More Than Meets The Eye

As a child growing up in the 1980's, I was exposed to many television shows that were created for the sole purpose of selling toys. There are many people who have a strong distaste for such programs, as they seem to represent some of the worst elements of consumerism. The trick was to get young minds to become emotionally attached to the characters on screen, which would lead the child to beg his or her parents for the toy version at every opportunity. When judged by this standard, such shows (like He-Man: Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and The Transformers) were a great success. A great many toys were sold during the years the programs were on the air. It would be unfair to view the legacy of these shows through such a small lens, however.

For some reason, these shows have transcended their relatively simple and opportunistic beginnings. Millions of adults who grew up watching these programs still have a strong fondness for them due to their highly nostalgic value. In connection with the release of a new live-action movie this summer, I would like to examine why The Transformers has survived to become perhaps the most beloved of them all.

First of all, the concept is highly intriguing - the show features giant robots from outer space that think and exhibit real human emotion. Though they are machines, these Transformers are subject to the same foibles as men, such as pride, anger, jealously, and fear. They are also capable of great nobility as expressed by the heroes' courage, honor, and self-sacrifice.

The Transformers belong to two opposing camps in a great war: the heroic Autobots (who for the most part transform into some form of automobiles) and the evil Decepticons (whose transformations include jet fighters, a tape deck, a handgun, and so on). As eons of warfare had depleted the energy resources on their home planet of Cybertron, the Transformers went searching for new sources of energy. Their star ship crashed into Mt. St. Helens, where they were buried for millions of years until the 1980's eruption jostled the ship's on-board computer. The re-awakened computer then set about repairing the damaged warriors. As the computer scanned the surrounding area, it altered the robots so that their transformations matched Earth vehicles and equipment, so that their disguises would be effective.

The show then followed the Autobots' attempts to protect Earth, its people, and its natural resources from the marauding Decepticons who sought to "drain this planet dry" of its energy so that they could acquire the power to conquer the universe. The episodes themselves are a bit hit-and miss. There are some major plot holes and continuity problems. One of the most notable of these was that the Autobots could fly in the first few episodes, but they suddenly and without explanation no longer had that ability. Several later episodes focus on the Autobots' lack of flight capabilities. In another hole some Transformers built on Earth are later given a history on Cybertron. Still, the show had its share of redeeming qualities.

The writing was generally good. The show's writers really did try to make each episode engaging, and several episodes bordered on the philosophical. The stories they wove were sufficient to create an emotional attachment to the characters that still exists today. The other key element to the creation of this attachment was the fine voice acting. In particular, Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Frank Welker as Megatron (the show's chief hero and villain) left an indelible mark in the minds of many young people. While G.I. Joe was good fun, Transformers is more memorable in large part, I think, to their efforts. The show had, of course, another key element to success: an iconic hero. Autobot leader Optimus Prime deserves a place in the short list of all-time greatest cartoon and comic book heroes (yes, I'm lumping them together). I'm working on another post that will deal specifically with Optimus Prime.

I have really "grown out" of the toy phase, and even the collectible phase (I lack sufficient space and sufficient interest), but the show does bring back some fond memories. Several episodes stand out to me as being particularly enjoyable:

Season 1 (16 episodes):
Fire on the Mountain
Countdown to Extinction
Heavy Metal War

Season 2 (49 episodes):
Atlantis, Arise!
Day of the Machines
Desertion of the Dinobots (2 parts)
The Golden Lagoon
Prime Target
The Key to Vector Sigma (2 parts)
Aerial Assault
Trans-Europe Express
Starscream's Brigade

Season 3 (30 episodes):
Starscream's Ghost
Ghost in the Machine
Only Human

There are a number of other very fun episodes in the series, but even I must admit that many of the shows are hard to watch, either due to bad animation or bad story. By my rough estimation, about 60 of the series' 98 episodes stand up well to repeat viewing. I would say that that the series' episodes break down nicely into quartiles, with about 1/4 of the episodes being very good, 1/4 being good, 1/4 being fair or decent, and 1/4 being nearly unwatchable or very forgettable. I have taken this into account in my overall rating of the program.

In sum, the series did some new things while also making the familiar exciting again. If you were a child in the 1980's, it retains a high nostalgia value. I give it 3 antelopes.