STL
15th February 2009, 12:03 PM
Welcome to another instalment of the Soapbox. This week we have a more fiction based topic for discussion. But before we begin I have a few administrative points:
1.) I'd like to note is I'm making an effort to reduce down the size of the Soapbox as its been brought to my attention it's too long. With that in mind, I'm trying to limit them to two pages in Microsoft Word at most.
2.) I don't think I'll be posting as many pictures (not that I have in awhile) because its a rather time-consuming procedure for me on top of writing and editting the Soapbox.
3.) Topics you'd like to see some discussion on? Please do let me know. While I have a large inventory of topics, I'd be happy to write and read up on other topics that others would like to see.
4.) Enjoy. :)
__________________________________________________ _______________
The Soapbox X: A Prime Problem
This is one of the topics that inspired the Soapbox’s existence in the first place. It’s one that’s close to my spark and one that polarizes the Transformers Community. Optimus Prime is without doubt the cornerstone of the franchise. While there are many characters who are venerated by the fanbase, G1 Optimus Prime, “Optimus Prime” hereafter, is the ultimate template upon which subsequent variations of his namesake have been based. Yet there has always been one criticism of G1 Prime. He’s too perfect. Many view him as a character too boring to follow, a character too good to be true, a character whose perfection limits story possibilities, a character devoid of substance. This Soapbox sets out to unequivocally debunk this view.
Let us first examine the basis that leads many to claim Optimus Prime to be problematic. In the eyes of the fandom, Optimus Prime’s perfection is his undoing. He is derided for this because he handles every situation with too much poise, too much certainty. His relationships are never tested by the emotional crests and troughs of war. He is a commander who never makes the wrong choices. He is a bot who is followed without question. All of this has the cumulative effect of leading a section of the fandom holding the view that he is a poor character because he limits story possibilities.
That assessment is wrong.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3475/generation12alc8.jpg http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9260/20thanniversaryoptimuspfp9.jpg http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3669/wallscrolloptimusav1.jpg
Some might say that Optimus Prime was poor strategically. Yes, he was. Within the larger context of the series, the Autobots should have been able to wipe out the Decepticons. Their sheer numbers were more than enough to overwhelm Megatron’s troops. But one must remember that within the confines of the cartoon and the purpose for its existence, it wasn’t possible for this. The purpose of the cartoon was to push toys and characters to kids. And since good characters sell better than bad characters there would always be more good characters. This in itself limited story possibilities. To say then this is a flaw of Prime is unfair. It wasn’t. It was the result of cartoon.
But stepping aside from the defence that it was the cartoon itself’s limitations, Prime himself remains a character of impeccable distinction.
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/2668/tftmdvd0375sn3.jpghttp://img11.imageshack.us/img11/6522/tftmdvd03739co1.jpghttp://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9326/tftmdvd0392sl1.jpg
It could be argued that the archetype upon which Prime was built on is the usual perfect leader type. That in all respects, he’s no different from Captain America, He-Man or Superman. Wrong. Prime is more than any of those characters. Prime is not a symbol of a country or people, he is not an alien who was brought up on a new planet he calls home, Prime is not an alter ego. He is more than that. Prime is an alien who arrives on another planet yet without a moment’s hesitation is prepared to sacrifice everything for that planet. He fights not because of some loyalty but because of higher notions, notions of freedom and fairness. Unlike other characters to whom these layers were later added, Prime from day one was committed to helping the denizens of Earth not because of some loyalty after being brought up here but because of his belief in higher ideals.
Furthermore, Prime was not the only character in his show. He didn’t always dominate it unlike leaders in other franchises. There were many an episode where Prime took a back seat and it is others who have the opportunity to shine. Prime’s leadership and qualities were not overbearing. They did not prevent others from getting a chance to shine. He was not force fed down our throats. In many cases, other characters were defined by their interactions with Prime. Grimlock and the Dinobots, Mirage, Huffer, Cliffjumper and so on. And in turn, they defined him.
Even more so, his Autobots follow him without question. Many argue that this is an inherent flaw as no person, how great, how inspiring, can ever command such loyalty. The dissension of the Dinobots? The countless Autobots who questioned Prime’s authority from Slingshot to Cliffjumper? Aside from those points though let’s look at the argument from a different vantage point. What some see as flaws, the rest of us should view as the beauty of Prime’s character. Optimus Prime is all that we could ever aspire to be. A leader of people, a being possessing such traits that others would follow him.
With all of that in mind, there is still one point to counter. That a character as perfect as Prime is too one-dimensional,, too boring, to be captivated by audiences? What’s the alternative? A troubled leader fighting his deepest demons? Oh wait, we haven’t seen that before, have we? Forgive my flippancy but my point is Prime’s type of character is only as boring as you make him. Furthermore he is increasingly rare. Over the years, there have been fewer and fewer leaders who possess such attributes. There’s a reason why he is iconic. And this is it. His breed is a rare one and that is sorely missed because it gives us something to aspire to. Something beyond mediocrity. And perhaps that’s the problem, too many of us are inspired by mediocrity rather than aspiring to something higher. Optimus Prime offers that something higher than mediocrity. He offers no excuses. He asks for no sympathy. He just is.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5430/tftmdvd0432cs9.jpghttp://img17.imageshack.us/img17/9407/tftmdvd0435uk4.jpghttp://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2090/tftmdvd043611ml8.jpg
And that’s what makes him iconic. That’s what makes his death so tragic. It struck you because he death represented the death of a character who epitomized all the qualities that one could ever aspire to. It represented an act of heroism, sacrifice, bravery, compassion and loyalty. It was a defining statement of character.
Optimus Prime is a simple character. But there is beauty in simplicity. Simplicity is rare and often overlooked. But it shouldn’t be. Not in the case of Prime. Prime’s character transcends because he embodies all the values we could ever aspire to. He represents hope, compassion, strength against adversity, unity, faith and fairness. While other incarnations fade into mediocrity, G1 Optimus Prime will forever endure the passage of time and his legacy will never be forgotten.
1.) I'd like to note is I'm making an effort to reduce down the size of the Soapbox as its been brought to my attention it's too long. With that in mind, I'm trying to limit them to two pages in Microsoft Word at most.
2.) I don't think I'll be posting as many pictures (not that I have in awhile) because its a rather time-consuming procedure for me on top of writing and editting the Soapbox.
3.) Topics you'd like to see some discussion on? Please do let me know. While I have a large inventory of topics, I'd be happy to write and read up on other topics that others would like to see.
4.) Enjoy. :)
__________________________________________________ _______________
The Soapbox X: A Prime Problem
This is one of the topics that inspired the Soapbox’s existence in the first place. It’s one that’s close to my spark and one that polarizes the Transformers Community. Optimus Prime is without doubt the cornerstone of the franchise. While there are many characters who are venerated by the fanbase, G1 Optimus Prime, “Optimus Prime” hereafter, is the ultimate template upon which subsequent variations of his namesake have been based. Yet there has always been one criticism of G1 Prime. He’s too perfect. Many view him as a character too boring to follow, a character too good to be true, a character whose perfection limits story possibilities, a character devoid of substance. This Soapbox sets out to unequivocally debunk this view.
Let us first examine the basis that leads many to claim Optimus Prime to be problematic. In the eyes of the fandom, Optimus Prime’s perfection is his undoing. He is derided for this because he handles every situation with too much poise, too much certainty. His relationships are never tested by the emotional crests and troughs of war. He is a commander who never makes the wrong choices. He is a bot who is followed without question. All of this has the cumulative effect of leading a section of the fandom holding the view that he is a poor character because he limits story possibilities.
That assessment is wrong.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3475/generation12alc8.jpg http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9260/20thanniversaryoptimuspfp9.jpg http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3669/wallscrolloptimusav1.jpg
Some might say that Optimus Prime was poor strategically. Yes, he was. Within the larger context of the series, the Autobots should have been able to wipe out the Decepticons. Their sheer numbers were more than enough to overwhelm Megatron’s troops. But one must remember that within the confines of the cartoon and the purpose for its existence, it wasn’t possible for this. The purpose of the cartoon was to push toys and characters to kids. And since good characters sell better than bad characters there would always be more good characters. This in itself limited story possibilities. To say then this is a flaw of Prime is unfair. It wasn’t. It was the result of cartoon.
But stepping aside from the defence that it was the cartoon itself’s limitations, Prime himself remains a character of impeccable distinction.
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/2668/tftmdvd0375sn3.jpghttp://img11.imageshack.us/img11/6522/tftmdvd03739co1.jpghttp://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9326/tftmdvd0392sl1.jpg
It could be argued that the archetype upon which Prime was built on is the usual perfect leader type. That in all respects, he’s no different from Captain America, He-Man or Superman. Wrong. Prime is more than any of those characters. Prime is not a symbol of a country or people, he is not an alien who was brought up on a new planet he calls home, Prime is not an alter ego. He is more than that. Prime is an alien who arrives on another planet yet without a moment’s hesitation is prepared to sacrifice everything for that planet. He fights not because of some loyalty but because of higher notions, notions of freedom and fairness. Unlike other characters to whom these layers were later added, Prime from day one was committed to helping the denizens of Earth not because of some loyalty after being brought up here but because of his belief in higher ideals.
Furthermore, Prime was not the only character in his show. He didn’t always dominate it unlike leaders in other franchises. There were many an episode where Prime took a back seat and it is others who have the opportunity to shine. Prime’s leadership and qualities were not overbearing. They did not prevent others from getting a chance to shine. He was not force fed down our throats. In many cases, other characters were defined by their interactions with Prime. Grimlock and the Dinobots, Mirage, Huffer, Cliffjumper and so on. And in turn, they defined him.
Even more so, his Autobots follow him without question. Many argue that this is an inherent flaw as no person, how great, how inspiring, can ever command such loyalty. The dissension of the Dinobots? The countless Autobots who questioned Prime’s authority from Slingshot to Cliffjumper? Aside from those points though let’s look at the argument from a different vantage point. What some see as flaws, the rest of us should view as the beauty of Prime’s character. Optimus Prime is all that we could ever aspire to be. A leader of people, a being possessing such traits that others would follow him.
With all of that in mind, there is still one point to counter. That a character as perfect as Prime is too one-dimensional,, too boring, to be captivated by audiences? What’s the alternative? A troubled leader fighting his deepest demons? Oh wait, we haven’t seen that before, have we? Forgive my flippancy but my point is Prime’s type of character is only as boring as you make him. Furthermore he is increasingly rare. Over the years, there have been fewer and fewer leaders who possess such attributes. There’s a reason why he is iconic. And this is it. His breed is a rare one and that is sorely missed because it gives us something to aspire to. Something beyond mediocrity. And perhaps that’s the problem, too many of us are inspired by mediocrity rather than aspiring to something higher. Optimus Prime offers that something higher than mediocrity. He offers no excuses. He asks for no sympathy. He just is.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5430/tftmdvd0432cs9.jpghttp://img17.imageshack.us/img17/9407/tftmdvd0435uk4.jpghttp://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2090/tftmdvd043611ml8.jpg
And that’s what makes him iconic. That’s what makes his death so tragic. It struck you because he death represented the death of a character who epitomized all the qualities that one could ever aspire to. It represented an act of heroism, sacrifice, bravery, compassion and loyalty. It was a defining statement of character.
Optimus Prime is a simple character. But there is beauty in simplicity. Simplicity is rare and often overlooked. But it shouldn’t be. Not in the case of Prime. Prime’s character transcends because he embodies all the values we could ever aspire to. He represents hope, compassion, strength against adversity, unity, faith and fairness. While other incarnations fade into mediocrity, G1 Optimus Prime will forever endure the passage of time and his legacy will never be forgotten.