So, a couple of things happened in recent years which made this weird project possible. One is that about two years ago, the official Hasbro YouTube channel finally saw fit to upload all the original episodes of the G1 cartoon. Prior to that time, if you wanted to find a scene online, you had to kind of poke around and find an episode that somebody had uploaded in six fragments, and hope that they hadn't gotten hit with a copyright violation.

Also, YouTube has a tracking algorithm that will show you (by way of a semi-translucent graphic near the bottom of the video) which scenes have been rewatched the most by their viewership. I used to think this was mostly for naughty videos so people could skip to the "good" parts, but I imagine it also helps content creators determine their viewership engagement levels, so they can see what type of content people are coming for, and at what point they typically bail out.

So, what all this means is that we now have a completely unscientific metric to measure the most popular scenes from every G1 episode. I probably wouldn't have paid much attention right after Hasbro uploaded the episodes, but since it's been a couple of years, and most episodes have anywhere from ten thousand views to a million views, I think the YouTube metrics can serve as a roughly accurate yardstick, with some caveats. (I know some scenes are only being watched because of their meme value, but that's still a form of popularity after a fashion, is it not?)

I think the Heisenberg principle affects these metrics to some degree—that is, just talking about which parts of the episode are watched the most may compel people to bring up the YouTube videos in question and thus alter the metrics to some degree. What I'm saying here is that this list was accurate before you guys jacked it all up.

So, what follows are the most watched, or rewatched, scenes from every episode of G1, at least according to YouTube. The theme song often outranks the individual episode content (some people just want to watch the opening and that's all), so I'm not including that!

Going off the episode order from the Hasbro Pulse channel just for the sake of simplicity. I also looked at the number of views for each episode, which are approximated to the nearest thousand.

SEASON ONE

"More Than Meets the Eye" part 1: I can't get the metrics to pull up for the first episode for some reason. But, it is the second-most popular video on the entire Hasbro Pulse channel, second only to the PulseCon 2022 teaser announcement. Views: a staggering 3,200,000. No other episode touches this.

"More Than Meets the Eye" part 2: the Sherman Dam batle between Optimus and Megatron (11:40). This comes as no surprise, as it's an iconic moment between two iconic characters. Views: 1,100,000.

"More Than Meets the Eye" part 3: Megatron blasting off aboard the Victory, probably so people can hear Prime scream, "MEEE-GAAAA-TROOOON!" after him (16:31). And watch him borrow Sideswipe's rocket pack. Views: 978,000.

"Transport to Oblivion": Megatron getting sucked into the space bridge near the end of the episode (20:57). It's likely because this is the scene where Starscream orders the Decepticons to return to base with another Starscream standing directly behind him, one of the episode's most egregious goofs. Views: 661,000.

"Roll for It": The Decepticon retreat near the beginning of the episode (2:31), probably so people can watch the hilarious way Soundwave runs as he escapes. Views: 599,000.

"Divide and Conquer": When Optimus challenges Megatron to a duel near the end of the episode (20:36). Honorary mention: The first appearance of the neon-colored Seeker trio (13:44). Views: 554,000.

"S.O.S. Dinobots": Lots of good moments in this episode (the Dinobots' first appearance, the Autobot roll call) but the hottest moment is when the Dinobots attack the Decepticons (18:03). (I think I might have artificially inflated the scene where the tourist is talking about the hydroelectric generators, because I was showing my wife how Gregg Berger's conversational voice is nothing like his Grimlock voice.) Views: 1,600,000.

"The Ultimate Doom" part 1: The arrival of the captive Sparkplug at Decepticon Headquarters (4:22) as well as the moment where Megatron forces Prime to activate the space bridge and bring Cybertron into Earth orbit (19:55). Views: 430,000.

"The Ultimate Doom" part 2: The moment where we learn Megatron is going to betray Dr. Arkevile by giving him the Earth, or at least "what's left of it," after his plans are complete (12:08). Views: 345,000.

"The Ultimate Doom" part 3: Lots of good moments in this episode, including Brawn's tussle with the Decepticon guards on Cybertron (1:36), and the Autobot efforts to blast Megatron's escaping starship (20:21). Views: 342,000.

"War of the Dinobots": Not surprisingly, the parts people watch the most are the introduction of Snarl and Swoop (11:12) and the fight between the old Dinobots and the new Dinobots (18:32). Views: 787,000. (Lots more people want to see Dinobots in combat than Cybertron causing lousy weather on Earth..)

"Countdown to Extinction": The argument between the Decepticons near the beginning of the episode (1:39) as well as Prime getting the jump on Megatron with an uppercut (16:42) and the part where Prime fires Megatron in gun mode (21:03). Views: 423,000.

"Fire in the Sky": People seem to love the part where Skyfire renounces his Decepticon allegiance and puts on his Autobot badge (20:09). Views: 602,000.

"Heavy Metal War": The whole sequence where the Dinobots are activated to defend the volcano from the Constructicons gets some love, but the most popular moment by far is the appearance of the Halonix Maximus hologram (20:09).. People are paying a lot of attention to a character who doesn't even exist! Views: 448,000. (I would have expected this one to be more popular. It's a damn good episode.)

"Fire on the Mountain": There are a lot of good moments in this episode, especially when Brawn steals Megatron's fusion cannon (11:27) and when Prime throws Megatron from the Macchu Picchu temple (21:07). Views: 407,000.

"A Plague of Insecticons": The scenes with the most rewatch value are when Megatron discovers the Insecticon escape pod (4:21) and when Prime throws an oil tanker at Megatron (20:50). People like it when Prime gets violent and throws things, it seems. 430,000 views.

SEASON TWO

"Autobot Spike": There's no one obvious winner, because there are a lot of low-level spikes in the viewership metric, but perhaps the moment when Spike gives into the "something telling me to do bad things" and betrays Optimus Prime (18:09). It's a dramatic moment! Views: 584,000.

"The Immobilizer": For some reason, people have been rewatching the part where Starscream starts bumping into trees, followed by the part when the immobilized water returns to normal and the Decepticons all fall into it (beginning at 10:11). It's arguably low-grade humor, but apparently somebody finds it funny! Views: 363,000.

"Dinobot Island" part 1: Mostly Blaster's first appearance (4:21) and the introduction of Red Alert and Inferno (6:41) which kind of makes sense for this episode. Views: 216,000.

"Dinobot Island" part 2: Lots of little moments throughout the episode, but the favorite scene seems to be Megatron getting trapped in the stampede of dinosaurs near the end of the episode (20:33). Views: 522,000. Not sure why more than double the amount of people who watched part one decided to watch part two instead.

"Traitor": Hands down, no contest, the end of the episode when Cliffjumper literally throws himself on top of Mirage on the operating table (21:42). Autobots are goofy. Views: 363,000.

"Enter the Nightbird": The pivotal moments where Starscream is jealous of Megatron's new girlfriend, particularly the part where Starscream is finally caged (18:15) and then, after escaping, sabotages Nightbird (20:59). Views: 342,000.

"Changing Gears": There are a surprising number of rewatched scenes (and it's not that good of an episode), but the pivotal moment appears to be when Prime asks the good-natured Gears to do him a solid, and he responds by blasting Megatron's machine (17:41). Views: 301,000.

"A Prime Problem": The climax of the episode, when the evil Prime clone dismisses Spike's fate as unimportant, thus revealing that he's the faker (20:20). Views: 297,000.

"Atlantis, Arise!": The whole sequence with the Dinobots attacking the Decepticons who have taken Washington, D.C. (15:15). Views: 352,000.

"Attack of the Autobots": Wow, Hasbro has these episodes wildly out of order. Anyway, it's the climax of the episode, when Bumblebee confronts the evil Optimus Prime and manages to stick an attitude exchanger device on him to return him to normal (17:49). Views: 326,000.

"Microbots": Drunk Decepticons. You knew it had to be the drunk Decepticons (12:35). Views: a whopping 609,000. Recycled David Wise script for the win!

"The Master Builders": The scene where Megatron accuses the Constructicons of betraying him, and all six of them get a moment to defend themselves (7:18). Views: 329,000.

"The Insecticon Syndrome": The part where Bombshell tries to take control of Megatron with a cerebro-shell (16:27; it was a good try, anyway!) and the part where the supposedly dead Shrapnel comes back to life (21:20). Views: 330,000.

On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?

That would be interesting to know, certainly. My initial thinking is that people watching the episodes on YouTube may represent a more casual viewership, since the truly hardcore fans would be buying the episodes on disc and watching them on something larger than a computer monitor or phone screen. But, it's honestly hard to say with certainty.

> If Hasbro spent more of their resources towards steering traffic to these freely available G1 episodes, they could gather valuable market data to guide their brand strategy moving forward, and keep the G1 flame burning for another generation to come. We've had discussions about what G1 collections will be worth when the original children of the 80's move on - could the original episodes still spark enough affection and love in a new generation of fans to keep G1 at the forefront, or will we eventually have to accept that Evergreen, Bayverse, and other installments of the franchise will take over in the hearts of fans?

That's a very interesting question. For me, G1 is the heart of Transformers, the place where it all began, and none of the other iterations would even exist if it hadn't been for G1. But, there are so many fans on Reddit and message boards who have never seen a single episode of G1 and have no plans to ever watch it. To me, that's astounding.

But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.

I feel the same about Batman. I watched the goofy 1960's TV show in syndication, and casually enjoyed it, but for me, the first *real* Batman media was the 1989 film, and also the Animated Series from 1992. I know there were earlier movies, but they're not at all relevant to my interests. I'll never watch them.

And if the 1960's felt ancient to me as a child of the 80's, then a cartoon from 1984 would have felt just as ancient in 2004. Now *double* the elapsed time. That would be like expecting me as a kid to watch something from the 1940's, and that's almost unthinkable. (I've seen It's A Wonderful Life and Pinocchio, but I've never watched Citizen Kane or Casablanca.)

So, I get it. A cartoon from 1984 feels absurdly ancient to a lot of these fans. It's so far removed from their frame of reference that there's nothing there for them. Every once in a while I'll see somebody ask "I'd like to watch the G1 cartoon, which episodes are required viewing?" and a lot of people will say things like "watch the first three episodes and the rest are garbage." That's a hard pill to swallow.

With that said, I feel like The Transformers: the Movie has reached a level of timelessness in the same way that some older films also have. It's very much a product of its time (80's rock score) but I think younger fans can still enjoy it. When I was a kid, I watched a lot of syndicated Tom and Jerry cartoons or Looney Tunes, and while I knew on some level that they were kind of old, I didn't really care. They were still fun. I also think the litany of early Disney animated films exist in kind of their own microcosm—they're obviously old, but not unwatchable. And The Wizard of Oz still holds up perfectly well despite being made in 1939!

Zob (is an Old Person™)

On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 9:47:03 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
>
> > Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?
> That would be interesting to know, certainly. My initial thinking is that people watching the episodes on YouTube may represent a more casual viewership, since the truly hardcore fans would be buying the episodes on disc and watching them on something larger than a computer monitor or phone screen.. But, it's honestly hard to say with certainty.

You're probably correct. I own all the episodes on DVD (multiple times), and have ripped them to my computer to have them more easily available, but the ease of being able to find the episodes on Youtube, especially for specific moment, has had me access the official channel more than once.

> > If Hasbro spent more of their resources towards steering traffic to these freely available G1 episodes, they could gather valuable market data to guide their brand strategy moving forward, and keep the G1 flame burning for another generation to come. We've had discussions about what G1 collections will be worth when the original children of the 80's move on - could the original episodes still spark enough affection and love in a new generation of fans to keep G1 at the forefront, or will we eventually have to accept that Evergreen, Bayverse, and other installments of the franchise will take over in the hearts of fans?
> That's a very interesting question. For me, G1 is the heart of Transformers, the place where it all began, and none of the other iterations would even exist if it hadn't been for G1. But, there are so many fans on Reddit and message boards who have never seen a single episode of G1 and have no plans to ever watch it. To me, that's astounding.

It's honestly sad - nothing since G1, to me, has had the heart or the lasting impact. Beast Wars fans are a subset of G1 fans, those who accepted both the trukk and the monky, but BW in and of itself has no legacy except as part of the G1 story (both in fiction and in real life).

RID01 is all but forgotten, and the Unicron Trilogy had the misfortune to launch at a time when the media market had fragmented due to cable, satellite, and above all, the Internet. Armada is fondly remembered by some, but its impact on broader pop culture is nonexistent. G1 had the advantage of launching at a time when monoculture was still dominant, when only a few television stations ruled the airwaves, and Saturday morning cartoons were a secular ritual for a nation of children.

G1 is Transformers.

>
> But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.
>
> I feel the same about Batman. I watched the goofy 1960's TV show in syndication, and casually enjoyed it, but for me, the first *real* Batman media was the 1989 film, and also the Animated Series from 1992. I know there were earlier movies, but they're not at all relevant to my interests. I'll never watch them.
>
> And if the 1960's felt ancient to me as a child of the 80's, then a cartoon from 1984 would have felt just as ancient in 2004. Now *double* the elapsed time. That would be like expecting me as a kid to watch something from the 1940's, and that's almost unthinkable. (I've seen It's A Wonderful Life and Pinocchio, but I've never watched Citizen Kane or Casablanca.)
>
> So, I get it. A cartoon from 1984 feels absurdly ancient to a lot of these fans. It's so far removed from their frame of reference that there's nothing there for them. Every once in a while I'll see somebody ask "I'd like to watch the G1 cartoon, which episodes are required viewing?" and a lot of people will say things like "watch the first three episodes and the rest are garbage." That's a hard pill to swallow.
>
> With that said, I feel like The Transformers: the Movie has reached a level of timelessness in the same way that some older films also have. It's very much a product of its time (80's rock score) but I think younger fans can still enjoy it. When I was a kid, I watched a lot of syndicated Tom and Jerry cartoons or Looney Tunes, and while I knew on some level that they were kind of old, I didn't really care. They were still fun. I also think the litany of early Disney animated films exist in kind of their own microcosm—they're obviously old, but not unwatchable. And The Wizard of Oz still holds up perfectly well despite being made in 1939!

I agree with all your points. My only hope is that Transformers will escape the purgatory of "old stuff" simply by virtue of being a cartoon rather than live-action. It's not beholden to outdated styles or looks; there aren't any young hot stars that have tarnished their legacy through misbehavior or simply by committing the cardinal sin of aging. You don't need to know or care that Judd Nelson was once a rising star from the Brat Pack, or that Orson Welles was a legend of cinema, to appreciate giant robots fighting a planet sized robot. Completely out of context, I feel like a child of today can still look at the entirety of the G1 series and find it relatable and entertaining.

The HD remasters have done wonders for the show; watch it on Youtube and it could have been made yesterday. It's exactly the kind of update that's needed for today's viewer; compare it to VHS rips of the show and the difference is stark.

In its time, the G2 series did an admirable job of bringing in a new audience (myself included). It took the classic series and added a modern touch that brought it in line with the sensibilities of the new target audience.

I'd love for Hasbro to realize what a treasure it has on its hands, and to deploy the latest and greatest technology to bring us a G3 version; something outside of the box and innovative that would bring attention back to the original series again, make it pop for today's audience, stand out in the crowd of infinite entertainment options, and bolster the legacy of the brand for years to come.

On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 7:08:31 PM UTC-8, Codigo Postal wrote:
> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 9:47:03 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> > On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
> >
> > > Only Google would have the info, but I'd love to know the breakdown of the viewership. What is the breakdown by age/race/gender/country, how long did the average viewer spend on each episode (that is, are people dipping in and out for key moments, or are any bothering to sit and watch it all the way through)? How many of the views are due to casual nostalgia vs hardcore fandom (are accounts viewing the episode following or accessing other TF-related content)?
> > That would be interesting to know, certainly. My initial thinking is that people watching the episodes on YouTube may represent a more casual viewership, since the truly hardcore fans would be buying the episodes on disc and watching them on something larger than a computer monitor or phone screen. But, it's honestly hard to say with certainty.
> You're probably correct. I own all the episodes on DVD (multiple times), and have ripped them to my computer to have them more easily available, but the ease of being able to find the episodes on Youtube, especially for specific moment, has had me access the official channel more than once.
> > > If Hasbro spent more of their resources towards steering traffic to these freely available G1 episodes, they could gather valuable market data to guide their brand strategy moving forward, and keep the G1 flame burning for another generation to come. We've had discussions about what G1 collections will be worth when the original children of the 80's move on - could the original episodes still spark enough affection and love in a new generation of fans to keep G1 at the forefront, or will we eventually have to accept that Evergreen, Bayverse, and other installments of the franchise will take over in the hearts of fans?
> > That's a very interesting question. For me, G1 is the heart of Transformers, the place where it all began, and none of the other iterations would even exist if it hadn't been for G1. But, there are so many fans on Reddit and message boards who have never seen a single episode of G1 and have no plans to ever watch it. To me, that's astounding.
> It's honestly sad - nothing since G1, to me, has had the heart or the lasting impact. Beast Wars fans are a subset of G1 fans, those who accepted both the trukk and the monky, but BW in and of itself has no legacy except as part of the G1 story (both in fiction and in real life).
>
> RID01 is all but forgotten, and the Unicron Trilogy had the misfortune to launch at a time when the media market had fragmented due to cable, satellite, and above all, the Internet. Armada is fondly remembered by some, but its impact on broader pop culture is nonexistent. G1 had the advantage of launching at a time when monoculture was still dominant, when only a few television stations ruled the airwaves, and Saturday morning cartoons were a secular ritual for a nation of children.
>
> G1 is Transformers.
> >
> > But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.
> >
> > I feel the same about Batman. I watched the goofy 1960's TV show in syndication, and casually enjoyed it, but for me, the first *real* Batman media was the 1989 film, and also the Animated Series from 1992. I know there were earlier movies, but they're not at all relevant to my interests. I'll never watch them.
> >
> > And if the 1960's felt ancient to me as a child of the 80's, then a cartoon from 1984 would have felt just as ancient in 2004. Now *double* the elapsed time. That would be like expecting me as a kid to watch something from the 1940's, and that's almost unthinkable. (I've seen It's A Wonderful Life and Pinocchio, but I've never watched Citizen Kane or Casablanca.)
> >
> > So, I get it. A cartoon from 1984 feels absurdly ancient to a lot of these fans. It's so far removed from their frame of reference that there's nothing there for them. Every once in a while I'll see somebody ask "I'd like to watch the G1 cartoon, which episodes are required viewing?" and a lot of people will say things like "watch the first three episodes and the rest are garbage." That's a hard pill to swallow.
> >
> > With that said, I feel like The Transformers: the Movie has reached a level of timelessness in the same way that some older films also have. It's very much a product of its time (80's rock score) but I think younger fans can still enjoy it. When I was a kid, I watched a lot of syndicated Tom and Jerry cartoons or Looney Tunes, and while I knew on some level that they were kind of old, I didn't really care. They were still fun. I also think the litany of early Disney animated films exist in kind of their own microcosm—they're obviously old, but not unwatchable. And The Wizard of Oz still holds up perfectly well despite being made in 1939!
> I agree with all your points. My only hope is that Transformers will escape the purgatory of "old stuff" simply by virtue of being a cartoon rather than live-action. It's not beholden to outdated styles or looks; there aren't any young hot stars that have tarnished their legacy through misbehavior or simply by committing the cardinal sin of aging. You don't need to know or care that Judd Nelson was once a rising star from the Brat Pack, or that Orson Welles was a legend of cinema, to appreciate giant robots fighting a planet sized robot. Completely out of context, I feel like a child of today can still look at the entirety of the G1 series and find it relatable and entertaining.
>
> The HD remasters have done wonders for the show; watch it on Youtube and it could have been made yesterday. It's exactly the kind of update that's needed for today's viewer; compare it to VHS rips of the show and the difference is stark.
>
> In its time, the G2 series did an admirable job of bringing in a new audience (myself included). It took the classic series and added a modern touch that brought it in line with the sensibilities of the new target audience.
>
> I'd love for Hasbro to realize what a treasure it has on its hands, and to deploy the latest and greatest technology to bring us a G3 version; something outside of the box and innovative that would bring attention back to the original series again, make it pop for today's audience, stand out in the crowd of infinite entertainment options, and bolster the legacy of the brand for years to come.

Just wrote up a whole response to this that seems to have gotten eaten along the way ... :/.

Great analysis, as always, Zob. Thank you! (Hey, on another note: did you ever get a G1 Venom to round out your Deluxe Insecticons?)

Agree with Codigo, as well, that these episodes are quite timeless - not at all unlike the best of Star Trek: TOS, in some ways - those raw character archetypes and interactions.

- Joseph, hoping these spammers will move on soon ...

On Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 10:07:29 PM UTC-7, Joseph Bardsley wrote:

> Just wrote up a whole response to this that seems to have gotten eaten along the way ... :/.
Aw, that sucks. I hate when that happens to me.

> Great analysis, as always, Zob. Thank you! (Hey, on another note: did you ever get a G1 Venom to round out your Deluxe Insecticons?)

Money is tight right now, so I've stopped going after vintage G1 for a bit. Hopefully things will improve next year. I only have Chop Shop and Barrage on the shelf right now, so I definitely need Venom and Ransack to finish off the quartet!

> - Joseph, hoping these spammers will move on soon ...

You and me both! I keep on reporting them, but they keep comin' back. And even the "I am not a robot" CAPTCHA that Google Groups recently implemented doesn't seem to be helping much.

Zob (is actually a robot... shh, don't tell)

On 12/10/2023 6:38 PM, Zobovor wrote:
> You and me both! I keep on reporting them, but they keep comin' back.
> And even the "I am not a robot" CAPTCHA that Google Groups recently
> implemented doesn't seem to be helping much.

This is the only post in the thread that is showing up for me using
eternal-september.org.

Well, from what I can see on Google Groups, people are not digging the
post-movie episodes. This all-but confirms that decision to drastically
change the setting and characters that year was a fatal mistake. Kids
and adults love Optimus Prime and Megatron. Hasbro is probably wise by
continually pumping out those two characters as they do.

On Monday, December 11, 2023 at 11:56:36 PM UTC, Travoltron wrote:

> Well, from what I can see on Google Groups, people are not digging the
> post-movie episodes. This all-but confirms that decision to drastically
> change the setting and characters that year was a fatal mistake.

I dunno, the franchise looks alive and well to me.

OK, I get what you mean, and I'm not saying it wasn't a dumb idea, but I don't think stats from Youtube in 2023 are telling us anything about it. What we can observe in 2023 is that most Transformer cartoons only last about three seasons (Isn't Rescue-bots the longest lived version of the cartoon, despite rarely featuring Optimus and never Megatron?) and that the intergalactic lore which Season 3 put at the forefront has at least as much appeal to the fans as robots in disguise on Earth.

Eh, as somebody who would not be a Transformers fan if it weren't for the Movie and season 3 being in my childhood, I do get crabby when people try to gatekeep the fandom, and this thread has veered in and out of that territory. It is, however, awesome that all the episodes are so easily available and free now. Remember when we were all so excited to buy a DVD set of one season for $40 (I'm guessing the price... I don't remember!)? One question I had--is it possible to get the analytics of what links to each video? Because some of that stuff must be links to "the moment when" from other media.

Velvet Glove (who has been lurking but distracted)

On 12/13/2023 12:17 PM, Velvet Glove wrote:
> we can observe in 2023 is that most Transformer cartoons only last about three seasons

That's because of Hasbro corporate stupidity, thinking kids get tired of
things after three years. So they hit the reset button every three or
four years.

Pokemon proves them wrong. Only this year are they finally ending the
storyline and moving on to new characters. So it ran 25 years with the
same protagonists and setting. They're not going to violently kill off
Pikachu and Ash either. They get to ride off into the sunset.

It makes me sad because I think the Transformers craze and cartoon could
have lasted many more years had they not culled all the iconic
characters/toys.

I like most of the Season 3 episodes too, but I know I am in the minority.

On Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 1:17:19 PM UTC-7, Velvet Glove wrote:

> One question I had--is it possible to get the analytics of what links to each video?

Google Analytics does offer that for the owners of a YouTube channel. So, Hasbro is likely privy to all of that juicy information about where visitors are coming from, but the unwaashedf masses would have no way of knowing.

Zob (a member of the unwaashedf masses)

On Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 3:40:12 PM UTC-7, Travoltron wrote:

> It makes me sad because I think the Transformers craze and cartoon could
> have lasted many more years had they not culled all the iconic
> characters/toys.

There's no way of knowing what would have happened if Hasbro had allowed the cartoon to run for years without cancelling it prematurely. It's possible that subsequent seasons would have been poorly-animated by DiC, and most of the regular voice cast would be summarily replaced by those Canadian upstarts, and the show would have officially jumped the shark. When it ended, it ended when enthusiasm for the show and the brand were still riding high, and it made us *miss* our favorite robots in disguise instead of getting sick of them.

For all we know, it was the premature ending of the cartoon that made fans hungry enough to keep pestering and demanding of Hasbro, "When are you going to bring Transformers back?" which led to the resurrection of the brand as Transformers: Generation 2, and then Beast Wars, and then everything that came afterwards. The dreaded cancellation of Transformers after 1990, in retrospect, is just a blip on the map. It was a brief hiatus. We were on a break!

Zob (absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?)

On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 9:47:03 p.m. UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 5:18:40 PM UTC-7, Codigo Postal wrote:
>

>
> But, at the same time, I understand this sort of thing is generational. For example, I came to love Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I was never really interested in the original series from the 1960's. That was something my dad watched. I had a girlfriend who wanted me to sit down and watch some episodes and I had so much trouble getting through them. They were so old-timey. They weren't made for me.
>

I was the opposite. I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation and it made me interested in the Original Series because TNG was the sequel.

The OS were awful. It was not because they were old-timey. They were awful. I forced myself to watch evey episode of the OS and they were awful. Star Trek 2, 4, 6 movies, on the other hand, were decent.

TNG did not age well. I bought the complete DVD collection of the TNG when it came out in the early 2000s and was surprised to find that TNG wasn't that good either. They were still better than the OS but they didn't age well..

Come to think of it, a lot of shows and cartoons I watched did not age well: shows like All in the Family; Happy Days; The Jeffersons; Three's Company; Family Ties; Roseanne; Golden Girls; Sunbow G.I. Joe; Friends; Modern Family and many more.

The only shows that still hold up well was I Love Lucy; Seinfeld; The Cosby Show; and G1 Transformers. I Love Lucy is the best sitcom of all time and I was far from born when that show ended.

BTW, thanks for that list of episodes that people like to watch. It is fascinating. One of my favorite episodes was A Raider in King Arthur's Court and I, too, watch the part where Megatron gets agitated at Starscream. I also like the part where Warpath holds up a tree trunk and rallies the troops to battle.

On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 10:08:31 p.m. UTC-5, Codigo Postal wrote:

>
> RID01 is all but forgotten, and the Unicron Trilogy had the misfortune to launch at a time when the media market had fragmented due to cable, satellite, and above all, the Internet. Armada is fondly remembered by some, but its impact on broader pop culture is nonexistent. G1 had the advantage of launching at a time when monoculture was still dominant, when only a few television stations ruled the airwaves, and Saturday morning cartoons were a secular ritual for a nation of children.
>
> G1 is Transformers.
> >

I agree. RID01, Armada and the Unicron Trilogy have always been terrible shows even at the time. I liked Beast Wars at first but it has not aged well. BW biggest mistake was tying itself to G1 and the third season was a toy commercial mess: almost every third season episode was a character introduction. TF: Animated is decent and TF: Prime is decent too but Sunbow G1 had something special. I don't think it's nostalgia talking. G1 had a big cast to play with and never took itself seriously, so its episodes were more fun..

I think part of the problem of these other TF shows is that they take a lot of inspiration from G1. They needed to be there own things. Not every show needs to have Optimus Prime or Megatron.

G1 is Transformers because Sunbow Transformers is still the best TF show to date, even after all these 40 years. It is better than the other cartoons from the 80s like He-Man; Sunbow G.I. Joe; Spider-Man. These cartoons are unwatcheable today. TMNT was a good cartoon but still not like Sunbow Transformers.

The first four episodes of Season 1 are unavailable for me on Youtube (here in the U.S.). Anyone else having this issue?

CodigoPostal wrote:

> The first four episodes of Season 1 are unavailable for me on Youtube (here in the U.S.). Anyone else having this issue?

Yeah, the Hasbro Pulse channel on YouTube seems to have removed them. I wonder if they're doing something for the 40th anniversary, like putting together a supercut of the first three episodes, or maybe planning to sell a special commemorative DVD or Blu-Ray release, or something like that.

Zob (there are other YouTube channels that include the episodes in the meantime, of course)

Shows the inherent unreliability of streaming sites and the importance of owning physical media. It was nice to have it online, if only to juice those stats and show Hasbro that fans still love them some G1. Plus, the young'uns today need the streaming - they don't know the difference between a DVD and an STD.

Zobovor wrote:

> CodigoPostal wrote:

>> The first four episodes of Season 1 are unavailable for me on Youtube (here in the U.S.). Anyone else having this issue?

> Yeah, the Hasbro Pulse channel on YouTube seems to have removed them. I wonder if they're doing something for the 40th anniversary, like putting together a supercut of the first three episodes, or maybe planning to sell a special commemorative DVD or Blu-Ray release, or something like that.

> Zob (there are other YouTube channels that include the episodes in the meantime, of course)

So, it looks like Hasbro is planning to show the episodes in cinemas as part of the 40th celebration. Mystery solved!

https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/Movie/Til-All-Are-One-Transformers-40th-Anniversary#date=2024-05-15

"TIL ALL ARE ONE: TRANSFORMERS 40th ANNIVERSARY EVENT celebrates a legacy that began in 1984 and hasn't stopped exciting fans for 40 years. This special cinema experience will take you back to the very beginning as the original voice actors team up for the first time in decades to revisit their characters and recreate the enduring magic of The Transformers. An exclusive behind-the-scenes table read appears on a split screen with the pilot episode, More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1, followed by the next three episodes in the first series. Experience the original Saturday morning cartoon for the first time on the big screen and relive its evolution over the years with a sneak peek of the new season of Transformers EarthSpark. Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate 40 years of Transformers action, humor and legacy with fans of all ages at an anniversary event that is truly... More Than Meets the Eye!"

CodigoPostal wrote:

> So, it looks like Hasbro is planning to show the episodes in cinemas as part of the 40th celebration. Mystery solved!

Nice sleuthing!

I'm so divided about this. On the one hand... yes, it's great that they're celebrating the 40th anniversary with an event like this. It must have taken a lot of planning and coordination to round up that many voice actors for a table read.

At the same time, though... it's only going to drive home the fact that we've lost a bunch of the original voice performers over the years. Characters like Sparkplug and Wheeljack and Starscream and Reflector and Laserbeak (Chris Latta) and Jazz (Scatman Crothers) and Thundercracker and Windcharger (John Stephenson) and Ratchet and Gears (Don Messick) and Bluestreak and Cliffjumper and Teletraan I (Casey Kasem) are not going to sound right, because they'll require substitute performers to replace the actors who are gone.

It's a celebration of the past, but it also makes me kind of sad, y'know?

Zob (on the other hand, Frank Welker gets to do like six or seven characters just for the pilot episode, so that's fun)

Zobovor wrote:

> At the same time, though... it's only going to drive home the fact that we've lost a bunch of the original voice performers over the years. Characters like Sparkplug and Wheeljack and Starscream and Reflector and Laserbeak (Chris Latta) and Jazz (Scatman Crothers) and Thundercracker and Windcharger (John Stephenson) and Ratchet and Gears (Don Messick) and Bluestreak and Cliffjumper and Teletraan I (Casey Kasem) are not going to sound right, because they'll require substitute performers to replace the actors who are gone.

I'd hope that they would just use the original audio for them. Though then it would sound weird, because the table read voices won't be processed like the ones from the episode.

I do think that chances are that several of the actors wont be able to replicate their own original voices anyway--either from lack of practice, or because they literally don't have the physical ability any more. But the appeal of these things is seeing the interactions and expressions of the actors as they perform.

> It's a celebration of the past, but it also makes me kind of sad, y'know?

I'm *really* excited that there still are so many TF voice actors still able to contribute to this so many decades later. I've been thinking recently how grateful I am that all these botcon etc panel videos exist, so we have an unofficial archive of experiences from people who are no longer with us, like Jack Angel, Wally Burr, David Wise, etc. I think this table read will be a really fun time capsule to look back on.

Velvet Glove (and yes, I realise that that perspective is also bittersweet!)

I don't quite understand what this is.

But does this mean that the old episodes are finally getting the HD
treatment? I never understood the excuses Shout and Rhino made about HD
being impossible. All they have to do is upscale the missing scenes.
That's the easy solution.
The more expensive option is to go in and digitally fix the color
mistakes. It's not actually that hard, it just takes skilled manpower.

Official site is up! https://transformers40thcinemaevent.com/

Tickets go on sale April 10th, screenings are May 15th, 18th, and 19th.

I'll support this. Cinemas are having a tough time since pandemic shutdowns, the rise of streaming and mobile, etc. What a great way to bring folks back to the big screen - I'd go every weekend if they consistently showed remastered episodes. They should serve breakfast cereal with milk instead of popcorn too...

(JB, like you, I had a reply eaten up by NovaBBS too...strange).

Official website is live, and it's happening in the US and the UK!

https://transformers40thcinemaevent.com/

Tickets on sale March 10th.
In select cinemas May 15th, 18th, and 19th.

I'll support this. Cinemas are having a tough time since pandemic shutdowns, the rise of streaming and mobile, etc. What a great way to bring folks back to the big screen - I'd go every weekend if they consistently showed remastered episodes. They should serve breakfast cereal with milk instead of popcorn too...

I'm really excited about this, and saw the news earlier today via the TransMasters community page on Facebook. Very fitting, very timely, and - as Zob, Codigo, VG, and others have mentioned - poignant in many ways, too.

I'll definitely make the time to attend and participate, provided this celebration touches Canada, too. I have some great memories of the anniversary TF:TM screenings that crossed the continent back in 2018 or so - the diversity of folks who turned out, and the instant sense of community and nostalgia that permeated the theatre - and hope that this recaptures that same kind of moment.

(It was also palpable in a different way when I attended the 2022 40th anniversary screenings of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan here in Vancouver, too).

Hope everyone's doing well,

JB