors.  Fuzors were kinda neat in that they were basically a combination of two animals like Silverbolt was a wolf/eagle while Quickstrike was a scorpion with a cobra tail.  They weren't real animals but still animals.  The Transmetals though basically negated the whole Beast Wars concept because they were metal outside and flesh in robot mode.  So what's the point of that?  They could no longer be "robots in disguise" because the metal beast modes couldn't blend in.  Not that the dinos ever could, but still, what was the whole point of being beasts then?  It's the same kind of thing Hasbro did in 1986 with the third series of Transformers.  Up until then they had mostly been realistic planes/cars/objects except the Dinobots, Jetfire, and Omega Supreme.  But then with the third series for the ill-fated movie they set it in the future with futuristic cars, planes, and other things.  It really watered-down the whole Transformers concept and it's probably not a surprise it lost its popularity.
• The last two seasons were sabotaged by the budget and Mainframe's schedule as well.  The first season was 26 episodes but the next two were only 13 apiece.  It was a little disappointing.  Really it's because they didn't have a big enough budget to do that many episodes because especially in the late 90s CGI was expensive.  As well, Mainframe I'm sure had other projects and doing the CGI was time-consuming.  Those things combined meant there weren't as many episodes, which meant a lot less time people could be watching.  Nowadays when 6 episodes is a "season" 13 episodes is actually a lot but with a kids show it's better to have more episodes so they don't move on to the next thing.

• 

  Tigatron

  Season 2 is kinda depressing.  Given what I said in my first two points, the second season is kinda disappointing.  After bringing back Optimus Primal, the heroic Maximals lose Tigatron, Airrazor, and Dinobot while only gaining Silverbolt--and BlackArachnia at the very end.  The Predacons only lost two characters most people didn't care much about (Terrorsaur & Scorponok) and gained Quickstrike and Rampage.  Then at the end the Predacons basically win; it was sort of like Infinity War only spread out over 13 half-hour episodes.  It was kind of a drag rewatching it.
• Bad Easter Eggs.  Thanks to the emergence of the World Wide Web, Beast Wars was a show where the writers and fans connected, sometimes on a personal level.  This actually began to shape the story when the writers started to work in elements of the original 80s series.  And also the writers worked in some Easter eggs like where Megatron mentions a "code ATT" that's a reference to the Transformers newsgroup.  Unfortunately they included a couple mentions to my nemesis HooksX, who was a sociopath who likely started a flame war with himself and clumsily modified an email I sent to make it seem like I'd said something racist--despite I had no idea what he looked like in real life.  It kinda chafes that such an asshat is immortalized twice.  It'd be great if I could get those mentions bleeped out.  Besides that, though, I don't remember who all was in the group well enough so there are a lot of times when they say "Sector ???" or some code or something and I'm like, "Was that an Easter egg?"  Some of those things don't really age well unless you're the one who is the one being referenced.
• Forward was Looney Tunes:  I noted a few times in my reviews that episodes written by Bob Forward seemed to often have these lame Looney Tunes gags like someone getting literally flattened or having stars around their head after being hit.  Stuff like that.  If you were a little kid back then it might have been funny but I wasn't so it wasn't funny then and it was less funny now.  It's as lame as when a movie like Batman and Robin uses cartoon sound effects.  Unless you're making something like Roger Rabbit or The Mask, there's really no need for that because it's jarring.  Similarly when you have a cartoon that often has more adult-themed stories, the Looney Tunes gags are jarring and discordant.  I'm just saying.
• Honey I Blew Up the Transformers!  A funny thing is when you watch the end of season 2 and the Maximals and Predacons go into the Ark, the animators scaled them so they would basically be the size of Micromasters or the heads/guns of Headmasters/Targetmasters.  It really made no sense as when we see Dinobot and the Predacons with early humans in "Code of Hero," they're much bigger than humans.  Perhaps in part due to fan outcry or just the impracticality of having micro-sized Maximals basically living in the Ark, the animators scaled them up in season 3 to more the size of Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, or Wheelie.  But since the end of season 2 and start of season 3 are supposed to be instantaneous, the inconsistency is pretty noticeable, especially when binge watching.
• Before Lost there was Beast Wars.  You know how with Lost basically after the first episode a lot of people were like, "Oh, they're dead and this is Purgatory."  And the writers were like, "Nuh-uh" for six seasons and then in the finale it turned out that they were dead and in Purgatory?  And then were like, Ha ha, fooled you!?  There was something similar with Beast Wars.  In the first season the planet they crash on is pretty much like Earth in every way--except there are two moons.  So the writers were coy about that the whole first season.  And then the second moon turns out to be an alien weapon that blows up so there's only one moon.  Gee, it was Earth all along!  Ha ha, fooled you!
• Waspinator was the Kenny of Beast Wars:  It became a running gag sometime during the first season to have Waspinator get blown up or flattened or even cut into shreds and then somehow reassemble himself for the next episode.  It was like Kenny in South Park who in the first few seasons would always die somehow during the episode.  Someone really should have shouted, "Oh my god, you killed Waspinator!  You bastards!"  Except they couldn't use the expletive and no one really cared if they killed Waspinator.  A joke at the end of the series is Waspinator survives where all the Preds except Megatron die and he becomes sort of a god to the early humans.

Anyway, those were just some thoughts I had.  Mostly I really liked the show then and now.

Rewatching Beast Wars: 1990s Grumpy Bulldog vs 2023 Grumpy Bulldog!

Since Pluto TV added the 90s Beast Wars show to their Transformers channel and Beast Wars was part of the new movie, I decided to rewatch the series...on Tubi.  Because it's easier than using Pluto TV On Demand.  Or the DVDs I have.  Anyway, Beast Wars debuted in 1996 and at the time was kinda revolutionary for using CGI animation and gearing itself towards older fans (like me) and kids.

On my backup hard drive I found my old reviews from the first two seasons of the show in the 90s.  I used to have a web page on AOL where I would write a synopsis and brief review of each episode that some people might have found useful.  Rewatching the show in June 2023, did my opinions really change?  Um...probably not a lot in most cases.  I liked the show then and like it now.

Season 1

Pilot Pts 1 & 2 Written By Bob Forward

1996 Me:  I thought the pilot was great, it was a very good introduction to the events and characters of the show. It introduced some very dynamic characters, although not all of them got a lot of time in the pilot (like Rhinox and most of the Predacons), but the unique personalities of Rattrap, Dinobot, Cheetor, Optimus Primal, and Megatron came through. Also, for a first episode, it did an excellent job of introducing the Beast Wars format and story. It explained why they have to transform into beast mode, and that thing where they go "Maximize" or "Terrorize" to transform. At first I thought that the whole Maximize/Terrorize thing was pretty lame, but after a few episodes it got to be kind of cool. The ravine battle, where they went up and down the line, transforming one at a time was lame, but I think that the creators of the show wanted to make sure you knew who and what the characters were so you could go out and buy the toys!

The animation blew me away the first time that I saw it, because it oftentimes looks very real. The animators did a great job on improving some of the bulky, awkward designs of the toys like Dinobot and Rattrap, and made them look great. Alas, though, sometimes the animation did suck in these first two episodes. Especially with Cheetor in the ravine, there were a couple parts that didn't look right. However, I think that this was because the animators were only given a couple of months to use a still-young technology to create a completely new series, and had not had the experience in working with Beast Wars, and the time to make things look so great, as in the rest of the episodes. I'm not insulting the animators, they did a superb job, I just think that once they had more time and more experience on working with the show, the animation improved.

Overall, I'd give this introductory show a 9.5 out of a scale of 10. 10s are reserved for my favorite episodes, which you would be able to figure out if you read all of these reviews.

2023 Me:  I'd probably rate this less now because the story is kinda skimpy and there are some inconsistencies with later episodes.  And obviously the animation doesn't look so good now.  Still, as an introduction I'd give it at least 7/10

The Web Written By Larry DiTillio

1996 Me: This was an OK episode. It was a great episode for adding to the characters's personalities. Rhinox as the engineer and moderate go-between, Dinobot as a warrior bent on getting revenge on the Predacons, Optimus as the cautious leader who doesn't want to annihilate the Preds, Rattrap as the streetwise scout and demolitions expert, and Cheetor as the brash young cat who gets himself into more trouble than he can handle. It was not as exciting as the pilot, but it set the tone for the show that it was going to have more of a plot than the original Transformers show in the '80s. It was going to build characters and have a story. I think that is the right tone to set for it, instead of an action-fest that has no plot. Shows like that end up like fellow "Power Block" show G.I. Joe Extreme: Cancelled! Being that Beast Wars took over G.I. Joe's slot, I think it's obvious that this tone was the right one. 9.5/10 

2023 Me:  Again I'd probably rate this less now because the show was still finding itself at this point.  Let's say a 7.5/10

Equal Measures Written By Greg Johnson

1996 Me:  This episode was good, but after "The Web", it was disappointing to have another episode that featured Cheetor the most. I was beginning to think that the whole show would begin to revolve around him. Besides, after "The Web", Cheetor's character was pretty much developed.

I'm sure, though, that the thing about the bases being connected by a single energon deposit will come in later to future episodes. It was an interesting episode as a whole. Not my favorite, but good nonetheless. 7.5/10

2023 Me:  You know what, I agree with myself for the most part.  The previous episode focused on Cheetor so another Cheetor episode was kinda redundant. It wasn't bad but just felt repetitive.  7.5/10

Chain of Command Written By Jesse Winfield

1996 Me:  This episode was fantastic! The story was wonderful; a riveting adventure. Also, it premieres what is known as simply "The Gun", or Rhinox's chain-gun. This has to be the coolest weapon in Transformers history. It's also another reason that Rhinox is one of my favorite characters.

It was also introduced viewers to the mysterious aliens, who show up in "The Trigger" later on. It puts forth the theory that the energon deposits on the planet are unnatural, which could relate to the aliens. Who or what these aliens are has not been answered yet, but I'm sure it will be the subject of future episodes. "Chain of Command" also was a good episode for Rattrap, who began to realize a little of what Optimus goes through as the leader, and Rhinox, who had to make the impossible possible.

The only disappointment was that I was hoping that it would go into Optimus's character a little more. I was expecting some kind of communication between him and the probe, or something that would help develop his character a little more. However, this episode was great, one of the best yet! 9.9/10

2023 Me:  This was a step up over the first episodes and really showed the potential for what would come later on.  I always did like Rhinox; I think he was the first Beast Wars toy I bought.  The weapon he came with was supposed to be like two maces on a saw blade; I like how the show's writers and animators modified it into an awesome chain-gun to give Rhinox a ranged weapon. I would only downgrade this a slight bit to 9.5/10

Power Surge Written By Larry DiTillio

1996 Me:  This was an average episode. It had good action, and the scenes with Rattrap riding on Optimus as he flew was pretty neat. However, Rattrap fighting Tarantulus, both in Beast mode, was rather lame. Another thing I didn't like was that Optimus got shot down, again. I mean, how many times in the show has the fool gotten shot down? Nearly once an episode at least. I think Primal needs some flying lessons. It's not that I don't like Optimus getting shot down, but its hard to root for a hero who gets his butt kicked in just about every episode. I would probably like this episode if I hadn't seen it so many times, so I'm a little prejudiced. At any rate, it was decent with a good story, just a little lame in parts. 7.3/10

2023 Me:  Maybe I was being a little hard on it, but not too much.  It was a pretty average episode.  It doesn't really add a lot to the characters or overall mythos.  Let's just say 7.5/10

Fallen Comrades Written By Bob Forward

1996 Me:  What can I say: I love this episode. I've seen it several times, and think it is one of the best! The first time I watched, I was on the edge of my seat until Tigatron transformed for the first time. It was such a big, bold, suspenseful adventure, that I was mesmerized by it.

Best of all, it added the best character, in my opinion, to the show. Tigatron is such a diverse, interesting character. I think it's because he doesn't really know who he is and is exploring some of the philosophical mysteries about life and his place in it. He is also the only character who is so in tune with the environment and the planet around him. He is a great character on so many levels, and very well written. My compliments to Mr. Forward for creating such a fabulous character.

The other thing I like about Tigatron is that his tiger form is so cute! It reminds me a lot of the all-white cat I have at home. Like Tigatron, my cat Bright Eyes is a hunter and a loner, and sometimes I don't see her for days. I think that helps me understand the character of Tigatron a little more than most. So, all-in-all, this episode rocked! It has to be one of my most favorite episodes yet. It was a great story that was very well written. There isn't one fault whatsoever, and this coming from a cynic like me is a really big deal! 10/10

2023 Me:  You know what, I'm right!  I mean, it is a great episode.  This introduced the concept of the protoforms and each side racing to get to it first to add a member to their side.  It was as tense as a kids show could get the first time you watch it as the race takes some twists and turns.  And in the end Tigatron turned out to be a great addition. What the hell, 10/10 yet!

Double Jeopardy Written By Jesse Winfield

1996 Me:  This episode was one of several that is just average. It wasn't that good, nor was it really that bad. What I found disappointing is that the introduction of BlackArachnia was not nearly as spectacular as that of Tigatron. I was hoping for something a little more interesting, like maybe bringing up that double agent angle that's on her file card. I think that could have made for a lot more exciting episode. Otherwise, it was a decent episode. Sorry, that's as in-depth as my opinion goes on this one. 6.0/10

2023 Me:  Following "Fallen Comrades" was a pretty tough act and so this comes off as just average.  It introduces BlackArachnia, the first female Transformer they actually made a toy of in the States.  She goes on to be in the rest of the series and sequel series Beast Machines, but this episode doesn't really do much with her.  It's actually more of a Rattrap episode. 5.0/10

A Better Mousetrap Written By Chris Weber & Karen Willson

1996 Me:  This episode was one of the worst to date. It was funny in a lot of parts, like when Rattrap was surfing the 0-friction stuff, but it was one of those episodes that really had no story. Sure, it added the Sentinel defense grid, but that was about the only story contribution. It was like a lot of episodes in the Generation 1 series, especially those after the movie, where it was just to entertain, not to think. A lot of Beast Wars episodes are gold mines of writing, this is not one of them. 3.0/10

2023 Me:  90s me was pretty hard on this.  Maybe I was having a bad week.  Anyway, it was pretty average.  The Sentinel grid becomes part of the story for a while, so there was that.  Another Rattrap episode with some goofy hijinks. I'll upgrade it to 5.0/10

Gorilla Warfare Written By Greg Johnson

1996 Me:  This was a good episode. It featured some of the best action sequences yet shown in the show. It was also one of the only Optimus Primal episodes to date, allowing viewers to get to know the Maximal leader a little better. However, I think the final scenes were some of the best, because they finally showed that Dinobot does have a lighter side, and maybe he's becoming a little more like a Maximal now. It's rare to see him crack a smile, so that was a really interesting scene. In short, this episode was action-packed, well-written, and featured a great ending. 9.9/10

2023 Me:  I was too hard on the previous episode and too easy on this one.  It was a good episode with a lot of action and some nice character beats with Dinobot.  Still, more of an 8.0/10

The Probe Written By Craig Miller & Marv Wolfman

1996 Me:  This episode was good in a weird way. It showed that this show would and could do bittersweet endings as well as happy ones. The fault with every kids action cartoon show is that the good guys always win. "The Probe" yet again shows that Beast Wars is not a kids action cartoon show. It shows that it can end with no one winning, in that annoying "Star Trek: Voyager" we're-not-going-home-until-the-show-is-canned sort of way. I don't hate that, it just gets annoying after a while. However, in moderation, it's great. I don't know about anyone else, but I love it when the good guys don't always win. Mostly because it shows that the good guys aren't invincible and perfect. So that made this episode a great change of pace. Of course, I doubt little kids enjoyed it, but how many of them really understand the Beast Wars story to start with? 9.8/10

2023 Me:  Like Voyager, maybe this was a little rigged to make sure the good guys don't contact the probe, but overall it was a good episode with high stakes and a bittersweet ending that as I said let viewers know this wasn't just a show for little kids. 9.0/10

Victory Written By Wendy Reardon

1996 Me:  I thought that this episode was another of the good ones. It had a lot of action and a good story that was interesting and suspenseful. It also showed the love/hate relationship between Rattrap and Dinobot, as well as Dinobot's honorable warrior nature. Those scenes where he was all moody and depressed after the Predacons were supposedly destroyed were great character-building scenes. As well, where Cheetor goes to help Optimus shows that the Maximal leader commands as much or more respect among his troops as Optimus Prime in the Generation 1 show. I also loved when Optimus saves the day, because it really made him seem a lot like Optimus Prime; the strong hero who always could save the day. As much as I like Primal, sometimes he seems like a wuss. He should get more heroic stunts like that if he wants to be as cool as Optimus Prime. Finally, I loved that scene where Rhinox rises up after being damaged and throws Megatron from the ship. Memories of the Transformers movie were coming back, except that Rhinox isn't Rodimus Prime, and "The Touch" wasn't playing.

There wasn't really anything wrong with this episode. It had a good story, great character elements, and plenty of action. It was another of those episodes that compacts into a half-hour the kind of quality a lot of shows can't get in an hour. 10/10.

2023 Me:  I might again have been a little too enthusiastic, but still it was a good episode.  Though it does have a similar theme as The Probe in that our heroes think they're going to go home but then don't.  Like I said, it was an episode that let Optimus be more like his namesake. Maybe not as perfect as I initially thought but still good.  9.5/10

Dark Designs Written By Ian Weir

1996 Me:  This episode was half good and half bad. On the good side, it dealt prominently with my favorite character, Rhinox. It also helped to show more elements of his personality. He even made a philosophical statement that summarizes his beliefs. "I'll leave the leadership to you, I'd rather hang back and smell the flowers." That quote probably isn't entirely accurate, but it's close enough. That statement pretty much summarizes Rhinox's character up. He's the wise veteran and reluctant leader, able to take command, but only if he has to. I think that is what makes him such an interesting character.

However, it did have it's bad parts. For one, the battle sequence where Rhinox is rescued was too dark, and the slow motion made it seems really strange and stupid. Whatever look the animators were going for, they didn't get it, unless they wanted it to be dark and confusing. Also, the story seemed a little silly. Other than that, it was a good episode. I especially liked when Waspinator went nuts, that was cool. It was sort of like Waspinator being like Cornholio on Beavis and Butt-Head. So other than being a little silly, this episode was good. Not great, but good. 8.8/10

2023 Me:  90s me made some good points.  I really do like Rhinox so this was a good spotlight episode for him.  Evil Rhinox was pretty badass too.  This foreshadows his villain turn in Beast Machines, which I didn't really like.  I'd downgrade it just a smidge to 8.0/10

Double Dinobot Written By Rowby Goren

1996 Me:  In a word, this episode stunk. It wanted to be funny, but wasn't really. The Rattrap surfing gag had already been done in "A Better Mousetrap", and unlike holiday turkey, it isn't as good the second time around. The story was woefully lame. It didn't add to any of the characters, or to the show. All I can say is that this episode was terrible, the worst episode ever. It lacked all of the wonderful story elements in previous episodes.

Episodes like "Double Dinobot" are a lot like many of the Generation 1 cartoons. The stories are lame, the dialogue sucks, and the characterization is off. Episodes like that are what helped to kill that show, because they're tiring after a while. If episodes like this show up more often, it will bring the Beast Wars show down, and ultimately result in its demise. The reason is that many BW fans aren't kids: they're young adults or adults. Episodes with good stories and characterization are what keeps the show rolling. After all, those kind of episodes created its following in the first place. 2.0/10

2023 Me:  90s me was brutal on this!  I guess I wouldn't be quite so rough now, but it really wasn't a great episode.  As I said the surfing bit had been done already.  The Marx Brothers mirror bit was played out.  Since clone Dinobot couldn't transform it did at least prevent a hackneyed, "Which one is the real Dinobot?!" bit. It does foreshadow what happens with Dinobot in season 3.  4.0/10

The Spark Written By Larry DiTillio

1996 Me:  This was the best episode since "Fallen Comrades". The action was great, the story was riveting, and it was great for going more in-depth on the characters of Rhinox and BlackArachnia. It showed Rhinox's engineering nature, his caring for life, and his ability to work miracles. It also showed BlackArachnia's cunning, the first episode to do so.

The introduction of Airrazor was beautifully done. The way she came in out of the sun and transformed before blasting Terrorsaur was one of the coolest scenes in the entire show. Also, there was enough action in the episode to fill an hour of normal television. Plus there was the suspense of not knowing whether the protoform would live or not. I had no idea if they would kill the spark, or find some way to save it. Finally, it was great how they explained a little bit about how Transformers are created. My personal theory is that sparks come from the Matrix of Leadership, but no one really knows for sure. At any rate, "The Spark" is one of my favorite episodes ever. 10/10

2023 Me:  This was a great episode and it changed Transformers mythos forever with the introduction of "sparks" as essentially their souls.  In the Generation 1 show they were basically just computers who could be created pretty much on a whim like the Technobots.  This gave a more mystical origin for Transformers that would carry on into later shows and even the Bay movies.  

Like with "Fallen Comrades" there were hints to which character would be introduced but when you first watch it you can't really be sure until the end.  It was very well done with action and tension and Rhinox's struggle to keep the pod alive.  In hindsight I only wish Airrazor had been given more episodes to develop. 10/10

The Trigger Pts 1 & 2 Written By Bob Forward

1996 Me:  This episode was really cool! Firstly, it was really the first one to feature Tigatron prominently. Not only that, but it showed many aspects of his personality. It showed how he values life and will not destroy anything. Also, it shows his love of nature, and his understanding of it. In short, it was a great character episode for Tigatron.

Also, it reintroduced mysterious alien elements. The island was obviously created by some alien force, and the signal that is sent after the island is destroyed indicates this. I believe that these mysterious aliens will show up in more episodes, and probably some climactic episode down the road. (Can anyone say cliffhanger?)

Finally, this episode had lots of great action. Being a two-parter, it had all kinds of action. However, the Rattrap falling sequence was way cheesy! Also, some of the humorous elements were rather lame. I think that all BW writers should stick to exciting, well-written stories and lay off the dumb jokes. Mostly because right now they're funny, but down the road they'll probably just suck. A good story lasts forever, a good joke lasts only fleetingly. 8.5/10

2023 Me:  I mostly agree with what I said.  I liked the focus on Tigatron and there was some good action.  Plus I was right about the aliens setting up a climactic episode (or two) down the road.  And also the Looney Tunes-type stuff is lame.  Forward especially seems to like that shit.  I thought it was lame then and lame now. 8.0/10

Spider's Game Written By Larry DiTillio

1996 Me:  This episode was fairly good for a couple of reasons. First, it introduced another interesting character: Inferno. Inferno believes that he IS a fire ant, which makes him obsess about defending his colony. Whether or not this feature will be around in future episodes is uncertain, but it does make his character unique. The second really good thing about this episode was that it brought up some great romantic potential in two couples: Tigatron/Airrazor and BlackArachnia/Tarantulus. It was pretty obvious that Airrazor was starting to feel something for Tigatron, and he was for her, because he promised to visit the base more often when she asked him to. I think that this would be a great subplot to add, because it would appeal to the more adult viewers. Obviously it will have to be toned down (don't expect seeing Transformer sex any time soon!) for younger viewers, but it's still there. I think that Airrazor is drawn to Tigatron because he's so aloof and strange, not like the rest of the Maximals. And they've seen a lot of action together (i.e.: "The Trigger"), so they are a perfect couple. The two spiders are also a good couple in an evil sort of way. They use each other to gain information and power. They too are a perfect match. Other than some lame humor, this episode rocked. 9.2/10

2023 Me:  This did set up some stuff but unfortunately there wasn't a huge payoff for the Tigatron/Airrazor relationship.  The Tarantulus/BlackArachnia relationship gets more complicated at the end of the season and beginning of season 2, but it doesn't ever get romantic.  Anyway, this was an OK episode but I think in the scheme of things not really great.  8.0/10

Call of the Wild Written By Bob Forward

1996 Me:  Only one word can describe this epsidode: garbage! It seemed the point of this episode was to sell kids on the entire concept of Beast Wars, you know, the savage beasts and robots as one, which really isn't necessary in mid-season! Also, I didn't get why in the hell the Maximals just didn't attack the Preds, instead of sit around in the base. What was up with that stupid drum and that dumb chair Megatron was hunting Optimus with? And if Optimus Primal beat his chest and roared one more time...

This episode's only saving graces were those of two of its best characters: Airrazor and Tigatron. It was really cool the way Airrazor dodged all of those shots and swept in on the base. Also, it once again showed that Tigatron is the show's best character, but he had to save the day. And who couldn't like when he said, "Now let us Maximize, AND SLAG SOME BUTT!", it was really funny. Other than that, this episode unequivocally stunk. What was really sad was that this episode was written by the guy who made such fabulous episodes as "Fallen Comrades" and "The Trigger". If someone else had written this episode, I might rate it higher, because it would have been a good try. Since someone else didn't write it, it gets a lower rating. 3.4/10

2023 Me:  I was a little hard on this and yet I make some good points.  I mean introducing this in the middle-to-end of the season was kind of silly in that as I said it's whole purpose seems to be to introduce the core concept of Beast Wars--a concept Hasbro then negates in the next season.  I was glad to get more Tigatron but the Megatron as the Great Purple Hunter doesn't age well, like most of Forward's "comedy" bits. It's pretty cringey by 2023 standards. I'll give it just a slight bump to 4.0/10

Dark Voyage Written By Samuel Warren Joseph

1996 Me:  I thought that this was a good episode, mostly because Rhinox was just so good in it. It was probably the best character episode for him yet, demonstrating how he is really the silent glue that holds the Maximal team together, pushing them to keep going even when they don't want to. His determination also pushes the Maximals to do what they think is impossible. In short, he's what kept the others alive in this episode.

This episode's plot drew remarkable parallels to Disney's movie "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey". In that movie, two dogs and a cat travel across the Sierra Nevada mountains to their home in San Francisco. Of course, the animals weren't blind, but they couldn't transform into robots with laser weapons either. At any rate, if you've seen that movie, then you'd probably notice, like I did, that Rhinox was the Shadow of the group, the leader that pushes the others on even when they don't want to go. Shadow is the old, experienced dog that leads the other animals across the mountain in the movie, much like Rhinox is the older-seeming, more experienced leader of the group. Rattrap and Dinobot also remind me of Sassy and Chance in the movie, the dog and cat that constantly fight and bicker with each other (I think you can see my point there). Finally, in the movie there was a scene where they had to cross a log to get across a raging river, and actually the cat ends up washing down a waterfall...

I liked that movie, so I liked this episode too, especially since it featured one of my favorite characters, Rhinox, prominently. I'd love to see more Rhinox episodes, because he's just such a neat, deep character, like Tigatron. However, there was some of that lame humor like when Dinobot runs into a tree, and such, which does bring this episode down a little. However, the animation was really great in some spots, seeming almost real; the animators did a wonderful job for this episode, and I hope they keep up the good work. 9.7/10

2023 Me:  This was pretty decent and it focuses largely on Rhinox, which I always like.  I was maybe a little too enthusiastic as this is sort of the same thing as "Call of the Wild" in learning to rely on their other senses.  Still, it's not a bad episode though not really an important one. 8.5/10

Possession Written By Ian Weir

1996 Me:  In a word, this episode was cool! The best part is that they showed Unicron and talked about how Galvatron killed Starscream. That means everything in the movie is now part of the BW universe! So the Matrix, Optimus Prime, and everything else are connected to Beast Wars! That may not seem that good, but it just means that G1 Transformers is not really dead. What would really be cool would be to redo the movie with CGI animation and release Transformers: The Movie, Special Edition, like Star Wars. Anyway, the animators outdid themselves, because Starscream looked really good as his original self, and Unicron looked really good as well.

What really stole the show was Optimus Primal. Never since "Gorilla Warfare" has Optimus kicked so much butt. And for once he didn't get shot down. It also showed that Optimus is a smart, cunning leader. He may not be Optimus Prime, but he is still a really cool leader. Even his one-liners like "He's Mine" and "Hasta La Vista Starscream" were great. It was good to finally get another episode that developed Optimus.

This episode featured less lame humor, and more good humor. Rattrap's jokes were good, and there wasn't anything stupid like robots running into trees and smashing themselves flat like in "Dark Voyage". So there is nothing to criticize in this episode, it was good all over. 10/10

2023 Me:  Again I'm a little too enthusiastic but it was really cool when this came out to confirm that this was an off-shoot of the original continuity.  That was something for good and ill that would come to play in the next two seasons.  They did a good job with the look and personality of Starscream.  Less so the voice but I think Chris Latta, the original voice actor, had died so they did their best. 9.5/10

The Low Road Written By Bob Forward

1996 Me:  This episode was as well-written as a Road Runner cartoon. You'd have to be under 3 years old to think this was brilliant. Its saving grace was that it was funny in a cheesy sort of way. The constant cartoon gags were annoying, but Rattrap and Dinobot's bantering proved to be the good thing about this episode.

It's not that I don't like these "fun" episodes, but I prefer a good story to a hilarious episode. The ones like "Chain of Command", "Fallen Comrades", and "The Spark" are the ones that make me just want to shout "Now THAT was cool!" These fun episodes are great for entertaining little kids, but those of us who are a little more mature and prefer more substance enjoy the deeper episodes far more. Those were the first 12 or so episodes that made Beast Wars the cool show it is, these other shows only came along later. I'm sure some of you out there loved this episode, and I thought it was funny too, but it lacked substance. 4.7/10

2023 Me:  If anything, 90s me was too easy on this!  Again Forward leans too much on cheap Looney Tunes gags.  I mean the whole story is solved by a fart joke!  Ugh. 2.0/10

Law of the Jungle Written By Mark Leiren-Young

1996 Me:  This episode was really quite good. It dealt with a serious issue in a pretty mature way. It was another great character episode for Tigatron, showing how he hates war and loves the environment. It also showed Dinobot as the tough, relentless warrior that wants to win at all costs, and Optimus as the caring leader who hates the war, but knows that the Predacons must be stopped.

There was nothing to say bad about this episode, except it was a little too dark in spots. Sometimes I could hardly see the characters, but maybe that's just my crappy TV. Anyway, a lot of the scenery was wonderfully done, and Inferno's flamethrower was really cool! These are the kind of episodes that makes Beast Wars great, because they deal with the real aspects of war and push the envelope for kids programming. After disappointments like "Call of the Wild" and "The Low Road", it's nice to see an episode that embodies the true spirit of this fabulous show. 10/10.

2023 Me:  I was a little too enthusiastic again but it does wash the taste of "The Low Road" out and remind viewers that this is a good show.  It's probably the last great Tigatron episode, which is too bad.  He really should have had his own spinoff or something. 9.0/10

Before the Storm Written By Larry DiTillio

1996 Me:  Well, well, well, anyone who's read my reviews (especially the Trigger) and disagreed with my view on the cliffhanger, let me just say "I told you so!" Anyway, this episode was superb, even with the damn Roadrunner cartoon gags in the fight scenes. This was really the first Megatron character episode, and he is one great bad guy! He's so smart and calculating that it's just really cool, and makes me almost cheer for him.

There was some great subtle humor in this episode besides the Roadrunner gags. Like when it shows Megatron sleeping, taking a bath, brushing his T-Rex's teeth, and talking to his hand. I also like the way the eyes of his T-Rex move around like it's alive. Anyway, this episode was great, and even with the stupid gags, it was fantastic. I can't wait for the conclusion to this season, it's going to rock! 10/10

2023 Me:  Can't imagine why people on the Transformers newsgroup didn't love me with reviews like that, eh?  Yeah but sometimes they were sooooo stupid (and about to get stupider) that it was annoying.  Anyway, this was an OK episode to set up the final two episodes of what was a great season overall.  I'd downgrade it a little to 8.5/10

Other Voices Pt 1 & 2 Written By Larry DiTillio & Bob Forward

1996 Me: In a word: Cool! This episode was fabulous, tying up the Beast Wars season beautifully. I love how they worked in mentions of other episodes like "Chain of Command", "Victory", and "The Trigger". It was just great writing with great action. I'm excited about how it will end next year, see my prediction on this page for my thoughts on that.

Well, it's been a great ride, I'm just glad I was a part of it. I'm always glad when I get E-mail from people responding to something on my page, because I love to know that someone is actually reading what I have to say. Anyway, I look forward to reviewing next season, however many episodes there are. I just have to reiterate one more time what a fine, quality show Beast Wars is. It's a show that is tuned to those of us with taste and who want great stories. It's a show that has been blessed with a great crew: from the writers to the animators, everyone is doing one hell of a job! Let's all hope they keep it up in the months ahead. 10/10

2023 Me:  I have to agree with myself it was a nice wrap-up for the season and really, I do like hearing from readers.  HINT, HINT!  It does end on a great cliffhanger with Optimus seeming to die.  Unfortunately that became about the dumbest controversy online.  I mean, come on, like they were really going to keep Optimus dead forever.  Idiots.  Anyway, this was pretty great so I wouldn't downgrade it much. 9.7/10

Season 2

Aftermath Written By Larry DiTillio

1997 Me:  This episode was not great, but it did what it needed to do.  The goal of this episode was to introduce the Transmetals and the Fuzors.  As well, it had to kill Terrorsaur and Scorponok.  All in all, it did a pretty good job.  Rhinox was really cool in this episode because he kicked butt and, as I predicted, he was in command of the Maxmals.  

I thought that Rattrap and Cheetor looked pretty cool, but Megatron was a little weird looking, and those rollerblades were just silly-looking.  The game of chicken between Rattrap and Megatron was pretty lame.  It was funny, though, how Cheetor didn't know how to fly very well.  So this episode was pretty good, but it was not superb.  9.3/10.

Now then, it's time for me to speculate on things.  First off, Scorponok and Terrorsaur were glowing when they "died", so I'm betting they'll be back as Transmetals.  Optimus Primal I know will be back as a Transmetal.  One thing I was happy about was that Rhinox did not become a Transmetal, because that means he still has the ultra-cool chain gun.  And as I predicted, good old Rhinox became the leader while Primal was gone.  Why?  Because Rhinox is the oldest and  wisest Maximal, and he can keep peace between Rattrap and Dinobot.  So until Optimus, comes back, it's going to be Rhinox in charge, which is cool for all us Rhinox fans.

2023 Me:  It turns out my prediction on Scorponok and Terrorsaur was wrong, which is surprising.  I guess the budget of the show and limited number of episodes made it too difficult to bring them back.  It was a pretty lame ending for them.  Otherwise, it was an OK episode, though kind of annoying how they trolled fans by not bringing Optimus back...yet.  It was like in The Walking Dead that one time when they "killed" Glenn for a few episodes to the point of not showing his name in the credits. Imagine that stretched over like 4 months?  It was kinda annoying. Maybe when they "killed" Jon Snow at the end of season 5 of Game of Thrones was more appropriate.  8.0/10

Coming of the Fuzors Written By Bob Forward

1997 Me:  This episode was better than "Aftermath" and completed the reinvention of Beast Wars.  Now all the Transmetals, at least for the moment, are introduced and both sides have stabilized.  So the process of introducing all the gimmicks for the year is complete.  Whether all these gimmicks will improve or detract from the show remains to be seen.

The most annoying thing about this episode was that the "Wild West" theme got tiring after a while.  By the time Primal had his showdown with Inferno that Western cliché music was really worn out.  The introduction of Primal was cool and it was great that they decided to keep the Maximal leader.  Some people thought that Primal's first line "That's just prime" was dumb, but it was Primal's trademark line, so it had to be the first line he said when he came back.  It was great that Rhinox got to bring his friend back and Dinobot's soliloquy was cool.

The action in this episode was pretty nonstop and I liked that for once the Preds were winning.  The reintroduction of Primal actually did end up to follow one of the first theories I proposed where the Maximals would be getting beaten and Primal would come in to save them.  As for the new characters, Silverbolt and Quickstrike, neither one is that good now, but they have room for growth.  They both don't have a whole lot of personality at the moment, but with some great character episodes like characters like Cheetor and Tigatron got in "The Web" and "Law of the Jungle" they can become better.  That hasn't happened yet, but with some more time, and hopefully an expanded Season Three, the writers can work in some more character development.  

This episode achieved a lot of what I call the "big picture" goals.  In other words, it did a lot to set up the overall story arc for this season, and probably the next.  First, it introduced the Fuzors.  Second, it established that the planet is Earth.  Third, it got rid of Airrazor and Tigatron.  Fourth, it set up all the stuff with the golden discs.  Fifth, it reintroduced Optimus Primal.  Sixth, it brought Tarantulus back.  There may be more, but only time will tell what details are important and what were not.  9.6/10.

2023 Me:  Like I said, this checked the boxes it needed to check.  It didn't do a lot more than that.  While Silverbolt does get more personality, Quickstrike remains pretty one-note throughout the rest of the series.  The reintroduction of Optimus was nice, even if predictable for those with a working brain. 8.0/10

Tangled Webs Written By Len Wein

1997 Me:  This episode was not a very good episode to start the "regular" Beast Wars season, that is the post-"Before the Storm"-"Coming of the Fuzors" season.  Of course, a lot of people were excited about this episode because Len Wein had written a Generation 1 episode or two and that this would provide a look at the daily lives of Preds and thus be a great character episode.  Too bad it didn't deliver.

First of all, most Generation 1 episodes were pretty lame, so bringing in a writer from that show was bound to be a bad idea.  Secondly, while this did show activities of Predacons, it was by no means a daily occurrence.  When you think about it, the daily lives of either side would be patrolling areas watching for enemy activity, which would make for a really dull episode.  

Thirdly, the episode was not a good character episode.  Why?  Because it didn't tell anyone anything they already didn't know.  Maybe if you haven't ever watched the show it would have, but otherwise you should have already realized how treacherous the spiders were and if you had seen "Coming of the Fuzors" you would already have known that Quickstrike was a cowboy-type Pred.  So it didn't tell anyone anything about the characters that they didn't already know.

Finally, this episode followed the Generation 1 standard plot.  That is, the Decepticons are up to something and a group of Autobots have to stop them.  In this case the Predacons are building fortifications and Rattrap and Silverbolt have to stop them.  You could make a statement that a lot of Beast Wars episodes follow this same plot, but a great portion of them don't.  Most involve the Predacons or Maximals competing to get something like stasis pods, alien probes, or energon crystals.  A few other episodes like "Power Surge" have followed the Generation 1 trend, but not many.  Anyway, this episode did what it needed to do for the "big picture".  That is, it got Tarantulus out of BlackArachnia's head, got Tarantulus a new lair, showed how the energon has stabilized, and shown how Megatron is trying to manipulate the golden discs to his advantage. 5.3/10.

2023 Me:  I was a bit of a bitch about this and yet I make good points!  It was a pretty basic story that like the first three checks the boxes it needs to check.  It's what I like to call one of those, "moving the pieces along the board" episodes in that it advances the overall plot but by itself isn't that great to watch. 6.0/10

Maximal, No More Written By Patrick Barry

1997 Me:  This episode was good, except that it was basically an amalgam of first season Beast Wars episodes.  Dinobot's changing sides was a lot like Rattrap in "Double Jeopardy", except that Dinobot actually wanted back on the Preds.  As well, at the end where Dinobot has to decide whether or not to kill Rattrap was the reversal of "Double Jeopardy" where Rattrap had to decide whether or not to kill Dinobot.  A little bit of "Dark Designs" was thrown in there too.  In "Dark Designs" and this episode Megatron wanted to use both Maximals for some evil purpose.  He wanted Rhinox to give information about the Maximal base in "Dark Designs" and Dinobot to deliver the golden discs in this episode.  That's really the biggest problem I have with this episode, because when episodes start borrowing from each other, it seems like the show is rehashing old material.

As well, the story was predictable.  After Dinobot leaves the Maximals I knew that he would rejoin them. It was a predictable ending to a predictable story.

There were some funny moments and the fight between Dinobot and Quickstrike was interesting, but not overly exciting.  Overall, though, this episode was like watching a rerun.  However, like "Tangled Webs" this episode did what it needed to do for the "big picture".  It showed what Dinobot and Megatron were doing with the information from the discs, and Dinobot has undoubtedly now told Optimus Primal about the discs so the Maximals can try to stop Megatron's scheme.  That, of course, promises future glory, but does little to help this episode.  7.1/10.

2023 Me:  You know, I make some good points!  It does rehash a lot of season 1 material.  It moves the overall story forward a little in sort of a contrived way where Dinobot just decides to rejoin the Preds and give Megs the disc.  It's one of those that's OK but not great.  So let's round down to 7.0/10

Other Visits Pt 1 & Pt 2 Written By Larry DiTillio

[NOTE:  1997 Me only apparently reviewed Part 1.  I can't find a review for Part 2.]

1997 Me:  This episode was good, the best since "Coming of the Fuzors Part 2". There was a lot of action and mystery all crammed into one half hour. It is surprising that the writers could pack so much into one short script, but they did. So "Other Visits Part 1" turned out to be a real edge-of-the-seat episode.

Of course, it had its flaws. The one that bugged me the most was the "love scene" with Tigatron and Airazor. Now I know they can't do much of a love scene because it's a show aimed at kids, but I am certain there were better ways to execute it. The biggest problem was that since they had only broadly hinted at Tigatron and Airazor forming a relationship (a "my lady" here and there), there was not a sufficient lead-in to the scene. So it basically came down to Tigatron commenting on forgetting about the beauty on the planet, the two of them looking into each others eyes, and then holding hands. It came as quite a surprise to me, and overall I thought the scene just didn't work. The music, the lines, the situation, none of it sold the mood or the scene to me. In other words, the scene ended up being pretty lame.

Personally, I would have rather they not done the scene. It was nice that they tried to give some of the fans what they wanted, but with something like this, its better not to try at all than to do something sloppy.

Other than that, the episode was really good. I thought the rock-'em-sock-'em thing was silly, but the rest of the episode was great. After nearly two months of waiting, Beast Wars comes back with a bang! 9.9/10.

2023 Me:  For a 2-part episode it was OK but not as good as most of the others.  It's kind of the same thing as "The Trigger" only it's Megatron accessing the alien doomsday machine and trying to take it to Cybertron.  The way Tigatron and Airrazor were written off was kinda disappointing after Season 1. 7.5/10

Bad Spark Written By Greg Johnson

1997 Me:  This episode was great. It had suspense, mystery, horror, action, and even some romance. All-in-all, a great effort. It also reminded me of some of the great episodes of Season 1: "Fallen Comrades" and "The Spark", where the Maximals and Predacons race to control a stasis pod. Only this time, the Maximals are actually hoping the pod's occupant died in the crash, instead of trying to save it.

The only bad thing about this episode was where Cheetor lets out an energon fart. "The Low Road" was bad enough, but stealing a joke from it was terrible. That kind of potty humor just detracts from all of the great, mature things about Beast Wars. However, since the fart scene was pretty short, it didn't hurt the story too much. And, to offset it, there was some great humor. I loved how the Predacons at base were watching BlackArachnia and Silverbolt like it was some kind of soap opera. And the "disarmed" joke was pretty funny.

Another thing this episode did was to give Silverbolt more of a personality. Viewers got to see that he is really chivalric to females, but not so to males. As well, he has a sense of honor because he fought the sabretooth tiger in beast mode, instead of using his robot form's superior weapons to destroy it. And, unlike the half-hearted attempt at a love story in "Other Voices", the writer went all-out in this episode and did a good job. Silverbolt and BlackArachnia have an opposities attract thing going on, which is kind of cool and is something I hope progresses.

Overall, this episode rocked! Rampage is an interesting character and will be the catalyst for some great stories, I'm sure. Most specifically, because he'll probably try to gain his freedom from Megatron. And, hopefully, Optimus and Rhinox will have to deal with their part in the hideous experiment that created Rampage. Another interesting development that will fuel future stories is the relationship between Silverbolt and BlackArachnia. What will come of it I'm not sure, but I would suspect that BlackArachnia will be more willing to help the Maximals, maybe even give them the information she stole in "Coming of the Fuzors" so that Silverbolt doesn't get killed. At any rate, "Bad Spark" was anything but a bad episode. 9.9/10

2023 Me:  I was a little overly enthusiastic but this was a good episode.  It sets up the Silverbolt/BlackArachnia relationship that continues through Beast Machines even.  And it brings in Rampage, the sadistic, unkillable machine, who gets better in season 3 and the addition of his foil in Depth Charge.  Unfortunately I don't think Optimus and Rhinox ever really have to come to grips to the whole "Protoform X" experiment. 8.0/10

Code of Hero Written By Ian Weir

1997 Me:  This episode was by far the most powerful Beast Wars episode ever, even more so than "Law of the Jungle". In fact, it has to be the most dramatic and tragic Transformers episode ever. I was sorry to see Dinobot go, but it was good to see him die a warrior’s death. Dinobot’s death parallels the death of many mythic warriors, including Roland, who was run through with something like 300 spears but still kept fighting to protect Charlemagne’s retreat.

There were no problems with this episode, it was flawlessly done. The only thing that comes to mind is what did Dinobot mean when he said in "Bad Spark", "it may yet be up to me"? He sounded like he had a plan, but that never seemed to materialize. However, I don’t think there was a better way to make this episode. Dinobot was a true warrior, it was only fitting that his final battle be by himself against a superior foe. It was also fitting that even in the final moments Rattrap and Dinobot kept up their façade of hatred. For one or the other to have broken down into some tearful good-bye would have just seemed wrong.

As I said with "Law of the Jungle", it was great to see a kids show dealing with the theme of death. It’s hard for a show with a large child following to deal with death, because writers and executives are too timid. However, Beast Wars has proven twice now that it can handle the subject in a mature, responsible fashion. It also shows that war and violence are anything but glamorous, because sometimes the hero does die. Of all 39 episodes, "Code of Hero" is the one that has moved me the most. 10/10

2023 Me:  This was such a great episode on its own.  The problem is what happens in a lot of comics where they void a character's great sacrifice in a future issue with some bullshit retcon.  That's what happens just a couple of episodes later when it turns out Dinobot's sacrifice was in vain because Megatron could still use a fragment of the golden disk.  At the moment, though, it was a great ending for Dinobot.  Too bad it didn't stick. 10/10

Transmutate Written By Christy Marx

1997 Me:  This was a good episode, but not spectacular. Transmutate was ugly and not very eloquent, but she was pretty cool in a way. The best thing about this episode was that it focused a lot on Rampage. Being a latecomer, Rampage has not had nearly as much time on screen as Silverbolt or Quickstrike, so it was a great chance to add some depth to his character.

And add depth it did. What’s great about Rampage is that he’s not another toady. He hates Megatron for making him a slave and wants to free himself. What this episode added is how Rampage feels like a complete outcast, because of his freakish spark. That’s why he feels a bond with Transmutate, because she is different, like him. Rampage has every right to feel like an outcast, and I think instead of trying to destroy him, Optimus should try and reason with him and find a way to free him. I think it’d be great if they had an episode like that in the future, where Optimus goes out and actually tries to help Rampage and to fess up to his part in Rampage’s creation, which is delivering Rampage to Earth so that he could be recreated as a Transmetal crab.

This was another episode which showed how noble Silverbolt is, which really did not need much reinforcement. In this case I think that Silverbolt was right, we all should respect what is different, not fear it. However, Rhinox and Optimus didn’t fear Transmutate, but rather they were wise enough to realize that Transmutate was too powerful and too easily influenced to remain active. It would have been for the best to put her in stasis and hopefully have her fixed once the Maximals returned to Cybertron.

The only real problem with this episode was that it was the only "throw-away" episode of the season. In other words, unlike the other 12 episodes, including "Tangled Web" and "Maximal, No More" this was the only episode that had no impact on the overall story line involving the golden discs. It is nice to break things up with a throw-away, like happened in much of the first season, but it interrupted the momentum created by "Code of Hero". This episode would have been better placed before "Code of Hero", because the stories of "Code of Hero" and "The Agenda" tie together so much that it would have been a lot better to air them back-to-back and thus preserve the momentum. Overall, though, this was a great episode and it was nice to get a break from episodes tied into the main story. 9.7/10

2023 Me:  This was a really good episode even for one that doesn't do much for the overall story.  It's really a great character episode for Rampage, probably the only one he ever gets.  Like I said about "Bad Spark," it's too bad they never really got back to the Maximals's role in Rampage's creation and its fallout.  Transmutate is a good symbolic character for the physically and mentally handicapped, so there's a positive message in it.  In the end she dies trying to prevent the two sides from killing each other over her, which is pretty sad. 9.5/10

The Agenda Pts 1-3 Written By Bob Forward

1997 Me:  Yes, this will be continued. At any rate, this last episode was cool with a capital C. It had action, romance, and drama. While I knew what was going to happen it was still really exciting. By far the most edge-of-the-seat episode yet. Unlike "Other Voices" last year, this year’s cliffhanger was not very straightforward.

The plot is complex for a kid’s show, because not many of them deal with time and changing history. The pitfall of this is that temporal plots always get really complicated, because of lots of conflicts. For instance, something that my little sister reminded me of, is that Rampage, BlackArachnia, Inferno, and Quickstrike will also be erased from history along with the Maximals, because they were created from Maximal stasis pods. As well, there is always the paradox of after Megatron changes history, he’ll never go back to Earth to change history so how can history be changed in the first place? As well, would Megatron still be on prehistoric Earth or would he be back on Cybertron in the present? It also makes me wonder that since the Decepticons win, would the Predacons even be created? See what I mean, temporal plots can bring up some interesting and tough questions.

There was tons of action in this episode and the romantic plot between Silverbolt and BlackArachnia was very well executed. My favorite part, though, was where Optimus was interrogating Silverbolt about his affair with BlackArachnia. It was great to see Optimus being tough with one of his troops and Silverbolt repeatedly saying, "sir" reminded viewers that despite all the camaraderie, there is a militaristic element to the Maximal team.

The best part of this episode was the way that it blended together elements of the old series with the new. Older fans, like myself, know all about the Ark, Optimus Prime, and original Megatron. However, I think there was sufficient explanation that new fans could get it. Speaking of things from the old show, Ravage looked really cool. That Russian accent of his was a little weird, but otherwise he looked a lot better than in the old show, where he was just a robotic jaguar. The fact that he could talk as a Predacon really made Ravage into a real character. The part I don’t get is how Megatron got a message on the Voyager disc. What did he mean by the "secret war" between the Autobots and Decepticons? Especially since BlackArachnia says that the Autobots and Transformers aren’t woke up until the volcano erupts in 1984. Hopefully that can be resolved somehow.

In short, this episode blew me away. It was spell-binding with great battle scenes and lots of excitement. Of course, it does leave a lot of questions about what will happen next season. And yes there will be a next season. This season, though, has been great, albeit short. I wish there could be another full 26-episode season, but there probably won’t be. With the golden discs gone, though, next season will undoubtedly have to shift its focus. Just how will time return to normal? We’ll have to wait until next October or so to find out. And with any luck I’ll still be here, still writing synopses and reviews. "The Agenda", at any rate, was a superb episode and I hope that next season continues the momentum. 10/10

2023 Me:  I liked this a lot less in the present day.  Like I said about "Code of Hero" it sucks how they retcon things so Dinobot's sacrifice was basically meaningless.  The introduction of G1 Ravage as a Predacon was neat and his ship was pretty awesome.  Introducing the Ark charted a new course for the show's third season.  There's a lot of action but in the end it's all rigged so the good guys "lose" and Megatron "wins," though of course he doesn't really. 9.5/10

Season 3

While 1997 (or 1998) me said I planned to do reviews of Season 3, I didn't.  I think by then I had left the Transformers newsgroup after one flame war too many and I had some tougher college classes and a part-time job that gave me a lot less time for stupid stuff like this.  So 90s me just wrote one post:

I was going to write some long-winded speech about where Beast Wars went wrong, but I didn't like how that was shaping up. The last two seasons of Beast Wars just did not impress me all that much compared to the first season. The story got too complicated and collapsed in on itself, there were too many manufactured triumphs for the Preds, the low number of new episodes, and the routine destruction/modification of cast members spelled doom for the show. I'll briefly discuss each point in turn.

• Beast Wars started to get too complicated with the introduction of the aliens and the Generation 1 continuity (the Ark, etc.). It changed the show from being about heroic Maximals fighting to save the universe from evil Predacons (a basic story that worked for most of the first season) into the Maximals being ineffective in stopping Megatron's scheme to destroy space and time as we know it. For crying out loud, this is a kid's show, just stick with good fighting evil! Kids aren't stupid, but all of the intrigue and mystery is going to simply bore them. More importantly, it made the show too dark and gloomy.
• The chief reason for the gloominess was that the bad guys kept winning. In the third season they destroyed the Axalon, got the Sentinel system, invented Transmetal II technology, and recovered a lost Decepticon flagship! The only reason they didn't win was because of Dinobot's help to the clueless Maximals. In the second season, Dinobot makes a heroic sacrifice, but still loses because Megs is still able to use a fragment of the Golden Disc to convince Ravage to help him! Lighten up a little!
• The low number of new episodes continued to hurt the show, because there were so few episodes that viewers couldn't get a break from the oppressive story line. With only 13 episodes per season the writers had to make each one count, so every episode, except "Transmutate", "Proving Ground", and maybe one or two more, had to contribute something to move the story arc ahead. I needed some new episodes that allowed me to forget about their almighty story arc, not first season reruns, because I just plain got fed up with the "big picture". With a regular show, if there is a big story line there are still enough episodes (usually 26) so that a few don't have to help add to the big picture. Deep Space Nine occasionally takes a break from its war stories for a comedic Ferengi episode and Babylon 5 had a few "throwaway episodes" each season. The writers needed to build in some breaks in the story line, but couldn't because Mainframe couldn't churn out more than 13 episodes per year (although if they hadn't launched the failed War Planets they might have been able to get more episodes for Season 3!).
• What really ticked me off was that characters kept dying or being modified. The first season no one was killed or modified, but then in the second season Airazor, Tigatron, Dinobot, Scorponok, and Terrorsaur were killed (of course the three Maximals would come back in other forms later!). Cheetor, Rattrap, Optimus, Megatron, and Tarantulus all became Transmetals, radically different from their old bodies. Then in the last year Optimus becomes Optimal Optimus; Megatron, Cheetor, and Blackarachnia all become Transmetal IIs; Dinobot returns as an evil Transmetal II and Airazor/Tigatron become Tigerhawk. Then Depth Charge, Tigerhawk, Quickstrike, Inferno, Tarantulus, Dinobot, and Rampage are all killed in the last three episodes. Seven characters, nearly half the cast, killed in three episodes! Gee, good thing I wasn't attached to any one character! The death of Tigerhawk really pissed me off. Two episodes after he's introduced, he's killed off (even though we don't actually see him die). Any businessperson knows that a business can't function if employees are constantly turning over (quitting, terminated, etc.) and the same holds true for a TV show. The audience becomes close to certain characters (Tigatron, Rhinox, and Depth Charge were my favorites in the series) and get angry when their favorite 'bot gets knocked off. Of course a lot of this is due to the costs of computer models, etc., but it's just not a good thing for a show to go around routinely killing or modifying its characters. That also adds to the gloominess of the show that I mentioned above.

The last three episodes were pretty good, but not redemption for two seasons of gloomy, death-ridden shows. That Rhinox got to save the day was a good payback for his two years of pretty much sitting around at the base and I liked the kind of Biblical motif of "Nemesis I & II", but I wasn't overly excited about the show and really didn't care that it was over. A lot of times when I finish a good book or a favorite show is over it takes a little while to let it sink in, because there's an emotional attachment attained by the length of interaction. I just didn't feel that with Beast Wars. It ended and I just felt like saying, "Yeah, so what?"

Beast Machines will air on Fox this fall, the next incarnation of the Transformers saga. Initially I don't think it sounds good, but I wasn't too keen at first on the Beast Wars idea. It wasn't until I saw the pilot that I got into Beast Wars. Will Beast Machines be any good? I don't know and I don't care.

Writing Beast Wars reviews has been fun, but now it's over. I was glad I was able to help fellow fans by providing them with some insight about episodes and it was nice to talk to people and hear some of their thoughts. I don't think I'll write Beast Machine reviews or anything like that. In fact, most of my Transformers-related activities are over. Maybe you'll continue to use my page for whatever purpose and maybe you won't. It's been a good ride, but now it's over.

2023 Me:  There were some neat things about this season.  Optimal Optimus was kinda cool as an amalgamation of G1 and Beast Wars.  The Transmetal IIs were sort of ugly and yet probably a better concept than regular Transmetals.  The romance between BlackArachnia and Silverbolt blossomed and the rivalry between Rampage and the new anti-hero Depth Charge was pretty cool, though both could have used more time to build.

"Changing of the Guard" was probably the worst episode of this third season.  It felt like a rehash of "A Better Mousetrap" only underwater and though not written by Forward, the action is resolved by a lame gag maybe more Three Stooges than Looney Tunes.  "Go With the Flow" was probably the second worst episode of the third season as it's about Megatron kidnapping an early human female to operate his death ray.  The early humans had previously appeared in "Code of Hero" and "Cutting Edge," which similarly had the Maximals trying to help them.  Mostly this felt like a dumb rehash of better material and like other Bob Forward episodes features too much Looney Tunes crap.  

After the two-part finale, "Deep Metal" was probably the best episode as the introduction of Depth Charge and his rivalry with Rampage.  Basically Depth Charge was a security officer on a colony Rampage destroyed and so he's become obsessed with revenge.  A little cliché and yet not really something you'd get a lot on a kids show.  It's too bad they didn't have more time to develop that rivalry more.

It really was disappointing that Tigerhawk was brought in and then killed off so quickly.  He really needed a few more episodes to develop his personality and resolve the story of his creation by the Vok.  The last two episodes (written by comics alum Simon Furman) were a decent way to wrap things up but it felt rushed.  If they'd had the time and money to do all three seasons as 26 episodes, maybe it would have been better, or maybe it would have been too much.  Still, though, in the context of the mid-to-late 90s it was a great series and a high mark for Transformers series until Transformers Prime in the 2010s that sort of copied the formula.

Friday I'll have some final thoughts.