CON-QUEST ISSUE DETAILS:
Raksha's Rantings ... from Con-Quest #18, Winter 1996/97

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With the first season of the Beast Wars cartoon behind us now, I'm not at all looking forward to the prospect of a second one. Certainly, the computer-animation remained fantastic throughout; and certainly, the writing on the series was highly intelligent, with a lot of thought going into an ongoing story, a mature approach, an internal scientific consistency, an attempt to link the new series into the old continuity, and interesting and well-rounded characterization. Pity that this last point only applied to the Autobots, however. From the very first pilot episode to the lackluster grand finale, this series has treated the Decepticons like so much moving scenery, throw-away two-dimensional villains who engage in "evil" for its own sake without any rhyme or reason, and provide the occasional problem for the "heroic good guys" to solve. Every single Decepticon has been painted as an idiot or a backstabber (or both), since that was the easiest formula to plug them into, so that no further thought had to be given to character development for them - so that all the considerable writing talent could go strictly into showcasing the only *real* characters in the series, the Autobots. The Decepticons were very clearly written in such a way that viewers wouldn't bother to give a damn about them, so that when they were repeatedly blown to multiple pieces, it was no different than blasting a stray meteor or an onrushing avalanche. It comes down, once again, to a lack of respect -and a mind-boggling lack of realization that any group that *really* hated each other that much and worked against everyone else so viciously, would never have been able to survive.

What was emphasized throughout the series, in the Decepticons, was an extreme animosity for one another, a total lack of trust, team spirit, or any sort of affection for their team-mates (barring the pure ignorance of Scorponok and Inferno's relationship to "Megatron", where the "loyalties", given to such an unworthy and incompetent leader, were born of fear and stupidity rather than any true devotion, and so simply do not count). Everyone was gunning for the top position, as though there was no other character-type in the whole species, and each one was willing to doublecross and sell one another out at the slightest whim to get what they wanted. There was some mistaken notion among the writers that this created "tension" that somehow made things "interesting", but the only thing it made for, was aggravation, lack of realism, and some truly disgusted and infuriated fans who were not satisfied with such lame excuses for negligence. Precisely *because* these BW Decepticons valued power and conquest so much, they should have been a smoothly-functioning unit working together to bring their goals into reality - not a group of petty infighters. I've never truly expected the "designated bad guys" to be given fair and equal time on these kiddie-shows - but I did not expect this completely and totally one-sided and dismissive approach by a team of writers who have proven elsewhere that they can, in fact, write well when they want to.

Even small touches and glimpses at other facets of the Decepticons, would have gone a long way to improve the show and make it something I'd have been pleased to spend time with, rather than the travesty it turned out to be. Would that there had been, for instance, some camaraderie among the warriors and scientists as they coped with living under an incompetent commander; would that there had been the occasional glimpse of something other than contempt and jealousy among them. Something as quick and simple as having Waspinator or Terrorsaur shove the other out of the way of onrushing artillery would have spoken volumes about their status as friends and flying partners. Regarding Tarantulas and BlackArachnia, whenever any hint of affections between them came up, a hasty smokescreen was thrown out that indicated there was no real feeling there after all, that they were simply using one another to their own ends. As though the very notion that there could be the slightest decency amomg the "villains" was utterly taboo. Gods forbid any air time should be "wasted" on showing additional facets to the Decepticons, when it could be spent on exploring the Autobots further.

What's truly horrific about the whole matter is that the head writers for the series have been in contact with the fan community almost since the pilot episode aired. They've shown themselves willing to interact, provide information, ask questions of those who could fill them in on background information from the old series, and in general been amazingly willing to communicate and answer questions. For this much, I have a measure of respect. Only in the matter of the Decepticons, did they put on the blindfolds, shove in the earplugs, and completely and totally refuse to realize what they were perpetrating. A direct complaint was even made about the nature of the Decepticons and how some of us were very unhappy with it, written calmly (not by me, obviously), rationally, and in detail, pointing out very clearly why the current portrayal wasn't working, and including many suggestions for improvement. The writer's response cavalierly dismissed each one of our points as not even worth taking into account, and ended with what essentially amounted to "It's just a cartoon - get a life." (Now, do you honestly think that a group of Autobot fans who wrote up a heartfelt request to bring back Optimus Primal, complete with some logical ideas on how to do so, would be laughed off with "Get a life?") Apparently there's about as much respect for Decepticon *fans* in the realm of the BW cartoon, as there is for the Decepticons themselves.

Vague excuses at the beginning that "there simply wasn't time to characterize everyone in the pilot episode" were just that - excuses (why was it possible in the G1 cartoon, with many more characters?) - and vague promises that the 'Cons would get their fair share of attention in time, remained that as well - empty words. When the level of outrage expressed by a small number of fans finally sickered through, they tossed together a quick-and-dirty excuse that the Decepticons were nothing but a bunch of "criminals" anyway, and that's why they were shown to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The exact words used by one of the writers to describe the 'Cons were "an entire nation of Hitlers." With that designation, they were free to write them off, and once again concentrate on the *real* focus of the cartoon, getting back to the portrayal of complex and multi-faceted Autobots. Those Autobot-interactions were portrayed quite skillfully, by the way - lots of bickering that looked like enmity but turned out to be concealed friendship, everybody on the same side in the end, etc.; so why was the same respect never accorded to the Decepticons? It wasn't lack of writing ability, so the only other answer is lack of caring. Complete, total, utter lack of giving-a-damn when it came to the 'Cons.

As a result, there were exactly four good episodes out of a series of 26. The first was "Better Mousetrap," agreeable for its absence of "Megatron", and noteworthy for Waspinator's assertion that he had to warn his comrades of the Autobots. It was perhaps the only time in the whole series that one of the Decepticons displayed a genuine, unselfish concern for his team-mates, even after he'd felt tired, disgusted, and unappreciated by them earlier in the episode, and it was such a passing moment that the vast majority of people I talked to later, hadn't even noticed it. Sad, when the value of a whole episode hinges upon a split-second line of dialogue. (And did that split-second line of dialogue take away any air-time from the "true purpose" of the show, to promote the Autobots? Not one bit. So why couldn't there have been more of such moments?) Next was "Spider's Game," which *almost* allowed BlackArachnia and Tarantulas to care about one another - but spoiled it in the end by insisting very strongly at the conclusion that it was all just pretense. "Possession," notable for the presence of Starscream, was otherwise an entirely mediocre episode, and put me in mind of the "Starscream's Ghost" episodes from the third season; in a wasteland of drivel, those episodes were a bright spot, but far from engendering cheer, they only made it that much more obvious how bad the rest of the series was, and how much I missed the old characters. The third season of G1, incidentally, is a very appropriate metaphor for the BW series. Both were abysmal in the overall sense, both had a very limited number of episodes that were almost good, and both had one episode that competed for the bottom-slot of "worst of all time," far exceeding even the ordinary episodes in repulsion-value. For third-season G1, it was "Carnage in C-Minor"; for BW, it was "Lowbrow Road." Unlike post-Movie G1, however, BW never had its "Webworld"-equivalent. The closest it got was in "Law of the Jungle", for its intense storyline and breathtaking animation - but that was very strongly an Autobot episode, and once again the Decepticons were discarded like so much background-noise.

How very different from the old series. As hokey as the old show was at times - as full of plot holes, inconsistencies, and silly terminology that sometimes barely even approached pseudo-science - there was still some magic element about it that made it exceptional. Namely (to me personally) the nature of the Decepticons. Certainly, the G1 cartoon displayed the usual anti-Decepticon bias, in that there was always a desperate attempt to paint the 'Cons as the "totally evil villains" - but other bits and pieces of their natures came through that proved this simply wasn't the case. Yes, there was a certain level of infighting and jockeying for position - but that was very limited. There was also much evidence of the Decepticons' loyalties and friendships toward one another, their devotion to their cause, and their admiration for their eminently worthy leader, who in turn had the safety of his followers in mind even as he planned his conquests. Megatron was a leader who earned true respect - someone who would never ask his warriors to risk what he would not, someone who courageously fought his own battles, someone who experienced both victory and danger side-by-side with his troops - someone who, though loath to show it too openly, genuinely cared about his warriors. How many times did he spare even Starscream, long past the point where Starscream's battle prowess would have outweighed the liability he posed? Megatron was a true command figure, a hero to his kind in every sense of the word. He was a great leader because he had a vision for the future, a future that included a betterment of life for all Decepticons, and he had the personal charisma to inspire others to believe that it could be achieved. His physical power and weaponry was part of it, but only a part. At least equal was his personal ability to command loyalty and respect - not due to fear and hatred, but honest-to-gods admiration.

The BW Pretender to the Name, on the other hand, was a self-important windbag who cowered in the safety of the base and sent his "grunts" out to do the dirty work, or primped himself in his hot tub congratulating himself on how "clever" he was, all the while being willing to sacrifice his warriors' lives on the slightest whim. He blundered into idiotic mistakes that he then tried to blame others for, and mistreated even those who tried their best to please him. Little wonder that they all hated him (except those too stupid or too beaten-down to do otherwise). BW "Megatron" was an insult not only to the real Megatron's name, but to the Tyrannosaur form he took as well. This abomination actually achieved the all-but-impossible: he replaced Skyfire at the top of my "most-hated Transformers" list. When a *Decepticon* heads that list, you *know* he's got to be purebred scum-of-the-galaxy.

In retrospect, I don't think the four good episodes of BW were worth having sat through the others. Perhaps with the sound turned down, they'd have been tolerable just for the pretty pictures. Other than that, I found very little of value in the series. To me, the Transformer universe is first and foremost the story of the Decepticons - *they* are the characters who capture my interest, incite my affections, and fan my enthusiasm. I truly don't care whether the Autobots are portrayed as sickeningly noble or actually halfway-realistic, as long as there are Decepticons I can cheer for and relate to. And this time around, any affection I developed for some of these characters, I had to fabricate entirely myself - and it took a good bit of effort that was not, in the end, worth it. The more I'd talked myself into liking them, the angrier I became at how shamefully they were treated.

Regarding the so-called "cliffhanger" at the end of the season, I couldn't care less whether Primal is truly dead; it would have been nice, but it wouldn't have been anything more than *just* nice. All I really cared about was that some little bit of consideration and attention be given to *both* sides, not just one. And that certainly didn't happen. I can't even muster any interest in how Tarantulas is going to get back into his own body, or what he and BlackArachnia might learn about each other in such an intimate association, because going by the past pattern, the whole issue will either be totally dismissed, or resolved in an absolutely atrocious way. Remember, they're not allowed to have any friendly interactions among each other, now (insert sarcastic smirk here).... When the characters were cared about so little that they were scripted in cheap clichés and simpleminded formulas, making it impossible to relate to them - then what value is there in the series at all? None that I can see.

What a terrible disappointment, when the series *could* have been excellent - when the talent *was* there, but wasn't used. I will not be watching the second season.

The End