Quote Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper View Post
So, I was just thinking...
In BW, Transmetals have mechanical alt-modes and organic elements in robot modes. Transmetal 2s have both mechanical and organic component melded in a more 'integrated' style.
TM Optimus Primal (in robot mode) shares/melds his Spark with Optimus Prime (entirely mechanical/no organic components) and - so far as I can see - becomes an entirely mechanical form. We see inside him in robot mode (the formerly partially-organic part) and everything's 100% machine.
So, it's not unreasonable to assume that the upgrade that comes from mingling sparks between a Transmetal and a 'guzzler' (or even just an exceptionally powerful-sparked guzzler such as Prime and original Megatron) creates a more powerful but also entirely mechanical form.

But then BW Megs mingles sparks with old-school Megs - who is 100% robot, and not that keen on organics unlike Prime. BW Megs is in robot mode as Primal was when he mingled sparks with Prime, i.e. he has a certain amount of organic components. He gets a size-and-power upgrade, much like Optimal Optimus. Yet apparently BW Megs' dragon form, created in the same manner with the same concoction of organic and inorganic parts as Optimal Optimus, is part organic (as becomes a major plot point in that terrible dream that never happened Beast Machines).

Surely, all things being equal, BW Megs should also be an entirely robotic dragon, and/or Optimal Optimus should retain some organic components, especially in robot mode. If anything, you'd think Megs would be less likely to be at all organic, given big (i.e. original) Megs' aversion to organic life. Heck, he survives a trip on the hull of a ship through both Transwarp and normal space - seems kinda full-on for organic parts to handle. Then again, Waspinator manages it, but then again that's also Waspinator.

So, what do people think? Is Optimal Optimus part-organic after all? Is BW Megs all-mechanical, and the writers of BM just didn't think about it/ignored it so they could make Megs go all emo/space-crazy? Is it just some 'mysterious Cybertronian technology' thing? Did a wizard do it? Am I being stupid for even thinking about a TF cartoon with any eye towards logic and/or consistency, even one as well-written as Beast Wars?
There's one very important aspect that you almost touched on, but didn't quite get to:

BW Megatron becomes a TM2, instead of remaining a TM.

Every other TM2 (Cheetor, Dinobot and Blackarachnia) all have some contact with the Transmetal Driver in attaining a new form.

But Megs doesn't.

You could speculate that perhaps BW Megatron did some initial testing of the Driver on himself, before attempting to create Dinobot II, and thus had residual energy within him when he took on G1 Megatron's Spark.

And as for melding Sparks - I see it more as BW Optimus and BW Megs simply taking a 2nd Spark into their body, rather than the Sparks merging. In Optimal Situation, we see G1 Prime's Spark sitting in the cockpit section of Primal's form, where we later see Primal's Spark housed within his body. I'm of the opinion that Sparks would remain separate of each other.

Are Transmetals actually Organic? There's no doubt the robot modes of TM forms have organic motifs, with Cheetor and Primal appearing slightly furry. Rattrap however has no such detailing - all he has is the appearance of muscles or musculature - which is also seen on Optimal Optimus beast chest. So the argument could be made that yes Optimal Optimus is still retaining some organic nature.