Anyone who enjoys The Transformers? In light of all the discussions about how robots would overthrow humanity and destroy civilization, it is really exciting to see cars transform into robots and save the planet. Since the first Transformers series debuted, numerous others have followed.
Beast Wars remains one of the most enduring of them. In 1996, the first episode of the animated television series Beast Wars aired. It continued for three wonderful seasons until ending in 1999. It is interesting that it diverged from the typical change from automobile to robot because it was the first computer-animated series at the time. Instead, they utilized animals, which were later transformed into robots.
Naturally, there was scepticism at first, but over time, its fan following has only expanded. DiTillio and Forward, the show’s creators, were up front about the fact that they had never seen the first Transformers before the show debuted. The original Transformers narrative did not initially have a significant impact on the series.
But as time went on, they were able to include a lot of the Transformers lore and characters like Starscream, Unicron, and Optimus Prime into the programme. Although it was set in the original Transformers’ future, the finale set the timeline correctly, tying up all loose ends and ensuring that there would be none for the next Transformers script.
What The Cartoon Television Series Is All About
Beast Wars: Transformers was a game-changer for the franchise and an essential part of sustaining the Transformers brand. Beast Wars: Transformers was the first computer-generated animation on television at a time when it was still in its infancy. In a conversation with Bob Forward, they claimed that the first season’s production alone cost them 18 million dollars. Beast Wars was highly inventive for a show produced in 1996, despite being relatively outdated by today’s standards. Additionally, compared to the previous Transformers animated series, their creative team adopted a deeper and more sombre tone. They killed out its characters without hesitation.
Beast Wars takes place in a form of wormhole and is set 300 years after the previous series, despite that fact. This is because their space battle caused them to travel through time and land on an uncharted world. The discovery that the planet one has landed on is ancient Earth comes much later.
For many centuries, the Autobots and Decepticons have been at war with one another. Maximals and Predacons, who inherited Cybertron, have been coexisting harmoniously for the most part (albeit not happily). One day, Megatron, a fanatical Predacon, organises a team of Predacon radicals to steal a rare golden disc from Cybertron before fleeing the planet.
The Axalon, a lone Maximal research ship commanded by Optimus Primal, is tasked with tracking down and apprehending the thieves. The two spaceships engage in a battle throughout time and space before being forced to crash land in an undeveloped planet that turns out to be a minefield of raw energon, the main fuel for transformers.
Energon is a substance that may be discovered on this planet and is poisonous to both sides. They assume various forms that resemble the species that live on the planet since the Energon is too huge for them to stay in robot form for very long. This helps them conserve energy. It is discussed repeatedly throughout the series. This was frequently demonstrated in the show, especially whenever new characters were introduced. It was particularly demonstrated in relation to the stasis pods that they use to descend on the planet.
The combat goes on even after the fight for Cybertron has long since ended. The Predacons, who are the Decepticons’ offspring, and the Maximals, who were the Autobots’ forebears, are at war in Beast Wars. According to the Beast Machines sequel series, “The Great Upgrade” describes how an Autobot becomes a Maximal and a Decepticon becomes a Predacon.
Predacons mostly consist of reptiles, whereas Maximals primarily consist of mammals. The only other significant distinction between the Autobots, Decepticons, Maximals, and Predacons is that one set transforms into cars while another group transforms into animals. Even while it may not seem like there is much of a difference, there actually is, since it alters the nature of conflicts. In Beast Wars, the battles were far more interesting. It just seems far cooler when a dinosaur bites a gorilla than when cars are shooting at one other.
Beast Wars’ first few seasons are unquestionably more episodic and fun, following the Maximals as they adjust to their new environment and strive to outwit their antagonistic neighbors. It is quite fun to see them struggle and settle into a dynamic. After a lengthy series of arcs, as seen in the later seasons, the origins of the alien world and Megatron’s ultimate objective are revealed.
All of the seasons make a ton of unexpected connections to the Generation 1 animated series from its initial run. Along with new character designs that improved the appearance of character expressions and movement, these seasons also appeared to receive a modest animation update. Obviously, there is not a huge difference, but considering the fact that this was done in 1996, the animation is pretty good.
Main Character
Beast Wars featured fewer on-screen characters than the majority of prior Transformers series, since creating new CGI characters was, at that time especially, a costly and time-consuming procedure. With that in mind, let us explore the characters that we have in the show.
Optimus Primal
Optimus Primal, voiced by Garry Chalk, is one of the main characters of the show. He is a young captain of an exploration ship. He is more of an explorer than a commander in this series, unlike Optimus Prime. We follow him and his crew as they are detoured from their intended mission in order to follow a stolen Predacon ship. This stolen ship was, of course, being commanded by Megatron, and the rest is, quite literally, history.
Optimus Primal is considerably a more down-to-earth Cybertron, despite his propensity for formal speeches, unlike his namesake. Although he adheres to the Maximal laws of honor and morality, he does so with some irreverence. He is not beyond using creative means to get around the rules or using unconventional remedies when required. That is something about him that I really respect.
We all love a rule-following hero, but it is even more fun when there is a rule-bending one. He respects his opponents and is always loyal to his friends. He fights with bravery and is not opposed to being selfless and sacrificial in battle. He can, however, fall into severe sadness if he believes he has let someone down, since he is so dedicated to helping others. Given that he rescued his namesake and brought about a new technorganic Cybertron, Optimus Primal is unique for not only being able to differentiate himself but for maybe even exceeding him. Optimus Primal could just be the finest Cybertronian hero to have ever existed.
Megatron
Megatron is the main antagonist of the show and the leader of the Predacons. He was voiced by David Kaye. Megatron gained a lot of tactical and strategic knowledge while serving as a field commander in the Predacon army just before the signing of the Pax Cybertronic.
Most Predacons gave up their weapons once the Maximal Imperium ratified the peace. Megatron rebelled and turned bad. He set off with a single objective in mind: to lead the Predacon race back to strength and glory. His boldness sets him apart from the numerous others who share similar objectives. He is prepared to risk it all, time, space, and even himself, in order to get what he wants. And on occasion, he would have even succeeded, if not for Optimus Primal.
He is skilled at putting together elaborate plots by tricking others into carrying them out for him using things like a pointless suggestion here or a blatantly placed item of interest there. He is fully aware of his adversaries, some of whom are his minions, and knows just how to agitate them.
He doesn’t have any friends (like most villains); all he has are occasional pawns who are too handy to lose. Unsurprisingly, he hates working with the same troops he must employ to carry out his objectives due to his attitude and superiority complex. Because of his arrogance, he is not particularly well-liked. Thus, in order to control people, he must use force and terror. No wonder he actually favours mindless drones.
He is also a gambler. His overdeveloped sense of drama and warped sense of humor control everything he thinks up, both in the long and short term. He wants you to understand how terribly you were taken advantage of when he ruined you and that it was he who did it. That’s probably his biggest flaw. He’ll happily brag to the hero for a long time about how intelligent and cunning he is, which is quite foolish of him because it allows his victims time to plan their next move. To further prove his foolishness, we see that he gives up the quick and simple remedies in favour of the bigger, meaner, and more convoluted ones, frequently causing harm to himself.
Waspinator
It seems like Waspinator, voiced by Scott McNeil, is the universal scapegoat. If anything ever goes wrong, he is the one who suffers. He is often at the explosion’s core, if something blows up. He has been blown up, burned, shot down, torn apart, crushed, sliced, shattered, pummelled, and in innumerable more ways reduced to his constituent bits, and Rattrap has an unsettling habit of gathering his broken pieces. I don’t know whether to think of it as something weird or just true friendship.
Much to Waspinator’s dismay, Megatron has designated him as someone who is disposable; he also receives no regard from anybody else. His peculiar speaking patterns also do not help, since he frequently refers to himself using the third person and calls most other individuals “two-head” and “cat-bot.”
But Waspinator is not stupid. He is aware of a lot in life and makes several attempts to evade things, but destiny always finds him. Fortunately, he is almost supernaturally resilient and has come through some of life’s most painful and humiliating setbacks. He is one of the most humbling and inspiring characters. I haven’t seen a more resilient Transformer than him.
Rhinox
Rhinox is the finest of the Transformers, and Richard Newman voiced him. He is a unique individual who manages to be both extremely tech-savvy and mystically oriented, without coming across as a mix of a burned-out technology nerd and a hippie. In a crisis, he makes snap decisions and gets amazing results, which proves that he has brains, but otherwise, he moves slowly and steadily, like a turtle, again proving that he is really smart. He also likes a slow life. He enjoys smelling the flowers. One might think that he is the leader of the Maximals, since he is so charismatic behind the scenes and a quick thinker, but he is not the leader. Even though I’d say, he is just as loved by the people.
He may be sounding too wonderful, so let me tell you that he is not. He occasionally displays borderline obsessive and unwavering behaviour. The Maximals are happy to have him on their side, because they would be crushed if he ever changed his mind. No, actually, the entire galaxy will suffer, not just the Maximals. But again, it’s hard not to have affection for a robot who prefers to sleep in a field of daisies, all while being able to outlast Megatron without even breaking a sweat. Rhinox has a tight relationship with Optimus Primal, but regards Rattrap as his greatest buddy. Due to his involvement in bringing Airazor online, he has what appears to be “older sibling/parental” feelings towards her.
Dinobot
Interestingly, Dinobot’s voice actor was also Scott McNeil, the same as that of Waspinator. Having converted into a Maximal, Dinobot is a Predacon who upholds honor. He fights and survives to die valiantly. Dinobot thought he was on an unending quest for greatness when he assisted Megatron in stealing the Golden Disk at Cryotek’s request.
But he broke with Megatron when he and his fellow Predacon members from the Darksyde crashed alongside a Maximal exploration ship, the Axalon, on what seemed to be the incorrect planet and joined the Maximal squad, giving them a tactical edge against his old side and against Megatron. He is the only Maximal who can take the form of a dinosaur for this reason. Aesthetically, he is the coolest Transformer.
STORY
The first episode starts with a transwarp gate. The gate opens into an unidentified star system, releasing two starships: a running Predacon battleship and a chasing Maximal exploration craft. Both ships were already scarred by war, but they commenced fire on one another right away. A young crew member aboard the Maximal ship reports on their poor state of repair, to which another vehemently objects that their non-combat research spacecraft is not suitable for this mission. According to their captain, Optimus Primal, they are the only ship in the area that could catch the fugitives.
Meanwhile, the first officer of the Predacon spaceship instructs his master, Megatron, to eliminate the Maximals while their adversaries’ shields are down. Megatron dismisses this idea with arrogance, choosing to play tricks on his foes instead. Suddenly, a broadside strike seriously damages their adversaries’ stasis hold and disables their engines.
Prior to launching their guns and strafing the Predacons’ hull, Optimus Primal had directed the release of the ship’s stasis pod cargo into a safe orbit. Without engines, both spacecraft are pulled into the planet’s gravity and crash on its surface, rendering both spacecraft unfit for flying. The Predacon battleship landed directly in the midst of the ash-hardened aperture of an active shield volcano, while the Maximals made their landing on a rock overlooking a lake.
While the route parameters were precise, the data did not match what was expected of the area; therefore, the Predacon computer notifies Megatron that their position is unknown. Megatron wants to know whether the enigmatic planet possesses Energon, which the computer verified, is so great that extended exposure would irreparably harm their robot forms.
Megatron tells his research officer to look for indigenous lifeforms that they may adapt as alternative ways of survival on this globe after declaring that they will adopt the forms of the most formidable organisms on the planet. A drone from the Predacon ship scans the Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, and Pteranodon fossils, as well as a living spider and wasp.
The Maximals do the same and end up with a gorilla, a rat, a rhino, and a cheetah. Optimus Primal commands the crew to stand down and reminds them that their new beast forms are meant to shield them from the long-term consequences of the numerous Energon fields: The team tests out their new forms and quarrels among themselves until Optimus Primal commands them to stop.
Although they require Energon for energy, too much exposure to it may cause their robot modes to short out after a few minutes; therefore, they must use Robot Mode judiciously. The transwarp drive, as Rhinox points out, enables them to travel through both space and time, so they might be anywhere, at any moment. Meanwhile, the stasis capsules in orbit worry Optimus, since they would leave the squad outnumbered if Megatron got his hands on them.
The Predacons are experimenting with all of their new beast forms back at the other crash site. First officer Dinobot is outraged and says that this world cannot be Earth, while inspecting the Golden Disk that he and his friends had stolen. He charges Megatron for failing to lead them to the correct planet and failing to defeat the Maximals. Megatron dismisses Dinobot’s charges and commands Scorponok to launch Dinobot into space. Later, Megatron sends out his team to find and eliminate their adversaries.
Meanwhile, the Maximals are inspecting the area around them and clearing the debris after the crash of Axalon. Rattrap bemoans the attention being paid to the Golden Disk, but Optimus Primal explains that the Golden Disk is one of Cybertron’s most sacred artifacts and a key to finding Energon, which is the reason why Megatron stole it.
Rattrap doesn’t seem to care, retorting that their intended task was deep space exploration and that pursuing criminals wasn’t his responsibility. He makes scathing assumptions about Primal’s suitability for a command role. Optimus then reminds him of the Great War and says that if the Predacons are successful in obtaining a significant supply of Energon, they won’t think twice about starting a new conflict, but Rattrap is not bothered by that.
Cheetor, on the other hand, decides to show off and pursues two cheetahs who are rushing over the plains close to the ship. The Energon radiation greatly decreases the range of their communication systems, preventing Optimus from calling him back. Anything longer than 100 meters is worthless junk. Cheetor keeps running till he is finally within reach of the cheetahs and starts running with them.
They roar in terror at the sight of a talking cheetah and run away. They are moving too quickly and far away for him to catch up with their speed. Maybe his inner robot hinders him. During his pursuit of the other cheetahs, Cheetor encounters a wasp. He leaps into the air, transforms, enters robot mode, and shoots without warning in an effort to swat the wasp, after discovering that the wasp is actually Waspinator, a robot in disguise. When Waspinator realizes that he has been detected, primarily because of his larger size than a typical wasp, he also changes and strikes back.
Back at the Axalon, Rhinox pushes his way through a group of stones to hasten the movement of the other Maximals as they advance to help Cheetor. Waspinator defeats Cheetor when his gun gets jammed; thankfully, the other Maximals have already arrived by then. Sadly, Megatron and the Predacons have also shown up.
Since the Maximals and Predacons have lived in peace for ages, Optimus Primal tries to persuade Megatron to forgo hostilities. While the Maximals might have been at peace, Megatron responds that the Predacons, like with all foes who seem “quiet,” were only biding their time. The Predacons were only watching for the ideal opportunity to attack; they had never lost sight of their ambition to conquer the whole galaxy; they were simply waiting. When Megatron finishes his speech, Cheetor responds, “You mean like this?”
He then shoots, hitting Megatron square in the jaw. That surprised Megatron, who then thanked Cheetor and announced that the power gauntlet had been cast for the time being. Megatron screams out, “Terrorize, Predacons!” After Megatron issues this order, Optimus instructs his crew to comply and fight back, and thus, the first battle starts. Cheetor is hit by one of Scorponok’s missiles and wounds up with his leg caught behind a boulder, while the Maximals seek shelter from the ferocious bombardment from the air and ground by the Predacons.
Optimus Primal tells Rattrap to help Cheetor while he offers cover fire, but Rattrap adamantly declines to put himself in danger for anybody else, angering Optimus. So, Optimus Primal flies to Cheetor’s position himself but is struck by Predacon fire, confirming Rattrap’s point. Nevertheless, Rhinox sort of convinces Rattrap to assist in giving cover fire while Optimus frees Cheetor.
Megatron issues the command for pursuit, but he and his Predacons are forced to switch back to beast form as a result of the consequences of the energon build-up. The Predacons are now left looking for a shelter of their own as the Maximals flee.
On the journey back to base, Rattrap receives a stern reprimand from Optimus Primal for disregarding a clear command. Rattrap reluctantly accepts his justification that he could have provided greater cover fire to the irate Maximal. They appear to have evaded the Predacons, according to Cheetor, but Optimus Primal is unsure, because they only came across five Predacons in the previous battle, despite the Golden Disk theft reports claiming there were six of them.
The sixth Predacon was Dinobot, who arrives as if by magic, and blocks their path over a stone bridge to the Axalon. According to Dinobot, he has deserted the Predacons to become the commander of the Maximals. He challenges Optimus Primal to a duel in which the victor will command the Maximals, and the loser will die.
We start the second episode from the time Dinobot challenges Optimus Primal to a duel for control of the Maximals. Rattrap is unconcerned, and Cheetor offers to kill the Predacon on his own, but Rhinox asks whether the rest of them have a say. In an effort to reason with Dinobot, Optimus tells him that he is welcome to join the gang, but not as a leader. Dinobot doesn’t like it, so they fight.
Cheetor, who is not at all happy with this, has to be prevented from joining in by Rattrap. During the fight, Optimus Primal tosses Dinobot to the ground, and Dinobot decides to tell Optimus Primal to respect the duel and kill him. When Optimus refuses, Dinobot blasts him in response, nearly throwing the Maximal leader over the brink. Dinobot assists him in getting back up and explains that if Primal fell, it would have been dishonourable to win the battle that way.
While the two are still battling it out, Megatron and his crew seize the opportunity to assault both Dinobot and Optimus Primal. Dinobot is pulled out of the course of the missiles by Primal as he transforms into beast mode, but the two are left dangling over the ravine.
Dinobot starts to experience the effects of Energon accumulation and begs Optimus to let him fall, so that Optimus may rescue himself, but Optimus rejects the request (because, like we said, he was a really loyal leader and an overall sweetheart). Rhinox intervenes to save the duo just in time, and the Predacons use this as a cue to launch another attack, which destroys the rock bridge. Thankfully, the Maximals cross the bridge at the nick of time, with the exception of Rattrap, who ultimately needs Optimus to save him.
Later, Megatron snaps at Terrorsaur to deal with his anger. But Scorponok points to a mountain where several Predacon missiles have struck, revealing a vast store of Energon crystals; hearing that calms Megatron down. The Predacons start to move out towards the mountain, but the Maximals notice them moving toward the energy crystals.
Prior to leaving, Rattrap and Rhinox, who were not happy with the presence of a Predacon in their midst, were prepared to remove Dinobot from the picture, but Optimus Primal stopped them. Rattrap is not really pleased to hear that Dinobot is traveling with them as they go towards the mountain. So, Rhinox tells Optimus to use his jets to fly ahead while on the journey, but Optimus is of the opinion that there is power in numbers. That was probably a good move, considering Rattrap might just have attacked Dinobot, had Optimus not been there.
As they were going forward, they noticed a peculiar stone circle that was evidently constructed intentionally, but Terrorsaur and Waspinator arrived and disrupted their conversation. To deal with them, Optimus Primal decides to fly across the air and fire a rocket. Dinobot fires at the two fleeing Predacons with his laser eyes, but he accidentally blasts the ledge above them as they retreat instead. Rattrap accuses Rhinox of deliberately attempting to slag him as a rock crashes down on him, forcing him to leap away. Thankfully Optimus Primal intervenes and calms Rattrap down.
While making their way to the mountain, Tarantulas notes that the energy will force them to remain in their beast forms. The Maximals approach the mountain at around the same moment, and the opposing sides can be seen making eye contact.
Following Megatron’s prelude speech, both sides charge and start attacking one another in their beast forms. Megatron, even after having chewed a piece off Optimus, is losing, and, in a last-ditch effort, decides to transform and shoot a missile toward Optimus. Dinobot pushes himself in between Optimus and the missile in an effort to save his life, but the missile starts a chain reaction, making both teams take off running.
Dinobot justifies his actions by saying that his acts are a payment of the debt he owed Optimus Primal, the debt of his life, and now they are even. Primal declares that for the time being, that’s sufficient, and with this, we marked the beginning of the Beast Wars.
We start the third episode at the Maximal base, where Cheetor gladly offers to field test a new comlink that Rhinox has created to help with long-range communication. Cheetor is told to protect the comlink and avoid engaging with any Predacons. Rhinox expresses some uncertainty once Cheetor departs the room, but Optimus is sure he’ll be alright. But will he? The answer is, no, he will not.
While he is outside, Cheetor hears an explosion that Scorponok caused while he was attempting to remove a mega cannon from one of the two spacecraft. He then decides to openly disobey the orders given to him to stay out of any problems by radioing a report to Optimus and then setting out to investigate. Optimus Primal immediately leaves to save Cheetor before something happens to him.
When Cheetor locates Scorponok, he alerts Rhinox via the commlink and tells him that he is going to take action and do something. Scorponok is being held at gunpoint by Cheetor, but Tarantulas surprises him, allowing Scorponok the opportunity to hit him with a missile. The two Predacons were long gone by the time Optimus Primal arrived. Primal comes to find a severely hurt Cheetor.
By the time Cheetor wakes up, he is aboard the Axalon and has been fixed by Rhinox. Cheetor tries to justify his actions and makes an attempt to convince the Maximals gathered around him by saying that he had to move quickly to prevent Scorponok from reclaiming the cannon, but Optimus and the others are still angry with him for losing both the communicator and the cannon due to his rash decisions.
Rattrap reprimands Cheetor when Primal exits, which prompts him to snarl back and flee the room once more. Rattrap gives in and decides to pursue Cheetor when Rhinox makes Rattrap realize what Cheetor would undoubtedly do. In case you didn’t guess, he will go after the commlink.
Meanwhile, Terrorsaur and Scorponok deploy the recently found mega-cannon in Predacon territory. Cheetor tries to slip by them, but since he is so preoccupied with waiting for the right moment, he doesn’t see Tarantulas appear from the ground behind him and is soon caught. Once again, Cheetor finds himself waking up in a different place. This time, it is in a pitch-black tunnel, bound to an energy web that prevents him from moving. Tarantulas inform him that the stasis web is gradually robbing him of his vitality, making his delectable body ready for eating. In glee at the prospect of his dinner, Tarantulas crawls over the body of his prisoner.
Back in Axalon, Rhinox, Dinobot, and Optimus examine a holo-map of the Predacon ship’s wreckage in the control room. Rattrap is about to be sent on a reconnaissance trip by Primal, but Rhinox stands in for him and claims that he is speaking to Cheetor. Rattrap, who was sent on Cheetor’s trail, had reached Predacon territory, completely unaware of the happenings back at Axalon. Rattrap manages to locate Tarantulas’ hideout and confronts his Predacon foe in order to save his friend and teammate.
Tarantulas sped up the web’s energy-draining process when the two were busy battling it out. Rattrap then uses a “hot box” to trick Tarantulas, who is using a thermal scan to pursue Rattrap into the tunnel, and then blasts the spider. Rattrap proceeds to free Cheetor and prepares to flee after breaking the energy web. But Tarantulas isn’t done yet. He fires a missile that forces Rattrap to evacuate by dodging the explosion. That’s not it, though. In this process, the cavern falls over Tarantulas.
Rattrap lies to Optimus back at the base, saying he and Cheetor were simply hanging out, which saves him from Primal’s wrath.
Top 10 Episodes of Beast Wars: Transformers
Coming Of The Fuzors Part 2
“Coming of the Fuzors Part 2” shows a group of Maximals delaying the Predacons in an effort to safeguard Rhinox, as he revives Optimus Primal. It is a really interesting episode with several gun battles and action sequences throughout the episode. Despite being decades old, the sequences are still super entertaining and well-made. Even though the episode lacks a substantial narrative, it is an important one since it conveys Silverbolt’s viewpoint on the Maximals. Silverbolt is a character who would play a major role for the remainder of season 2, masquerading as the audience doppelganger. It is almost like foreshadowing the second season, which I think is pretty cool.
Other Victories
One of the ending episodes of the Beast Wars, “Other Victories,” resolves a number of plotlines from the first season that was left unresolved. Due to Megatron’s repeated attempts to control time, the extra-terrestrial Vok send their messenger, Tigerhawk, to ancient Earth in order to finally defeat him in this episode. The episode also provides a conclusion to the fates of Tigatron and Airazor, making up for the Vok’s unfortunate lack of screen time in their final appearance. Even though their tenure on the program was brief, these two characters—who had been abruptly written off—offered so much potential and intrigue to a show that was starting to lose its way. They were given a fresh lease of life as Tigerhawk, as one can see from their conversation with Megatron.
The Agenda Part 1
The heroic Maximals strive to return home in many episodes, but “The Agenda Part 1” stands out the most, since their attempts to reach Cybertron have largely succeeded here. The mysterious Tripredacus Council was shown to have interfered with the transmission early on and dispatched their operative, Ravage, to prehistoric Earth to handle matters there. The development of Silverbolt and Blackarachnia’s character arcs is the episode’s main highlight, in addition to the mystery that arises with the debut of the Tripredacus Council and their mysterious objectives.
The Agenda Part 2
The Maximals are in charge of the Predacon base, and Megatron is under Ravage’s care when “The Agenda Part 2” picks up where part 1 left off. Even though Beast Wars’ first season made its fair share of effort to connect the show to the G1 animation, it was ultimately this episode where it all came together. Viewers get a sight of G1 Megatron, learn about Ravage’s actual allegiances, and learn that Megatron from Beast Wars knew the Ark was on Earth all along. It’s serious stuff, and it’s the ideal prelude to the season’s end.
The Agenda Part 3
The Maximals must cope with the repercussions of Ravage’s treachery in the third episode of “The Agenda,” and they must get to the Ark to prevent Megatron from interfering with time. For the Maximals, the stakes have never been higher, and it appears that there is nothing that can be done to stop Megatron. This episode has one of the most stunning cliffhangers in all of the Transformers media, because its protagonists fail. Few programs would choose to have them fail to defeat Megatron, but that decision is what makes “The Agenda Part 3” such a satisfying episode. It acknowledges that virtue does not always win over evil as a work of art and establishes the Beast Wars Megatron as one of the best villains in the franchise.
Transmutate
The Cybertronians Rampage and Silverbolt fight over the soul of the titular Transmutate, who is a misshapen protoform that every other Predacon views as worthless and every other Maximal views as dangerous. This episode was the turning point for the characters of Rampage and Silverbolt. Even though the two are very different from one another, their dedication to Transmutate demonstrates how they are two of the most sympathetic characters in the program. This is further supported by the episode’s tragic conclusion, in which Transmutate perishes while attempting to break up the battle between the two, which leads to Silverbolt’s declaration that Rampage and he are now brothers.
Other voices Part 2
“Other Voices Part 2” is the final episode of the first season. It picks up from where it left off, that is, the threat that was first mentioned in the previous episode; Optimus must find a way to stop the Vok from destroying the Earth. The character moments are a major factor in why “Other Voices Part 2” is so warmly remembered.
Blackarachnia successfully establishes her superiority over her treacherous colleague Tarantulas, Optimus demonstrates his bravery by risking his life to fly a modified hibernation pod into the Vok superweapon, and Megatron demonstrates his cunning by eventually eliminating Optimus Primal. It has the best plot twists. It even delivers on one of the best endings one could ask for, especially for a season finale.
Nemesis Part 1
Megatron makes one final attempt to win the Beast Wars in “Nemesis Part 1” when he learns about the Decepticon battleship. The Maximals will do anything to stop Megatron from lifting the ship from the water, and they race against time. Two of the most unforgettable moments from the whole Beast Wars series are from “Nemesis Part 1,” despite the fact that the opening ten minutes of the episode are virtually filler.
The first is the comical departure of Waspinator from the Predacons, which has provided us with some of the best animations on the show, and the second is the crucial conflict between Depth Charge and Rampage. The antagonism between these two characters had been intensified over the whole season, and their last underwater brawl is still regarded as one of the most heartbreaking in the show’s history.
Nemesis Part 2
“Nemesis Part 2” was written by renowned Transformers author Simon Furmon, who continues the cliffhanger from the last episode and shows Megatron destroying ancient Earth while the Maximals scramble to start the Ark. It’s a terrifying event that leads to the death of numerous adored characters and like we said, the writers of Beast Wars are not shy with their character deaths. Dinobot II’s treachery is among the best parts of the conclusion. The character, who was originally intended to be a soulless copy of the original Dinobot, now gets his opportunity to shine.
Code of Hero
In “Code of Hero,” Dinobot takes on the whole Predacon enterprise by himself while experiencing an existential crisis related to his nature. This concludes the story arc that has been developed from the beginning of season 2. He solidifies his reputation as one of the finest characters in the series by making the valiant attempt to prevent Megatron from changing the course of history.
He fights this battle, even though he knows it could be his last, since he has no other option. The reason “Code of Hero” is the most cherished Beast Wars episode is because of his self-sacrifice and his parting remarks. We see a character that switches sides and gives up his life for the good of the world. It is one of the most heartbreaking character deaths, as well as a wonderful episode.
Interesting Facts About the Animated Series
It’s a frequent myth that the Transformers animation was produced in Japan. Actually, the plot and show were created in the US and then imported to the East, where they made their own follow-ups. This seems funnier because the writers, Larry DiTIllio and Bob Forward, actually had no idea where they were going with things. They were unfamiliar with the franchise, but they somehow still managed to make it a masterpiece with clever references to the original Transformers animation.
According to Forward, the series’ setting included a second moon since no one knew if the planet was an ancient Earth or something else. The moon was blasted and the plot immediately connected into G1 when the choice was taken, and it was determined that it was, in fact, Earth. This gave the idea that this was the goal from the beginning, even though it couldn’t have been further away from the truth.
The toys, on the other hand, were all Japan. However, the Japanese version of the show also had some bizarre subtitling. Character personalities were radically changed, to the point that Airazor’s gender was changed from female to male, giving the connection between her, well, now him, and Tigatron a very progressive twist. The series was also transformed into a self-referential parody.
Beast Wars II and Beast War Neo are two more series that don’t really relate to the first one. Beast Wars II continues Lio Convoy’s adventures as she chases Galvatron to the planet Gaea, where they engage in their own Beast Wars. The Maximals are eventually imprisoned in a wormhole, which takes us to Neo. Here, Big Convoy hunts for them and ultimately engages in combat with the iconic Unicron, bringing the story to a close with the rival factions cooperating to reassemble Cybertron.
Interestingly, there was no animation to go along with the initial round of Beast Wars toys. The “Optimus Primal Vs. Megatron” two-pack instead came with a mini-comic that had a completely different narrative than the eventual television tie-in. In the comic, Megatron (who is now a crocodile instead of a T. Rex), Waspinator, and Tarantulas jump Optimus, who is a bat instead of a gorilla now, Razorbeast, and Cheetor in their attempt to take out a Predacon genetics lab.
This was a significant divergence from what the television show would offer in terms of setting, time period, and characters, with Optimus and Megatron being their original Transformer selves in new bodies with the narrative being set in the present day, but it’s an intriguing change nevertheless.
There is also an unreleased episode that is super intriguing. In this episode, Megatron develops a really nasty Transmetal II clone of the deceased Dinobot at the end of the third season of Beast Wars. In the episode, the vicious Dinobot II mysteriously gains memories of his past actions and refuses to carry out Megatron’s merciless instructions, which ultimately leads to the tyrant’s downfall. It was possible to explain his change of heart by the fact that he was a clone, but an unproduced episode titled “Dark Glass” would have revealed the real reason.
Rattrap’s obsessional attempt to imbue the clone with the deceased Dinobot’s fundamental consciousness served as the episode’s main storyline as a vain attempt to bring Dinobot back to life. The material of the episode was a little too heavy and consisted of things such as Rattrap’s frantic suicide attempt to revive Dinobot and the subsequent revelation that his companion is indeed dead, which is said to have been the reason it was rejected. According to another report, it was abandoned since there was no movement. Although we may never completely understand “Dark Glass,” it would have been a terrific episode to witness in full animation, allowing Rattrap the ability to act in a really unselfish manner.
All in all, the show is brilliant. It is funny, action-packed, and super interesting. It is one of the most well-made Transformers shows with great animation and CGI. The writers managed to pay homage to both the preceding TV show and the comics as well. Plus, the characters transform from animals to robots, which is so much cooler. I mean, just imagine a giant animal absolutely annihilating a robot; that is so cool. Anyway, let us know what you think of the show in the comments below!