It all started as a glorified toy commercial…
Toys. It was all about selling toys, and what better way to advertise thanto run a cartoon for kids to watch. But thanks to some excellent writing and production, Transformers the carton series became a massive hit that kick started one of the biggest Sci Fi franchises of our time.
It all started when American toy company Hasbro stumbled across some Japanese Diaclone
figures at a toy expo. They decided to make a deal and rerelease these toys in America and give them a new name: ‘The Transformers’. It was then that many marketing strategies were put into place, such as the releasing of a comic book series and cartoon mini-series. The mini-series was intented as a television pilot, which was successfully launched in the first season of Transformers. With the cartoon in place and running on free to air television, it was the perfect way to advertise new toys by introducing new characters that would play both major and minor roles in the show, eventually killing off discontinued characters and slowly evolving into an almost entirely new cast of Transformers Characters.
Plot
Transformers: Season 1
It begins on Cybertron, a highly technologically advanced planet with giant robot lifeforms known as Transformers inhabiting the planet. A once energy rich planet, Cybertron is drained of it’s energy due to an ongoing war between the Autobots and Decepticons. In an attempt to search for energy the Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime take off to explore the universe and stop the fighting. The evil Decepticons, lead by Megatron follow and attack the Autobot ship when they spin out of control and crash land on prehistoric Earth, where they stay deactived until 1984, when they are reactivated by the ships computer Teletran 1, and continue the great war on Earth. Read More…
Available on DVD
Transformers: Season 2
The Autobots and Decepticons are in the thick of war on Earth, with new warriors arriving on both sides, the scale of the war gets constantly bigger as the Decepticons devise new tactics to defeat the Autobots. As the fighting continues the visits to Cybertron become more frequent, expanding the fight into outer space aswell as on Cybertron, creating a whole new field of battle along with some interesting species of Aliens. Read More…
Available on DVD – Volume 1 
Transformers: The Animated Movie
After more than 20 years of fighting on Earth, the Decepticons plan their final assault on the Autobots and attack Autobot city, killing some of the Autobots finest in battle. During the battle Optimus Prime and Megatron battle it out with the end result being both Transformers leaving with fatal wounds. As Optimu Prime dies he leaves the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus, who is to lead the Autobots in his place. Whilst Megatron is dumped in deep space during the flight home by Starscream, who assumes command of the Decepticons, he crosses paths with the massive planet destroyer Unicron, who rebuilds him into Galvatron. Galvatron quickly reassumes control of the Decepticons, and exacts his revenge on Starscream for betraying him. The battle continues as Galvatron tries to gain control of the Matrix and destroy Unicron, all the while the Autobots fight to get the Matrix back. Read More…
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Transformers: Season 3
Unicron is destroyed, Galvatron is nowhere to be seen and the Decepticons are barely able to sustain themselves. it seems the Autobots have defeated the Decepticons forever and they celebrate with their new leader Rodimus Prime. But a strange new enemy arises known as the Quintessons, who make a deal with the Decepticons and wreak havoc whilst Cyclonus, second in command to Galvatron, recovers their leader, to command once again. The majority of the war happens on in space and on Cybertron introducting even more Alien races and Transformers characters. Towards the end of Season 3, Optimus Prime is brought back to life, and returns to lead the Autobots once again. Read More…
Available on DVD
Transformers: Season 4 – Rebirth
Optimus is back, and Galvatron is on the attack again. During the battle to take control of the Plasma Energy Chamber, a source of great energy on Cybertron, the Autobots are shot into deep space and land a planet known as Nebulos. The Decepticons follow to retrieve the key to Plasma Energy chamber, when they encounter difficulties from the planets native warriors and machines. Its then that plan is devised to create the Headmasters and Targetmasters, thus a new type of Transformer is born, with partners that transform into the heads or weapons of their counterpart. This series is the finale of the Transformers Series, ending when Galvatron and his Decepticons are shot far into deep space aboard the massive Headmaster Scorponok, and Cybertron beings the second Golden Age, where the Autobots live in peace and the war is over. Read More…
Available on DVD
But it doesnt end there…
Altough the series has ended Hasbro release a 5th season of Transformers with some of the most popular episodes being re-run. The G1 universe is picked up in the show Beast Wars, some 3 centuries later. Japan however decided to discard the 4th American Season of Transformers and create their own show called ‘Transformers: Headmasters’, and the massively popular era of Japanese G1 takes place with Super God Masterforce, Victory and Zone following.
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