(Note: I know there are tons more animal characters in the Japanese G1 Continuity but as I am not familiar enough with it, am simply discussing the American one. I'm sure someone else can add them to this thread )


Do people consider the G1 Transformers that only have animal modes to be fully fledged Transformers in their own right? Interested in others opinions. I've offered up three different classifications of how they could possibly be viewed:


Fully Sentient
As psychologically developed and aware as any other Transformer

Semi-Sentient
Comparable to a regular Transformer as a dog is to a human

Drone
No real cognitive thought. Under complete control of their handler.


Autobots
Steeljaw
Ramhorn
Lionizer
Sights
Top-Heavy
Tyrannitron

Decepticons
Lazerbeak
Buzzsaw
Ravage
Ratbat
Overkill
Slugfest
Beastbox
Squalktalk
Wingthing
Gatoraider
Catgut
Scorpulator
Razor-Sharp
Firebeast
Needler
Screech


For me, unless it specifically states otherwise, I like to think they are all pretty much fully sentient. Of course some are smarter or dumber than others. Also some talk and some don't. But there seems to be contradictory evidence on many levels:

Ravage:
Got a line in the original cartoon, making you think fully sentient. And talks in the IDW universe. But then also in the cartoon for the most part he just growled, Soundwave once patted him like a favored dog, and for the most part other Decepticons addressed Soundwave rather than him when wishing something of Ravage.

Laserbeak:
Never talked in the cartoon or in recent comics, but gets chatty in the Japanese cartoon. In FoC treated by Soundwave and Megatron more as a hunting condor than as a member of the army. (Megatron petting Laserbeak and laughing when nearly losing a finger was hilarious!)

Squalktalk & Beastbox:
Seen crop up in IDW a couple of times, but only combined. Does that mean they are not as fully sentient separated? But then Squalktalk's tech-specs bio discusses how he knows 6500 languages and talks all the time, more in the form of a human than a parrot.

Ramhorn:
Grunts constantly like an animal, then suddenly goes back in time and becomes chatty?! Simple beast or fully functioning bot?

Tyrannitron:
In the FP comics is talked about more like he is Snarl's pet that needs to be babysat rather than a member of the crew.

Animal Targetmaster Partners:
Many got their own sub-bio's in Dreamwave's MTMTE, making them sound fully sentient, but in the original tech specs hardly referred to more than a pet or a drone would be.


So what do people think. Can they all be classed as either fully-sentient, semi-sentient or drone? Or does it depend on the bot - is Ravage for example more sentient than Buzzsaw? Is Steeljaw more sentient than Lionizer? If so - why? They both turn into Cybertronian Lions after all. Yes - Steeljaw gets his own tech-spec and Lionizer doesn't. But then Lionizer turns into a Atom Smashing Blaster, a lot more intricate one could argue than a cassette (or data disk).

So, what do you think?