Suppose you'd like to write a G1 fanfic. Suppose further that you've been inundated in recent years with all manner of non-Classic TF universes and themes, love 'em or hate 'em. As a result, you may find somewhere in your memory banks a strange mish-mash of names, faces, concepts, and terminology stretching across numerous eras. You may find yourself a bit fuzzy on what exactly is "canon" for the Classic TFs, and what results from an attempt by later sources to write backstory for an era they didn't fully comprehend. You may even be a younger TF writer who doesn't clearly recall the G1 era as it was happening. Yet if you truly wish to write a G1 fanfic, you may want to sort out what belongs and what doesn't.
Now, to a Classics purist such as myself, the matter isn't the least bit fuzzy. I have the perspective of being violently repulsed by Beast Wars, and refusing to contaminate my personal space with anything that came thereafter. (The deciding factor is simple, really: if the new universe applies the name "Megatron" to someone who is not Megatron, I won't even look at it.) It's said that the devil is in the details – and having been demonized often enough by the fan community, I might perhaps be of some assistance here with the details.
The fact that only one individual, each, has the right to bear the names Megatron, Cyclonus, Laserbeak, etc., is so obvious as to go without saying. Likewise it's no mystery that the Decepticons are in fact a coherent and competent team of warriors, not a gaggle of idiots and backstabbers as Beast-and-beyond themes would have you believe. It scarcely needs reminded that Ravage doesn't have, nor ever would accept the degradation of, a biped mode. These things are self-evident in any genuine G1 scenario. It's the more subtle mistakes that creep in without notice.
For example, a lot of fans are under the impression that the name of the Decepticon ship in MTMTE is the "Nemesis." I assure you it is not. If you watch "Microbots," you can see that the name of the ship is in fact the Star Drive. "Nemesis" may be a cool-enough sounding word on its own terms, but to accept this as the name of Megatron's ship, is to pay homage to the Beast Wars universe and thereby contaminate and disparage the G1 theme. Perhaps more significant to some, it contradicts the facts given in the cartoon. To use the BW name in a designated G1 fanfic, is simply an error and nothing more.
Likewise be careful of which Cybertronian technology you describe. For instance, one of the less-than-impressive concepts in the Beast Wars cartoon was the "CR chamber" into which damaged robots were deposited like so much garbage down a chute, to be miraculously recycled into their undamaged selves after a given period of time. To utilize such a concept in a G1 story, would be to remove the personal connection among the characters which can be particularly intense when someone is badly damaged and must trust the medic or scientist to pull them through. Classic TFs were all about personalities and their interactions with each other – not mere posturing and one-upsmanship, but honest-to-gods interconnections. Even if you don't share my contempt for all things BW, you as a conscientious author may not wish to pass up such a great opportunity for character development as could be explored in a traditional repair bay scene.
Perhaps the most insidious and common non-Classic concept that skulks in where it doesn't belong, however, is the "spark." This term is meant to be synonymous with "soul," "the emotional self," "innermost being," and so forth. As such, the word is laughably inadequate to describe an idea so grand and esoteric as the "soul" or "life essence" of a Transformer. A "spark" is a momentary little dinky flash of light – which might start a fire ("the first spark of life"), but can hardly sustain it. It was a very poor choice of terminology – but I suppose BW et al. is stuck with it. Let me be clear on the fact, however, that the term "spark" was never never NEVER used in this context in the Classic TF universes. A concept so important would surely have been mentioned numerous times, if it bore this name in the G1 universe. But in fact, a Transformer's life-essence and individuality was contained in their laser core or personality component, and this was mentioned on several occasions. To adopt the term "spark" into a G1 story after the fact, is not only (once again) besmirching the G1 atmosphere with the taint of BW, but additionally belittles the mysterious concept of the Transformer "soul" into something insignificant and absurd. It is also, of course, factually inaccurate. I urge all Classic fanfic writers to go through their work and rigorously excise the designation "spark," replacing it with an era-appropriate term. Often times it's not even necessary to refer to a "spark"/core in any given scene; "inwardly he shuddered with a thrill of fear" is so much less contrived than "his 'spark'/core shuddered with a thrill of fear." Yes, the ugly little word shows up here and there even in stories printed in this very zine, but I always cringe in disgust every time I see it. Do me, yourself, the integrity of your story, and the honor of the Classic TFs a big favor and confine your "sparks" to battle scene descriptions of clashing metal. And then be creative about exploring the nature of life-essence of our favorite robots! G1 left it gloriously nebulous and rife for much fanfic exploration. The only thing we know with absolute certainty, is that the "life force" was not called the "spark."
Now, if your intent is to write a crossover universe of your own in which later incarnations of the "Transformers" are in fact legitimate successors to the G1 era, you are of course perfectly free to do that. Lots of people mix and match – I do a bit of it myself, among the various Classics – and practically every fanfic author writes in their own universe anyway. We've certainly seen our share of crossovers, which can be good fun as a subgenre. But if your stated and conscious ambition is to write a Classic Transformers tale that works within one of the Classic universes, then don't spoil the reader's happy immersion by slipping in bits that shatter your whole carefully-wrought illusion. The original sources are widely available now for consultation. Do your story justice, and make sure all the details fit.
--Raksha the Plumed Serpent
How to Write a G1 Fanfic by Raksha
Story Notes:
Originally published in my fanzine Con-Quest, issue 37.