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Transformers Animated Season 4 Premiere Information

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We’re at TFNation 2019 and the presentation of Transformers Animated Season 4 has just concluded.

To recap, in lieu of a script reading at this year’s TFNation, Marty Isenberg took to the stage with the outline for what would have been the premier of Transformers Animated Season 4: The Trial of Megatron. This was presented by the entire original voice cast reading their parts of the outline.

The highlights of this three-part story that wasn’t are:

  • The Protoforms are handed over to the Cyber Ninjas and their new sensei, Dai Atlas.
  • Sari is not one of the protoforms. She’s something else.
  • A wake is held for Prowl.
  • Ultra Magnus dies and names Optimus Prime as his sucessor.
  • Sentinel Prime bribes Bumblebee with a spot on the Elite Guard to endorse him as Ultra Magnus’ successor. This drives a wedge between him and the rest of the team. He later reconciles by refusing to follow along with Sentinel’s bribery.
  • Ratchet and the other science bots build Sentinel Prime a “Powermaster” armor suit.
  • Ironhide and Jazz become members of Team Prime.
  • Omega Supreme has a hard time fitting in on Cybertron as people view him as a weapon of mass destruction. Omega decides to dedicate himself to saving lives.
  • The Decepticons attack the Energon farm Bulkhead came from. Obsidian leads the attack. A later raid sees Team Prime sans Bumblebee fight Strika’s Team Charr.
  • Sentinel gets played by Megatron, first leading the Elite Guard on a wild goose chase then distracting everyone with a public trial.
  • Rattrap (here named Rattletrap) is Megatron’s defence attorny. He gets Megatron off all charges.
  • Megatron launches Trypticon Prison into space.
  • Optimus (using the Powermaster armour) leads his team on Omega Supreme in pursuit. Bulkhead stays behind on Cybertron to fix the damage Trypticon launching caused.
  • Omega VS Trypticon leads to Omega being damaged and remaining in ship mode.
  • Optimus and crew (minus Ratchet) break into Trypticon prison and knock the rocket city’s power offline by overloading the power grid.
  • Megatron throws his soldiers into the city’s reactor in a desperate bid to keep the prison powered (Lugnut jumps in willingly)
  • After a showdown with Optimus Prime, Trypticon prison crashes to Earth – landing on top of Dinobot Island.

A huge thanks to the TFNation crew for organising this event, Marty Isenberg for sharing this with those in attendance and the entire Transformers Animated voice cast for reuniting to reprise their roles.

The performance was presented in aid of Mary’s Meals. You can donate to this good cause at www.marysmeals.org.uk/donate

Discussion / Comments (Jump to this Thread on the Boards)

Blackarachnia Prime Avatar

I admire the effort that went into the animations, but yeah, those voices…need a lot of work.

Blam320 Avatar
Issy543

I would be fine with seeing your ideas of Season 4. I'm surpised there isn't a thread which compiles different interpretations or takes on Animated Season 4…unless there is one, and I'm not aware of it.

I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I'll start up a private chat to discuss the specifics. But to answer your other question, no, there currently isn't a thread that compiles all the different versions of Season 4 that people have done over the years.

Issy543 Avatar
Blam320

People have been doing it across several different forms of media for a long time now; written and visual (and both in the case of comics). I know I started putting my own Season 4 ideas down on paper about a year and a half ago; still working on it but glad to share what I’ve got so far.

I would be fine with seeing your ideas of Season 4. I'm surpised there isn't a thread which compiles different interpretations or takes on Animated Season 4…unless there is one, and I'm not aware of it.

Blam320 Avatar
Issy543

Ah. I see. Given how much material was produced before the plug was pulled on the actual Animated series, I can see why people would want to try to finish or honor what the team had started.

People have been doing it across several different forms of media for a long time now; written and visual (and both in the case of comics). I know I started putting my own Season 4 ideas down on paper about a year and a half ago; still working on it but glad to share what I’ve got so far.

Issy543 Avatar
Blam320

@Issy543 There are several fan-made "Season 4" projects on YouTube by now. This is only one of them.

Ah. I see. Given how much material was produced before the plug was pulled on the actual Animated series, I can see why people would want to try to finish or honor what the team had started.

Blam320 Avatar

@Issy543 There are several fan-made "Season 4" projects on YouTube by now. This is only one of them.

Issy543 Avatar
firelancer120

Now that youtube channel that did a "season 4" abridged thing, should scrap that garbage and redo the animation with these voice lines.

Are you referring to this YouTube and these YouTube videos:
Transformers Animated Season 4

firelancer120 Avatar
Sol Fury

The Animated script reading at TFNation – covering the first three episodes of what would have been season 4 – "The Trial of Megatron"

We've compiled some bullet points on the frontpage about what could have been. A lot of this was known from the Allspark Almanac – but some details have only just been revealed.

Story here: Transformers Animated Season 4 Information – Transformers News – TFW2005

More info from Marty's Sunday panel: Transformers Animated Season 4: The Trial of Megatron Discussion

Now that youtube channel that did a "season 4" abridged thing, should scrap that garbage and redo the animation with these voice lines.

supernova222 Avatar

god that description just has me wanting a fanart or art piece of shockwave, blitzwing and lugnut going into the reactor while megatron look on. there are two good options on how it would look good. it would either have to be looking up from within the reactor as they fall towards it, with megatron looking down from up above. the other way is up high and looking straight down past megatron as we see them fall. either way its a pic we need to see.

Autovolt 127 Avatar
Sol Fury

A few more bits from Marty Isenberg's Sunday panel:

  • Powermaster Prime was a Hasbro request to allow Hasbro to release a larger size / priced character. Marty worked it into the premiere.
  • Hasbro also requested flames on Optimus, movie-style. This would have been a repaint on the toy. It popped up in the outline as signifier of a high honour awarded to Optimus.
  • Focus would have been on Mini-Cons, but the other Decepticons would have eventually come back.
  • Megatron was completely losing it at this point in the story. Described as "not quite Beast Machines genocidal, but on the way there"
  • Marauder Megatron was a Hasbro request, they wanted a triple changer design. Intended to make Megatron a huge threat to the point he didn't need minions.
  • Writers never figured out exactly where Sari was going. But her journey was the story of Transformers Animated – idea was the finale would have been the end of her journey.
  • Beachcomber was intended for Season 3. He was supposed to catch Longarm turning into Shockwave. His reaction? "Dude, not cool". Then Shockwave kills him. This was cut for time.
  • Beachcomber was then intended for a scene in Season 4. Blackout would have killed him.
  • If the Beachcomber scene hadn't happened in Season 4, he'd have died in Season 5. Marty didn't like Beachcomber.
  • Unicron considered "too big for Animated"
  • No plans to have had Megatron become Galvatron in Animated.
  • Shattered Glass episode was intended for Season 3. It got bumped when the Season 3 opener was made into a three party.
  • Marty doesn't remember who would have been on Slipstream's own team of Decepticons.
  • Optimus as a young leader was Marty's idea. He likes writing underdogs and characters with something to prove rather than big heroes.
  • Blitzwing as a character was born from Marty wanting to write a character who turns into anything. Because that didn't work as a toy, Derrick Wyatt suggested using a triple changer. Marty then came up with three personalities. Derrick was then inspired by He-Man's Man-E-Faces. In-show origin would have involved Blackarachnia and been told in Season 4.
  • There was a running joke about having a transforming character called "Tractor". He'd have been an Energon farmer.
  • Blurr was not intended to come back – he was "gone and dead" as far as Marty was concerned. But, the Botcon story where Blurr is revived "is canon. Sure. Why not?"
  • Team Charr were not specifically planned to be used (no stories built around them) but Marty thinks they would have "inevitably" been used.
  • Ratchet probably ran off with Omega Supreme as the Ark, and nobody else knew rather than him being intentionally given to Optimus.
  • Characters like Red Alert and Rodimus would have been recurring characters.
  • Marty thinks Obsidian in the treatment may have been a slip on his part, and could have been Strika in the final cut.
  • No plans for more flying Autobots.
  • Human villains were phased out – "fell by the wayside" – as the series progressed. Not a Hasbro pushback.
  • The timeslot for the Unicron Trilogy and Animated was based on a deal. The first run was on a decent timeslot but if the ratings were not good, it'd be moved to an earlier timeslot.
  • Cartoon Network wanted Marty and the crew to "age up" the show for season 3, to reflect the network's other shows at the time (specifically the new Ben 10 and Clone Wars)
  • Bulkhead was the first character Derrick Wyatt designed.
  • Lockdown was based on wanting a version of Death's Head that Hasbro could own.
  • Chances of actually seeing a new season "slim to none". Comic a smaller investment, but up to IDW to decide if they want to do it. Marty would be happy to write it.
  • Marty says if you want to know more, get the Allspark Almanacs.

I love learning facts like these, really makes the creative process all the more fascinating.

also lol poor Beachcomber, you'll die someday. haha

Blam320 Avatar
K2flygurl

Sari protoform could’v been explore more.

One of the great mysteries of TFA that will sadly never be solved.

K2flygurl Avatar

Sari protoform could’v been explore more.

RagaBM Avatar
dragon

This cartoon series did over use comedy in episodes someone calling bumblebee zippy, ratchet being grumpy old grandfather complain about everything, I left out sex jokes that wasn’t said a lot where do baby’s come from, siri explain to prime where baby’s come from,

While you can argue about Ratchet's trait throughout the series, those other examples are hardly "overuse" of comedy.

janeDoe001 Avatar

*Cries* WHY HASBRO WHY?! This would've been an awesome season 4 opener!!!

jD001

Blam320 Avatar
Jalaguy

Me and a friend took extensive handwritten notes during the TFN presentation of the S4 story treatments, and we're now proud to present a highly-detailed summary of the three unmade episodes!

EXCLUSIVE: Transformers Animated Season 4 “Trial of Megatron” Full Plot Summary!

Very interesting. A lot of this seems to have been repurposed into the Season 3.5 script readings we've gotten through BotCon, such as Arcee becoming Sari's teacher, and the Decepticons attacking Energon Farms.

I don't exactly agree with some of the choices made – like Bumblebee considering selling out Optimus in favor of Sentinel, which seems very out of character – but it's still good to see Season 4 come to light in some way.

Thunderhoof Avatar

Skimmed over the plot summary, it was very interesting to read.

CyberstormSM Avatar
Blam320

But IDW hasn't taken any hints from the fans, either, and decided the best way forward was to do yet another G1 flavored comic and a Marvel G1 prequel.

The reboot utilizing Siege designs seems to be a Hasbro mandate, and Transformers: '84 was actually pretty solid and a fun little celebration of the series' 35th anniversary.

But yeah, it would be nice to see them do something different in the future. Someday, hopefully.

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