Transformer Analysis

In Orion Pax Part 2, we see Arcee being bridged to the Arctic by Soundwave while trying to rescue Orion Pax from the Deceptions. And when she returned, you can see that Ratchet’s scanner was all red wherever he scanned her.

And if you have paid attentions to TFP, you would know that when Ratchet’s scanner is red, it means there’s something wrong in the area being scanned.

And blue means it’s fine.

So, I’m really curious. WHY DID Arcee actually stay in the Arctic long enough for herself to be frozen to this degree? To the point her whole entire body made the scanner go red. I mean she can ask Ratchet to bridge her back whenever, right? And we know that bots don’t freeze up immediately in the cold, it is only after quite a while. And we know they are supposed to be able to communicate back to the base from the Arctic perfectly well (usually).

Personally my thought is that, at first, Arcee had REFUSED to let Ratchet bridge her back while she desperately tried to find her way back into the Decepticon ship, maybe she kept running around so Ratchet could not find her fixed coordination to send a ground bridge. This continued until she froze to the point of pretty much an ice statue and Ratchet had to come and physically drag her back.

So I believe that we are all somewhat aware of TFP Starscream’s famous gorgeous heels, right?

However have anyone ever wondered how his skinny leg and feet could even sustain his massive body weight?

Like all the other bots got these triangular, boot-like feet that help distribute their weight and keep their balance.

Even Arcee needs it! Who is a lot skinnier and smaller than Starscream is!

The only other one in the show who didn’t have those feet was Airachnid, but she cant really count cause she got eight other legs to take her weights, while Starscream didn’t.

Even Soundwave too! Who also had to fly!

Everyone have different creative ways to distribute the weight of their giant metal bodies.

Other than Starscream, whose entire body weight is sustained by his two skinny little heels.

In TFP Season 2 Episode 2, “Orion Pax Part 2” (and basically in all three Orion Pax episode and in a later “Flying Mind” episode as well (s2 ep11)) we got to see what Cybertronian written language— at least their coding language— look like.

And we can see that these are all geometrical lines and shapes. But what else are full of Geometrical lines and shapes in Transformations?

The Transformers themselves.

Now if you have ever drawn Transformer characters fanarts, especially TFP ones, you’ve probably have stared or traced at at least some of them for a good amount of times to study each their anatomy and structures to draw them well (cause they are so complicated and I’m sorry for artists who have to go through this), and you can probably agree that yeah, almost every transformer in the show are built of geometrical shapes and patterns.

So what does this tells us?

I think this means that EITHER: TFP Cybertronians’ ancestors have took inspirations from their own body to inspire their language.

OR: they specifically designs their armors this way so they can hide words and quotes in there.

Or maybe both!

Personally my money is on that their current type of bodies came first and then they designed their language based on their own bodies.

And you know what is crazier?

If you think about, that, you’ll realize that when Jack visited Cybertron, there’s a number of these similar patterns covering the buildings and the grounds!

LOOK!

Kinda work in some other none-G1 versions too!

me to whoever designed this hoping one day it’ll be noticed:

The Autobot’s computer keyboard keys are short, small and squarely.

maybe cause it’s built with Ratchet’s square fingers in mind:

The Decepticon’s keyboard keys is long and sleekly:

Probably cause it’s built with Soundwave’s long and sharp fingers in mind:

pat on the back for the designers who considered this

(Orion Pax trying to type on the Decepticon’s keyboard with his giant wide square fingers)

I personally find the face vents of Transformers pretty fascinating. Like the ones Optimus and Starscream have.

Which doesn’t really look like part of their disguises really.

So does these face vents have any actual functions to their biology? Why are they there?

And why only a few of them have it and not everyone? I think these two are the only ones in the show who have them. And we see in Arcee’s Tailgate flashbacks, she used to have one, too.

(“Predatory”, Season One Episode Twelve)

But not anymore

(“Predatory”, Season One Episode Twelve) And we know that Transformers don’t need oxygens according to Bulkhead in “Rock Bottom”, Season one Episode 19, so why do some even have a vent in the first place?

Now, hear me out. Because I have an idea.

So, the grills on actual cars are there to be used to cool down its internal engines, so I think maybe, for the Transformers, it works the same. Ratchet and Bulkhead also got belly grills so those probably act the same too, and not just part of their disguise.

Maybe some Transformers, not all, would experience overheating when stressed out. So they need bigger vents, closer to their face so it can bring the cool air to their brain faster, help them calm down when they overheat. It could be that they overheat when under stress, and thus become uncomfortable, distraction, and more stressed out. And when they got a vent to keep away those heat, it can make them more comfortable and calm.

So it is like a soothing mechanism for some transformers I think. Beside I bet the hearing the blowing of wind by their face constantly can also feel comfortable sometimes.

That would explain a lot because Optimus got the biggest vents of all, and he totally needs them for all the stress he’s been through, and maybe this is even one of the main reason why he’s still relatively calm despite everything.

Starscream’s is obviously not big enough.

Maybe Ratchet and Bulkhead’s belly grills also works the same. But it surly didn’t help Ratchet much. Or those could just be disguises.

It’s interesting how, in TFP, the characters all have a variety of optics sizes and shapes, instead of everyone having plain solid colours like in G1 and most other continuities. And I personally believe there is some more biological reasons why some of these optics look the way they are (some big, some small, some solid colours and others not, and some having rings and others not).

TW: starvation mention.

THEORY #1:

The size of the optics is determined by how well fed and healthy the transformer is.

Firstly, we can see that most Transformers with big optics are Decepticons, who we always know have more Energon mines and supplies than the Autobots.

Secondly. Megatron has a big optic that take over the entire frame, and he is totally someone who would have a feast himself first before feeding his subjects. On the contrary Optimus have one of the smallest optic in the show, probably because, unlike Megatron, he would only eat himself when he knows his subjects are well fed. (Poor Optimus)

Thirdly, Breakdown and Bulkhead also have some of the biggest optics in their teams. Breakdown is one of the few in the show whose optics are complete solid colors, and, although Bulkhead’s optics are not solid colours, or completely take over the frame, they are still much bigger than most other Autobots. This is probably because they are both the muscles of the team so they must have been fed more so that they can be stronger and fight better. (Cliffjumper might have been one, too, because he also got a huge optic, but we never hang around him enough to know for sure)

Fourthly: Bumblebee also got big optics, probably because he is the youngest Autobot, and is probably still growing in a way, so everyone would want to make sure he got enough nutrients to grow up big and healthy.

Fifthly: I think this is the best proof of all. So throughout the show Starscream’s optics are always quite big and round (though it is not always obvious in bright lightings).

(“Partner”, Season 1 Episode 20)

However, in the Orion Episode, while Starscream was sneaking into the Nemisis to steal energons, his optics suddenly fill the whole frame

(“Orion Pax Part One”, Season 2, Episode 2)

This is likely because, since Starscream had gone rogue at this point, and we know that in “Rock Bottom” (Season One Episode 19) Starscream has been hiding energons for himself, perhaps Starscream hasn’t yet learned how to manage supplies sustainably on his own, and quickly drained his resources that he’s hide for himself before. Thus, more energons in the eyes. That’s probably also why he has taken the risk to go back to the Nemisis to steal Energon cause he was out of it already. He was living feast or famine at this point.

Now, there are some bugs in this theory, such as why Knockout have such a small pupil despite not having any reasons to starve. However, knowing Knockout and his obsession with his appearance, I believe he would totally put himself on a diet to look even more fabulous. I don’t think Transformers can really gain weight from Energons, though, at least not in the way we think, but Knockout could also just love the look of a small optic and think it fits his beauty, so he starved himself to achieve that.

One question you might have for the theory, “But it has been going around that Ratchet starve himself to save the supplies for the others, but his optics are big?” Now. Ratchet, I believe, is a different situation, which leaves us to theory #2.

THEORY #2:

The ring around the optic signify how intensely the optic was used.

Firstly, like mentioned above, Ratchet have a special optic: his centeral pupil itself is pretty small, similiar size with Optimus’s, but it got a big ring around it, making it look big. Now I think the ring have nothing to do with how well fed the Transformer is, like the theory above, it is there to supply more Energon to the function of the optic, and making it sharper basically. Knockout also have one, probably for the same reason as Ratchet.

Secondly: Bumblebee also have one. Understandable. He is the scout, he need to look afar a lot.

Thirdly: if you look closely you can see that Optimus got these colorless, metal ring around his optic, too, which no one else have, but it doesn’t have Energon in them. This is probably because he probably used to have them, as Orion Pax, who was an archives working in front of computers all the time. But over the years of not using it in the same way as much as the Prime, Energons left the ring and left the area, leaving the empty ring behind.

Now, there goes my theories and how I think the optics works, kind of. There is still a lot that I am still working on and might make another post off in the future, such as why some of them had a white ring/circle in their optics (I don’t think white rings work the same as blue rings, cause Bulkhead have a white ring but he doesn’t have any reasons to need good vision more than others.) and why their optics are different colors.