So EarthSpatk got a surprise continuation, but the catch for most that will most assuredly cause them to disavow it because it’s already happening is it’s being done by Hayato Sakamoto for the End of G1 webmanga.
In the Japanese version of events, while mentioned in a prior guidebook, ES is considered a splinter alternate timeline to the G1 cartoon, simply due to the cartoon using the 80’s cartoon visuals for a flashback.
In story, the explanation is quite literally …
G1 Alpha Trion writing fan fiction in the Covenant of Primus.
It is indeed a Fionna & Cake situation.
As for the continuation itself, that part is weird overall.
Most of it has to do with the cancelled Hasbro releases of Cosmos and Soundwave being released in Takara markets instead under the New Legends collector aimed toy line. This has happened before where several Transformers Animated toys were only released in Takara markets such as Blackout.
In story, the conflict takes place after the end of EarthSpark in American markets, as EarthSpark only lasted one season before it was cancelled.
G1 Unicron & the Sweeps (at least the G1 Legacy/Studio Series versions cuz To Sell Toys naturally) arrive and make a bargain: The Maltos either get permanently cancelled or they’re left alone if Optimus surrenders his Matrix.
Optimus surrenders his Matrix, and Unicron backs off.
Because there’s not a fully reliable translation atm, I’m not super sure what’s going on here with Soundwave.
But Soundwave has traveled to the dying G1 Universe to acquire his prototypical self from Sideways and Noisemaze, both are back working for Unicron and have a stake in the comic’s affairs. Noisemaze had a radio in the anime that was visually G1 Soundwave as an Easter Egg, but like many things in the Legends series, it turns out he actually had the OG Soundwave enslaved for some reason.
Meanwhile, ES Optimus began to travel the multiverse after this, having upgraded into Star Convoy (or rather Star Optimus Prime for brand synergy reasons and because the Stars are considered separate characters for some reason), having reformatted using the Zodiac (from Transformers Zone) which apparently exists in EarthSpark World.
The ES writers are either happy to see the story sorta continues or are having a meltdown over the super robot stuff being re-integrated into Transformers, indeed ES Optimus getting a Super Mode and its Star Convoy of all things would be something the staff would’ve shut down or screwed up if forced to use it (like the already clunky Combiner toys included in the ES toy line).
To make it more Japanese shonen to their potential disgust: ES Optimus gets in a Kaiju fight with his counterpart controlled by Energon Shockblast: Dark Star Optimus Prime.
Because Dark Nova Prime or Nova Nemesis Prime couldn’t be trademarked I s’pose.
Anyhoo, in context, the Nemesis Prime version of Star Convoy is the corrupted version of the corpse of G1 Optimus Prime, who was buried on GF Velocitron after helping create it in ancient times.
Isn’t Japanese media a kick?
Alan Tudyk Prime defeats his dark progenitor, but there’s still a problem. The prototypical Prime is still filled with Unicron’s essence, and until they can use the Matrix to purify him they can’t get too close unless they get Unicron’d too. …And because Alan Tudyk surrendered his Matrix, there’s nothing they can do right now.
…Why a version of Unicron wanted the Matrix when it’s toxic to him isn’t clear yet, but it might feed into the overall story of the manga, where aspects of Unicron are beginning to revive.
Dark Amber Lio Convoy, reborn from an Angolmois Energy infused corpse of BWII Lio Convoy from the then dying Planet Gaia/Earth (don’t worry Earth is restored thanks to Amber) was the first major kick off and that was somewhat of a fluke.
The instigator of this Unicronian plot is none other than Liege Maximo, specifically the Age of the Primes G2 based design. His goal is to collect Unicronian essence and use it to Transform the dying G1 Universe into a new Unicron that will feed on other Transformers universes to restore their reality for infinity.
Because of the similarities to IDW Dark Cybertron and EarthSpark Liege’s own scheme, some have wondered if New Legends Liege and ES Liege are the same character, and he’s merely trying his plan again on a more ambitious scale.
That or all Liege Maximos think alike, who’s to say.
Most of the fallout of ES getting a small boost is people largely being stunned it’s back at all considering how much of a flop it was in media and toy sales, and of course, has reignited discussions of gender identity among Cybertronians.
Most of the topic is people wondering how Skywarp became a woman if this is an alternate timeline to G1, taking things a bit too literally when even in show, there’s a lot of continuity snarls that don’t really add up between the two anyway.
So outside of Alpha Trion doing gender reassignment surgery with a flick of his quill, I’m leaning towards Skywarp, Frenzy, Ravage and Nova Storm were already female in this alternate timeline, and didn’t undergo any reformatting, because I dread people fighting about the logistics of Ravage getting a sex change operation when she’s largely considered a pet in most media.
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