Quote Originally Posted by Megatron View Post
But I don't know how to put aside my love for Megatron... I haven't seen Seasons 3 or 4 of G1 yet. They're next on my 'to watch' list. I'm not really looking forward to them, but I agree with what you said; Galvatron should be treated as a totally separate character (gladly in some official continuities he actually is!), that way it will make those seasons more bearable for me to watch.
I read something a while back which seemed to me to be a very wise way of dealing with this sort of problem. Essentially, treat all the different incarnations and stories as legends or myths, passed on over thousands of years and embellished and altered along the way.

It was originally in reference to Star Wars which arguably suffers more than other media properties due to their drive for a single canon continuity with the unfortunate side effect of rendering some very good stories apocryphal.

In any case, I think it's a good way to enjoy each story on its own terms, explain away inconsistencies between different series (or within them!) and gives you license to 'pick and choose' your own personal continuity.

The G1 cartoon, for all its flaws, is the iconic Transformers media for me. I used to watch the G2 incarnation (G1 butchered with a CG intro and new transitions) whenever I could and loved it. I recently picked up the new remastered DVD sets and I'm working my way through them.

As others have said, the stories are quite simplistic and sometimes don't make a lot of sense. I'd definitely recommend viewing at least a selection of episodes though as the cartoon was the origin of the voice of Optimus Prime and, along with the comic series, set the scene for everything that followed.

One thing that really bothers me though: Why did Megatron call a retreat every time one of the Decepticons stubbed their toe? If they pushed the attack they could wipe out the Autobots with minimal losses.

Episodes that I can remember from way back include:
More Than Meets the Eye 1-3
Dinobot Island 1-2
Prime Target
Starscream's Brigade + Revenge of Bruticus
BOT

Most of those are probably pretty iconic, except Prime Target. Not really sure why that one stuck with me.