#transformers analysis

At the start of the episode, when no one knows what's going on, Ratchet is the one to defend Optimus the most. But that's one thing.

Another thing is when Optimus shows up. Everyone is jumpy, they fall back when Optimus take a step towards them. Everyone except Ratchet.

Ratchet just stands there, because why would he be scared of Optimus?

And there is. This moment. When Optimus reaches for something and Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead prepare their blasters.

Of course Ratchet doesn't have a blaster built in, but when in danger he can and will take out his blades. He didn't. More so, maybe I'm seeing things, but to me it doesn't looks like he jumps away from Optimus, more so away from the rest of team prime, confused as to why are they reacting like that.

No one and nothing can make Ratchet fear Optimus or doubt him.

Regen One is a continuation of the original Marvel(US) comics.

By Regeneration One, They had both lost their bodily autonomy, Starscream didn't really have much awareness and could not speak anything coherently after being essentially lobotomized by Megatron and Shockwave couldn't tether himself from the ship because it had become a part of him.

They were both in horrible situations all around and helped eachother regain their autonomy, Shockwave removed the blocks Megatron had placed in Starscream's mind, but he did not have complete autonomy himself and required a pilot, and when Starscream volunteered to be that he did not once doubt that he wasn't being insincere at all and trusted him. Shockwave, somebody who is well known for prioritizing his logic over everything else trusted the one known notoriously for being a self serving backstabber knowing Starscream would not try to betray him and Starscream not disappointing his trust at all. And in return Starscream while being possessed by Underbase helped separate Shockwave from the Ark's body.

I think there is inherently something so sweet that this is one of the first Shockwaves who was actually emotionless at the start and throughout the series he gradually started to learn it, he actually sounds really excited to work with Starscream it's not even subtle, they were on and off partners in crime essentially.

By the time everything is over and done with, and the place was about to be destroyed Shockwave willingly with no ulterior motive decided to go back and save Starscream before they got into the ship and left, an action that surprised even himself, the first time he acknowledged that he ever felt emotion.

I am obsessed with this particular iteration of their dynamic they make me ill, their relationship can be everything you can think of whether you see them as friends, Qplatonic or more, the bond is there. It's someone who doesn't understand emotions and prioritizes logic and someone who has rarely ever had a geniune connection with anyone because he has a habit of self sabotaging every relationship he's ever had and has trouble understanding relationships outside of self gain. None of them really understand the need of forming connections besides for their own benefit yet they were still able to seamlessly work together.

It's two selfish people who for the most part prioritize their own self's survival over everyone else's, yet Shockwave still went back for Starscream. And this extended to others too as they later scoured Cybertron to see if anyone else was alive too and Starscream saved Ravage from zombie Soundwave. They were both broken people by that point, who have had a long history in the war and have fought alongside eachother for their own needs, by the time the dust settles they don't really have any fight left in them to continue the cruelty and decided to elope on the ship to have a vacation and help other species find peace, like they've discovered in eachother and their unconventional situation.

And for once that's enough. Their relationship is just so very sweet, they went from being colleagues to allies/partners to frenemies to straight up friends at the end, they're not even just tolerating eachother they geniunely enjoy the other's presence and come on it's sweet.

They ended up in an actually healthy relationship too. This is one of those ships where I'll say "you know what? Good for them"

I LOVE TFP Optimus, but I think it's WILD (and hilarious) that he doesn't wanna kill Airachnid.

Like, that isn't even me criticizing the writing. It's actually a character flaw I love. My man does NOT take the threat of Airachnid seriously, and it's so funny.

In Optimus's defense, I understand his thinking to a degree. Arcee's obsession with revenge was distracting her, and making her reckless. So I totally get his logic that Arcee shouldn't kill Airachnid.

But, if Arcee shouldn't...maybe someone...like...SHOULD?😂

Airachnid killed Tailgate and hunts indigenous species for sport. Optimus is so focused on "revenge bad," he's forgetting that killing Airachnid would also prevent future brutal murders.

But the FUNNIEST part is Optimus FINALLY deciding to kill Megatron, but NOT Airachnid.

Like, think about it; Why did he finally decide to kill Megatron? Because Megatron crossed the line by harming an innocent child, Raf.

...Which he did because he HAPPENED to see Bumblebee (with Raf inside), while on his way to DO SOMETHING ELSE, and took the opportunity to shoot.

Meanwhile, Airachnid basically crash-landed on Earth, popped out of the ship and shouted: "I'M GONNA MURDER AS MANY INNOCENT YOUNG HUMANS AS POSSIBLE😃!"

And Optimus is like: THIS IS FINE!

Like bro, at least Megatron has a motive (harming Raf was something he did on a whim. Megatron is more interested in power). Airachnid just tortures and murders SPECIFICALLY HUMANS (the creatures Optimus is obsessed with protecting) for the lolz.

Zeta Prime and Sentinel.

A few similarities are obvious with the blue and gold color schemes and the tall, crown-esque helms. (It's a lot less obvious with Sentinel, but it's still there.) It makes sense for these two to have those similarities, with Zeta being the bearer of the Matrix, therefore the greatest of the Primes, and Sentinel being Cybertron's sole leader. Blue and gold are famously royal color schemes, it's fairly basic design.

But then there's the details with those color schemes. As any artist will tell you, saturation and tone mean EVERYTHING with colors, and that is on full display here.

Zeta's blues are dull and washed out, closer to a slate grey than a true blue. This gives a more aged appearance, fitting as he is one of the original 13 primes, but it also gives the impression of wear and tear, evoking the image of a warrior. The Primes were not afraid to fight the Quintessons, and with his axe in hand and his armor well used, Zeta looks the part of a leader ready to fight for his planet.

In addition, while his design is overall quite simple, he's not devoid of detail, with a star engraved on his plating and his gold accents. They're present, but not overdone. This is a Prime who knows he is powerful, and he doesn't need to look fancy to prove it.

But then there's Sentinel. His blue colors are vibrant, a true royal blue. His plating is polished to perfection, without a scratch on it. While it certainly is a royal look, it doesn't have the authenticity of Zeta's appearance. Why would someone who supposedly was spending all of his time on the dangerous surface of Cybertron look so perfect all the time? In addition, his detailing, especially with his wings acting as an almost-cape, is extensive. It says that Sentinel puts a lot of time and effort into his appearance, to make sure he looks as flawless as possible, to the point it's forced - just like his claim to Cybertron's throne.

This even extends to their weapons: Zeta's axe is simple, with minimal detailing. Sentinel's sword has all sorts of ridges and carvings that serve no purpose besides aesthetics. (no you're not getting images cause they were being mean to me)

Because I've been observing the seekers a lot, and I was rewatching the end credits for Transformers One, because it got me curious where exactly they're getting branded, and if the three examples we got were Shockwave, Soundwave, and Starscream - turns out, it wasn't, it was all seekers. But! I did notice something:

*Seeker may not necessarily be Thundercracker, but with similar cockpit design (Seekers vary by cockpit design).

Observing what little we can in this shot, we do see that a good deal has it on their cockpit/chest or their shoulder:

But on the other hand, we get an explicit shot of Starscream's insignia ON his wing, and the shot is lead with that before revealing the freshly rechristened Decepticon High Command:

And I thought "that's weird".

Or maybe, it isn't that weird. Since, ofc, Starscream's insignia placement is where it's traditionally located, it's an allusion to that!

But the thing is, we also have to consider all the other factors in the context - there's a deliberateness here, an emphasis. For one, the animators didn't spare a single shot of any other seekers getting branded on their wings. They emphasized that they got it on their chest or their shoulders, and it's odd! Because in any other transformers media, seekers also get it on their wings! Are you telling me they couldn't be bothered to show at least one who had it branded there?

But the thing is, the movie is rife with intentional details. It's a movie that encourages you to observe. And with what you observe, you question. And the scene wants you to ask the question:

Why is it significant to show deliberately that seekers got branded on their chest/shoulders? Why is it significant that Starscream got branded on his wings but not his cockpit unlike any other seeker?

My theory: loyalty.

Which is an insane thing to accuse Starscream to have considering his, uh, established precedence of treachery in all transformers media, BUT HEAR ME OUT AND CHECK THE CONCEPT ART FOR THE SEEKERS, OR RATHER, THEIR COCKPITS:

Ofc, the other seekers are simply a mix and match of these examples, but I also want you really look at Thundercracker and Skywarp:

Checking T.C.'s and Skywarps resective cards, the symbol of their cockpit matches with Starscream:

"But wait, maybe it just matches with any other seeker?" I considered it as well, but I think the emblem isn't just there for decoration. Why do I think so? Because of Skywarp; he has the same cockpit design as Slipstream and two others, but he's the only one with an emblem. Why?

Me, I think that emblem is a symbol of the High Guard - the cockpit design on Starscream isn't just for aesthetic, it's there to show he was the leader, and the High Guard served the Primes. Thundercracker and Skywarp also has these emblems to set them apart with the other seekers, and traditionally, they were Starscream's teammates (or trine in fanon terms). It explicitly tells us that Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp are to be grouped together.

Here's the thing: Starscream on first watch seems like the typical Starscream, but there's something more than meets the eye with him (lol). We can debate how effective his leadership is back when he used to lead to and fro or what his actual moral allegiance is considering by joining the Decepticons and when he attacked Iacon, he's betraying everything the Primes stood for, but weirdly enough, I DO think he is genuinely loyal to the Primes. Considering the movies theme of 'Fall from Grace', Megatron isn't actually the only example of it in the film - the High Guard is too.

Questionable effectiveness aside, I would like to point out the High Guard didn't serve Sentinel. Or more explicitly, Starscream doesn't beg Sentinel for mercy or to be spared to try to bargain his way into gaining power (let's be real, we all can think of a Starscream who would absolutely do that), instead he viciously threatens Sentinel, even when set on execution. Another thing I want to point out, is that if the High Guard was only fighting Sentinel JUST so they could get their high status back, then they could have just. Served him? If they truly don't have any moral backbone, they could have just bargained with Sentinel to keep their status and comfort and still do High Guard things with a "Prime". And it's a win-win for both groups too - Sentinel gets to have an elite force to be his enforcers for his regime, the High Guard gets to keep their status and safe from any retribution. But they didn't. Instead, they chose exile on the dangerous surface with little to no energon, hiding from Sentinel and the Quintessons, all the while trying to survive with incessant threat of death hanging over their heads, potentially killed by their environment, their enemies, or starvation.

Which makes me assume some things: while definitely no longer good people, there's some lines they won't cross, Starscream included; they're not motivated by status, they're motivated by revenge on Sentinel; it seems they're loyal to who the Primes ARE, not to the system the Primes' established.

Which brings to my theory: Starscream DOES betray Megatron, but not because out of greed for power, but rather for a good and understandable reason, and because Starscream still holds some belief in the Primes' ideals and what the High Guard used to fight for.

You can see it here, btw!