Canon

[1orion2many]

Meh it's all to anarchic now that's why I don't really read any of the comics at the moment. BM Rattrap was an abomination, talk about completely destroying a character from his original BW form, He must have a severe personality disorder. I don't have a lot to say about canon or the like as it annoys me that there really isn't anything that you can call continuity. It's like they had a room for a story ideas, posted them up on the walls, ceiling and floor then threw a super ball, whatever it hit was going to get a go in the TF universe

[Verno]

BM = Character assassination.

It wasn't just Rattrap. Blackarachnia was probably the ONLY one that didn't get screwed character 'development' wise.

I'm all for character development. Look at Cheetor in BW. But when you betray the fundamental characteristics of a character, that's not good in my books.

[1orion2many]

Rhinox was a real shocker as well, assasination is the right word for him and if I think on it a bit more just about all of the cast Oh and maybe Megatron was true to form.

[Verno]

Megs is an interesting case. You've gotta go right back to his original plan.

He stole the Golden Disk because it gave the location of Earth and of a supposed massive Energon deposit/resource.

His plan was to go back in time to Earth, either stockpile the Energon and/or create a Warship great enough to take back to present day Cybertron and basically make the Maximals sign their surrender directly to him, all without firing a single shot in anger.

Some could speculate he may have gone looking for the Nemesis (as Tarantulas did {who perhaps did so under orders from the Tripredacus Council}) and then fly that back to Cybertron, as he intended to do in the final episodes of BW.

The message on the Golden Disk from G1 Megatron told the Decepticon descendant to kill the slumbering Prime in the Ark, as Megatron almost did at the end of Season 2, but BW Megatron tried to put his own plans into place, but once they failed, reverted back to G1 Megatron's plan. I think we can take that much for certain from Megatron's comments to Ravage in Agenda.

But Megatron's hatred of Beast forms never came up in the entirity of BW. Maybe in his trip back to Cybertron strapped to the side of the Autobot shuttle he had a change of heart, but it was all very sudden. It's not like that TM2 Dragon form wasn't powerful, it was extremely kick-ass. He handed Op Op a lesson in fighting and was trumped only by the Vok-Supercharged Tigerhawk. I don't see why he'd want to be rid of it.

[GoktimusPrime]

BM = Character assassination.

+1 - I like this term!

It wasn't just Rattrap. Blackarachnia was probably the ONLY one that didn't get screwed character 'development' wise.

And Cheetor. Actually, Cheetor got pretty good character development in BM... arguably the only character who got developed in BM. But yeah, the rest of them were pretty screwed.

Oh and maybe Megatron was true to form.

I disagree. BM Megatron is actually a great character in his own right - in many aspects a great tribute to his G1 namesake because his entire philosophy was based on G1 Megatron's motto of "Peace through tyranny" -- and he genuinely believed in it too. But he's just NOT the same character as Beast Wars Megatron.

As Verno said, BW Megatron never had a disdain for organics. Neither did Rhinox. Where did they pull that out of? (/rhetorical.question) BW Megatron also never had this Saviour-Messiah complex which BM Megatron has (which also makes him an interesting antagonist and is one of the more fascinating aspects of Beast Machines -- both the protagonist and the antagonist of the story see themselves as saviours; it's just that they have diametrically opposed values). BW Megatron relished in being a villain, as seen in the end of "The Agenda Part 3" as he taunts the Maximals while they fade out of existence after his attempted assassination of G1 Optimus Prime. At best, BW Megatron's interests spread as far as the Predacon cause -- disenfranchised and frustrated at the Tripredacus Council's ineffectiveness, he went rogue - but still in the interests of the Predacon cause. And again, this is evidenced in The Agenda story arc, especially when he accuses the Maximals of having made the Predacons their slaves. He sees himself as fighting Maximal oppression.

But BM Megatron doesn't care about the Predacons - he indiscriminately enslaved all Sparks on Cybertron regardless of faction. And Thrustinator later argues that maybe he should have cared, since he, as a former Predacon, was the only Vehicon general who's always remained steadfastly loyal to Megatron.

So IMHO the character of BW Megatron was assassinated and replaced with BM Megatron.

[LordCyrusOmega]

I first read about Beast Machines in a guide book and couldn't wait to see it. Then I did and I liked it but it has never felt like Transformers to me. If I look at it as a follow on from BW then it's a massive let down, for reasons already stated by everyone. As a stand alone it's not bad though very different from other series.

Verno: I forgot about the maximals losing their sparks. So; Megatron defeats Primal. We end up with a new cast of heroes, another exploration vessel that reanimate Primal using the Technology they brought back after another enconter with the Vok

[Verno]

Oooo, more Vok encounters. Lovely

[LordCyrusOmega]

Yep, they pick up proper Transmetal Technology and are taught how to use it, unlike the driver Megatron had on Earth.
Was it ever explained how he got it?

[Verno]

Yep, they pick up proper Transmetal Technology and are taught how to use it, unlike the driver Megatron had on Earth.
Was it ever explained how he got it?

Never officially. Possibly from debris from the Metal Hunter Base. Possibly from inside the Metal Hunter Base when he was incharge of it. Definately during Season 2 though.

[Verno]

Thinking a bit more about Megatron in BM - It's a very Liege Maximo thing he's doing. Controlling the masses through one means or another for his own ends. An ascention of sorts for Megatron.