G1 Animal sidekicks - Sentient, Semi-Sentient or Drones?

[GoktimusPrime]

The ability to speak and even interact doesn't necessarily make one sentient or sapient. Teletraan-1 and A.U.N.T.I.E. were capable of interactive speech but AFAIK are non-sentient artificial intelligences. Ditto Car Robot's AI (RiD T-AI) who even displayed simulated artificial emotions. To me the Action Master partners are Sparkless (and thus lifeless) droids, some of which are imbued with artificial intelligence, but are not actually living beings themselves who possess sentience or sapience.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Wingthing just got a line then sent on a mission in Regen 93! Sentient I say!

Well now Wingthing has his own MP figure and (like the Encore version) transforms into a cassette rather than a weapon.

So if he was a ‘lifeless drone’ as an AM/TM partner, it seems odd that he now has the same body type as Ratbat who has lead the Decepticons in more than one continuity and is most definitely a ‘living bot’.

Also a bit odd that a drone would be getting the MP treatment - I can’t see a future MP Mirage getting remoulded as a MorBot

[Paulbot]

The MP bio translations Goktimus has been posting seem to say that Wingthing and Stripes are indeed closer to animals/droids. Wingthing acts "as if he was alive". Stripes seems to be fauna reconstructed to be an Autobot (the translated sentence is unclear).

So I guess the Japanese writers might see the animal cassettes, including Ratbat, Ravage et al as "less than" the humanoid Transformers.

(I am curious thought if the original release of those extra tapes in the Encore line had similar bios though)

[GoktimusPrime]

Wingthing's bio definitely makes him out to be non-living but artificially intelligent, much like the droids in Star Wars. I like to imagine Wingthing with Alan Tudyk's K2SO voice from Rogue One.

Stripes on the other hand I would say is alive and self-aware, but on the same level as an animal. He's sentient but not sapient. I love how Stripes' function is "Battle Beast." That's such a cool nod especially considering that Battle Beasts weren't even called Battle Beasts in Japan. They were of course released as part of the Transformers Headmasters line as "Beastformers."

[BigTransformerTrev]

The MP bio translations Goktimus has been posting seem to say that Wingthing and Stripes are indeed closer to animals/droids. Wingthing acts "as if he was alive". Stripes seems to be fauna reconstructed to be an Autobot (the translated sentence is unclear).

So I guess the Japanese writers might see the animal cassettes, including Ratbat, Ravage et al as "less than" the humanoid Transformers.

(I am curious thought if the original release of those extra tapes in the Encore line had similar bios though)

Wingthing's bio definitely makes him out to be non-living but artificially intelligent, much like the droids in Star Wars. I like to imagine Wingthing with Alan Tudyk's K2SO voice from Rogue One.

Stripes on the other hand I would say is alive and self-aware, but on the same level as an animal. He's sentient but not sapient. I love how Stripes' function is "Battle Beast." That's such a cool nod especially considering that Battle Beasts weren't even called Battle Beasts in Japan. They were of course released as part of the Transformers Headmasters line as "Beastformers."

Huh - well there ya go - can’t argue with an official tech-spec (just read’em)

A bit full on that line in Wingthings making it sound like his fellow cassettes are merely intelligent drones/droids too - can’t see that going over well.

Stripes as fauna/a pet is kinda cool as like I’ve stated before, I always thought the AM TM partners should at least be pets, like how in IDW Krok is teased for naming himself after his departed pet (Gatoraider).

I guess in the end it’s all subjective since in the end it’s all fiction in the first place

[GoktimusPrime]

A bit full on that line in Wingthings making it sound like his fellow cassettes are merely intelligent drones/droids too - can’t see that going over well.

Wingthing's bio doesn't say that this is the case for any other Cassette, just him. Most likely because he used to be a drone-weapon for Action Master Soundwave. Same with Stripes' feral persona -- it seems to be something that's unique to him.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Wingthing's bio doesn't say that this is the case for any other Cassette, just him. Most likely because he used to be a drone-weapon for Action Master Soundwave

“Although programmed for loyalty, like their Master the cassettes are segregated...”

Makes it sound like all the cassettes are similar and are programmed - not that they have free will. I dunno - you are the one translating them, you know the context and sentence meanings better than I

[GoktimusPrime]

The meaning is that Wingthing is programmed for absolute loyalty, which implies that he joins Soundwave and his fellow Cassettes in being socially segregated from other Decepticons. Cos ya know, they all just live inside Soundwave's chest. When I was a little kid I used to imagine that Soundwave's chest was like the Tardis and the Cassettes all lived happily inside there.

Anyway, here's the original line from the bio for anyone else who can read Japanese who may like to double-check my translation.
プログラムの通り忠実ではあるが、そのために主人同様にカセットロンを除いた仲間のデストロンから好かれる ことはほとんどないようだ。