#code of hero

i keel forgetting to post here but guess whos watching beast wars,,,

"Code of Hero" is quite possibly the best (no competition, in my opinion) written piece of Transformers fiction ever. It is the culmination of Dinobot's 35 episode long character arc. The themes and foreshadowing are immaculate. The fate that Dinobot hesitates over is only choice he made due to the culmination of his experiences and choices over the course of the story.

So many writers try to mimic it or recreate it without really getting what made it so good. Dinobot did not become a "good guy" when he switched to the Maximal side in the second episode. His path had many twists and turns and he even intended to become a Predacon again, betraying Optimus, not long before this episode. In the previous episode, he suggests that they forget the rescue attempts and attack the Predacon because the Predacons were down 2 soldiers while they were only down 1. Dinobot was always Dinobot, even as he changed. Yes, he was honorable and quoted Shakespeare, but he was also violent, cunning, and focused on his personal goals more than anything else.

Dinobot beat Grimlock and Soundwave for the 2010 Hall of Fame in the first fan vote. GRIMLOCK AND SOUNDWAVE! By fan vote! It was because of his arc in the Beast Wars show and the Code of Hero episode (and dedicated fan campaigning).

It's unfortunate that people willingly pass the series because a series animated in the mid 90s doesn't meet their standards nearly 30 years later.

LOOK, THIS IS THE BEST MOMENT IN ALL OF BEAST WARS.

It’s Rattrap, who despite his skittery personality and...occasional regression to his Season One model...

...is a grizzled veteran of demolitions. He’s a miner, but like pretty much everyone on Cybertron, he’s seen war. He’s been a soldier, he knows what loyalty is, he’s devoted to a cause, and he’s always disliked Dinobot because that dude is a traitor and is constantly trying to take over.

Rattrap complains all the time, but he’s always aware of his position and his role: he’s here to serve the Boss. He doesn’t actually want to lead, and because Dinobot’s full of that sinister Predacon ambition, Rattrap knows he’ll never look up to him. Despite this lack of respect, though, he has a fondness for Dinobot because he knows he’s Not Someone to Respect. He says it earlier in the episode: “He’s a slag-spitting saurian, but at least you know where he stands.”

So of course, when Dinobot defected a week earlier, Rattrap took that incredibly personally and lost all of his respect for the guy: because not only is this dude a contemptuous warrior with ambitions and resentment for the chain of command, but he also might be a coward.

So when that dude lays down his life and shows his true self to Rattrap, the old soldier is the first to salute.

Bonus.