Hey all,

 

First time post in a LONG time! Anyway there was something that's always kinda bothered me and I'm curious what others thought -- is there an official ending to the G1 story? I know the US cartoon ended with a new Golden Age of Cybertron, but the story continued on in Japan, where many characters died, changed, etc. Is there an accepted, canonical ending among TF fans, or is it more, "it ended where you want it to end"? Was there a storyline that went along with the G2 toys? And what came of Optimus, Ultra Magnus, etc? (Lots of questions, I know.)

 

I'd actually prefer the comics to do some kind of continuation, as opposed to reboots. But that's another issue.

 

Best,

Dan

G1 technically didn't end until after Beast Machines, regardless of US or Japanese continuity. Beast Wars is a direct continuation of the G1 cartoon continuity, though the Marvel and DW comic continuities also indirectly feed into it as well (thus making it a convergence point of sorts) with Wreckers, Beast Machines, and Universe all continuing from there. The Classics-verse is another G1 branch continuity (off of the Marvel US continuity) whose story has been told through Fun Publications' Timelines stories. As for G2, yes, there was a story that went with it; two actually. Marvel comics put out a twelve issue series, and Japan had its own "G2" story line as well.

G1 technically didn't end until after Beast Machines, regardless of US or Japanese continuity. Beast Wars is a direct continuation of the G1 cartoon continuity, though the Marvel and DW comic continuities also indirectly feed into it as well (thus making it a convergence point of sorts) with Wreckers, Beast Machines, and Universe all continuing from there. The Classics-verse is another G1 branch continuity (off of the Marvel US continuity) whose story has been told through Fun Publications' Timelines stories. As for G2, yes, there was a story that went with it; two actually. Marvel comics put out a twelve issue series, and Japan had its own "G2" story line as well.

 

Thanks -- so does G2 take place before/after/have nothing to do with Classics? And super-nerdy: what was Prime's last "form" -- Laser Rod (i.e. G2)? (Oh, Transformers continuity. What are we going to do with you?)

Classics is a "splinter continuity" off of the main Marvel US continuity where the events of Marvel UK and G2 never happened. Here's a chart from back in early 2006 of the Multiverse as established up to that point:

 

This chart precedes the Classics-verse, Movie-verse, TFA, etc. thus making it a bit outdated. If you were to add Classics in, it would branch off on its own from the main Marvel US line with no connection to either G2 or Marvel UK.

Classics is a "splinter continuity" off of the main Marvel US continuity where the events of Marvel UK and G2 never happened. Here's a chart from back in early 2006 of the Multiverse as established up to that point:

 

This chart precedes the Classics-verse, Movie-verse, TFA, etc. thus making it a bit outdated. If you were to add Classics in, it would branch off on its own from the main Marvel US line with no connection to either G2 or Marvel UK.

 

Wow, this is really cool, thanks. I think I might even have some of the G2 trades. Curious: do most fans accept the Japanese G1 toons (post-Rebirth)as canon?

 

P.S. I'd love for the next Transformers game to be a sequel to G1 & Beast Machines. Show us what happens next.

Classics is a "splinter continuity" off of the main Marvel US continuity where the events of Marvel UK and G2 never happened. Here's a chart from back in early 2006 of the Multiverse as established up to that point:

 

This chart precedes the Classics-verse, Movie-verse, TFA, etc. thus making it a bit outdated. If you were to add Classics in, it would branch off on its own from the main Marvel US line with no connection to either G2 or Marvel UK.

 

Wow, this is really cool, thanks. I think I might even have some of the G2 trades. Curious: do most fans accept the Japanese G1 toons (post-Rebirth)as canon?

 

P.S. I'd love for the next Transformers game to be a sequel to G1 & Beast Machines. Show us what happens next.

Everything officially produced under Hasbro and Takara license is canon.

Classics is a "splinter continuity" off of the main Marvel US continuity where the events of Marvel UK and G2 never happened. Here's a chart from back in early 2006 of the Multiverse as established up to that point:

 

This chart precedes the Classics-verse, Movie-verse, TFA, etc. thus making it a bit outdated. If you were to add Classics in, it would branch off on its own from the main Marvel US line with no connection to either G2 or Marvel UK.

 

Wow, this is really cool, thanks. I think I might even have some of the G2 trades. Curious: do most fans accept the Japanese G1 toons (post-Rebirth)as canon?

 

P.S. I'd love for the next Transformers game to be a sequel to G1 & Beast Machines. Show us what happens next.

Everything officially produced under Hasbro and Takara license is canon.

 

Not neccesarily... it depends on the property, and Transformers fans may feel differently, but typically when the core fiction appears onscreen (be it television or movies), and supplemental materials appear in print, it's only the on-screen events that are considered canon. Take Star Wars or Star Trek, for example. The movies and TV series are generally held to be canon, whereas the novels, comics, video games, etc are not (and in many cases directly contradict events seen in film [see Boba Fett/Jango Fett/Jaster Maree]).

 

In the same way, it is often difficult or impossible to reconcile events that take place in Transformers comics or other media with what was already seen on film... and it's silly to even try, IMO. Supplemental sci-fi works to popular series will always just be fun little "what if" scenarios, and nothing to be taken too seriously.

Classics is a "splinter continuity" off of the main Marvel US continuity where the events of Marvel UK and G2 never happened. Here's a chart from back in early 2006 of the Multiverse as established up to that point:

 

This chart precedes the Classics-verse, Movie-verse, TFA, etc. thus making it a bit outdated. If you were to add Classics in, it would branch off on its own from the main Marvel US line with no connection to either G2 or Marvel UK.

 

Wow, this is really cool, thanks. I think I might even have some of the G2 trades. Curious: do most fans accept the Japanese G1 toons (post-Rebirth)as canon?

 

P.S. I'd love for the next Transformers game to be a sequel to G1 & Beast Machines. Show us what happens next.

Everything officially produced under Hasbro and Takara license is canon.

 

Not neccesarily... it depends on the property, and Transformers fans may feel differently, but typically when the core fiction appears onscreen (be it television or movies), and supplemental materials appear in print, it's only the on-screen events that are considered canon. Take Star Wars or Star Trek, for example. The movies and TV series are generally held to be canon, whereas the novels, comics, video games, etc are not (and in many cases directly contradict events seen in film [see Boba Fett/Jango Fett/Jaster Maree]).

 

In the same way, it is often difficult or impossible to reconcile events that take place in Transformers comics or other media with what was already seen on film... and it's silly to even try, IMO. Supplemental sci-fi works to popular series will always just be fun little "what if" scenarios, and nothing to be taken too seriously.

 

Yeah, exactly. I'd think that the divergence of the US cartoon series ending while the Japanese one continued would be strange/hard to reconcile. (I was kind of bummed to learn that Prime died AGAIN and Ultra Magnus died. Man!)

Classics is a "splinter continuity" off of the main Marvel US continuity where the events of Marvel UK and G2 never happened. Here's a chart from back in early 2006 of the Multiverse as established up to that point:

 

This chart precedes the Classics-verse, Movie-verse, TFA, etc. thus making it a bit outdated. If you were to add Classics in, it would branch off on its own from the main Marvel US line with no connection to either G2 or Marvel UK.

 

Wow, this is really cool, thanks. I think I might even have some of the G2 trades. Curious: do most fans accept the Japanese G1 toons (post-Rebirth)as canon?

 

P.S. I'd love for the next Transformers game to be a sequel to G1 & Beast Machines. Show us what happens next.

Everything officially produced under Hasbro and Takara license is canon.

 

Not neccesarily... it depends on the property, and Transformers fans may feel differently, but typically when the core fiction appears onscreen (be it television or movies), and supplemental materials appear in print, it's only the on-screen events that are considered canon. Take Star Wars or Star Trek, for example. The movies and TV series are generally held to be canon, whereas the novels, comics, video games, etc are not (and in many cases directly contradict events seen in film [see Boba Fett/Jango Fett/Jaster Maree]).

 

In the same way, it is often difficult or impossible to reconcile events that take place in Transformers comics or other media with what was already seen on film... and it's silly to even try, IMO. Supplemental sci-fi works to popular series will always just be fun little "what if" scenarios, and nothing to be taken too seriously.

With Star Trek you are correct, but with Star Wars, the only things not canon are marked as Infinities. The comics, games, book, etc. are all canon. That's why it's referred to as the Expanded Universe, and not the Alternate Universe. The EU expands upon the movies within the same universe, the same canon. LFL has a hierarchy of canon levels going from "G-level for the movies, down through C-level for most of the EU, down to S-level for older material that doesn't fit as well, ending with N-level for non canon materials (Infinities. for Star Wars, Lucas Licensing has created a single all-encompassing history of the SW galaxy that includes all media, not just the movies. IF it's official, it's canon, unless explicitly stated otherwise, with each tier taking priority over the lower tiers only when conflicts occur between levels (G-level overrides C-level, C-level overrides S-level, etc.)

 

With Transformers, It's been established that everything published under official license is canon, but that each is a different continuity connected only be Primus, Unicron and the Thirteen as multiversal singularities. Transformers canon establishes a multiverse of divergent timelines, all of which officially happen. Thus, if it has been produced under license from either Hasbro or Takara/Tomy, it is canon. So yes, it does indeed depend upon the property, and in the case of Transformers, it is all canon.

Classics is a "splinter continuity" off of the main Marvel US continuity where the events of Marvel UK and G2 never happened. Here's a chart from back in early 2006 of the Multiverse as established up to that point:

 

This chart precedes the Classics-verse, Movie-verse, TFA, etc. thus making it a bit outdated. If you were to add Classics in, it would branch off on its own from the main Marvel US line with no connection to either G2 or Marvel UK.

 

Wow, this is really cool, thanks. I think I might even have some of the G2 trades. Curious: do most fans accept the Japanese G1 toons (post-Rebirth)as canon?

 

P.S. I'd love for the next Transformers game to be a sequel to G1 & Beast Machines. Show us what happens next.

Everything officially produced under Hasbro and Takara license is canon.

Not neccesarily... it depends on the property, and Transformers fans may feel differently, but typically when the core fiction appears onscreen (be it television or movies), and supplemental materials appear in print, it's only the on-screen events that are considered canon. Take Star Wars or Star Trek, for example. The movies and TV series are generally held to be canon, whereas the novels, comics, video games, etc are not (and in many cases directly contradict events seen in film [see Boba Fett/Jango Fett/Jaster Maree]).

 

In the same way, it is often difficult or impossible to reconcile events that take place in Transformers comics or other media with what was already seen on film... and it's silly to even try, IMO. Supplemental sci-fi works to popular series will always just be fun little "what if" scenarios, and nothing to be taken too seriously.

 

Yeah, exactly. I'd think that the divergence of the US cartoon series ending while the Japanese one continued would be strange/hard to reconcile. (I was kind of bummed to learn that Prime died AGAIN and Ultra Magnus died. Man!)

That's just it, they don't have to reconcile because the Japanese continuity after Season Three is a branch continuity. It splits off from US cartoon continuity before Rebirth. In US continuity, the war ended with Rebirth and Beast Wars picks up about three hundred years later. In Japan, Rebirth never happens. Instead, they have Headmasters, and its sequels as its own branch off from Season three.

 

Think of the multiverse as a tree. Each continuity is a branch off of that tree that constantly diverge and (sometimes) converge at different points. The US and Japanese G1 continuities after season three are a prime example of this, as is Marvel with its divergent branches. All of them happen.