LARRYBW
DiTillio
Greetings Fans and Fanatics:
My name is Larry DiTillio and I am one of the story editors of the Beast
Wars
TV series. Since all of our scripting on BW is FINALLY done, I have some
free time to plug into the newsgroup and answer any questions you might
have about the series.
Since free time is a rather precious commodity to a writer, I'd like to do
this in as efficient a manner as possible.
So, my personal ground rules;
1) Post all Questions to LARRYBW, this will make it easy for me to log in
and find all the questions at once.
2) Ask anything you want, be as critical or lavish with praise as you
want, but DON'T send me story ideas or ask if I will read a spec script.
I will not read a story idea or a spec script.
Them's the rules. Not too restrictive.
As someone is no doubt going to ask me to PROVE I am Larry DiTillio, well,
forget it. You can check with Benson Yee as to my identity, if that
doesn't do it for you, then simply assume you're being scammed and ignore
me totally.
I will check in as much as I can, probably two ot three times a week, so
don't get impatient.
Awaiting input.
Larry DiTillio
Story Editor - Beast Wars
Wolfang
As one of the first people, apparently, to read this message, Let me first say that I
admire and respect the hell out of you both for the production of such an excellent show
as Beast Wars, and for the fact that you are deigning to make yourself available to our
humble newsgroup. Before I start with my personal praise and criticisms of the show, I
would like to ask something very pressing for all of us here at A.T.T.: When are those
new shows gonna air?? What are they?
Now for my own feelings. . .
Wow! You have made a show more than worthy of the name transformers. You have taken a
concept with some questionable merits and turned it into not just an epic, but a show
with character, punch, wit, sense, and, above all, timing. From the scene in CofC where
Rhinox comes out of nowhere with his chain gun, to "The Spark" where Terrosaur's head
lands last in the foreground of our screen with a satisfying thunk, this show has been
peppered with moments that just make you want to rewind the tape and watch it over and
over again. The tradition, I think, started in the second episode with the battle in
the mountain of energon with the stakes raised so high that I felt as involved in the
show as I am when I watch TF: The Movie. The original series, frankly, rarely equaled
the height of emotion evident in the movie whereas Beast Wars does, at least for me, on
an episodic basis. I don't know whether this is due to your efforts, or whether to an
obviously fantastic group of directors, or to screenwriters providing scripts so often
beyond any other non-Spielberg produced show currently on TV. Quite honestly I can look
at this show, and, once looking past the shortcomings of the premise, see a show of a
sophistication exceeding that of any other attempted Sci-Fi drama on TV such as the
failed Space: Above and Beyond, VR.5, Sliders, The Pretender, anything UPN puts on
(including, but not limited to ST:Voyager).
Now, the carping:
I suppose this isn't really your fault so much as Hasbro's, but I feel the necessity to
point out the inconsistency in the idea behind the TF line. Originally these were
Robots in Disguise. Admittedly, the original series barely touched that aspect and
instead it was a show about Robots who seemingly transformed for mobility. I don't
think you can clame that BW transformers are robots in disguise any longer. After all,
Rattrap and Waspinator are obviously far to large to every fool anyone into thinking
they were real animals, and, since whenever or wherever they are, Dinosaurs do not roam
the earth, a large purple T-Rex isn't going to fool anyone any more than Barney ever
did, let alone the fact that he's small enough, or Optimus big enough, that Optimus
could swing Megatron around by his tail.
Next: did they transform before the crash and into what? Why did everyone change their
name except for the leaders? How does that scanning thing sample DNA? Why was there
only a single record of where Earth was? Are the TFs speaking English, or Cybertronian?
Most importantly: How the hell do you kill a transformer? Dismembering them doesn't
work (Megatron in Power Surge, Terrorsaur in The Spark, Waspinator in, well, pick an
episode), seeing the light go out of someone's eyes (Cheetor in The Web), and yet
rerouting someone's powersupply will do it (Optimus in Gorilla Warfare). How is what
Optimus went through different from what any of the others did? Is there a
psychological difference between Maximals and Predacons? Dinobot (Beast Wars) and
Rattrap (Double Jeopardy) switched w/o character differences, but when Rhinox switched,
the difference seemed to be in his "aggressiveness quotient" (Dark Designs).
Finally, my biggest question, what are the Maximals' and Predacons' goals??
The Maximals don't seem to be trying to win a military victory over the Predacons, yet,
at the same time, getting off the planet is not their primary goal either, so what would
have to happen for the maximals to think they won THEIR way? Megatron, presumably, is
trying to get enough energon to launch an assault on the galaxy, but since (and I'm
inferring here) the maximals and predacons each have the spacecraft parts necessary to
repair each others ships, how does Megatron intend to accumulate energon without
attacking the maximals, which, seemingly, he rarely does for the purpose of getting off
th planet? So I reiterate: What are the Maximals and Predacons respective goals on the
series? For Christ's sake, were the Maximals just sitting around picking their noses
for a month between episodes 2 and 3? What were they doing with relation to the
predacons besides Rhinox working on a prototype transmitter? I have been impressed with
the amount of continuity between shows, but there are still holes. Alternately the TFs
have to shout maximize and terrorize, and then not, sometimes radio communication
doesn't work at all, and sometimes it works okay. Though we have seen snow, we still
haven't seen rain on the show, I realize that could be hard to animate, but still. I
s'pose I could write an itemized list of complaints and praises for every episodes, but,
I have homework. Beast Wars IS my favorite show on television, and you and your
colleagues have my utmost respect.
Thank you,
Wolfang
P.S. Can you tell us anything about the rumored Machine Wars series? Is Mainframe
animating it? Are you involved? Is there even a series in the works?
P.P.S. Do you know when and whether Beast Wars episodes will be available for sale on
home video?
Doug Dlin
Welcome back to the group, Mr. D! :-) Glad to hear the rigors of the
first season, at least, are finally behind you. Much discussion and
speculation has taken place in your absence, as you will doubtless
discover, though Bob Forward did occasionally pop in to answer a
question or two when he could.
No questions for the moment, myself. This is just a note to greet you
on your return here and to wish you a happy holiday season.
Doug Dlin
ap...@hotmail.com
John Theurer
Just one suggestion: Show more new episodes. I got tired of watching
reruns.
Are you going to show any reruns from now on?
Will Starscream show up as MW Starscream?
You are doing a wonderful job!
Thank You
Brian Theurer
jthe...@voicenet.com
skyfi...@aol.com
Hi there, i agree with Wolfang, I admire and respect the hell out of you
both for the production of such an excellent show as Beast Wars, and for
the fact that you are deigning to make yourself available to our humble
beatswars combiner in the show?
Optimus Primal
I think that you are doing a great job so far. Keep up the good work.
Are you going to be doing machine wars also?
Laters
--
Optimus Primal
Maximal General
E-mail: optimu...@usa.net
--------------------------------------------------
http://www.hula.net/~cybernet/beastwars/
(Still Under Construction, but check it out)
--------------------------------------------------
Beast Wars Rule!
"Well that's just prime."
Nick Bonfatti
Alot of these questions can be answered with common sense.
In article <32C303...@erols.com>, Wolfang <dl...@erols.com> wrote:
> DiTillio wrote:
> >
> > Greetings Fans and Fanatics:
> >
> > My name is Larry DiTillio and I am one of the story editors of the Beast
> > Wars
> > TV series. Since all of our scripting on BW is FINALLY done, I have some
> > free time to plug into the newsgroup and answer any questions you might
> > have about the series.
> >
> > [clipped rules and ID stuff
But I like(d) Above and Beyond, Sliders and ST:Voyager! Practically every
episode is new for the former two!
I don't know this one...
> Dismembering them doesn't
> work (Megatron in Power Surge, Terrorsaur in The Spark, Waspinator in,
well, pick an
> episode), seeing the light go out of someone's eyes (Cheetor in The Web),
and yet
> rerouting someone's powersupply will do it (Optimus in Gorilla Warfare).
How is what
> Optimus went through different from what any of the others did? Is there a
> psychological difference between Maximals and Predacons? Dinobot (Beast
Wars) and
> Rattrap (Double Jeopardy) switched w/o character differences, but when
Rhinox switched,
> the difference seemed to be in his "aggressiveness quotient" (Dark Designs).
This ones easy. Rhinox was re-proggrammed to be a pred. Rattrap and
Dinobot changed of their own free will.
> Finally, my biggest question, what are the Maximals' and Predacons' goals??
The Predacons plan to (I think) :
1) Gather as much of the stasis pods as possible
2) Amass large quantities of energon, to facilitate an attack on the
Maximal base, and enough to take home for the rebellion effort.
3) Attack Axalon and retrieve repair parts
or
3) Attack Maximals and depart Earth using Axalon.
The Maximals want to :
1) Stop the Predacons.
2) Explore outer space
How was that?
When don't they have to shout? (at least one of them shouts every time)
>sometimes radio communication doesn't work at all, and sometimes it works okay.
That depends on the amount of nearby energon.
> Though we have seen snow, we still
> haven't seen rain on the show, I realize that could be hard to animate,
but still. I
> s'pose I could write an itemized list of complaints and praises for every
episodes, but,
> I have homework. Beast Wars IS my favorite show on television, and you
and your
> colleagues have my utmost respect.
>
Did I do good?
--
--
Sri Syadasti Syadavaktavya Syadasti Syannasti Syadasti Cavaktavy Syadasti
Syannasti Syadavatavyasca Syadasti Syannasti Syadavaktavyasca
Wolfang
Did fine by me
-Wolfang
James D Thompson
DiTillio wrote:
>
> Greetings Fans and Fanatics:
>
> My name is Larry DiTillio and I am one of the story editors of the
> Beast Wars
> TV series. Since all of our scripting on BW is FINALLY done, I have
> some free time to plug into the newsgroup and answer any questions you
> might have about the series.
First, I'd like to thank you and everyone else for making the only TV
show in the last five years that made me want to get up at 6:30 in the
morning. Judging by what I've seen so far, I think it's going to be one
hell of a ride to the season finale. I *love* it when shows do that.
Now the questions and criticism:
The Maximals need to take some punishment on occasion. Every Predacon
has been beat up pretty bad; from dismemberment to mangling to arrows in
the head. Yet through all this, the Maximals only get scratches or
dents.
I'd like to see more equitable damage: shoulderpads blown off, arms
mashed, legs broken, that sort of thing. They're all robots, there's no
reason the Preds should always get the whipping.
This isn't related to the writing, but it does affect the show. Someone
needs to watch the scale on everybody. In one episode, Scorponok is
almost as tall as Megatron, in another he's smaller than Dinobot. It is
a minor flaw, but a distracting one nonetheless.
What exactly is a Spark, anyway? Does it have anything to do with the
"laser cores" from the old show?
David Thompson
DiTillio
Many fans have asked for a listing of the Episodes of Beast Wars so here
it is , all 26 in their order of airing and with writers listed.
1. Beast Wars Pt. 1 - Bob Forward
2. Beast Wars Pt. 2 - Bob Forward
3. The Web - Larry DiTillio
4. Equal Measures - Greg Johnson
5. Chain of Command - Jesse Winfield
6. Power Surge - Larry DiTillio
7. Fallen Comrades - Bob Forward
8. Double Jeopardy - Jesse Winfield
9. The Probe - Craig Miller and Marv Wolfman
10. Gorilla Warfare - Greg Johnson
11. A Better Mousetrap - Karen Willson & Chris Weber
12. Victory - Wendy Reardon
13. Dark Designs - Ian Weir
14. Double DinoBot - Rowby Goren
15. The Spark - Larry DiTillio
16. The Trigger Pt. 1 - Bob Forward
17. The Trigger Pt. 2 - Bob Forward
18. Spider's Game - Larry DiTillio
19. Call of he Wild - Bob Forward
20. Dark Voyage - Samuel Warren Joseph
21. Possession - Ian Weir
22. The Low Road - Bob Forward
23. Law of the Jungle - Mark Leiren-Young
24. Before the Storm - Bob Forward/Larry DiTillio
25. Other Voices Pt. 1 - Larry DiTillio
26. Other Voices Pt. 2 - Larry DiTillio
Episodes 1-17 have already aired and many will air again throughout
December
(traditionally everything is a re-run in December).
New Episodes will begin airing in January. Episode 18 is slated for
January 6th,
Episode 19 for Jan. 7th, as of this writing. The schedule will vary
between enwe and already aired episodes through January and February, with
the 2 part finale scheduled for the beginning of March.
As always in this nutty biz, this schedule is subject to change for all
sorts of weird reasons, so don't hold me to it. But as of this writing,
that's how it breaks down.
This schedule will pass this way but once, so grab it now.
Stephen Bajzek
Excerpts from netnews.alt.toys.transformers: 26-Dec-96 LARRYBW by
DiTi...@aol.com
>
> My name is Larry DiTillio and I am one of the story editors of the Beast
> Wars
> TV series. Since all of our scripting on BW is FINALLY done, I have some
> free time to plug into the newsgroup and answer any questions you might
> have about the series.
>
> this in as efficient a manner as possible.
>
> So, my personal ground rules;
>
> 1) Post all Questions to LARRYBW, this will make it easy for me to log in
> and find all the questions at once.
>
> 2) Ask anything you want, be as critical or lavish with praise as you
> want, but DON'T send me story ideas or ask if I will read a spec script.
> I will not read a story idea or a spec script.
>
> Them's the rules. Not too restrictive.
Larry, you kick ass. It's really cool that you're here to talk to the fans.
My only question at the moment may be difficult to answer, so feel free
to disregard it. It regards Machine Wars. I was wondering if Hasbro has
approached Mainframe about a series, and if so (or if not, consider this
a hypothetical question) what the hell would you do about the multiple
Optimus/Megatron business and such stuff, and would the two series be
related at all (or is the consistent continuity promised at botcon a
pipe dream?)
You've done an excellent job at keeping the BW story consistent thus
far. Congratulations. It seems you've put forth a lot more effort to
this end than the writers of the original series did. Keep it up.
Oh yeah, that's another question. I'm curious as to what info hasbro
provided you about the previous TF storylines...did they give you a
short plot synopsis, or tapes of the old show, or old issues of the
comic, or what? Anything?
-max
Anton Max
Mad...@cmu.edu
http://thunderdome.pc.cs.cmu.edu/aepithex.html
Misha Chitharanjan
Greetings...its great to see people involved in the show on the group.
My first question is why Beast Wars is called "Beasties" when it airs
on YTV in Canada.
On to more important things....
Beast Wars, against my first impressions, is actually a pretty great
show. I'm an original TF fanatic, and I was more than skeptical. I
am pleasently surprised.
Is there a Machine Wars series being planned ? Is it going to be done
by the same BW team ?
I have some trepidation about the MW toys, because many are repaints of
G2, and G1 transformers....I wish to be proved wrong though :)
Lastly, how exactly does BW fit into the Original TF universe? Does it
even fit in at all? With reused names (Scorponok, Megatron, Dinobot, etc)
it seems that there is alot of explaining to do if they are related.
And will MW have relations with the original TFs?
And, to repeat...Nice work :).
Flashback
Questions questions questions...
Fortunately, I only have one, since I'm working on the theme for one
of the BW mushes and would like it to be as accurate as possible to
the series.
1.) What makes a Predacon a Predacon and a Maximal a Maximal in beast
forms, or does it just depend on how they think. So far, it seems
that the Predacons are not dependent on cold or warmbloodedness, but
predators as their name insinuates, whereas the Maximals can be just
about anything.
Flashback
The_Great_Cornholio
DiTillio (diti...@aol.com) wrote:
: Greetings Fans and Fanatics:
:
: My name is Larry DiTillio and I am one of the story editors of the Beast
: Wars
: TV series. Since all of our scripting on BW is FINALLY done, I have some
: free time to plug into the newsgroup and answer any questions you might
: have about the series.
Hey Larry, thanks a lot for taking time to speak to the fans. I want to
first say that the show Beast Wars is what attracts me to this new TF line.
I hate the toys, and was extremely upset by the whole BWs concept. I went
into the show with an open mind though, and I found myself won over by it.
The show is good enough to compensate for the toys.
Now, some suggestions/requests :
1.) I'd like to see some more techie stuff on the show, just a little bit.
Explain how the Beasts tick. Perhaps you could have an episode where one of
the Maxies is infected by a virus, and Dinobot and Rhinox must enter his/her
body via virtual reality. (Sorry, does this count as a story idea? If you
want to use this, just send a legal doc to me, I'll sign it. :)
2.) Please don't forget old characters as the new ones are introduced. This
was a real problem in the old show, and comic, where a character would appear
in maybe one episode as the "main" character. I don't have a problem with
this, but they shouldn't disappear otherwise. This *IS* a war, and numbers
count. As the stasis pods come down, please don't push other characters to
the side.
3.) How about some different weapons? I know the old Tech Specs were
hopeless about trying to invent a new weapon for each guy, but how about
a few different ones? Not even make a brand new effect, just a different
look. For example I always thought an energy wave would look cool, and
shouldn't be hard to rig up on 3-D. Sort of like the beams in Ghostbusters.
And a question :
Is there going to be an attempt to reconcile BWs and MWs *AND* G1? With all
of HasKens name recycling, this may be VERY hard. For example, there will be
a Megatron in BWs too, so which one, if any, is the Megs from G1? What about
Galvatron? What about Head/target masters?
BTW, I have this script I really wish you'd take a look at... AAHHH!
<Beavis is pelted by Larry holding Rhinox's gun>
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------\
|Burt Ward Skyflight@TF2k5 http://www.cris.com/~beavis/tf/tf.html |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Transformers! More than you can buy. Transformers! Prices are sky high! |
|Autobots raise in value to deplete your cash so you can't.. buy Decepticons!|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|*G++ FR+ FW- M++(2) #(70) D++ ADA N+++ W++ | Bah Weep Granna [Y] Beavis@ |
| B+ OQP BC96/97+- MUTF2k5- OM+ P(272) | Weep ni ni bong \|/ cris.com|
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------/
SUZANNE M FERREE
DiTillio (diti...@aol.com) wrote:
: My name is Larry DiTillio and I am one of the story editors of the Beast
: Wars
: TV series. Since all of our scripting on BW is FINALLY done, I have some
: free time to plug into the newsgroup and answer any questions you might
: have about the series.
|sf>I'm glad to see that you're back.
: 2) Ask anything you want, be as critical or lavish with praise as you
: want, but DON'T send me story ideas or ask if I will read a spec script.
: I will not read a story idea or a spec script.
:
: Them's the rules. Not too restrictive.
No sweat. Here's just a curiousity though that's been running
through my mind for some time. This might seem like a weird question
and I hope that you don't take offense, since I don't mean it to sound
offensive.
I'm just curious if you've seen any of the original TF eps.
I mean, obviously Bob Forward has seen "More than Meets the Eye," but
what I'm *really* wondering: was the invention (I can't remember
if the invention had a name) in "The Probe" (the one that locked the
Maximals into beast mode) inspired by the G1 TF series invention
called the Transfixitron in "The Autobot Run?" When "The Probe" first
aired, several people wondered about that. In other words, was that
an intentional "tip of the hat to the original series?"
Also, regardless as to whether anyone else has said this or not,
so far I've really been glad that you two have tried to continue some of
the old continuity. As practically anyone who's watched the original
cartoon series knows, there several inconsistences w/in the old cartoon
(and people on here are some of the first people who commonly point them
out). It's like trying to explain the Lock Ness Monster or Big Foot. :)
It takes a lot of guts & I wanted to thank you guys because of it.
I'm also very thankful that you guys aren't following the
Japanese cartoon continuity (regardless of the fact that I like the
Japanese cartoons). That continuity made 2 major mistakes IMO.
Don't worry--I'm *not* going to say what they are, but I'm just glad
that you're ignoring their continuity.
Let's see. I also wanted to say that I like the way that
Cybertron is drawn & I agree w/ the choices of Predacons & Maximals
out of the "pool" of available characters (ie. I think you guys chose
the best ones). Around my household, Waspinator is a *big* favorite
of my mother, mostly because of his personality (and perhaps slightly
because of his voice). I haven't really commited on a favorite yet
(maybe Airazor, maybe Blackarachnia, maybe Tarantulas, maybe
Waspinator. *shrug*), but that's just the way I am (After all,
it took me 7-8 years to come to the realization that Mindwipe was
my 2nd favorite Decepticon. :) Not all characters become "instant
favorites" the way my #1 favorite 'con & 'bot are.).
Bad things--the only one that really comes to mind is the
Blackarachnia-Tarantulas "relationship" (or lack thereof). Tarantulas
obviously likes Blackarachnia, but I still don't completely understand
how Blackarachnia feels about this. She isn't a flirt, but she doesn't
exactly get mad at him either. What's the deal? Is she trying to
decide how to handle the situation? Is she using him to get him to
obey her? Or will this be answered later?
Will the golden disk show up again? If so, which side has it?
(Last time it was shown, Dinobot threw it at Scorponok. On the other
hand, the Maximals "had the run" of the Predacon ship in Victory.)
: As someone is no doubt going to ask me to PROVE I am Larry DiTillio, well,
: forget it. You can check with Benson Yee as to my identity, if that
: doesn't do it for you, then simply assume you're being scammed and ignore
: me totally.
LOL! :) Nah, there are more than enough people who remember you
posting from the last time. More than enough people will vouch for you.
: I will check in as much as I can, probably two ot three times a week, so
: don't get impatient.
Cool! Sounds perfectly normal. :)
--
Suzanne Ferree (an alt.toys.transformers fan)
E-mail: sfe...@s-cwis.unomaha.edu
or: ev...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
or: s...@grex.cyberspace.org
unicr...@aol.com
In article <19961227224...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
diti...@aol.com wrote:
>9. The Probe - Craig Miller and Marv Wolfman
>10. Gorilla Warfare - Greg Johnson
>11. A Better Mousetrap - Karen Willson & Chris Weber
Woah woah woah... A Better Mousetrap HAS to be #9, where it aired, or #10
before the Probe, since Sentinel is mentioned near the beginning of Probe,
and is fully operational.
<--------------->
Malin Huffman
unicr...@aol.com
mal...@solgate.com
keny...@sprynet.com
unicr...@aol.com wrote:
>
> In article <19961227224...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
> diti...@aol.com wrote:
>
> >9. The Probe - Craig Miller and Marv Wolfman
> >10. Gorilla Warfare - Greg Johnson
> >11. A Better Mousetrap - Karen Willson & Chris Weber
>
> Woah woah woah... A Better Mousetrap HAS to be #9, where it aired, or #10
> before the Probe, since Sentinel is mentioned near the beginning of Probe,
> and is fully operational.
Assuming my resources are correct and that the reruns are in order, A
Better Moustrap is #9 and The Probe is # 10. Anyway, the episodes will
be rerunned soon, so we could always just wait and watch. (It is my
observation that they are rerunned in order.)
DiTillio
WHOA, you folks really do have questions, don't you?
Okay, let me try to tackle some of what has been said:
First - Beast Wars doesn't follow the "robots in disguise" theme of TF1.
The questioner points out that Rattrap is too big to fool anyone, and to
that I would add so are all the insects. On the other hand, since the Bw
planet is inhabited ONLY by animals, one could say the Beast Warriors are
much more in disguise than the original Transformers (let's face it gang,
they made a mistake in thinking that trucks, cars and planes were the
dominant life form)... And since your average wildebeest is unlikely to
think : Gee that Rat is awful big, I would say the BW gang's "disguises"
are fine for what they are dealing with (even as the original TF's were
able to move among humans as vehicles)... I'd also say the original TF's
moves among humans in Robot Form quite a lot and could hardly be said to
be very stealthy about revealing themselves.
Next - How do you kill a Transformer? Well there was an episode that
introduced the concept of "stasis lock" which was kind of integral to this
question. Unhappily, the episode was very hard to produce so it got
pushed back in the schedule to be Episode 20 (Dark Voyage). But to sum
up, each BW Transformer has a "Spark" as recounted in Episode 15. This
Spark, essentially a Transformer's soul, contains the core consciousness.
Even when a BW TF is blown to bits, that Spark remains protected and if
the victim is found in time they can be repaired or restored. If the
Spark goes out, the TF is DEAD AND EVEN IF recovered, they can never be
restored or repaired...
Stasis lock shuts down the TF, and kicks in when one has taken extreme
damage or has its energy supply contaminated (often by too high a dose of
unstable Energon)... It is a failsafe mechanism to keep the Spark
going.
NEXT: The question of why the Predacons regularly get dismembered, while
the Maximals don't is not quite the doing of myself, Bob Forward and the
other writers. While we do on occasion call for a limb to be shot off, or
even a major dismembering such as occurred in Power Surge, it is more
often an animator or director's decision to go for massive pred damage.
It is simply an aesthetic choice on their part even if we don't always
agree with it. I'd suggest checking out the scripts on Ben Yee's Web site
before categorically affixing all blame to us.
NEXT: Machine Wars. Still in its infant stage. No deal has been struck
between Hasbro and mainframe to do the show and thus neither Bob nor I
have been contacted... We know as much (probably less) as you do about
machine Wars.
NEXT: How much info did Hasbro give us about previous TF shows, toy lines
etc.
ZIPPO... Most of our info comes from reading the comics, seeing episodes
of the old show, and especially from you folks.
NEXT: How does BW fit into the TF universe as a whole? Very neatly we
think.
We have taken pains to try to make BW part of the TF universe, via
references to old TF's and even a few plot points which will be revealed
next season, if there is one. On the other hand, there is so much info,
that I think Bob and I treat it much like the King Arthur saga. That is a
basic classic story, which has been retold over and over. With each
re-telling there is a new viewpoint on Arthur which perhaps some people
disagree with or find objectionable but which in the context of FICTION
keeps Camelot alive over the generations. BW is one more contribution to
the Transformer's saga.
Well that's about what I can handle this time out.
I'll check back in a few days in hopes of answering anybody whose question
got left out of this batch.
Thanks for the input.
HooksX
Larry DiTillio wrote:
>WHOA, you folks really do have questions, don't you?
In fact, yes, we are group that asks very many questions. :)
>Okay, let me try to tackle some of what has been said:
>First - Beast Wars doesn't follow the "robots in disguise" theme of TF1.
>The questioner points out that Rattrap is too big to fool anyone, and to
that I would add so are all the insects. On the other hand, since the Bw
planet is inhabited ONLY by animals, one could say the Beast Warriors are
much more in disguise than the original Transformers (let's face it gang,
they made a mistake in thinking that trucks, cars and planes were the
dominant life form)... And since your average wildebeest is unlikely to
think : Gee that Rat is awful big, I would say the BW gang's "disguises"
are fine for what they are dealing with (even as the original TF's were
able to move among humans as vehicles)... I'd also say the original TF's
moves among humans in Robot Form quite a lot and could hardly be said to
be very stealthy about revealing themselves.
I was going to ask a question: Are there going to be any more original TF
cameos in the future episodes? We know about Starscream, but on Ben yee's
page there was a comment about ANOTHER cameo appearance. Or, do we have
to wait on that question and see for ourselves?
>Next - How do you kill a Transformer? Well there was an episode that
>introduced the concept of "stasis lock" which was kind of integral to
this
question. Unhappily, the episode was very hard to produce so it got
pushed back in the schedule to be Episode 20 (Dark Voyage). But to sum
up, each BW Transformer has a "Spark" as recounted in Episode 15. This
Spark, essentially a Transformer's soul, contains the core consciousness.
Even when a BW TF is blown to bits, that Spark remains protected and if
the victim is found in time they can be repaired or restored. If the
Spark goes out, the TF is DEAD AND EVEN IF recovered, they can never be
restored or repaired...
But, there were many TFs in the original series which were restored and
repaired. Were they simply in a type of "systems shut down" where their
spark remains intact while their main auxilary circuits are at rest? I
can't wait till that episode!
>Stasis lock shuts down the TF, and kicks in when one has taken extreme
>damage or has its energy supply contaminated (often by too high a dose of
unstable Energon)... It is a failsafe mechanism to keep the Spark
going.
Nevermind, you just answered my question. :)
>NEXT: The question of why the Predacons regularly get dismembered, while
>the Maximals don't is not quite the doing of myself, Bob Forward and the
other writers. While we do on occasion call for a limb to be shot off, or
even a major dismembering such as occurred in Power Surge, it is more
often an animator or director's decision to go for massive pred damage.
It is simply an aesthetic choice on their part even if we don't always
agree with it. I'd suggest checking out the scripts on Ben Yee's Web site
before categorically affixing all blame to us.
I check the scripts regularly, and they are a great insight into what goes
on in the tv development process. I do feel, however, that the writers
and the animators should collaborate VERY closely in order to get the true
feel of the show. Nevertheless, you have put together a great sci-fi
fantasy which surpases many sci-fi series on Primetime, let alone cartoons
during the morning!
> NEXT: Machine Wars. Still in its infant stage. No deal has been struck
>between Hasbro and mainframe to do the show and thus neither Bob nor I
have been contacted... We know as much (probably less) as you do about
machine Wars.
Since I hear it takes 90 days to create a computer generated character for
movement in animation, I suppose that doesn't give much hope into a
Machine Wars series neXt fall. :(
>NEXT: How much info did Hasbro give us about previous TF shows, toy lines
>etc.
>ZIPPO... Most of our info comes from reading the comics, seeing episodes
>of the old show, and especially from you folks.
It is GREAT to see you guys taking time out to view past material for
CONTINUITY. It brings a sense of pride in another's work which we can all
be appreciative of. What exact episodes/comics did you view to help in
the BW creative process?
>NEXT: How does BW fit into the TF universe as a whole? Very neatly we
>think.
>We have taken pains to try to make BW part of the TF universe, via
references to old TF's and even a few plot points which will be revealed
next season, if there is one.
IF there is one?!!? Sometimes, I wish life wasn't so grey...at times, it
needs to be black and white to make things a bit more clear. Ah well,
here's hoping for a future in the animation life of Beast Wars!
>On the other hand, there is so much info,
>that I think Bob and I treat it much like the King Arthur saga. That is
a
>basic classic story, which has been retold over and over. With each
re-telling there is a new viewpoint on Arthur which perhaps some people
disagree with or find objectionable but which in the context of FICTION
keeps Camelot alive over the generations. BW is one more contribution to
the Transformer's saga.
And what an emmense saga it is, indeed. For a "dead" kids product, it has
given more life and entertainment than many products these days can
possibly hope for. The future brings great possibilities, and I am glad
you have helped us become a part of this possibility.
>Well that's about what I can handle this time out.
>I'll check back in a few days in hopes of answering anybody whose
question
>got left out of this batch.
>Thanks for the input.
>Larry DiTillio
>Story Editor - Beast Wars
>Larry DiTillio
>Story Editor - Beast Wars
(X)
hoo...@aol.com
Transformers: Wars at http://members.aol.com/hooksx/index.html
(doing my best to contribute to the TF saga myself)
Stephen Bajzek
Excerpts from netnews.alt.toys.transformers: 31-Dec-96 Re: LARRYBW by
DiTi...@aol.com
> etc.
> ZIPPO... Most of our info comes from reading the comics, seeing episodes
> of the old show, and especially from you folks.
yow. Well, thanks for caring about the story, even if hasbro doesn't.
final comment: could you try and make the preds a bit more competent in
the future? Blacharachnia's a step in the right direction, but I think
in general you've been sacrificing suspense for comedy a bit too much.
James D Thompson
DiTillio wrote:
> NEXT: The question of why the Predacons regularly get dismembered,
> while the Maximals don't is not quite the doing of myself, Bob Forward
> and the other writers. While we do on occasion call for a limb to be
> shot off, or even a major dismembering such as occurred in Power Surge,
> it is more often an animator or director's decision to go for massive
> pred damage. It is simply an aesthetic choice on their part even if we
> don't always agree with it. I'd suggest checking out the scripts on
> Ben Yee's Web site before categorically affixing all blame to us.
Okay. I wasn't sure just how detailed the scripts were in that regard.
Whether it was "Rhinox pulls out his gun and shoots Waspinator" or more
like "Rhinox whips out the Chaingun-O-Doom and proceeds to perforate the
unfortunate Waspinator in a most violent and horrific manner".
David Thompson
STEVEN ACEVEDO
DI>WHOA, you folks really do have questions, don't you?
DI>Okay, let me try to tackle some of what has been said:
DI>First - Beast Wars doesn't follow the "robots in disguise" theme of TF1.
DI>The questioner points out that Rattrap is too big to fool anyone, and to
DI>that I would add so are all the insects. On the other hand, since the Bw
DI>planet is inhabited ONLY by animals, one could say the Beast Warriors are
DI>much more in disguise than the original Transformers (let's face it gang,
DI>they made a mistake in thinking that trucks, cars and planes were the
DI>dominant life form)... And since your average wildebeest is unlikely to
DI>think : Gee that Rat is awful big, I would say the BW gang's "disguises"
DI>are fine for what they are dealing with (even as the original TF's were
DI>able to move among humans as vehicles)... I'd also say the original TF's
DI>moves among humans in Robot Form quite a lot and could hardly be said to
DI>be very stealthy about revealing themselves.
I thought as much. So where does it follow from? The comics universe
or the ones after the movie in 1986?
DI> NEXT: Machine Wars. Still in its infant stage. No deal has been struck
DI>between Hasbro and mainframe to do the show and thus neither Bob nor I
DI>have been contacted... We know as much (probably less) as you do about
DI>machine Wars.
Personally I'd rather see an animation company such as Toei handle
it than Mainframe. I like computer animation as much as the next guy
but it does put a crimp in traditional style animation in many ways.
But that's just me saying that.
DI>NEXT: How much info did Hasbro give us about previous TF shows, toy lines
DI>etc.
DI>ZIPPO... Most of our info comes from reading the comics, seeing episodes
DI>of the old show, and especially from you folks.
Typical. Seeing as how they don't give a rat's eye about the people
who buy their product. But at least you went to a better source than
them.
DI>NEXT: How does BW fit into the TF universe as a whole? Very neatly we
DI>think.
DI>We have taken pains to try to make BW part of the TF universe, via
DI>references to old TF's and even a few plot points which will be revealed
DI>next season, if there is one. On the other hand, there is so much info,
DI>that I think Bob and I treat it much like the King Arthur saga. That is a
DI>basic classic story, which has been retold over and over. With each
DI>re-telling there is a new viewpoint on Arthur which perhaps some people
DI>disagree with or find objectionable but which in the context of FICTION
DI>keeps Camelot alive over the generations. BW is one more contribution to
DI>the Transformer's saga.
Just remember not to overstep the boundaries when it comes to
continuity. I can forgive Sunbow for their past glitches. After all
no animation company is 100% perfect.
---
* OLX 2.2 TD * Press "+" to see another tagline.
DiTillio
To "HOOKS"...
There is another cameo coming up, but I am going to let it be a surprise
(at least until someone spills the beans)...
Q> What comics/epsiodes did I read or view while working on Beast Wars:
I took a look at the origin of the DinoBots epsiode to see how they
compared to our DinoBot. I also went through the synopses of all the
episodes, which I got from helpful fans here on the group. Comics, I read
most of Simon Furman Generation 2 comics... Furman kicks serious butt...
I also read a good number of the Bob Budiansky comix but frankly, he can't
wipe Furman's butt.
Until Optimus visits the zoo,
Larry D!
Lazeric
diti...@aol.com (DiTillio) wrote:
"I read
most of Simon Furman Generation 2 comics... Furman kicks serious butt... "
Hmm... could our beloved Beast Wars gang be facing The Swarm in season
two..?
Better yet, maybe we'll finally find out more about the Liege Maximo, or
whoever those guys were at the very end of the G2 series....
- L -
"You can fly
If you try
Leaving the past behind..."
Patrick Thompson
You mentioned comparing BW Dinobot to original Dinobots. Are there any
other character comparisons you've made? The following are some pairings
between BW and G1 characters that have been postulated. Could you
comment on whether any of these parallels were intentional in any way?
Cheetor=Hot Rod
Tigatron=Beachcomber
Rattrap=Bumblebee
Rhinox=Ultra Magnus
Secondly, will the aliens alluded to in "The Probe" and "The Trigger" be
explained further, or will they be used purely to give episodes an air
of mystery and set up intriguing situations for the 'bots to deal with?
And have we seen the aliens before in any earlier incarnations of the
Transformers mythology?
edmu...@earthlink.net
Patrick Thompson wrote:
>
> You mentioned comparing BW Dinobot to original Dinobots. Are there any
> other character comparisons you've made? The following are some pairings
> between BW and G1 characters that have been postulated. Could you
> comment on whether any of these parallels were intentional in any way?
> Cheetor=Hot Rod
> Tigatron=Beachcomber
> Rattrap=Bumblebee
Rattrap as Bumblebee? How do you figure that? Bumblebee was always
completely obediant, and not very cynical. And you can't compare Rattrap
to Cliffjumper, who was a tad homicidal. If anyone, I'd say Rattrap was
like Huffer, the sarcastic pessimest.
> Rhinox=Ultra Magnus
This is pretty cool. I never thought of it before. Just like with Ulra
Magnus, everyone says Rhinox has great leadership skills, except
himself.
> Secondly, will the aliens alluded to in "The Probe" and "The Trigger" be
> explained further, or will they be used purely to give episodes an air
> of mystery and set up intriguing situations for the 'bots to deal with?
> And have we seen the aliens before in any earlier incarnations of the
> Transformers mythology?
Well, to transformers, humans are aliens! :) Seriously though, the
Quintessons had a big role in the post-movie episodes, and the Nebulans
were instrumental in the making of the Head/Targetmasters (damn green
morons).
Robert A. Jung
In article <19970101001...@ladder01.news.aol.com> diti...@aol.com (DiTillio) writes:
>Q> What comics/epsiodes did I read or view while working on Beast Wars:
>
>I took a look at the origin of the DinoBots epsiode to see how they
>compared to our DinoBot. I also went through the synopses of all the
>most of Simon Furman Generation 2 comics... Furman kicks serious butt...
>wipe Furman's butt.
*WHEW!* I'd have been very worried if you told me you used Budianski's
issues as a reference... B-) And while Furman's G2 comics are very good,
his work on the original series (issues #67-#80 or thereabouts) is fantastic.
The sense of epic scope and multidimensional characters is just WONDERFUL
during that time...
--R.J.
B-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I write because I am personally amused by what I do, and if other people are
amused by it, then it's fine. If they're not, then that's also fine."
Send mail to rj...@netcom.com --Frank Zappa
Patrick Thompson
edmu...@earthlink.net wrote:
> Rattrap as Bumblebee? How do you figure that? Bumblebee was always
> completely obediant, and not very cynical. And you can't compare Rattrap
> to Cliffjumper, who was a tad homicidal. If anyone, I'd say Rattrap was
> like Huffer, the sarcastic pessimest.
I remember from when the original show came out that Bumblebee
seemed to represent the "little guy" with whom kids could identify and
who would then be a much-desired toy. I remember getting an old bike as
a surprise one night when I was about 6 and being disappointed that the
surprise wasn't a Bumblebee toy, which was pretty hard to find in the DC
area.
But I digress. Rattrap seems to represent a character with whom
kids can identify. Notice how Rattrap is sometimes underestimated
because of his size, as was Bumblebee. I think kids are meant to
associate themselves with Rattrap.
Also, I sense that Rattrap desperately wants to please Primal,
although he hides it under his disrespectful demeanor. This parallels
Bumblebee's desire to please Prime. Plus, they're both involved in
spying, so they fill the same tactical roles.
Patrick Thompson
Are the words "Bah weep gra na weep ni ni bong" going to be heard coming
from the mouths of any BW characters? Also, how much knowledge of Earth
do these guys have-Dinobot showed at least cursory knowledge of Hamlet
in "Victory."
Patrick Thompson
How integrated are the best and robot components in the BW guys? Cheetor
is clearly shown to have multiple copies of his gun aboard the Axalon,
yet in beast mode the gun apparently becomes an integral component of
his body. And if he eats organic matter, is his gun also a working
intestinal tract? (Otherwise why the intestines on the gun if they're
only exposed in robot form)
unicr...@aol.com
In article <19970101001...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
diti...@aol.com wrote:
>Comics, I read
>most of Simon Furman Generation 2 comics... Furman kicks serious butt...
>I also read a good number of the Bob Budiansky comix but frankly, he
can't
>wipe Furman's butt.
Well, my mind's made up, if it wasn't before...
Things are in REAL good hands:)
OK, Larry, for season 2 get Furman to write a Beast Wars ep... then you'll
really be reaching godhood:)
E
Patrick Thompson <ptho...@erols.com> wrote:
[comparisons]
>Tigatron=Beachcomber
I'd agree that Tigatron has Beachcomber's nature-loving attitude, but
Tigatron's also much more of a badass than BC. He's definitely got that
Zen thing going...I'd compare his fighting characteristics (and hunting)
to Mirage, who didn't really want to fight but did it well when he had
to.
>Rhinox=Ultra Magnus
I personally see Rhinox as much more of a combination of Wheeljack and
Ironhide than any of Magnus...
--
/ Eric Pronko = E \
| Gargunkle, reality warper |
\ http://www.dhp.com/~e /