Canon

[GoktimusPrime]

Or alternatively, go and read & watch all of G1 and G2. Although TFwiki's fine for overview's summaries Also, TFU.info has most of the toy tech spec bios.

[Verno]

So under the right conditions, and with enough skill, a Spark can be split or have a shard removed to power another 'bot.

Now from what I've read, in G1 we had Lasercores as the essence of a Transformer. But with the advent and retconning of Sparks, where do people fit Lasercores into the equation?

I see them as holding the actual memory and personality of the Transformer - What makes them them. The Spark is simply the bit that powers the body, with no real 'will' of its own.

Starscream's spark in BW ep 'Possession' has glowing shafts either side of it, which I see as the Lasercore, thus keeping Starscream's personality connected to the Spark.

Thoughts?

[GoktimusPrime]

RE: Transmetal II

Seriously dude, if you want to gain a more thorough and in-depth knowledge of canon to answer your questions, I strongly suggest that you go and:
+ Watch the G1 eps
+ Read the Marvel comics including Transformers Universe bios
+ Read the tech spec bios
+ Watch Beast Wars

And mildly recommend:
+ Watching Japanese G1 anime
+ Reading Japanese G1 manga
+ Watching Beast Wars Second and Beast Wars Neo
The Japanese G1 anime has been available in English for yonks (and I mean real English, not the butchering of the English language that is the StarTV dubs) and readily available in Australian retailers (e.g. JB Hi-Fi etc.). As for the other material - I don't know how much of it has been translated in English (there's a fansub of the BWII movie floating around somewhere), but you may want to consider learning Japanese (if you don't already speak it) to access this material. It's not unheard for people to learn a language for the sake of research -- I've met plenty of people who've learnt other languages to gain more in depth research into all sorts of things e.g. martial arts, cars, theology etc.

Because all you're pretty much doing by asking questions on this thread or even reading TFwiki is accessing information second hand. You're accessing information from people who've already read or viewed sources and are either answering you by citing those sources, or reading TFwiki which summarises information from those sources. But nothing beats getting the information directly by accessing those sources for yourself first hand.

If people are happy with a superficial or brief understanding or overview of canon, then batting questions off others or reading TFwiki is fine - but if you want a more thorough and in-depth understanding of Transformers canon, which judging from the fact that this thread has spanned 16 pages now, I suspect is what you may want... then I strongly suggest that you just go and do your own research by viewing and reading the sources yourself.

Watching cartoons and reading comic books... not a bad research task if you ask me!

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

See, I have a much different approach: just don't worry about it. Seriously.
I say this as a friend, much appreciative customer of your excellent BW-finding skills, and philosophy grad/trained adult edumacator/bartender.
If you really need to have some kind of all-encompassing fiction just make your own fan continuity (fanon) and give yourself a really good all-purpose Deus ex Machina - the Odieverse uses a variation on the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Infinite Improbability Drive called the WII Drive (the W stands for Wheeljack btw) and everything makes perfect sense even when it's inherently self-contradictory. Also I can just use a WIImote to represent it if I ever get around to making the Odieverse into webcomic form.

The canon for most TF continuities is such a nightmare of contradictions and confusion and plotholes you could drive an inexplicably disappearing semi-trailer through that if you sit down and try to make some kind of coherent overarching plot out of it you'll go insane.* I do suggest flicking through the TFwiki if you have any continuity-specific queries, but it won't give you many if any definitive answers canon-wise 'cos there aren't many, especially for G1.

Just sit back, open a nice cold Boags/Cascade, enjoy the awesome little robots/puzzles/whatever-the-alt-mode is toys and the sometimes good cartoons and comics and usually not good videogames we get from this oddly addictive hobby of ours and relax. Giving your girlfriend a shoulder massage and telling her she looks exceptionally beautiful today will be a way more useful and rewarding use of your time and energy.**

* We could really do with an obviously insane smilie btw.
** smilie not included because it looks really seedy there.

[Verno]

RE: Transmetal II

When were we talking about TM2?!

Seriously dude, if you want to gain a more thorough and in-depth knowledge of canon to answer your questions, I strongly suggest that you go and:
+ Watch the G1 eps
+ Read the Marvel comics including Transformers Universe bios
+ Read the tech spec bios
+ Watch Beast Wars

But Gok, you love answering peoples questions, and in such great detail too!

You're telling me to watch Beast Wars?! Me?! Most of my questions have drawn on everything pre and post Beast Wars. Beast Wars I've got covered.

You're right OTAG, and in essense that's basically what I am doing: Making my own 'continuity'. Gok coined it "Vernoverse".

But I can't base it on nothing. I have guide lines I have to work within, and if I can draw on previous canonological events and such, then my continuity is all the better for it.

I'm sorry if people are tiring of discussing things. But as this is a message board, and this topic is in the Discussions and Questions area, I thought I was in the right place.

I'm sorry. No more questions from me.

[Paulbot]

If you want answers to questions like "Do TFs have money?" the wiki will answer those.

If you have questions like "where do people fit Lasercores into the equation?" then those are more like it. Those call for interpretation, discussion, debate, but you'll not get a "canon" answer.

And you never know, fan theories and concepts have become canon over time the more the G1/BW/BMac continuity has been expanded.

[Hursticon]

I'm sorry. No more questions from me.

Nah bugger that man, you ask as many questions as you like because no one has the right to suggest you stop asking questions.
I myself actually really appreciate you asking these questions man because, unlike others on the board, I'm not a running encyclopaedia on TF lore either and I've learnt a number of things from all of your recent threads.
as well as the threads created by others with relevant questions.

To suggest that you should go and watch Beast Wars!?!... I myself find that a little insulting for a number of reasons which I think are way too obvious to mention, but clearly you are someone who, if you had a question about something, would obviously search for answers yourself through the relevant media or at TFwiki, TFU.info and Cobra Island Toys etc. but I understand that sometimes one can just not find the answers to the questions we have so hence we turn to a forum of like minded and knowledgeable people - But it is extremely poor form for people to suggest you should avoid asking questions because they can't be f***** to answer them.

If you don't want to answer a question then don't, but don't then turn around and suggest to people that they shouldn't ask questions just because you feel they should already know the answers or because you could provide an answer but can't be bothered!


I'm sorry Verno for venting in your thread mate, I wish I could help more but like I've mentioned I'm only learning too and I've tried to impart the little knowledge I have when and where I can.
(I've still got to finish my approach to TF Reproduction at some point, just got to get back into that mindset and drive. )

I've currently got the IDW Beast Wars Omnibus and Titan Hardback G1 Marvel Reprint: Cybertron Redux (So that I can continue with the following 3 books after that) on the way so that I can learn some more about the TF universe in order to answer some of the questions I have, hopefully I might be able to answer a few more of yours in the future too.

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't see where anyone has explicitly stated "Don't ask questions" or "Stop asking questions" or any words to such effect.

People are basically trying to help direct Verno to better help himself seek answers to his questions because they do seem to be quite in-depth. I personally don't mind answering questions (you know I can talk about Transformers till the cows come home and then some ) -- but seeing as Verno seems to be seeking very in-depth knowledge of Transformers canon, I just thought it may be just more efficient and time-saving for all involved if he just cut the middle-man and went straight to the source(s). In other words, we're encouraging him to become self-sufficient.

It's like that saying, "Give a man food and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for the rest of his life." We could keep going on answering his individual questions, or we could encourage Verno to acquire his own knowledge of Transformers canon and become knowledgeable in his own right.

Besides, all we've been doing is providing Verno with brief explanations or summaries of what's going on. Even TFwiki only gives a synopsis or summary.

But it is extremely poor form for people to suggest you should avoid asking questions because they can't be f***** to answer them.

Look at all the posts that I've posted on this thread. Feel free to do a word count. I think I've spent a considerable amount of time in the past three weeks happily answering Verno's questions -- and I'm not saying that I'm no longer happy to continue answering his questions, but please don't regard three weeks of my time as "can't be f*****". Especially considering that it was an insanely busy time for me being end of semester and I was drowning in reports, marking etc. too. 'Kay thanks.

I don't mind taking the time to answer questions or discuss Transformers -- I just think there could be better use of the time.

but clearly you are someone who, if you had a question about something, would obviously search for answers yourself through the relevant media or at TFwiki, TFU.info and Cobra Island Toys etc. but I understand that sometimes one can just not find the answers to the questions we have so hence we turn to a forum of like minded and knowledgeable people

If the question cannot be found through a simple search on somewhere like TFwiki or TFU.info - then yeah sure, I'd be willing to try to answer such queries if I can (as I'm sure anyone else would). I have no problem with that.

And a suggestion is hardly a directive.

Verno: you're more than welcome to keep asking questions, but for the sake of expediency, may I suggest that you try doing a quick search for your answer yourself first. If you can't find the answer that you're looking for, then by all means ask away. It would save you as well as the rest of us a lot of time -- a quick search may take a couple of minutes, but if you post the question here then it make take maybe hours before someone can respond, then you have to read that response.

It's taken me 39 minutes just to type, proof-read and edit this post alone. In this time someone could have watched an entire G1 episode and read an entire comic issue.

[LordCyrusOmega]

I like this thread. Sure it would be quicker to look it up on TFWiki ( where I spend a lot of time anyway) but you don't get the personal touches.
You don't want to waste time replying to threads then don't. Your input is appreciated Gok, always, but don't reply to something then say that you could have spent your time elswhere.

[GoktimusPrime]

...okay, I've calmed down a bit...

Look, I'm more than happy to continue answering questions and discussing things regarding Transformers. Those of you who've met me know that I can just go on forever talking about Transformers without ever getting sick of it. I just thought that Verno might be happier if he were to cut out the middleman and go straight to the source himself. But if he prefers to bat questions off people here, then I'm more than happy to oblige and continue answering his questions.

Thank you.