TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS on the ALIGNED CONTINUITY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- Bringing 2021 to an end with one of the most popular requests from the comments section! In the 2010s, Transformers media was governed by a multimedia effort to establish a definitive modern interpretation of the franchise's lore. This is the story of the ups and downs, ins and out, and successes and failures of THE ALIGNED CONTINUITY!
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8:36 - IMPORTANT CORRECTION: Clarifying statements from Rik Alvarez have since explained that the Star Seekers weren't planned for season 3, they were planned for whatever was to come AFTER season 3, whether it wound up being a fourth season, or an entirely new show.
I really, really wish Transformers Universe would have actually come out. I was actually selected to be a beta tester when it did it's sort of soft launch, and it was actually really fun. Just the mobility you had by being able to transform set it apart pretty well, and if it would have had more time and updates, I genuinely think it would have done pretty well.
i was also a beta tester on it and i had a lot of fun as well!
I want a Transformers MMO so bad.
I did some beta testing on it to. I didn't particularly like it and it was a far cry from what I'd been hoping for from the initial announcement, but as a basic Transformers MOBA it had potential that's a shame it couldn't get the chance to explore.
I was in the beta test also. It felt lacking but had great potential. I enjoyed playing it.
I was not part of the beta.
Give Bryan Goldner credit for planning ahead with the Aligned Continuity. Showing how many TF Shows would connect in some way. Even if the Aligned Continuity didn’t fully stay, dude left quite a legacy none of us will ever forget.
May that absolute legend Rest In Peace, and his efforts and achievements never be forgotten.
....Uh, no offense to the dead, but if he was responsible for the absolute shitshow of a catastrophe that is the Aligned Contiunuity's, continuity, then that isn't something he should be praised for. At all. Either he was grossly incompetent at the task, or there was some extensive upper meddling. Or perhaps both.
@@papapalps2415 exactly.. The continuity was absolutely terrible!!
@@S1MONPHOEN1X Well, Chris Mcfreely said that it succeeded in the whole continuity fitting together and it's mark on Transformers with later entries connecting with each other. However the problem is that people took ideas of the binder of Revelations and never really connected properly with each other. Due to th e Prime creators weren't on board with the whole Aligned plan, even if it was planned ahead. Even though the novels are supposed to be retelling of the games, they often tell events that diverge from the games. Sure Prime did eventually added the Binder of Revelations to the lore of Prime. With the Convant of Primus and the Dinobots comics attempt to connect Prime with the cybertron games. Even these tie-in material is often ignored by transformers media. Look at the Bayverse tie-in comics and books. Even though they were supposed to connect with 1-3, the later two movies would retcon these comics into non-canon oblivion. Also even if RID 2015 is supposed to be a new Era, they mostly relied on Prime for continuity, and mostly ignored the games and tie-in material. I'm not sure about the video. Since it mostly views the Aligned continuity as fully connected, despite massive continuity problems and behind the scenes drama that cause Hasbro to abandoned the idea.
Links:www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/about-the-aligned-continuity.1192031/
www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/o5hlmd/transformers_the_ambitious_idea_of_the_project_of/
www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/are-we-sure-this-show-is-in-aligned-continuity.1036734/page-3
@@papapalps2415 its one of the reasons i honestly dont like prime
The fact I never heard of Brian Goldner back then is just criminal. I never knew he was the one who was responsible for the creation of Transformers Prime
Man I wanted more of the high moon Cybertron games. I liked the mix of serious new plot but fun bits and homages sprinkled in. The dinobots and Grimlock have to be one of my favorite reimaginings of characters I've seen.
Some of the only shooter games I've ever found fun to play as well.
I wanted more too. Guess it'll never happen now
I blame Activision. They burn down anything they touch
The annoying thing is that a third game was in pre-production but then the movies happened...
@@dracotias You can't blame it on the movies since the first two were already out by the time WfC was released and DotM was released a year before FoC... Activision made one game where they should have made two, end of story.
As a kid of the 2010's, I grew up through every stage of the aligned continuity and this video made me so happy and nostalgic to see the full, collective history of it.
Naw facts tho it was very influential in my preteen years and not to mention I'm a big TF prime fan
i was born in 2000 so i got to grow up watching re runs of beast wars, the unicron trilogy, animated and prime.
so watching this gives me a sort of melancholy for not appreciating it more during the last decade.
every year i get more and more depressed at the amount of time that goes by...little by little my memories fade along with the things i loved until there's nothing left but the vague feeling of what used to be.
Same for me. Absolutely loved it. It honestly had gotten me more interested in Transformers lore and all of the continuities that I have now have become the resident expert on all things Transformers from G1 till RiD 2015 amongst my friends and family (tho my friends are more interested) and @ChrisMcFeely played a HUGE roll in all that I know now (Thanks Chris)
@@esmeralda8763 Now worries! I ramble on about things I like myself. That's so cool that this was the show that revived your interest in Transformers. I remember watching some of animated as a kid, but not a lot. and then Prime came out and it was the first TF cartoon I watched regularly. Like you, I also finally watched animated more and It's just as good as when I was a kid, probably better honestly.
You're a zoomer fetus
The best things out of this continuity, The War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron games and Prime! Though this continuity went through a mess of ups and downs, many sacrifices were made to create a definitive modern legend of the Transformers! Till all are one!
Just casually for getting Rescue Bots the longest running show in this series now this may be Nostalgia but I really like that show
@@plantainsame2049 Respectable! I just hope that people are mad at 2015 Robots in Disguise, because that ruined TF Prime!
Rescue bots superior
R.I.D. 2015 inferior
@@shardsoftime0952 I respect thy opinion sir!
That was the major problem for the aligned continuity too many people wanted to go different ways with it but outside of that we got two fantastic games and two popular shows prine and rescue bots though rid 15 was definitely the beast machine of that continuity .
I'd've loved it if Hasbro had published their "Binder of Revelation" for fans to purchase. From what I'd heard, it went into an insane amount of detail that would've been fun to peruse.
It would be a perfect coffee table book.
Hey, maybe if we ask nicely. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
I mean...Isn't that basically what the Covenant of Primus is?
@@animo358 See, that's what I thought it would be, but it wasn't. "The Binder of Revelation" -- if rumours are to be believed -- gave loads of detail on every single character right down to their hometowns, had detailed maps of Cybertron and associated territories, and just bucketloads of info that I didn't see in TCOP. Heck, I even wrote about it in my Amazon review for TCOP.
@@autobotdan6247 Here here!
I think it's fascinating how we went from having an "evergreen continuity" to having "evergreen designs" in a few short years. The former's ambitious though limiting if strictly observed, while the latter's more practical and logical from a business perspective.
They’re design ideas are pretty generic and bland if you ask me
@@acemarvel1564 I think that is the idea, at least in a sense. Then again, I'm applying the same approach to the evergreen designs as they had to the Aligned Continuity: designs can be tweaked, but if you squint, each character is still the same. Plus, I actually like the majority of those designs so YMMV.
@@KamisamanoOtaku this is just in my honest opinion
@@acemarvel1564 Agreed. The "new" designs from the recent toy lines keep being the same blocky G1 designs, just with more articulation. The Cybertron games did the "modernized G1" thing better.
@@ltb1345 in the animated series they really liked trying new things and I kinda miss it
War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron were really nice games. Too bad we never got a proper sequel there... And the Transformers Universe game had potential (and a nice Optimus Prime design), but yeah... :(
Ending it with their journey through space would’ve made a proper ending especially based on the novels
Yeah Rise of the Dark Spark is a sequel to WFC and FOC but nobody really talks about that game due to the bad reviews it got.
@@dragonfire4527 it's technically a sequel yes but it lacks pretty much all the charm of the first 2. Being forced to shoe horn in stuff from the movies instead of just being allowed to tell a re-imagining of Gen 1 like it was apparently planned to be at first was a huge disappointment
How ironic that the Aligned continuity had several important inconsistencies that made it so unaligned.
What Activision did to High Moon was disgustingly scummy of them, the fact that they did the same with Toys for Bob earlier this year and got away with it scot free both times due to the fact that there a billion dollars company really makes my blood boil. Activision must one day pay for there sins!
They may very well be now.
Big companies do budget cuts which leads to employment cuts and/or dropping subsidiary companies all the time. I loved the WFC/FOC games but maybe Activision didn’t quite like them or they didn’t do as well as they expected them to. At least Activision didn’t force us to pay for micro transactions for all the extra weapons/Teletraan store use in FOC. They very well could have pulled an EA with something like that.
@@alexbelcher2206 If it were released today, you know Activison would pump it full of microtransactions and loot boxes and every other form of monetization under the sun.
@@DetectiveBarricade Have they done that for any other game recently? Not from what I’ve seen. And I am understanding of some forms of micro transactions. It’s EA level micro transactions like having to pay $10 for stupid cosmetic crap like a weapon or character skin that I dislike. The devs have to make their money back somehow or else they wouldn’t be able to make any new games.
You heard about the lawsuits and walkouts at Activision Blizzard over workplace sexual harassment? I'd say they're paying for it right now.
To this day Transformers Prime has some of the best CG animation, music, and voice acting I’ve ever seen in an animated series. It’s truly amazing what they managed to accomplish on a TV budget. The show was also remarkably dark for a children’s show, dealing with topics like PTSD, chemical and biological warfare, and even organ theft.
Rescue Bots is probably one of the most underrated incarnation of Transformers. Even as an adult watcher I thought the show was incredibly entertaining and had amazing character development! It was crazy how much action and tension they could pack into a show without fighting. Truly inspirational. And the fact it resonated enough to become the longest running Transformers cartoon is testament to its quality. I think any Transformers fans who passed on it because they felt it was too 'kiddie' missed out on a great show and should give it a chance. How about 'The Basics on the Burns Family'? :p
exactly! rescue bots is what got me into transformers, and i really want to see more content based around it.
I agree Rescue Bots as underrated, even if I saw more episodes of Academy than the original series. It’s a show meant to teach kids about disasters, and trying to tell good stories with it’s premise for a preschool audience. There isn’t really much to hate. Especially with the brand branching out to appeal to not only kids, but adults as well, so a show for preschoolers as well seemed logical.
I think the reason it was hated was the fact that it was supposedly in the same continuity as TF Prime, which was, and for the most part still is, the most mature TF cartoon that aired at the time, and how the Aligned Continuity became even more confusing as time went on and new TF Media was released.
@@tannerprice2018 it wasn't even that much of an educational preschool show, honestly. A lot of Rescue Bots disasters relied on crazy cartoon science (i.e. basically magic). And none of the characters were a typical preschool show main character either.
I just like that RBA whirl appears to be IDW Whirl's daughter
@@acorn7049 I’m also an older viewer(born 2001) and thought the show was good for all the reasons you stated.
Oh this video is great! It explains everything so clearly for people who aren’t familiar with the Aligned Continuity
it's emperor kumquat!
Yay your here!
I knew you'd be here! :D
Fancy seeing you here!
Eh good to see ya
I personally prefer continuities to all do their own things rather than aligned continuity’s style. I think more creativity and originality are allowed in the former.
Same, though I do get the idea that it is probably better to have the Megatrons not go from tanks to planes to Batmobiles every two years. And I like two of those three Megatrons.
@@krspaceT1 idk, keeping Megatron constantly changing but keeping an imposing aura would keep things fresh
@@krspaceT1
I think vehicle modes and designs should be generally consistent. But preferably not exactly the same every time. Like Batman always looks similar, but at the same time most bat suits are uniquely designed
I dunno, I think if they allowed the aligned continuity to continue, we could've seen how far the lore of transformers could've evolved. As of right now
it's always the same thing, the two factions wage war on their home planet, come to earth, continue the war until the Autobots win - series ends. Rinse.
Lather. Repeat. Despite how bad RID was, it was nice to see them do an actual passing of the torch story, and I would've loved to see an aftermath
of the war similar to what they did with the original IDW comics. If anything, if would've forced more creativity because they would have to come up
with ideas that didn't rely on the same formula over and over.
@@basedpota ah, makes sense. It’s kind of like how I’m annoyed they keep using the “allspark” mcguffin in everything ever since the Bay films.
Rescue Bots was a great series. It had a lot of heart and talent. Being geared toward younger viewers, it has helped to create a new generation of Transformers fans for the future.
It was a great show all around the perfect thing to watch little kids as it didn't treat its target audience like idiots and I need to rewatch it but I still feel it's great to watch as an adult or at least my age not quite an adult yet
For me, Transformers Prime was my favourite series in the Aligned Continuity.
It's mine.
Mine too!
For me, it's what got me into transformers, and defined it.
*Transformers Prime* was what got me into the Transformers fandom. The amzing stories, the gorgeous soundtrack, the awesome animation and the wonderful characters are ranked up with Studio Ghibli movies for me.
I am sad that my favorite human character in TFP, Miko, is given so much flack by a majority of the fandom. She's honestly the character I could relate to the most, save her impulsiveness to ALWAYS jump into 'Bot vs. 'Con battles. She also gave me the courage years later to try out unnatural hair colors, though I tend to stick with a full head of blue or purple.
Also, little easter egg about the mutli-franchise comic crossover, if you look closely, you'll see a dark elf with twin scimitars and a panther in a screen over Jem at one of her concerts. For any D&D fans out there, based on what was stated in the video about the comic, they were trying to pull *The Legend of Drizzt* comics into the Aligned Continuity.
I disliked Mico at first but she grew to become my favorite human character in Prime.
I think the Miko vs Starscream thing really worked out alright. Mostly because Starscream is such an insufferable little shit I have a feeling the whole cast, both sides, would totally take a day off just to witness it
miko had the annoying tenecy to ingect herselves where there was no need, "making a giant robot fighting eachother a human situation, like michael bay!" [cit., at least in the first season, but she really grew as a charather after that. the fact they introduced more charather for her to bounce off of, and later the relics to screw up with the decepticons, is what made things work
@@serPomiz I never got any Bay vibes from Miko, but I can see what you're saying.
Going out on a limb, I want to say it seems like Miko watched a LOT of mecha anime prior to TFP and for her this was a dream come true to be able to hangout with beings that were so much like the robo-suits she adores. Then the moment that she snagged the Apex Armor from Starscream was even more impactful and poignant for her because she could finally be able to help her friend on the front line.
That's just a theory, but, as someone who has been watching mech anime and robot centric media since she was tiny, I know I'd be doing the same thing for thr most part, yet also trying to find other things I could do until an Apex Armor moment happened.
Bruv no one gives a shit, enough of this solipsistic shit. Stop telling us about you. Lol. 😂
The Aligned Continuity is an example of how, just because you plan for the best in things, it doesn't mean it all will stay that way.
Sometimes, it works out for the better, other times for the worse. But if you can accomplish the broader elements and goals you set out to reach...then perhaps the steps and missteps are all worth it in the end. R.I.P Goldner, you gave us a bold era, and in turn, it gave our favorite brand..well, Another Transformation
I believe that the Aligned Continuity worked best in retrospect as a guide post rather than a be-all end-all. Want to go your own way, sure go ahead, but here is a generally excepted starting point. The 13 Primes: Was Megatronus pure evil? Goaded into making a horrible mistake? Or was he framed for the crime? Were the Primes truly the first Cybertronians, or just early Warlords that history remembers as demigods? Just how "good" was the Golden Age? After the fall of the corrupt Cybertronian government, which Decepticons realized that they were *STILL* "being deceived" and joined the Autobots? (An Autobot Soundwave or Starscream? Actually, given the abuse Starscream tends to get, him joining and STAYING WITH the Autobots would make for an interesting PoV series.) So many what-ifs and offshoots to start from. And then you have Japan's love for "Out of Context" Villains derailing the course of the war. You can't disrupt the Status Que without having said Status Que to start from.
Aligned soundwave becoming an autobot would have been so cool. Soundwave before the war was far more honorable then most autobots he left the council that governed all of cybertron to go to the far more poor areas and preach about equality for all bots and when Megatron was doing the same thing he joined him and was extremely loyal. But when Megatron became more power hunger and brutal soundwave turned a blind eye and never realized Megatron was becoming the tyrant he hated. Finally something happened maybe he has a deja vu moment and realizes how horrible Megatron has become or he slowly starts to realize how horrible Megatron has become and finally snaps after he does something truly horrendous and joins the autobots.
if i recall this DID happen in prime. starscream did become an autobot. though true to his nature he turned on them [was it megatrons fault then????] and wanted to take optimus prime's place as leader of the autobots.
@@theldrakis No, he opened his trap and admitted to killing Cliffjumper. 🥴 Maybe you're thinking of a different continuity?
I pretty agree that the basic outline should be the guide/starting point for TF series thou those in charge should be able to cherry pick ideas that they think will work well for the story they are going to tell and maybe simply explain any errors in the history of the Universe as myths or legend when it comes to events set at the early days of Cybertron history
the OOC would have been perfect for the minor faction; I would have loved for a bunch of fragmented yet still decepticon groups to just pop in and out
like Bludgeon quirky-yet-dangerous Mayhem squadron, magmatron's "all copycats except skybite" or jhaxus teams of whatevers to show what happens without megatron's focus
granted, we kind of got that, between RID and Cyberverse, but still, wasted opportunities for a "unite and consequencial" universe
I honestly feel like Transformers Prime is the best cartoon the franchise has ever put out. Its end, in my opinion, was also the death knell for the Aligned Continuity with regards to overall quality and cohesiveness between different pieces of media.
Rescue Bots lasted for five seasons and wasn't Prime like the second thing in the line continuity pretty sure the thing that killed the aligned continuity was it was just too hard to keep it all tied together all the things that I know in it are at least decent at worst despite what you people say about the 2015 robots in disguise
This is fantastic. I've been curious about this for a while but have not curious enough to actually check the Wiki. Thanks for making this.
I miss individual continuities. This current trend of “everything must be interconnected” gets so tiring
Hey wait just a minute what are you doing here
"Wait, that's illegal"
@@jazzjackproductions3131 Guys's a Transformers fan
Never knew, but sorta expected cause of Halo, mayhaps?
I love it, it's fun to invest in something that you see plays into a larger event and see how all the dots connect.
@@gavichealsomething2169 haha The Bay movie from 2007 was my gateway drug into transformers.
After that, I binge-watched G1, the Unicron trilogy and then beast Wars in the span of a year.
Ever since that year, I’ve been a mega fan of the series
There is one minor correction as far as the irreconcilable differences between different Aligned representations of Grimlock and Sideswipe are concerned. The Grimlock in Robots in Disguise has been stated to be a different individual from the one in Fall of Cybertron. He instead named himself after the older Dino Bot since they shared the same beast mode. Sideswipe should have been Fastlane but got a last-second name switch in production, probably to hold onto the trademark. Presumably, he could be in the same boat as Grimlock.
Also, I can't believe they made a toy of Grimlock that references the Go-Bots character Zod, but I am super happy that they did.
it dosent really correction. as far as we know has the grimlock in the prime universe.
As someone who was there from the beginning, I can tell ya the launch was a lot shakier than it seemed. The continuity idea was implemented after the first game came out, which is why Tieger kept referring to the second game as not a true sequel,which was further confirmed by the fact that Optimus was referred to as Orion in the second game, but never in the first where he had to earn his Prime title. Also, the Exodus book that was supposed to help bridge the gap did a not so great job, telling alternate sequences of events than how they happen in-game, most notably how Sentinel Prime died. I give Hasbro an A for effort, but rough execution. Now we have two convoluted multiverses instead of one🤣
Just goes to show that keeping the canon & continuity of an IP is harder to do that being offlined by a cosmically-powered Starscream. 🤖
May the Primes bless and always watch over you Chris McFeely.
Rescue bots is extremely underrated in every way possible. Though it’s a show designed for kids, it has MANY mature themes. Death, betrayal, life threatening situations, serious character development, disease, and you really got attached to the characters featured because you know them all, and they interact with eachother just like a group of friends tease. And honestly, the only episodes in rid I “Loved” were the three or four with Blurr in them, because I really wanted to see his extended character development between rescue bots and rid, because a lot of time passed in that period.
Personally, I view the Cybertron games and Transformers: Prime as separate universes - I just can’t look past the continuity issues. The ‘Squint Test’ really doesn’t do it for me either.
Anyhoo, fantastic video, Chris! 🙂
Prime was by far my favorite series and I loved the High Moon games.
After the Aligned Continuity, the Equestrian Continuity has begun
I always heard Chris say that this was the period when Transformers was trying to create general plot and characters that would remain consistent among other stories.
*and only now realized why it's called the Aligned Continuity*
George knows better
Aligned Continuity? more like Aligned Continuity Error, kinda strange that characters magically changed appearances and sometimes personality when jumping between series.
dude he explains this in 4:58
@@annefox2013 Yeah but for something called "aligned", it's... really not that much aligned. I'm glad they tried to sync most things up, even if they failed spectacularly at that.
Changing character design is not a major issue. Take for example the DC Animated Universe, which includes Batman the Animated Series, you see a big change in artstye between BTAS and Superman the Animated series. Made more evident when Batman adopted the new artstyle when it was renewed as the New Batman Adventures. The new artstyle became the standard for every other DCAU series after like Batman Beyond, Justice League, and JLU but more refined. The same with Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, they have different artstyle between each series but they’re still the same characters. Besides, in the when Starscream returned in RiD, he recounted how he escaped the Predacons persuing him and the flashback presented him in his Prime design. In the same episode, Bumblebee remarks Starscream reverting back to his “old look,” referencing his G1-style look in the War For and Fall Of Cybertron games.
The fact that they called it 'The Binder of Revelation' just makes me smile so much.~ Simultaneously silly and epic all at once. Kind of like Transformers itself.~
Aligned Continuity was amazing I can't believe that it was productively cut short from continuing on as intended. I'm even writing and drawing involving the Aligned Continuity, it was such a great vision.
Thank you so much for doing this Basics video of the Aligned Continuity, Chris. I really appreciate it.
Viva la Aligned Continuity!!!
Looks like I'm not the only Alignedverse fan, here!!!!!
I loved the designs and art style for Prime and I really wish it had been more popular. That show is what really got me into transformers as a kid and Prime Arcee, Starscream, and Soundwave are probably my favorite designs/interpretations of the characters. It feels like with newer shows they're trying to stick too closely to the gen 1 designs and aesthetic instead of trying something different.
Today I learned that "Haslab" had a much deeper history beyond giving us Unicron and other huge figures. Great video!
Wish they could have been able to finish their grand story...
The name has history, but HasLab today has nothing to do with the HasLab of years past.
Impressive the Aligned Continuity lasted this long, but honestly I'm glad it didn't last forever. Different continuities make for better and more exciting stories to tell!
The Aligned Continuity will always hold a special place in my heart. Besides the original movie, this was my introduction to the series, and Fall of Cybertron is still one of my favorite video games ever.
Now THAT'S how you close aout a great year of Transformers info and lore... WELL DONE, Sir!
Looking forward to 2022! ✊🏿
Hasbro should make a TFP spinoff revolving around the life of the Predacons - from their extinction, to their resurrection on a new Cybertron. That would be great.
They did miss a diamond opportunity to bring other less well known brands back in a shared universe and from the sounds of it, the reason was the companies they chose to partner with and that is a real shame
RIP Brian Goldner
the aligned continuity has 4 awards
one for the
war for Cybertron video game
two for transformers prime
one for transformers rescue bots
now they need to give some kind award for robots in disguise 2015 like having great ideas
award for rescue bots academy like having cute characters
Not that I'm a big fan of media award shows, but that says a lot. I think BW had some awards as well. Nothing since RB has however.
@@brandonandcharlene9527 BW? Beast Wars?
As a Geewunner, I have happily directed enquirers to watch Prime and Rescue Bots before tackling the original - and mentioned the games where appropriate. Beast Wars is another award winner I recommend, because Dinobot.
@@clogs4956 it's g1 not geewunner
@@sabix2005 ...hm, that's how we ancient G1 TFans refer to ourselves. although I do not subscribe to 'truk not munky' myself.
I wouldn't mind a Transformers Basics on Optimus Prime's trailer.
The different forms and uses it's had in its many appearances from G1's battle station being adapted from Diaclone's trailer, to the modern renditions such as the bayverse "weapon rig" and any possible lore it may have.
I wonder if that would be part of an Apex Armor or Roller video.
Somewhat related to the trailer - OP’s “super-modes”. Is Optimus the only transformer to have one? I feel like there have to be others but I can’t recall any. Why does he sometimes have them (besides the obvious answer of toy designs), what could be a possible in-lore explanation? Could it be because of his status as a Prime, or do certain Optimuses just enjoy suiting up mid-battle to show off?
I’ve always been particularly interested in the RID 2001 and Armada super-modes since they use different heads, which as a kid made me think they were separate characters from regular Optimus. It’s kind of funny thinking of Armada Optimus’ second head staring at the inside of his chest waiting impatiently to be deployed, like “what’s going on out there, I can’t see anything. C’mon let me out already!”
@@i_am_tomatosoup
I think the “Super mode” thing is just something a transformer has to be built to have since techno Megatron does have his own super modes in Galvatron and Super Megatron.
@@basedpota I guess I never really considered Galvatron to be a super mode for Megatron but it makes sense. Since Megatron usually becomes Super Megatron / Galvatron after being reformatted in some way (depending on continuity), do you think Optimus got his own various super modes after being rebuilt from Orion Pax and receiving the matrix? I’m unsure of Optimus’ backstory in the Unicron trilogy, idk if there’s even any mention in the canon of him ever being Orion Pax in that continuity, but I always assumed his origin story was the same.
I feel that, individually, each series in the Aligned Continuity is good, but as a part of a share universe, it just doesn’t work.
Personally, I think Transformers robots in disguise is the worst part of Aligned Continuity because it tried to combine something that acted almost like separate dimensions 🤔
It still hurts that the High Moon games fizzled out thanks to Activision. WFC and FOC not getting a follow up is a big time shame.
It did get a follow up but we don’t talk about that
@@grandmoffrex Dark Spark wasn’t made by High Moon but sadly I get your point.
@@FireButtonGaming I know it wasn’t that’s why I said we don’t talk about it
My personal opinion of how the Aligned continuity could have been saved:
-*High Moon Transformers Games:* It stands to reason that since High Moon was a part of Activision, it was certainly needed for the production of further products for Activision, rather than Hasbro. However, the High Moon TF games could have potential. See, the studio managed to create two magnificent and record breaking Transformers games (Not mentioning Rise of the dark spark, Dark of the Moon, Revenge of the Fallen), which were great earnings to both Hasbro and High Moon. Hasbro, at that point of time, could easily make High Moon their own studio for games, until it proven itself useless. These games could conclude the connection with Transformers Prime, by creating the last game that would bring us to the present TF Prime day, making a successful end to the High Moon TF games trilogy, without being forced to use another studio to do a job that got instantly cancelled.
-*Transformers Prime:* The show was way too expensive. Despite the satisfaction of the crowd and the viewers, it wasn't actually a show that gave a large amount of earnings. Due to the lack of advertisement and the latency of selling figures for this incredible show, the creators were forced to "abandon ship" and end the show with Predacons Rising. The problem though, is not how it ended. The problem is how it was, pathetically, continued.
-*Transformers Robots in Disguise:* Unlike to its predecessor, Hasbro decided to rush things and started a huge marketing campaign for a show that would be a, sort of, continuation of the legendary Transformers Prime. Transformers fans were amused of how this series was advertised, given the luck that both Bayverse and Prime didn't have proper toy lines. However, Hasbro decides to ignore the "Perfect recipe" and goes old-fashioned. Market the upcoming failure. Transformers Robots in Disguise was a great disappointment that was repeating the same scenario in every episode, with the lack of the Prime feeling. Despite the large variety of characters appearing in the show, it didn't work out as it started making the Prime continuity, a kid's show, making Prime a joke. My opinion is to balance marketing with the scenario you have. If we had that on Prime, it wouldn't have ended that soon, nor Hasbro would be forced to pull the plug off the Aligned Continuity.
-*Transformers new games:* With the Fall of Cybertron being a great success, High Moon studio is now preparing to end the cooperation with Hasbro. Hasbro now sees that despite the incredible success of the fresh products, the company will face problems in regard to its other Transformers marketing career. The Video games are becoming more and more needed by the community, so Hasbro needs to answer with new Transformers games (actual ones, not mobile games). My suggestion is that they could have started searching for greater studios, since they have successfully cooperated with High Moon. Studios like Ubisoft could have potentially boosted the Transformers games and reputation to the current height of other famous franchises (Star Wars, Marvel, DC etc.)
Would it have helped having tfp be a bit more consistent with wfc and foc?
I'll say it, Battleship, Prime Wars, and the Generations WFC should never have gone beyond toys with how they turned out. 🤢
I wish that instead of rehashing the same stories over and over in the same continuity, they'd expand upon other things. Like, Prime detailed the events of the end of the war and parts of the beginning through flashbacks. We know all of this stuff already. It would be cool to see other major events of the war, or even what life was like before it began. I'd love to see a show with Orion Pax and Alpha Trion during their mentorship days, with a stark contrast of Megatronus and Soundwave's days as gladiators showing the caste system in action.
In the Aligned Continuity, Megatron had very reasonable motivations: destroy the caste system and build a new society that didn't rely on the suffering of the vulnerable to function. Orion Pax agreed with him- they just had very different opinions on how to go about it. I'd love to have a fully fleshed out series about that. The day to day life on Cybertron pre-war. Get to see some of our favs before they became war-hardened soldiers. Y'all, I'd even take a Slice of Life series about it at this point. Just give us something different from the same old MegsVOP, late stage of the war stories. The Aligned Continuity did it so well, it wouldn't be hard to expand upon something different and have it well received. Just don't make the same mistake that RID2015 did and market your show for 5YO when you know the only people who are going to really care are adults.
This felt good to watch. It put more light on a few loose things that i was confused about, like "why" they *specifically* decided to cancel prime. That and why things are so different now a days with how it looks and feels.
I will never forget what Goldner did, for he has my truest respects. 😔
Transformers could pull an "aligned" continuity if Hasbro united a group conformed by game devs, animators and writters that were actively interested in working together to make a shared universe, instead of getting random teams and expected them to follow each other. And this shared continuity wouldn't have to be the center of the transformers franchise, could me more like a slow cooking spin off series
The Cybertron games are by far my favorite piece of Transformers media: from the designs and aesthetic to the gameplay to the story to the characters, it was everything I've always wanted from the franchise. The fact we will never see a true sequel to it leaves a big hole in my Spark and Rise of the Dark Spark was adding insult to injury. Also, while I loved the Prime series, it was definitely flawed and it's clear the creators of the show were problematic to the overall vision of the Aligned Continuity, something I again always wanted for the franchise. It's just too bad so many creatives were unwilling to cooperate. It was such an incredible time to be a Transformer fan and I fear we will never see anything like it again. Nothing they have come up with since has felt quite the same and we are DESPERATELY in need of a new AAA Transformers game series. Devastation was fun but shallow and repetitive and the Cyberverse game(I can't even remember what it's called) was mobile game put on consoles. It's been nearly EIGHT years since Devastation and nearly a DECADE since Fall of Cybertron please Hasbro, I'm desperate for a great Transformers game! I can't even buy War for Cybertron or Fall of Cybertron anymore, it's incredibly depressing....
I'd honestly even be happy with remakes/remasters of the High-Moon games, more high-res textures and character models, fixing frame-rate issues (I swear I can actually count the frames when Metroplex has in-engine cut scenes for FoC) and restore the multi-player
So it isn't so much an aligned continuity as the shared concept we have now. It's kind of too bad, and I have to wonder what would have happened if High Moon hadn't been the only ones to actually attempt to make it work (and Activision hadn't screwed everything up on their end). Have the games handle the early years of the war, the shows deal with current events, and have the novels and comics fill in the gaps. Instead everyone wanted to do their own thing and we'll never know what could have been.
I never saw the High moon games and the prime show in the same universe. But this is an awesome video.
Yea I saw them as separate and personally still do
So sad that Brain Garner, the CEO at the time, left for medical leave and died a few days into it. He did amazing things.
It is sad. May he rest in peace.
And he was only 58.
@@admiralwullfyularen6225 the CEO of Hasbro at the time.
I watched Transformers before the Aligned continuity, but I really liked the lore they used and I love how it’s still being used today. I love the idea of Optimus and Megatron going from friend’s to enemies.
It did take me a while to get to RID, Rescue Bots, and Cyberverse…but I decided to give them a chance and I wasn’t disappointed.
Imagine if they stuck with aligned (or something similar) instead of trying to make everything g1 like they have been since 2014
I miss the 2000s Transformers that had a lot more variety in what they did.
The Aligned Continuity and it's "unified vision" has resulted in all future series feeling samey.
Heavy agree, you may like the Brave Series then which was what Takara did when transformers died off which is a series of disconnected series featuring transforming robots in similar roles to say RID 2001 transformers or heck even Animated transformers (though they aren’t underpowered to the bad guys)
Yeah, I miss when Megatron had a crazy new look every series before the movies. Now he's just "stylized G1 Megatron" with every new series.
@@Its_Charlie_Young oh most definitely, all of them were different but carried a powerful aura around them looking ready to crush heads in their palms or gut the nearest soldier
@@Its_Charlie_Young With the advent of the MCU and a greater sense of continuity, it makes to standardize the designs so casual audiences will know who is who. That was the big criticism with the live-action transformers beyond Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. No one knows which Transformers is supposed to be which character.
Megatron having a flux of designs meant it's difficult to identify him. There had to be some sort of continuity in his design, which they settle with a giant cannon and a bucket helmet. Same thing with Starscream. His design always has to be an upside down triangle and a jet. Soundwave is a visor helmet. So on and so forth.
I was taking a nap before this and when I woke up this video is up. What a welcome surprise
I wish we could've gotten stuff like the aligned version of stuff like shattered glass or a Beast Wars show that ended with a crossover with Transformers Prime, seeing the cast of both shows team up to fight their respective foes before having to work together to stop a plot by tarantulas to reawaken Unicron on Earth.
For the BW show, we could see a new characters added like a preying mantis Flamewar amongst others (with Dinobot's last stand used to kill off multiple predacons) a maximal-upgraded Arcee make guest star appearances with a spider mode (as a nod to her original BW toy) and her on-board computer modified to be a close to her old human partner jack as possible.
Honestly, to me, the Aligned continuity is the definition of 'Inconsistent'. You have great installments like the Activision Cybertron games, the Dinobot comics, and Rescue Bots (Fight me), you have middling stuff like Prime (No offense, people who enjoyed that series), and then you have Robots in Disguise, which is so disconnected from the events of Prime it's not even funny.
Edit: I know RiD references the events of Prime and some of the characters from Prime show up in it, but there's so much about the series that not only clashes with the tone of the rest of the Aligned continuity, but contradicts it as well.
what is wrong with you guys? Aligned means canon rules
@@user-hc9qv9yb9mI don’t have a problem with canon or continuity. I have a problem with people stating that things are supposed to line up, then not making the effort to ensure things DO line up.
i feel like the War for Cybertron games, the "Prime Wars" cartoon, the TF Prime cartoon, 2015 R.I.D. cartoon, Rescue Bots, and Beast Wars all make a nice continuaty.
Great video as always. Brian Goldner had a vision that seemed to make sense but did not pan out....however it gave us all even more than he bargained for. I am excited to see where Transformers goes in the future....hell in any future. There are enough stories for all of us to enjoy....young and old-fashioned....like me. LMBAO
not gonna lie the wfc game is the best tf game and have great characters design tho and rescue bot academy is not bad at all i mean is keep the rescue bots 2014 alive imo(also rescue bots 2014 is good in my opinion i'm always happy whole i watching it) and TFP always the best
Don't forget fall of cybertron which gave us an actual functional team combaticons! Compatant efficient and a non traitor Swindle!
@@berilsevvalbekret772 foc is also great it need a remastred triolgy along with wfc and rise of the dark spark like crash bandicoot remastred triolgy and spyro the dragon remastred triolgy
I loved rescue bots academy
Agree that was amazing 100% and Glitter force all stars no bad so & sega legends; together we are one legends never die BFF til the end till all are one (remember this)
@@pistonx3544 me too it was a great show and thanks to god hasbro is still keep rescue bots alive and hasbro still care about it
I kinda like the idea of a continuity that fits if you squint a little. Means someone can drop in on a show and have a basic idea of how it all works without having to have watched multiple seasons of stuff before it. I get the impression Hasbro have plans like that for Power Rangers now with all the talk of it getting a soft reboot soon.
How rescue bots became the heart and soul of the aligned.
There’s also the idea of “evergreen” designs for the characters now, where they’re keeping the characters true to however they were first seen be it G1 or whatever without going too far off the rails of in their depictions between toys and series now.
I like that and will have to find out more info on the topic. Thanks!
Somehow I read that as "Depicticons"
@@DevinGates Sounds like a "Visionaries" crossover. Cybertronian Knights of the Magical Light, so to speak.
@@Starcat5 starring Perceptor vs Refractor
Only with the Aligned continuity I got what I always wanted (Maybe not perfect yet still close enough)
and that was seeing the Transformers story from the start (Exodus), War (WfC Games, voyage (Exiles and Retribution), Earth landing (Prime and Rescue Bots), End of War (Predacons Rising), Post-War tales (RiD 2015) and the future of Transformesr living in peace on Earth (Rescue Bots Academy)
when i was a kid thought the coolest thing was when the nemesis, or trypticon, came back to life. that tied it all together for me
f*ck you, battleship 2012
For ruined my continuity
Loved this episode! I had the highest expectations and you didn't let me down. As always, great work, very informative and clearly explained!
I can give Prime credit for getting me into transformers. Before maybe 2013-14, or whenever the series went to Netflix, the bay movies were what transformers was to me, and I hadn’t even watched a single one. I didn’t watch anything save for the odd episode of rescue bots and some movie books at my school library. Then I watched prime all the way through, and kind of left transformers behind, but it stayed with me. Then I watched the 86 movie, watched war for cybertron which really hooked me, and I never looked back.
Trying to make a single Hasbro combined universe is a great idea... IF the concepts can actually fit together.
Matt Tracker as a GI Joe scientist who develops the Mobil Armored Strike Kommand vehicles using technology reverse-engineered from study of The Transformers? BRILLIANT
Battle Ship? I don't know... I suppose it could fit as part of GI Joe's marine division. Not sure it's really necessary.
Candy Land...? What in the name of Primus?
though that does make me wonder how they were going to pull it off.
Excellent work on the Transformers Aligned Continuity my friend! I played Transformers both War for Cybertron and Fall for Cybertron. I watched the whole Transformers Prime series and the Transformers Robots in Disguise too. And my favorite characters from the Transformers Aligned Continuity are both the Dinobots from Transformers Fall of Cybertron and the near extinct dragon-like Predacons from Transformers Prime Beast Hunters series and the movie TFP Predacons Rising. Please continue work for your channel. I have subscribed your channel for your videos of the Transformers franchise. And Happy Holidays my friend!🤗🤗🤗✌
Characters that were supposed to exist already coming back differently would make sense as they died but came back as we can see after Optimus' sacrifice at the end of Prime. The bodies would have been reforged differently as no one with the skills would remember exactly how they looked or just wanted to give them upgrades. The aligned continuity still exists.
Amazing video my friend. I really enjoy how deep down the rabbit hole you go.
Even though I hold some resentment towards the Aligned Continuity for partially being responsible for cancelling TF: Animated, I still do love Transformers: Prime.
I wanted a Real sequel to War and Fall of Cybertron. Set on earth and could be similar to G1. We could've had autobot combiners like the Aerialbots to counter the Combaticons. Even bring back Metroplex or even use Fortress Maximus.
There's always rise of the dark spark
@@mr.everwind5225 a Real Sequel
This explains why foc cliffjumper and TFP cliffjumper heads are the same
Even if things didn't entirely line up, one of the best continuities.
I remember trying Transformers Universe's beta or whatever you call it. Sad it never came to be because the idea of playing as your own transformer is something many long time fans of the franchise would love.
Always love a new upload from you Chris!
Ive always been a huge Transformers fan. I got comics, movies, shows, the works. The one that stole my heart, above all, was Rescuebots. We put it on for my kid thinking it was just gonna be a regular kids show. I was very wrong. I want more Rescuebots. Like now
Dude now I see why you didn’t post last Saturday. Great work as always!!
Great subject for the year’s last video Chris! The Basics is a much needed bright spot in these interesting times we’re living through and that was a very touching tribute.
My annoyance comes from how they mainly are taking it into a "kid" kind of direction, with them focusing more on bumble bee or "new" recruits than on cool/important characters like Optimus,Megatron,Soundwave, etc.
If this helps fans understand the Aligned continuity here’s how i view it: the High Noon Cybertron Games and novels are a modernized retelling of the G1 continuity, while Prime RID Rescue bots and Academy are in a different continuity.
All I can say is when I have 3-4 year old will watch Rescue Bots together. And then, at age 5 it'll be time to put the big boy pants on and watch Beast Wars, lol.
Although the continuity does get muddled a ton, I really REALLY enjoyed the actual stories they told from the War and Fall of Cybertron games, Prime, and both Rescue Bots cartoons.
Personally, I don't care for RID 2015 and I wouldn't even return to it except for the Starscream arc. But every other show was, to me, pretty damn solid. It's just the actual consistency between them half the time gets scrambled from either creative differences or being a little too impatient when certain things happen or a new toy is released. Which isn't exactly new since even the Unicron Trilogy did that a lot back in the day.
My Personal "Aligned Continuity" starts with the Beast Wars & Beast Machines. That REBOOTS everything that begins again with Transformers Prime.
Holy Moly! That's a lot of connections I would never have made. I'll have to revisit this video and outline a Aligned playthrough/watching of shows to try to grasp the bigger vision.
Great video, and small tribute to Brian. Thanks again, class act man.
Till all are one….
Funny how Prime was conceived as “show before toys” and then its original third season was shelved over a toy executives whacky idea
Happy holidays and Merry Christmas. Thanks for the lore and info
To me alined continuity kind of sounds like head canon with more steps. Sort of like what DC or Marvel do it keep stories they like
Remember when they dropped the TFP children in Predacons Rising , making it seem as if the Autobots , their newfound family , abandoned them on Earth and never spoke to them again despite how many times the little Humans risked their lives for them ? .And there is no confirmed contact between each other in RiD .Were they even told Optimus , their father figure , had died ? .Or were they not important enough ? .
I love Prime (Best TF series) and the Aligned continuity but by God does it have issues .
I really got the impression that the kids, and even the adults were not important enough to bother with anymore, and that is really a shame to portray the Autobots like that. It was like everything in the show mattered and was important, until it wasn't, and every one mattered and were "family" until they weren't. it was a very nihilistic way of relating the characters and the story in general, because at the end nothing really had any final meaning, And if that was not bad enough, most of the relationships seemed to be transactional, especially regarding Optimus, he seemed to just ignore everyone, until he needed them for something, I saw this in a big way in regards to the way he interacted with Jack in response to what Jack did in order to help Optimus regain his memories, there was never a moment where Optimus even thanked him for doing this, it seemed to me that it was more like an IOU that Optimus decided he would cash in on for protecting earth from Megatron, and Jack seemed to be the best candidate out of the humans to do this, even Jack mentioned something about owing it to Optimus, which that is fine, but still kind of hollow since Optimus never once acknowledged, or showed any gratitude toward Jack for this, it seemed to be more of an, "I'm entitled to use you attitude".
I find it kind of funny how it began with a dark game about war and carnage and is ending with a bright, colorful and innocent children’s show about school students!
The Prime cartoon met it’s end of a Dark Energon Powered Megatron
You know everytime I see the Transformers animated blurr it's always got me thinking that Hasbro can recycle the mold tweak a few things to make a few things better change the paint Scheme and you got the perfect Transformers crossover Speed Racer I mean seriously you could call This Mach x
I just tend to ignore the aligned continuity and enjoy transformers for what is