Animated Character Development (split from Parra Fair thread)

[Sky Shadow]

So basically all that time that's now wasted on having Mixmaster, Scrapper and Omega Supreme/the Ark in the show could have been better spent doing further character development on existing characters like Bulkhead, Grimlock, Swoop, Snarl, Sentinel Prime etc.

(Hey Captain Planet - good to see you and everyone else yesterday.) I agree about the Dinobots (who are boring, and this comes from someone whose favourite Transformer for twenty years was Grimlock.) But you realy believe Bulkhead and Sentinel Prime haven't had sufficient development? I think they're amongst the best and most well-rounded characters on the show (and presumably Season Three will give us even more backstory on Sentinel and Optimus's shared history.) Plus, now that we've seen Bulky and Sentinel in flashbacks as well as present-day we can see how they got to become the bots they are now. (And it turned out that the fact that Bulkhead is a country-bot who wanted nothing more than to work on space bridges was a huge plot point.) Season Two was one of the best Transformers seasons ever IMO and it brought us Wreck Gar, Swindle, Samurai Prowl, Jazz, Blurr, Wasp (kind of), Longarm Prime and Shockwave toys even if we don't get the Constructicons and Omega Supreme.

I'd be worried with the series not introducing new Transformers just because they haven't produced the toys 'yet', since then we might end up with another season of the Autobots fighting humans and a whole toyline of recolours. (Although... a toyline of recolours of Lugnut. Interesting...)

[GoktimusPrime]

Bulkhead started off as the "clumsy kind-hearted oaf"... what's changed? I do like how they gave him that Space Bridge engineer background at the end of Season 2... I can only hope that they will continue to develop the character more. Sentinel Prime to me seems to be a stereotypical "jock" style bully/jerk... it's like he's always been that way and there's little to explain how he came to be like that and why he continues to be so. This is different from say Depth Charge in Beast Wars whose background was explained so that we understood why he was such a dark and brooding anti-hero.

By our powers combined!

[Gutsman Heavy]

I hope they don't flesh out Sentinel, I like to think he's a jerk just because he is an arsehole, not 'cos Optimus took the last twix for some reason, people can be arseholes for no reason (hell I know a few) why not Autobots? I however support development of other characters. It took em a while but they did good with Bulky.

[Golden Phoenix]

For all we know, Optimus could have been a third wheel on that trip to find energon with Sentinel and Elita-1 in "Along came a Spider". I think it is kind of implied.
Sentinel has his arm around Elita-1 during the first flash back, and during one of the last ones, he is saying that have to go back for her, while Optimus is saying that have to get out, after which when they do Sentinel throws Optimus against a wall/rock and yells "It's all you fault!"
Also during the first flash back Sentinel seems to be friendly with Optimus, although bagging him, he does it as if they are friends

[Bartrim]

Just a note on the animated . I've been re-watching animated again and in the episode "The Elite Guard" Sentinel Prime is ripping Optimus and his other bots and Bulkhead leans down to Bumblebee and says "I don't think he remembers us" and Bumblebee replies "Lets keep it that way". It is obvious now that they are referring to the incidents in "Autoboot Camp" I just thought that was a good touch in keeping the series all together.

I am very excited about season 3 although am dissapointed to hear Rodimus and the like will only have minor appearances.