DiTillio Interview

[Darzonique]

1: What's it like being a writer/editor?

A1: It's like being tossed into a meat grinder with a pack of brain
damaged Dobermans nipping at your heels. On a bad day... On a good day,
they restrain the Dobermans.

2: What shows have you written episodes for?

A2: Animated shows: Beast Wars, Conan the Adventurer, Centurions, Galaxy
High School, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors,
the Bionic Six, The Real Ghostbusters, Superman,The California Raisins
Show, Hulk Hogan's Rock n' Wrestling, She-Ra Princess of Power and He Man
and the Masterss of the Universe. LIVE ACTION: Babylon 5, The Hitchhiker,
Swamp Thing, Murder She Wrote, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the
Future, The Hidden Room, They Came From Outer Space...

3: (Optional) How did you first meet Bob Forward?

A3: When I was the principal Writer on He Man, Bob Forward was a story
board artist at Filmation. We didn't know each other all that well, but we
were friendly.
He began writing scripts because I left Filmation and they need someone to
fill the void fast.

4: What was your first reaction when you discovered how big the
backstory for Transformers was?

A4: It was big alright, but when we were in the process of creating Beast
Wars we didn't pay much attention to it simply because it had nothing to do
with what we were attempting. It was only later, that we decided to start
folding in some of the backstory.

5: (Optional) Is the planet Beast Wars is on Earth or not? (A huge debate
on A.T.T.)

A5. You''ll get the answer fairly quickly in the 2nd Season.

6: What got you to start writing?

6A. Don't know. When I was very young I was torn between being a Roller
Derby Skater or a Professional Wrestler. When I got brains it seems like
writing was the one thing that really called to me as a life choice.

7a: (Standard Fare) Last good book you read: The LightHouse At the End
of the World by Stephen Marlowe. It's a rather difficult book about Edgar
Allan Poe which mixes fact and fiction.

7b: Favorite Book: Favorite is really an odious word in this context.
With so much wonderful stuff available how can anything be a favorite? But
okay, I'll list some stuff.
First off amost any of Roger Zelazany's books, particularly The Amber
Series and Jack of Shadows. Then Dune by Frank Herbet. And Steinbeck's
"The Acts of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table", to my mind
the best rendition of the Arthurian Tales.

7c: Favorite Television Show? Comedy - Seinfeld! Overall - Xena,
Warrior Princess.

7d: Favorite Actors? (Voice Actors, theater Actors, Movie Actors, etc.) -
Robert DeNiro, first and foremost. Angelica Huston (GORGEOUS and
intelligent!). John Travolta, Joanna Cassidy, Lance Henricksen are all
faves as well. Favorite Non-actor: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

7e: Favorite Toy? - This may sound like heresy but toys are not my
thing, though I have a bunch. Games is what I really love and collect
avidly. Card games like Magic The Gathering and Legend of the Five Rings,
Boardgames like Age of Renaissance and Civilization and RolePlay Games like
Call of Cthulhu (my scenario for this game "Masks of Nyalarthotep" just won
the Origins Award as Best RolePlay Adventure of 1996! Shameless Plug!). If
I have to pick a favorite TOY it's my Dragon Hilt Katana.

7f: Favorite Transformer? - Maximal - Rattrap. Predacon - Tarantulas.
Overall I gues I would have to say Tarantulas.

7g: Any hobbies? - Besides the above mentioned gaming mania, I am a fan
of Dodger Baseball, Japanese Sumo and many different kinds of music.

7h: Have any pets? - A single cat, Lacey. Part Siamese and Part Seal
Point Lynx.
She's a beauty and just about as ferocious as I am.

8: Where exactly do you live? (Note: You can put whatever you want
here, even Iacon, Cybertron!)

A8. In a nice house in Los Angeles with my wife and my daughter. And
anybody stupid enough to knock on my door better damn well have their life
insurance paid up and their dental records up to date (so their next of kin
can identify the remains). Same goes for anybody who tries to phone me.

9: Would you say that there will be some character development in the
second season of Beast Wars?

A9. This question implies there wasn't any in Season One. So okay, now
you insulted me!!! How's your dental records?

10: (Optional) Curiosity kills the Transfan, so what's the episode names
for next seasons?

A10. Cybertron High Council has declared that information is available on
a need to know basis. And you don't need to know.

11: (Optional) Tell us a secret from the BW bible? Please? Preferably
one that doesn't give away too much.

A11. See Answer 10.

12: How would you describe the attitude of the TransFans towards Beast Wars?

A12. Fan is of course short for fanatic and that about sums it up. This
is not a bad thing unless it goes way beyond the bounds. In general, we're
more than pleased with the TransFans. They are helpful, enthusiastic and
thoroughly bughouse.

13: What's your opinion on Mainframe showing Optimus Primal's head
floating through space at the end of Other Voices part 2? I've heard that
it wasn't in the script, and that the cracking glass was intentional. Fans
of the show are ticked off at Mainframe for doing this.

A13. Well, it was a surprise and as it turns out, a welcome one. It gave
me just the right idea at the right time. You'll see.. It was NOT in the
script and the cracking glass was what we call a "trapdoor" which Mainframe
felt it wanted.

14: When creating BW, did any Fanfictions influence you in relation to
concepts and ideas?

A14: Neither Bob nor I read fanfic and never will... Prime reason is legal.

Questions from the Fans

Will there be a 3rd season of BW? (I think you or Bob said that
Hasbro hasn't said anything yet.)

DO NOT KNOW...

What happened to BlackArachnia and Tarantulas?

THEY GOT MARRIED AND SHE ATE HIM. :)

Who's the next Maximal leader?

ELVIS!

How old are the characters in BW?

HARD TO SAY. CHEETOR is the youngest Maximal, probably no more than about
75 years earth time (not counting Tigatron and Air Razor who were born on
the planet) Rhinox and Rattrap are the oldest, about 250 and 200
respectively. Megatron is the oldest Predacon, about 285. The youngest
(again not counting Inferno and Blackarachnia who were born on planet) is
Terrorsaur, about 110.

Where did you and Bob get the ideas for BW? (or was it given to you?)

What we were given was a list of names, models of toys and one or two
general paremeters (which I can't discuss because it would give away a
secret). The rest came from our imagination.

Did you do any kind of work on the original show? (Bob said that
you both were newbies to the TF universe)
NO.

What did you do before BW?
SEE Question 2 above.

What's the name of the BW Aliens? I'd like to know because one of them
told me that humans have interfered with the project and must be
exterminated. :)

YEAH, SURE, NICE TRY!

-Darzoni the Blue
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"Waspinator have headache in his wholle bodeee." -Waspinator, Possession
"When will you rage?"- W:TA