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The Most-Watched Scenes from the G1 Cartoon
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Zobovor
Nov 30, 2023, 7:23:18 PM11/30/23
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So, a couple of things happened in recent years which made this weird project possible. One is that about two years ago, the official Hasbro YouTube channel finally saw fit to upload all the original episodes of the G1 cartoon. Prior to that time, if you wanted to find a scene online, you had to kind of poke around and find an episode that somebody had uploaded in six fragments, and hope that they hadn't gotten hit with a copyright violation.
Also, YouTube has a tracking algorithm that will show you (by way of a semi-translucent graphic near the bottom of the video) which scenes have been rewatched the most by their viewership. I used to think this was mostly for naughty videos so people could skip to the "good" parts, but I imagine it also helps content creators determine their viewership engagement levels, so they can see what type of content people are coming for, and at what point they typically bail out.
So, what all this means is that we now have a completely unscientific metric to measure the most popular scenes from every G1 episode. I probably wouldn't have paid much attention right after Hasbro uploaded the episodes, but since it's been a couple of years, and most episodes have anywhere from ten thousand views to a million views, I think the YouTube metrics can serve as a roughly accurate yardstick, with some caveats. (I know some scenes are only being watched because of their meme value, but that's still a form of popularity after a fashion, is it not?)
I think the Heisenberg principle affects these metrics to some degree—that is, just talking about which parts of the episode are watched the most may compel people to bring up the YouTube videos in question and thus alter the metrics to some degree. What I'm saying here is that this list was accurate before you guys jacked it all up.
So, what follows are the most watched, or rewatched, scenes from every episode of G1, at least according to YouTube. The theme song often outranks the individual episode content (some people just want to watch the opening and that's all), so I'm not including that!
Going off the episode order from the Hasbro Pulse channel just for the sake of simplicity. I also looked at the number of views for each episode, which are approximated to the nearest thousand.
SEASON ONE
"More Than Meets the Eye" part 1: I can't get the metrics to pull up for the first episode for some reason. But, it is the second-most popular video on the entire Hasbro Pulse channel, second only to the PulseCon 2022 teaser announcement. Views: a staggering 3,200,000. No other episode touches this.
"More Than Meets the Eye" part 2: the Sherman Dam batle between Optimus and Megatron (11:40). This comes as no surprise, as it's an iconic moment between two iconic characters. Views: 1,100,000.
"More Than Meets the Eye" part 3: Megatron blasting off aboard the Victory, probably so people can hear Prime scream, "MEEE-GAAAA-TROOOON!" after him (16:31). And watch him borrow Sideswipe's rocket pack. Views: 978,000.
"Transport to Oblivion": Megatron getting sucked into the space bridge near the end of the episode (20:57). It's likely because this is the scene where Starscream orders the Decepticons to return to base with another Starscream standing directly behind him, one of the episode's most egregious goofs. Views: 661,000.
"Roll for It": The Decepticon retreat near the beginning of the episode (2:31), probably so people can watch the hilarious way Soundwave runs as he escapes. Views: 599,000.
"Divide and Conquer": When Optimus challenges Megatron to a duel near the end of the episode (20:36). Honorary mention: The first appearance of the neon-colored Seeker trio (13:44). Views: 554,000.
"S.O.S. Dinobots": Lots of good moments in this episode (the Dinobots' first appearance, the Autobot roll call) but the hottest moment is when the Dinobots attack the Decepticons (18:03). (I think I might have artificially inflated the scene where the tourist is talking about the hydroelectric generators, because I was showing my wife how Gregg Berger's conversational voice is nothing like his Grimlock voice.) Views: 1,600,000.
"The Ultimate Doom" part 1: The arrival of the captive Sparkplug at Decepticon Headquarters (4:22) as well as the moment where Megatron forces Prime to activate the space bridge and bring Cybertron into Earth orbit (19:55). Views: 430,000.
"The Ultimate Doom" part 2: The moment where we learn Megatron is going to betray Dr. Arkevile by giving him the Earth, or at least "what's left of it," after his plans are complete (12:08). Views: 345,000.
"The Ultimate Doom" part 3: Lots of good moments in this episode, including Brawn's tussle with the Decepticon guards on Cybertron (1:36), and the Autobot efforts to blast Megatron's escaping starship (20:21). Views: 342,000.
"War of the Dinobots": Not surprisingly, the parts people watch the most are the introduction of Snarl and Swoop (11:12) and the fight between the old Dinobots and the new Dinobots (18:32). Views: 787,000. (Lots more people want to see Dinobots in combat than Cybertron causing lousy weather on Earth.)
"Countdown to Extinction": The argument between the Decepticons near the beginning of the episode (1:39) as well as Prime getting the jump on Megatron with an uppercut (16:42) and the part where Prime fires Megatron in gun mode (21:03). Views: 423,000.
"Fire in the Sky": People seem to love the part where Skyfire renounces his Decepticon allegiance and puts on his Autobot badge (20:09). Views: 602,000.
"Heavy Metal War": The whole sequence where the Dinobots are activated to defend the volcano from the Constructicons gets some love, but the most popular moment by far is the appearance of the Halonix Maximus hologram (20:09). People are paying a lot of attention to a character who doesn't even exist! Views: 448,000. (I would have expected this one to be more popular. It's a damn good episode.)
"Fire on the Mountain": There are a lot of good moments in this episode, especially when Brawn steals Megatron's fusion cannon (11:27) and when Prime throws Megatron from the Macchu Picchu temple (21:07). Views: 407,000.
"A Plague of Insecticons": The scenes with the most rewatch value are when Megatron discovers the Insecticon escape pod (4:21) and when Prime throws an oil tanker at Megatron (20:50). People like it when Prime gets violent and throws things, it seems. 430,000 views.
SEASON TWO
"Autobot Spike": There's no one obvious winner, because there are a lot of low-level spikes in the viewership metric, but perhaps the moment when Spike gives into the "something telling me to do bad things" and betrays Optimus Prime (18:09). It's a dramatic moment! Views: 584,000.
"The Immobilizer": For some reason, people have been rewatching the part where Starscream starts bumping into trees, followed by the part when the immobilized water returns to normal and the Decepticons all fall into it (beginning at 10:11). It's arguably low-grade humor, but apparently somebody finds it funny! Views: 363,000.
"Dinobot Island" part 1: Mostly Blaster's first appearance (4:21) and the introduction of Red Alert and Inferno (6:41) which kind of makes sense for this episode. Views: 216,000.
"Dinobot Island" part 2: Lots of little moments throughout the episode, but the favorite scene seems to be Megatron getting trapped in the stampede of dinosaurs near the end of the episode (20:33). Views: 522,000. Not sure why more than double the amount of people who watched part one decided to watch part two instead.
"Traitor": Hands down, no contest, the end of the episode when Cliffjumper literally throws himself on top of Mirage on the operating table (21:42). Autobots are goofy. Views: 363,000.
"Enter the Nightbird": The pivotal moments where Starscream is jealous of Megatron's new girlfriend, particularly the part where Starscream is finally caged (18:15) and then, after escaping, sabotages Nightbird (20:59). Views: 342,000.
"Changing Gears": There are a surprising number of rewatched scenes (and it's not that good of an episode), but the pivotal moment appears to be when Prime asks the good-natured Gears to do him a solid, and he responds by blasting Megatron's machine (17:41). Views: 301,000.
"A Prime Problem": The climax of the episode, when the evil Prime clone dismisses Spike's fate as unimportant, thus revealing that he's the faker (20:20). Views: 297,000.
"Atlantis, Arise!": The whole sequence with the Dinobots attacking the Decepticons who have taken Washington, D.C. (15:15). Views: 352,000.
"Attack of the Autobots": Wow, Hasbro has these episodes wildly out of order. Anyway, it's the climax of the episode, when Bumblebee confronts the evil Optimus Prime and manages to stick an attitude exchanger device on him to return him to normal (17:49). Views: 326,000.
"Microbots": Drunk Decepticons. You knew it had to be the drunk Decepticons (12:35). Views: a whopping 609,000. Recycled David Wise script for the win!
"The Master Builders": The scene where Megatron accuses the Constructicons of betraying him, and all six of them get a moment to defend themselves (7:18). Views: 329,000.
"The Insecticon Syndrome": The part where Bombshell tries to take control of Megatron with a cerebro-shell (16:27; it was a good try, anyway!) and the part where the supposedly dead Shrapnel comes back to life (21:20). Views: 330,000.
"Day of the Machines": The part where Optimus Prime has seemingly been enslaved by the computer TORQ III, only for Prime to reveal he was faking it (16:13). Views: 283,000.
"Megatron's Master Plan" part 1: There are seriously ten or eleven distinct viewership spikes throughout this episode, but the most popular part seems to be when the Decepticon attempts to steal energy go astray and they are ambushed by Shawn Berger's private army (2:03). Views: 233,000.
"Megatron's Master Plan" part 2: The part near the end of the episode when the Autobots make a surprise return to Earth (19:25). Views: 241,000.
"Auto Berserk": The scene where Smokescreen obscures the location of the negavator with smoke, but Megatron just flies into the cloud and collides with the negavator (8:40). I guess people just think it's funny when Transformers bump into stuff. Views: 273,000.
"City of Steel": For some reason, this episode doesn't include the most watched scenes metric. Not sure why. I wonder if people are jumping around looking at the animation mistakes and not actually watching the episode straight through? Views: 529,000.
"Desertion of the Dinobots" part 1: The funny moment when Jazz can't transform out of car mode, and Ironhide kicks him (13:14). I'm telling you, people just want to see the Autobot-on-Autobot violence! Views: 305,000.
"Desertion of the Dinobots" part 2: The part where Spike and Carly get medals (21:12). Not what I would have expected at all. Views: 249,000.
"Blaster Blues": The scenes where vehicle-mode Cosmos starts "dancing" in space after hearing Blaster's music (1:22) and the scene where Jazz also starts dancing along to the music (3:11). Dancing Autobots are funny. Views: 257,000.
"A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court": People love the final scene where Starscream returns from his time-traveling escapades and pounces on Megatron (21:39). More robot-on-robot violence! Views: 234,000.
"The God Gambit": Lots of spikes in this episode, but the biggest one seems to be when Perceptor takes a ride on Omega Supreme's rocket and then staggers, dizzy, out of frame (starting at 18:54). It is honestly the funniest moment in the episode. Views: a measley 181,000, our lowest showing so far.
"The Core": Two times when the Constructicons combine into Devastator, at 5:34 and again at 12:02. Episode views: 899,000. I do not understand why people are watching THIS episode so much.
"Make Tracks": The part where Raoul opens up Megatron's torso panel and gets him with spray paint (20:32). It's funny. Views: 234,000.
"The Autobot Run": The part where Brawn threatens to put his foot-e-o in Huffer's audio (12:12). I wish I was making this up, but I'm not. Views: 222,000.
"The Golden Lagoon": Pretty much the whole sequence with the Autobots findign the electrum pool and the ensuing battle (beginning at 19:24). Views: 304,000. Given the recent addition of Paradise Parakeet to the Legacy toy line, I thought his big scene in this episode would have spiked higher.
"Quest for Survival": How could it be any scene other than the moment when Starscream's shot at the morphobots backfires, and Soundwave LAUGHS at him? (13:41). Views: 269,000.
"The Secret of Omega Supreme": A couple of pivotal moments, including the flashback when Devastator betrays Omega Supreme (10:03) and then the modern-day scene when Omega Supreme finally gets to try to take his revenge (18:12). Views: 1,000,000. That shocks me considering most season two episodes hover around the 300K mark.
"Child's Play": The Decepticon shenanigans in the baseball stadium (1:08) but also the incomplete animation when the Autobots walk right through the body of the toy rocket ship at the end (21:23). I remember seeing somebody cherry-pick this scene and post it to Reddit recently as an example of how bad the G1 animation was. Views: 379,000.
"The Gambler": Devcon enters the scene, stage left (10:40). I wonder how many of these scene spikes were from Hasbro employees watching the episode, or taking screenshots, while designing the Legacy Devcon toy? Views: 209,000.
"The Search for Alpha Trion": I would have expected it to be the infamous "disengage your power filter" moment, but instead it's the scene when the female Autobots arrive on the battlefield and meet up with the boys (starting at 16:37). Views: 590,000. You go, girls!
"Auto-Bop": The epic Blaster vs. Soundwave duel, of course (18:31). Views: 221,000.
"Prime Target": Blitzwing falls into a booby trap and Optimus Prime remarks upon it (15:41). It's the only time on the show somebody says "boobies." Views: 263,000.
"The Girl Who Loved Powerglide": I assumed it would be the scene near the end where Powerglide opens his chest panel to reveal lights in the shape of a heart, and the fandom did not disappoint me (21:27). Views: 228,000.
"Triple Takeover": Megatron declaring that Starscream is either lying, or he's stupid. Starscream chooses the latter (14:07). Views: 279,000.
"Sea Change": Well, it couldn't be any other scene other than Rumble transforming into a tree, which is a thing that happened (17:09). Views: 202,000.
"Hoist Goes Hollywood": The moment where Starscream realizes he's screwed up and Megatron actually rips his circuits out (13:42). Views: 194,000.
"The Key to Vector Sigma" part 1: The introduction scene for the Stunticons (16:24). Views: 451,000. I wonder how many of these were people wanting to see the Stunticons in action after buying the Legacy toys.
"The Key to Vector Sigma" part 2: Not surprisingly, the first appearances of Menasor and Superion, and the ensuing battle (18:58). Views: 497,000.
"Masquerade": The moment when the fake Stunticons manage to actually combine together into Menasor (18:04) but also that ridiculous animation error where a tiny Ratchet appears in front of a large Ironhide (14:48; when the Voyager-class Ironhide and Core-class Ratchet came out, this scene suddenly became topical and relevant). Views: 343,000.
"Trans-Europe Express": The part where Bumblebee opens up the Pearl of Bahoudin (18:12). Views: 223,000.
"War Dawn": The scene near the end of the episode when Optimus Prime realizes the Aerialbots were the ones who saved his life as Orion Pax (21:09). Views: 749,000. Lots of fans wanting to see Optimus Prime's creation!
"Cosmic Rust": Lots of spikes for this episode, but the biggest one is when the cosmic rust starts making Megatron fall apart and he throws his own hand at Perceptor (12:21). Body horror for days. Views: 470,000.
"Kremzeek!": No viewership data for this episode. Kremzeek must have gotten into the electronics and sabotaged them! Views: 294,000.
"Starscream's Brigade": Perhaps not surprisingly, the activation and introduction of the Combaticons (6:08). Views: 623,000.
"The Revenge of Bruticus": The epic fight near the end of the episode where the Autobots and Decepticons take on the Combaticons (18:25). Views: 734,000. Everybody loves a good Combaticon episode.
"Aerial Assault": The fight between Superion and Bruticus (19:21). Views: 383,000.
"B.O.T.": Lots of weird little spikes in this episode, but the highest one is the part where the Combaticons try to combine into Bruticus without Brawl's personality component, and it doesn't go well (5:01). Views: 323,000.
MOVIE
The official Hasbro channel doesn't have The Transformers: the Movie. There are a few fan channels who have uploaded the film, but none of them have detailed viewership metrics. One such account, NeilJames1982, uploaded the movie about two years ago and has 2,600,000 views!
SEASON THREE
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 1: When Astrotrain laments that "in the days of Megatron, it wasn't like this," prompting Cyclonus to correct him, "You mean Galvatron!" (3:24). Views: 518,000.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 2: Scourge pulling Galvatron out of his lava bath on planet Thrull. Views: 238,000. Huge drop from part 1.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 3: Galvatron arrives on Chaar, to find only Blitzwing (19:08). Views: 224,000.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 4: The Matrix vision depicting the birth of Megatron (17:46). Views: 205,000.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 5: The recap of the previous episodes (1:35).
I have no idea why. I thought for sure it was gonna be the Metroplex/Trypticon fight, or maybe poor Swerve getting stomped on.
Views: 227,000.
"The Killing Jar": The Quintesson ship entering the black hole and emerging in a negative universe (18:25). Views: 164,000. Wow. A new low point for viewership.
"Chaos": The part where the Predacons combine into Predaking and capture the slaves on planet Dread (11:50). Views: 251,000.
"Dark Awakening": There are three spikes in the predictable places—when zombie Prime first appears (7:17), when Hot Rod tries to give him back the Matrix (9:28), and when Prime sacrifices himself (21:02). Views: 346,000. I would have expected much higher.
"Starscream's Ghost": The two big moments here are the first appearance of the ghost of Starscream (10:59) and Galvatron's subsequent attempt at killing him again while in Cyclonus' body (19:35). Views: 379,000.
"Thief in the Night": Lots of little viewership spikes, but the part everybody sticks around for is the Teletraan II recap of the Metroplex/Trypticon fight from "Five Faces of Darkness" (0:54). Views: 192,000.
"Forever is a Long Time Coming": A-3 imploring Superion to protect him, as he morphs between his old self and his future Alpha Trion self (13:40). Views: 160,000. Surprising, considering how important this episode is to the overall lore. It's easily as important as "War Dawn."
"Surprise Party": There's a spike when Daniel reports that he and Wheelie have discovered the storage asteroid and Cyclonus interrupts (14:47). Views: 134,000. Most people wisely skip this one. This is, incidentally, the lowest viewership of any episode.
"Madman's Paradise": The final confrontation between the Golden One and the Red Wizard (18:58). Views: 160,000.
"Carnage in C-Minor": The opening battle (1:35), probably so people can watch Broadside land on Devastator in aircraft carrier mode. Views: 154,000.
"Fight or Flee": Bruticus waxing literal while arguing with Galvatron (12:04). It's a funny moment. Views: 230,000.
"Webworld": There's a spike when the Sweeps land on Torqulon (6:08), but I think that was just me and Velvet Glove trying to figure out their voice actors. The real top moment, I believe, is when Galvatron uses his time in therapy to build himself a gun and shoot everybody in sight (11:49). Views: 179,000.
"Ghost in the Machine": Quite incontestibly the moment where Starscream is flying through space and Galvatron tries to kill his ghost (20:42). Views: 351,000. Not bad at all for a season three episode!
"The Dweller in the Depths": Many viewership spikes all throughout the episode. The top moment seems to be when Wreck-Gar seemingly dies after being drained by the Dweller (10:41). Views: 221,000.
"Nightmare Planet": The top scene is when Daniel is getting chased by the gigantic Galvatron in his dreams (0:54). It's worth mentioning that the last two minutes of the episode are historical trailers and NOBODY sticks around for those! Views: 148,000. Just not a lot of season three fans, are there?
"The Ultimate Weapon": The part when Trypticon is harassing the passenger train and the four Protectobots have to combine into an armless Defensor to try to stop him (9:20). Views: 615,000.
"The Quintesson Journal": People seem to like the confrontation between Sky Lynx and Predaking (5:54). Views: 209,000.
"The Big Broadcast of 2006": The "Space Age Jack" gag, which is perhaps the most notable thing about the episode (10:27). Views: 154,000.
"Only Human": It couldn't be anything except Old Snake managing to choke out the Cobra battle cry at episode's end (21:23). Views: 141,000.
"Grimlock's New Brain": No metrics available for this one. Views: 573,000. Just goes to show you that the fans love a good toy-introduction episode!
"Money is Everything": The two major scenes are the argument between the Terrorcons (10:00) and then the fight between Computron and Abominus (18:11). Amount: $147,000 in galactic credits.
"Call of the Primitives": No metrics for this one, either. I don't know why some episodes don't have them. Maybe when people skip around too much, it disrupts the viewership tracking? Oh, well. Every scene is great. Views: 764,000.
"The Burden Hardest to Bear": I would have expected Scourge's mutation to top the charts, but for some reason people like the Defensor/Bruticus tussle (2:29). Views: 222,000.
"The Face of the Nijika": The Skydancer doll getting a new face, which just happens to be Perceptor's Autobot symbol (7:02). Views: 141,000.
"The Return of Optimus Prime" part 1: Could it be anything other than the moment when Optimus Prime comes back to life? (20:14). Views: 685,000.
"The Return of Optimus Prime" part 2: Prime opens the Matrix, "The Touch" starts playing, and it's like The Transformers: the Movie 2 or something (19:19). Views: a whopping 930,000. Wow!
SEASON FOUR
"The Rebirth" part 1: Fastlane and Cloudraker search Cybertron for the plasma energy key (13:39). Views: 296,000.
"The Rebirth" part 2: The introduction of the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters (12:30). Views: 243,000.
"The Rebirth" part 3: The fight between Fortress Maximus and Scorponok (13:53). Views: 322,000.
I think what we can generally infer from this is that nearly episode has become famous for *something*, but it varies by episode. Sometimes it's an awesome fight between two giant robots, but sometimes it's a silly, goofy moment and sometimes it's just an infamous animation mistake. Given the tendency of modern fans of, well, anything to enjoy things ironically, I had thought more of the top scenes were going to be silly throwaway moments. It's somehow reassuring to know that the big fights are still on the top of people's play lists a lot of the time, since it speaks towards the idea that they're still enjoying the show unironically!
Zob ("these fools worship Transformers!"—Astrotrain, making a meta-commentary about the fandom)
Also, YouTube has a tracking algorithm that will show you (by way of a semi-translucent graphic near the bottom of the video) which scenes have been rewatched the most by their viewership. I used to think this was mostly for naughty videos so people could skip to the "good" parts, but I imagine it also helps content creators determine their viewership engagement levels, so they can see what type of content people are coming for, and at what point they typically bail out.
So, what all this means is that we now have a completely unscientific metric to measure the most popular scenes from every G1 episode. I probably wouldn't have paid much attention right after Hasbro uploaded the episodes, but since it's been a couple of years, and most episodes have anywhere from ten thousand views to a million views, I think the YouTube metrics can serve as a roughly accurate yardstick, with some caveats. (I know some scenes are only being watched because of their meme value, but that's still a form of popularity after a fashion, is it not?)
I think the Heisenberg principle affects these metrics to some degree—that is, just talking about which parts of the episode are watched the most may compel people to bring up the YouTube videos in question and thus alter the metrics to some degree. What I'm saying here is that this list was accurate before you guys jacked it all up.
So, what follows are the most watched, or rewatched, scenes from every episode of G1, at least according to YouTube. The theme song often outranks the individual episode content (some people just want to watch the opening and that's all), so I'm not including that!
Going off the episode order from the Hasbro Pulse channel just for the sake of simplicity. I also looked at the number of views for each episode, which are approximated to the nearest thousand.
SEASON ONE
"More Than Meets the Eye" part 1: I can't get the metrics to pull up for the first episode for some reason. But, it is the second-most popular video on the entire Hasbro Pulse channel, second only to the PulseCon 2022 teaser announcement. Views: a staggering 3,200,000. No other episode touches this.
"More Than Meets the Eye" part 2: the Sherman Dam batle between Optimus and Megatron (11:40). This comes as no surprise, as it's an iconic moment between two iconic characters. Views: 1,100,000.
"More Than Meets the Eye" part 3: Megatron blasting off aboard the Victory, probably so people can hear Prime scream, "MEEE-GAAAA-TROOOON!" after him (16:31). And watch him borrow Sideswipe's rocket pack. Views: 978,000.
"Transport to Oblivion": Megatron getting sucked into the space bridge near the end of the episode (20:57). It's likely because this is the scene where Starscream orders the Decepticons to return to base with another Starscream standing directly behind him, one of the episode's most egregious goofs. Views: 661,000.
"Roll for It": The Decepticon retreat near the beginning of the episode (2:31), probably so people can watch the hilarious way Soundwave runs as he escapes. Views: 599,000.
"Divide and Conquer": When Optimus challenges Megatron to a duel near the end of the episode (20:36). Honorary mention: The first appearance of the neon-colored Seeker trio (13:44). Views: 554,000.
"S.O.S. Dinobots": Lots of good moments in this episode (the Dinobots' first appearance, the Autobot roll call) but the hottest moment is when the Dinobots attack the Decepticons (18:03). (I think I might have artificially inflated the scene where the tourist is talking about the hydroelectric generators, because I was showing my wife how Gregg Berger's conversational voice is nothing like his Grimlock voice.) Views: 1,600,000.
"The Ultimate Doom" part 1: The arrival of the captive Sparkplug at Decepticon Headquarters (4:22) as well as the moment where Megatron forces Prime to activate the space bridge and bring Cybertron into Earth orbit (19:55). Views: 430,000.
"The Ultimate Doom" part 2: The moment where we learn Megatron is going to betray Dr. Arkevile by giving him the Earth, or at least "what's left of it," after his plans are complete (12:08). Views: 345,000.
"The Ultimate Doom" part 3: Lots of good moments in this episode, including Brawn's tussle with the Decepticon guards on Cybertron (1:36), and the Autobot efforts to blast Megatron's escaping starship (20:21). Views: 342,000.
"War of the Dinobots": Not surprisingly, the parts people watch the most are the introduction of Snarl and Swoop (11:12) and the fight between the old Dinobots and the new Dinobots (18:32). Views: 787,000. (Lots more people want to see Dinobots in combat than Cybertron causing lousy weather on Earth.)
"Countdown to Extinction": The argument between the Decepticons near the beginning of the episode (1:39) as well as Prime getting the jump on Megatron with an uppercut (16:42) and the part where Prime fires Megatron in gun mode (21:03). Views: 423,000.
"Fire in the Sky": People seem to love the part where Skyfire renounces his Decepticon allegiance and puts on his Autobot badge (20:09). Views: 602,000.
"Heavy Metal War": The whole sequence where the Dinobots are activated to defend the volcano from the Constructicons gets some love, but the most popular moment by far is the appearance of the Halonix Maximus hologram (20:09). People are paying a lot of attention to a character who doesn't even exist! Views: 448,000. (I would have expected this one to be more popular. It's a damn good episode.)
"Fire on the Mountain": There are a lot of good moments in this episode, especially when Brawn steals Megatron's fusion cannon (11:27) and when Prime throws Megatron from the Macchu Picchu temple (21:07). Views: 407,000.
"A Plague of Insecticons": The scenes with the most rewatch value are when Megatron discovers the Insecticon escape pod (4:21) and when Prime throws an oil tanker at Megatron (20:50). People like it when Prime gets violent and throws things, it seems. 430,000 views.
SEASON TWO
"Autobot Spike": There's no one obvious winner, because there are a lot of low-level spikes in the viewership metric, but perhaps the moment when Spike gives into the "something telling me to do bad things" and betrays Optimus Prime (18:09). It's a dramatic moment! Views: 584,000.
"The Immobilizer": For some reason, people have been rewatching the part where Starscream starts bumping into trees, followed by the part when the immobilized water returns to normal and the Decepticons all fall into it (beginning at 10:11). It's arguably low-grade humor, but apparently somebody finds it funny! Views: 363,000.
"Dinobot Island" part 1: Mostly Blaster's first appearance (4:21) and the introduction of Red Alert and Inferno (6:41) which kind of makes sense for this episode. Views: 216,000.
"Dinobot Island" part 2: Lots of little moments throughout the episode, but the favorite scene seems to be Megatron getting trapped in the stampede of dinosaurs near the end of the episode (20:33). Views: 522,000. Not sure why more than double the amount of people who watched part one decided to watch part two instead.
"Traitor": Hands down, no contest, the end of the episode when Cliffjumper literally throws himself on top of Mirage on the operating table (21:42). Autobots are goofy. Views: 363,000.
"Enter the Nightbird": The pivotal moments where Starscream is jealous of Megatron's new girlfriend, particularly the part where Starscream is finally caged (18:15) and then, after escaping, sabotages Nightbird (20:59). Views: 342,000.
"Changing Gears": There are a surprising number of rewatched scenes (and it's not that good of an episode), but the pivotal moment appears to be when Prime asks the good-natured Gears to do him a solid, and he responds by blasting Megatron's machine (17:41). Views: 301,000.
"A Prime Problem": The climax of the episode, when the evil Prime clone dismisses Spike's fate as unimportant, thus revealing that he's the faker (20:20). Views: 297,000.
"Atlantis, Arise!": The whole sequence with the Dinobots attacking the Decepticons who have taken Washington, D.C. (15:15). Views: 352,000.
"Attack of the Autobots": Wow, Hasbro has these episodes wildly out of order. Anyway, it's the climax of the episode, when Bumblebee confronts the evil Optimus Prime and manages to stick an attitude exchanger device on him to return him to normal (17:49). Views: 326,000.
"Microbots": Drunk Decepticons. You knew it had to be the drunk Decepticons (12:35). Views: a whopping 609,000. Recycled David Wise script for the win!
"The Master Builders": The scene where Megatron accuses the Constructicons of betraying him, and all six of them get a moment to defend themselves (7:18). Views: 329,000.
"The Insecticon Syndrome": The part where Bombshell tries to take control of Megatron with a cerebro-shell (16:27; it was a good try, anyway!) and the part where the supposedly dead Shrapnel comes back to life (21:20). Views: 330,000.
"Day of the Machines": The part where Optimus Prime has seemingly been enslaved by the computer TORQ III, only for Prime to reveal he was faking it (16:13). Views: 283,000.
"Megatron's Master Plan" part 1: There are seriously ten or eleven distinct viewership spikes throughout this episode, but the most popular part seems to be when the Decepticon attempts to steal energy go astray and they are ambushed by Shawn Berger's private army (2:03). Views: 233,000.
"Megatron's Master Plan" part 2: The part near the end of the episode when the Autobots make a surprise return to Earth (19:25). Views: 241,000.
"Auto Berserk": The scene where Smokescreen obscures the location of the negavator with smoke, but Megatron just flies into the cloud and collides with the negavator (8:40). I guess people just think it's funny when Transformers bump into stuff. Views: 273,000.
"City of Steel": For some reason, this episode doesn't include the most watched scenes metric. Not sure why. I wonder if people are jumping around looking at the animation mistakes and not actually watching the episode straight through? Views: 529,000.
"Desertion of the Dinobots" part 1: The funny moment when Jazz can't transform out of car mode, and Ironhide kicks him (13:14). I'm telling you, people just want to see the Autobot-on-Autobot violence! Views: 305,000.
"Desertion of the Dinobots" part 2: The part where Spike and Carly get medals (21:12). Not what I would have expected at all. Views: 249,000.
"Blaster Blues": The scenes where vehicle-mode Cosmos starts "dancing" in space after hearing Blaster's music (1:22) and the scene where Jazz also starts dancing along to the music (3:11). Dancing Autobots are funny. Views: 257,000.
"A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court": People love the final scene where Starscream returns from his time-traveling escapades and pounces on Megatron (21:39). More robot-on-robot violence! Views: 234,000.
"The God Gambit": Lots of spikes in this episode, but the biggest one seems to be when Perceptor takes a ride on Omega Supreme's rocket and then staggers, dizzy, out of frame (starting at 18:54). It is honestly the funniest moment in the episode. Views: a measley 181,000, our lowest showing so far.
"The Core": Two times when the Constructicons combine into Devastator, at 5:34 and again at 12:02. Episode views: 899,000. I do not understand why people are watching THIS episode so much.
"Make Tracks": The part where Raoul opens up Megatron's torso panel and gets him with spray paint (20:32). It's funny. Views: 234,000.
"The Autobot Run": The part where Brawn threatens to put his foot-e-o in Huffer's audio (12:12). I wish I was making this up, but I'm not. Views: 222,000.
"The Golden Lagoon": Pretty much the whole sequence with the Autobots findign the electrum pool and the ensuing battle (beginning at 19:24). Views: 304,000. Given the recent addition of Paradise Parakeet to the Legacy toy line, I thought his big scene in this episode would have spiked higher.
"Quest for Survival": How could it be any scene other than the moment when Starscream's shot at the morphobots backfires, and Soundwave LAUGHS at him? (13:41). Views: 269,000.
"The Secret of Omega Supreme": A couple of pivotal moments, including the flashback when Devastator betrays Omega Supreme (10:03) and then the modern-day scene when Omega Supreme finally gets to try to take his revenge (18:12). Views: 1,000,000. That shocks me considering most season two episodes hover around the 300K mark.
"Child's Play": The Decepticon shenanigans in the baseball stadium (1:08) but also the incomplete animation when the Autobots walk right through the body of the toy rocket ship at the end (21:23). I remember seeing somebody cherry-pick this scene and post it to Reddit recently as an example of how bad the G1 animation was. Views: 379,000.
"The Gambler": Devcon enters the scene, stage left (10:40). I wonder how many of these scene spikes were from Hasbro employees watching the episode, or taking screenshots, while designing the Legacy Devcon toy? Views: 209,000.
"The Search for Alpha Trion": I would have expected it to be the infamous "disengage your power filter" moment, but instead it's the scene when the female Autobots arrive on the battlefield and meet up with the boys (starting at 16:37). Views: 590,000. You go, girls!
"Auto-Bop": The epic Blaster vs. Soundwave duel, of course (18:31). Views: 221,000.
"Prime Target": Blitzwing falls into a booby trap and Optimus Prime remarks upon it (15:41). It's the only time on the show somebody says "boobies." Views: 263,000.
"The Girl Who Loved Powerglide": I assumed it would be the scene near the end where Powerglide opens his chest panel to reveal lights in the shape of a heart, and the fandom did not disappoint me (21:27). Views: 228,000.
"Triple Takeover": Megatron declaring that Starscream is either lying, or he's stupid. Starscream chooses the latter (14:07). Views: 279,000.
"Sea Change": Well, it couldn't be any other scene other than Rumble transforming into a tree, which is a thing that happened (17:09). Views: 202,000.
"Hoist Goes Hollywood": The moment where Starscream realizes he's screwed up and Megatron actually rips his circuits out (13:42). Views: 194,000.
"The Key to Vector Sigma" part 1: The introduction scene for the Stunticons (16:24). Views: 451,000. I wonder how many of these were people wanting to see the Stunticons in action after buying the Legacy toys.
"The Key to Vector Sigma" part 2: Not surprisingly, the first appearances of Menasor and Superion, and the ensuing battle (18:58). Views: 497,000.
"Masquerade": The moment when the fake Stunticons manage to actually combine together into Menasor (18:04) but also that ridiculous animation error where a tiny Ratchet appears in front of a large Ironhide (14:48; when the Voyager-class Ironhide and Core-class Ratchet came out, this scene suddenly became topical and relevant). Views: 343,000.
"Trans-Europe Express": The part where Bumblebee opens up the Pearl of Bahoudin (18:12). Views: 223,000.
"War Dawn": The scene near the end of the episode when Optimus Prime realizes the Aerialbots were the ones who saved his life as Orion Pax (21:09). Views: 749,000. Lots of fans wanting to see Optimus Prime's creation!
"Cosmic Rust": Lots of spikes for this episode, but the biggest one is when the cosmic rust starts making Megatron fall apart and he throws his own hand at Perceptor (12:21). Body horror for days. Views: 470,000.
"Kremzeek!": No viewership data for this episode. Kremzeek must have gotten into the electronics and sabotaged them! Views: 294,000.
"Starscream's Brigade": Perhaps not surprisingly, the activation and introduction of the Combaticons (6:08). Views: 623,000.
"The Revenge of Bruticus": The epic fight near the end of the episode where the Autobots and Decepticons take on the Combaticons (18:25). Views: 734,000. Everybody loves a good Combaticon episode.
"Aerial Assault": The fight between Superion and Bruticus (19:21). Views: 383,000.
"B.O.T.": Lots of weird little spikes in this episode, but the highest one is the part where the Combaticons try to combine into Bruticus without Brawl's personality component, and it doesn't go well (5:01). Views: 323,000.
MOVIE
The official Hasbro channel doesn't have The Transformers: the Movie. There are a few fan channels who have uploaded the film, but none of them have detailed viewership metrics. One such account, NeilJames1982, uploaded the movie about two years ago and has 2,600,000 views!
SEASON THREE
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 1: When Astrotrain laments that "in the days of Megatron, it wasn't like this," prompting Cyclonus to correct him, "You mean Galvatron!" (3:24). Views: 518,000.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 2: Scourge pulling Galvatron out of his lava bath on planet Thrull. Views: 238,000. Huge drop from part 1.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 3: Galvatron arrives on Chaar, to find only Blitzwing (19:08). Views: 224,000.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 4: The Matrix vision depicting the birth of Megatron (17:46). Views: 205,000.
"Five Faces of Darkness" part 5: The recap of the previous episodes (1:35).
I have no idea why. I thought for sure it was gonna be the Metroplex/Trypticon fight, or maybe poor Swerve getting stomped on.
Views: 227,000.
"The Killing Jar": The Quintesson ship entering the black hole and emerging in a negative universe (18:25). Views: 164,000. Wow. A new low point for viewership.
"Chaos": The part where the Predacons combine into Predaking and capture the slaves on planet Dread (11:50). Views: 251,000.
"Dark Awakening": There are three spikes in the predictable places—when zombie Prime first appears (7:17), when Hot Rod tries to give him back the Matrix (9:28), and when Prime sacrifices himself (21:02). Views: 346,000. I would have expected much higher.
"Starscream's Ghost": The two big moments here are the first appearance of the ghost of Starscream (10:59) and Galvatron's subsequent attempt at killing him again while in Cyclonus' body (19:35). Views: 379,000.
"Thief in the Night": Lots of little viewership spikes, but the part everybody sticks around for is the Teletraan II recap of the Metroplex/Trypticon fight from "Five Faces of Darkness" (0:54). Views: 192,000.
"Forever is a Long Time Coming": A-3 imploring Superion to protect him, as he morphs between his old self and his future Alpha Trion self (13:40). Views: 160,000. Surprising, considering how important this episode is to the overall lore. It's easily as important as "War Dawn."
"Surprise Party": There's a spike when Daniel reports that he and Wheelie have discovered the storage asteroid and Cyclonus interrupts (14:47). Views: 134,000. Most people wisely skip this one. This is, incidentally, the lowest viewership of any episode.
"Madman's Paradise": The final confrontation between the Golden One and the Red Wizard (18:58). Views: 160,000.
"Carnage in C-Minor": The opening battle (1:35), probably so people can watch Broadside land on Devastator in aircraft carrier mode. Views: 154,000.
"Fight or Flee": Bruticus waxing literal while arguing with Galvatron (12:04). It's a funny moment. Views: 230,000.
"Webworld": There's a spike when the Sweeps land on Torqulon (6:08), but I think that was just me and Velvet Glove trying to figure out their voice actors. The real top moment, I believe, is when Galvatron uses his time in therapy to build himself a gun and shoot everybody in sight (11:49). Views: 179,000.
"Ghost in the Machine": Quite incontestibly the moment where Starscream is flying through space and Galvatron tries to kill his ghost (20:42). Views: 351,000. Not bad at all for a season three episode!
"The Dweller in the Depths": Many viewership spikes all throughout the episode. The top moment seems to be when Wreck-Gar seemingly dies after being drained by the Dweller (10:41). Views: 221,000.
"Nightmare Planet": The top scene is when Daniel is getting chased by the gigantic Galvatron in his dreams (0:54). It's worth mentioning that the last two minutes of the episode are historical trailers and NOBODY sticks around for those! Views: 148,000. Just not a lot of season three fans, are there?
"The Ultimate Weapon": The part when Trypticon is harassing the passenger train and the four Protectobots have to combine into an armless Defensor to try to stop him (9:20). Views: 615,000.
"The Quintesson Journal": People seem to like the confrontation between Sky Lynx and Predaking (5:54). Views: 209,000.
"The Big Broadcast of 2006": The "Space Age Jack" gag, which is perhaps the most notable thing about the episode (10:27). Views: 154,000.
"Only Human": It couldn't be anything except Old Snake managing to choke out the Cobra battle cry at episode's end (21:23). Views: 141,000.
"Grimlock's New Brain": No metrics available for this one. Views: 573,000. Just goes to show you that the fans love a good toy-introduction episode!
"Money is Everything": The two major scenes are the argument between the Terrorcons (10:00) and then the fight between Computron and Abominus (18:11). Amount: $147,000 in galactic credits.
"Call of the Primitives": No metrics for this one, either. I don't know why some episodes don't have them. Maybe when people skip around too much, it disrupts the viewership tracking? Oh, well. Every scene is great. Views: 764,000.
"The Burden Hardest to Bear": I would have expected Scourge's mutation to top the charts, but for some reason people like the Defensor/Bruticus tussle (2:29). Views: 222,000.
"The Face of the Nijika": The Skydancer doll getting a new face, which just happens to be Perceptor's Autobot symbol (7:02). Views: 141,000.
"The Return of Optimus Prime" part 1: Could it be anything other than the moment when Optimus Prime comes back to life? (20:14). Views: 685,000.
"The Return of Optimus Prime" part 2: Prime opens the Matrix, "The Touch" starts playing, and it's like The Transformers: the Movie 2 or something (19:19). Views: a whopping 930,000. Wow!
SEASON FOUR
"The Rebirth" part 1: Fastlane and Cloudraker search Cybertron for the plasma energy key (13:39). Views: 296,000.
"The Rebirth" part 2: The introduction of the Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters (12:30). Views: 243,000.
"The Rebirth" part 3: The fight between Fortress Maximus and Scorponok (13:53). Views: 322,000.
I think what we can generally infer from this is that nearly episode has become famous for *something*, but it varies by episode. Sometimes it's an awesome fight between two giant robots, but sometimes it's a silly, goofy moment and sometimes it's just an infamous animation mistake. Given the tendency of modern fans of, well, anything to enjoy things ironically, I had thought more of the top scenes were going to be silly throwaway moments. It's somehow reassuring to know that the big fights are still on the top of people's play lists a lot of the time, since it speaks towards the idea that they're still enjoying the show unironically!
Zob ("these fools worship Transformers!"—Astrotrain, making a meta-commentary about the fandom)
Codigo Postal
Dec 3, 2023, 7:18:40 PM12/3/23
to
Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?
If Hasbro spent more of their resources towards steering traffic to these freely available G1 episodes, they could gather valuable market data to guide their brand strategy moving forward, and keep the G1 flame burning for another generation to come. We've had discussions about what G1 collections will be worth when the original children of the 80's move on - could the original episodes still spark enough affection and love in a new generation of fans to keep G1 at the forefront, or will we eventually have to accept that Evergreen, Bayverse, and other installments of the franchise will take over in the hearts of fans?
Zobovor
Dec 3, 2023, 9:47:03 PM12/3/23
to
On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?
That would be interesting to know, certainly. My initial thinking is that people watching the episodes on YouTube may represent a more casual viewership, since the truly hardcore fans would be buying the episodes on disc and watching them on something larger than a computer monitor or phone screen. But, it's honestly hard to say with certainty.
> Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?
> If Hasbro spent more of their resources towards steering traffic to these freely available G1 episodes, they could gather valuable market data to guide their brand strategy moving forward, and keep the G1 flame burning for another generation to come. We've had discussions about what G1 collections will be worth when the original children of the 80's move on - could the original episodes still spark enough affection and love in a new generation of fans to keep G1 at the forefront, or will we eventually have to accept that Evergreen, Bayverse, and other installments of the franchise will take over in the hearts of fans?
But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.
I feel the same about Batman. I watched the goofy 1960's TV show in syndication, and casually enjoyed it, but for me, the first *real* Batman media was the 1989 film, and also the Animated Series from 1992. I know there were earlier movies, but they're not at all relevant to my interests. I'll never watch them.
And if the 1960's felt ancient to me as a child of the 80's, then a cartoon from 1984 would have felt just as ancient in 2004. Now *double* the elapsed time. That would be like expecting me as a kid to watch something from the 1940's, and that's almost unthinkable. (I've seen It's A Wonderful Life and Pinocchio, but I've never watched Citizen Kane or Casablanca.)
So, I get it. A cartoon from 1984 feels absurdly ancient to a lot of these fans. It's so far removed from their frame of reference that there's nothing there for them. Every once in a while I'll see somebody ask "I'd like to watch the G1 cartoon, which episodes are required viewing?" and a lot of people will say things like "watch the first three episodes and the rest are garbage." That's a hard pill to swallow.
With that said, I feel like The Transformers: the Movie has reached a level of timelessness in the same way that some older films also have. It's very much a product of its time (80's rock score) but I think younger fans can still enjoy it. When I was a kid, I watched a lot of syndicated Tom and Jerry cartoons or Looney Tunes, and while I knew on some level that they were kind of old, I didn't really care. They were still fun. I also think the litany of early Disney animated films exist in kind of their own microcosm—they're obviously old, but not unwatchable. And The Wizard of Oz still holds up perfectly well despite being made in 1939!
Zob (is an Old Person™)
Codigo Postal
Dec 3, 2023, 10:08:31 PM12/3/23
to
On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 9:47:03 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
>
> > Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?
> That would be interesting to know, certainly. My initial thinking is that people watching the episodes on YouTube may represent a more casual viewership, since the truly hardcore fans would be buying the episodes on disc and watching them on something larger than a computer monitor or phone screen. But, it's honestly hard to say with certainty.
You're probably correct. I own all the episodes on DVD (multiple times), and have ripped them to my computer to have them more easily available, but the ease of being able to find the episodes on Youtube, especially for specific moment, has had me access the official channel more than once.
> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
>
> > Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?
> That would be interesting to know, certainly. My initial thinking is that people watching the episodes on YouTube may represent a more casual viewership, since the truly hardcore fans would be buying the episodes on disc and watching them on something larger than a computer monitor or phone screen. But, it's honestly hard to say with certainty.
> > If Hasbro spent more of their resources towards steering traffic to these freely available G1 episodes, they could gather valuable market data to guide their brand strategy moving forward, and keep the G1 flame burning for another generation to come. We've had discussions about what G1 collections will be worth when the original children of the 80's move on - could the original episodes still spark enough affection and love in a new generation of fans to keep G1 at the forefront, or will we eventually have to accept that Evergreen, Bayverse, and other installments of the franchise will take over in the hearts of fans?
> That's a very interesting question. For me, G1 is the heart of Transformers, the place where it all began, and none of the other iterations would even exist if it hadn't been for G1. But, there are so many fans on Reddit and message boards who have never seen a single episode of G1 and have no plans to ever watch it. To me, that's astounding.
RID01 is all but forgotten, and the Unicron Trilogy had the misfortune to launch at a time when the media market had fragmented due to cable, satellite, and above all, the Internet. Armada is fondly remembered by some, but its impact on broader pop culture is nonexistent. G1 had the advantage of launching at a time when monoculture was still dominant, when only a few television stations ruled the airwaves, and Saturday morning cartoons were a secular ritual for a nation of children.
G1 is Transformers.
>
> But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.
>
> I feel the same about Batman. I watched the goofy 1960's TV show in syndication, and casually enjoyed it, but for me, the first *real* Batman media was the 1989 film, and also the Animated Series from 1992. I know there were earlier movies, but they're not at all relevant to my interests. I'll never watch them.
>
> And if the 1960's felt ancient to me as a child of the 80's, then a cartoon from 1984 would have felt just as ancient in 2004. Now *double* the elapsed time. That would be like expecting me as a kid to watch something from the 1940's, and that's almost unthinkable. (I've seen It's A Wonderful Life and Pinocchio, but I've never watched Citizen Kane or Casablanca.)
>
> So, I get it. A cartoon from 1984 feels absurdly ancient to a lot of these fans. It's so far removed from their frame of reference that there's nothing there for them. Every once in a while I'll see somebody ask "I'd like to watch the G1 cartoon, which episodes are required viewing?" and a lot of people will say things like "watch the first three episodes and the rest are garbage." That's a hard pill to swallow.
>
> With that said, I feel like The Transformers: the Movie has reached a level of timelessness in the same way that some older films also have. It's very much a product of its time (80's rock score) but I think younger fans can still enjoy it. When I was a kid, I watched a lot of syndicated Tom and Jerry cartoons or Looney Tunes, and while I knew on some level that they were kind of old, I didn't really care. They were still fun. I also think the litany of early Disney animated films exist in kind of their own microcosm—they're obviously old, but not unwatchable. And The Wizard of Oz still holds up perfectly well despite being made in 1939!
The HD remasters have done wonders for the show; watch it on Youtube and it could have been made yesterday. It's exactly the kind of update that's needed for today's viewer; compare it to VHS rips of the show and the difference is stark.
In its time, the G2 series did an admirable job of bringing in a new audience (myself included). It took the classic series and added a modern touch that brought it in line with the sensibilities of the new target audience.
I'd love for Hasbro to realize what a treasure it has on its hands, and to deploy the latest and greatest technology to bring us a G3 version; something outside of the box and innovative that would bring attention back to the original series again, make it pop for today's audience, stand out in the crowd of infinite entertainment options, and bolster the legacy of the brand for years to come.
Joseph Bardsley
Dec 6, 2023, 12:07:29 AM12/6/23
to
Great analysis, as always, Zob. Thank you! (Hey, on another note: did you ever get a G1 Venom to round out your Deluxe Insecticons?)
Agree with Codigo, as well, that these episodes are quite timeless - not at all unlike the best of Star Trek: TOS, in some ways - those raw character archetypes and interactions.
- Joseph, hoping these spammers will move on soon ...
Zobovor
Dec 10, 2023, 9:38:53 PM12/10/23
to
On Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 10:07:29 PM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> Just wrote up a whole response to this that seems to have gotten eaten along the way ... :/.
Aw, that sucks. I hate when that happens to me.
> Just wrote up a whole response to this that seems to have gotten eaten along the way ... :/.
> Great analysis, as always, Zob. Thank you! (Hey, on another note: did you ever get a G1 Venom to round out your Deluxe Insecticons?)
> - Joseph, hoping these spammers will move on soon ...
Zob (is actually a robot... shh, don't tell)
Travoltron
Dec 11, 2023, 6:56:36 PM12/11/23
to
On 12/10/2023 6:38 PM, Zobovor wrote:
> You and me both! I keep on reporting them, but they keep comin' back.
> And even the "I am not a robot" CAPTCHA that Google Groups recently
> implemented doesn't seem to be helping much.
This is the only post in the thread that is showing up for me using
> You and me both! I keep on reporting them, but they keep comin' back.
> And even the "I am not a robot" CAPTCHA that Google Groups recently
> implemented doesn't seem to be helping much.
eternal-september.org.
Well, from what I can see on Google Groups, people are not digging the
post-movie episodes. This all-but confirms that decision to drastically
change the setting and characters that year was a fatal mistake. Kids
and adults love Optimus Prime and Megatron. Hasbro is probably wise by
continually pumping out those two characters as they do.
Velvet Glove
Dec 13, 2023, 3:17:19 PM12/13/23
to
On Monday, December 11, 2023 at 11:56:36 PM UTC, Travoltron wrote:
> Well, from what I can see on Google Groups, people are not digging the
> post-movie episodes. This all-but confirms that decision to drastically
> change the setting and characters that year was a fatal mistake.
I dunno, the franchise looks alive and well to me.
> Well, from what I can see on Google Groups, people are not digging the
> post-movie episodes. This all-but confirms that decision to drastically
> change the setting and characters that year was a fatal mistake.
OK, I get what you mean, and I'm not saying it wasn't a dumb idea, but I don't think stats from Youtube in 2023 are telling us anything about it. What we can observe in 2023 is that most Transformer cartoons only last about three seasons (Isn't Rescue-bots the longest lived version of the cartoon, despite rarely featuring Optimus and never Megatron?) and that the intergalactic lore which Season 3 put at the forefront has at least as much appeal to the fans as robots in disguise on Earth.
Eh, as somebody who would not be a Transformers fan if it weren't for the Movie and season 3 being in my childhood, I do get crabby when people try to gatekeep the fandom, and this thread has veered in and out of that territory. It is, however, awesome that all the episodes are so easily available and free now. Remember when we were all so excited to buy a DVD set of one season for $40 (I'm guessing the price... I don't remember!)? One question I had--is it possible to get the analytics of what links to each video? Because some of that stuff must be links to "the moment when" from other media.
Velvet Glove (who has been lurking but distracted)
Travoltron
Dec 13, 2023, 5:40:12 PM12/13/23
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On 12/13/2023 12:17 PM, Velvet Glove wrote:
> we can observe in 2023 is that most Transformer cartoons only last about three seasons
That's because of Hasbro corporate stupidity, thinking kids get tired of
> we can observe in 2023 is that most Transformer cartoons only last about three seasons
things after three years. So they hit the reset button every three or
four years.
Pokemon proves them wrong. Only this year are they finally ending the
storyline and moving on to new characters. So it ran 25 years with the
same protagonists and setting. They're not going to violently kill off
Pikachu and Ash either. They get to ride off into the sunset.
It makes me sad because I think the Transformers craze and cartoon could
have lasted many more years had they not culled all the iconic
characters/toys.
I like most of the Season 3 episodes too, but I know I am in the minority.
Zobovor
Dec 13, 2023, 9:04:16 PM12/13/23
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On Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 1:17:19 PM UTC-7, Velvet Glove wrote:
> One question I had--is it possible to get the analytics of what links to each video?
Google Analytics does offer that for the owners of a YouTube channel. So, Hasbro is likely privy to all of that juicy information about where visitors are coming from, but the unwaashedf masses would have no way of knowing.
> One question I had--is it possible to get the analytics of what links to each video?
Zob (a member of the unwaashedf masses)
Zobovor
Dec 13, 2023, 9:15:27 PM12/13/23
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On Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 3:40:12 PM UTC-7, Travoltron wrote:
> It makes me sad because I think the Transformers craze and cartoon could
> have lasted many more years had they not culled all the iconic
> characters/toys.
There's no way of knowing what would have happened if Hasbro had allowed the cartoon to run for years without cancelling it prematurely. It's possible that subsequent seasons would have been poorly-animated by DiC, and most of the regular voice cast would be summarily replaced by those Canadian upstarts, and the show would have officially jumped the shark. When it ended, it ended when enthusiasm for the show and the brand were still riding high, and it made us *miss* our favorite robots in disguise instead of getting sick of them.
> It makes me sad because I think the Transformers craze and cartoon could
> have lasted many more years had they not culled all the iconic
> characters/toys.
For all we know, it was the premature ending of the cartoon that made fans hungry enough to keep pestering and demanding of Hasbro, "When are you going to bring Transformers back?" which led to the resurrection of the brand as Transformers: Generation 2, and then Beast Wars, and then everything that came afterwards. The dreaded cancellation of Transformers after 1990, in retrospect, is just a blip on the map. It was a brief hiatus. We were on a break!
Zob (absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?)
Optim
Dec 18, 2023, 3:55:27 PM12/18/23
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On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 9:47:03 p.m. UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
>
>
> But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.
>
I was the opposite. I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation and it made me interested in the Original Series because TNG was the sequel.
> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
>
>
> But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.
>
The OS were awful. It was not because they were old-timey. They were awful. I forced myself to watch evey episode of the OS and they were awful. Star Trek 2, 4, 6 movies, on the other hand, were decent.
TNG did not age well. I bought the complete DVD collection of the TNG when it came out in the early 2000s and was surprised to find that TNG wasn't that good either. They were still better than the OS but they didn't age well.
Come to think of it, a lot of shows and cartoons I watched did not age well: shows like All in the Family; Happy Days; The Jeffersons; Three's Company; Family Ties; Roseanne; Golden Girls; Sunbow G.I. Joe; Friends; Modern Family and many more.
The only shows that still hold up well was I Love Lucy; Seinfeld; The Cosby Show; and G1 Transformers. I Love Lucy is the best sitcom of all time and I was far from born when that show ended.
BTW, thanks for that list of episodes that people like to watch. It is fascinating. One of my favorite episodes was A Raider in King Arthur's Court and I, too, watch the part where Megatron gets agitated at Starscream. I also like the part where Warpath holds up a tree trunk and rallies the troops to battle.
Optim
Dec 18, 2023, 4:12:27 PM12/18/23
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On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 10:08:31 p.m. UTC-5, Codigo Postal wrote:
>
> RID01 is all but forgotten, and the Unicron Trilogy had the misfortune to launch at a time when the media market had fragmented due to cable, satellite, and above all, the Internet. Armada is fondly remembered by some, but its impact on broader pop culture is nonexistent. G1 had the advantage of launching at a time when monoculture was still dominant, when only a few television stations ruled the airwaves, and Saturday morning cartoons were a secular ritual for a nation of children.
>
> G1 is Transformers.
> >
I agree. RID01, Armada and the Unicron Trilogy have always been terrible shows even at the time. I liked Beast Wars at first but it has not aged well. BW biggest mistake was tying itself to G1 and the third season was a toy commercial mess: almost every third season episode was a character introduction. TF: Animated is decent and TF: Prime is decent too but Sunbow G1 had something special. I don't think it's nostalgia talking. G1 had a big cast to play with and never took itself seriously, so its episodes were more fun.
>
> RID01 is all but forgotten, and the Unicron Trilogy had the misfortune to launch at a time when the media market had fragmented due to cable, satellite, and above all, the Internet. Armada is fondly remembered by some, but its impact on broader pop culture is nonexistent. G1 had the advantage of launching at a time when monoculture was still dominant, when only a few television stations ruled the airwaves, and Saturday morning cartoons were a secular ritual for a nation of children.
>
> G1 is Transformers.
> >
I think part of the problem of these other TF shows is that they take a lot of inspiration from G1. They needed to be there own things. Not every show needs to have Optimus Prime or Megatron.
G1 is Transformers because Sunbow Transformers is still the best TF show to date, even after all these 40 years. It is better than the other cartoons from the 80s like He-Man; Sunbow G.I. Joe; Spider-Man. These cartoons are unwatcheable today. TMNT was a good cartoon but still not like Sunbow Transformers.
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