RodimusBen your words about Optimus Prime really nag me. You said in your post that Optimus didnt have a backbone and that Rodimus showed more leadership skill then Optimus ever did. Give me quart of what your drinkin buddy. Where in the hell did you ever come up with those comments? Optimus Prime had more skill and bravery the Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime EVER did and as for a leader? I wont even go there but do me a favor think before you make those comments ok? Its obvious your biased for Hot Rod and thats cool but to say what you did about the greatest Autobot leader is just plain dumb and dumber. :tdown

 

P.S I like Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime and if he were real I think even HE would wonder with amazement where you came up with comments like you did.

:pfx with everything above.

 

Also to add though, I think his occasional doubting, his imperfection-- that's what makes Rodimus so much more interesting to me than Optimus. Op is just too perfect... at least on the show he was. In the comic, Simon Furman got much more into his mind and his doubts, it made him a much more intriguing character. But the point is, Rodimus was like that on the show and I thought it made him deeper.

I agree. Optimus Prime was like the Autobots' father. There was just a pervasive sense in G1 seasons 1-2 that Optimus was clearly in charge, and no one else was even a close second. Even Grimlock comes off more as a rebellious teenager than a true challenger. (Though I might be a little pissed as well if I were kept in a closet, but I digress.)

 

So you basically had a father figure and a bunch of (essentially) kids. (Is it any wonder why this show was such a hit with pre-teen boys?) Then with TF:TM this is all changed around. Ultra Magnus, the "natural" choice to succeed Optimus Prime, is overlooked in favor of the most immature guy in the group. (Blurr and Wheelie may be spastic, but you don't get the sense that they're still growing up and learning, the way you do with Hot Rod.)

 

This changed the "family dynamic" pretty significantly. Now you have (if I may continue the metaphor) the youngest son in charge of the family, surrounded by an uncle (Ultra Magnus), a grandfather (Kup), and an older brother (Springer), all of whom are always instructing Rodimus. This isn't fun. It's not the kind of "family" kids want to be a part of. It's like frickin' Gilbert Grape or something. Kids watching Season 3 yearned for Optimus Prime to come back because they wanted Daddy to show up and take charge of the family again. (Ooh I'm so psychological.)

 

All that to say, Optimus Prime was a tough act to follow as is, and they didn't do Rodimus any favors by surrounding him with characters who were all more qualified to lead in one sense or another.

I guess the fact that Hot Rod was so different from Optimus is what caused this.

 

If you think about it, if Ultra Magnus had become leader things would have pretty much stayed the same. Magnus and Prime basically had very similar personalities, it's just that Prime's character was explored more deeply and he already had a lot of leadership experience.

 

I actually think Hot Rod would have done a lot better with another season as leader. Season 3 had to deal with balancing out the TF factions with the Quintessons and Humans, and then reviving OP, so Rodimus didn't really get a stable environment to develop his skills.

 

That, and he had the worst alternate mode out of all the Autobot leaders. As someone previously stated, leaving his race car mode would have been better. :tfgrin

I guess the fact that Hot Rod was so different from Optimus is what caused this.

 

If you think about it, if Ultra Magnus had become leader things would have pretty much stayed the same. Magnus and Prime basically had very similar personalities, it's just that Prime's character was explored more deeply and he already had a lot of leadership experience.

 

I actually think Hot Rod would have done a lot better with another season as leader. Season 3 had to deal with balancing out the TF factions with the Quintessons and Humans, and then reviving OP, so Rodimus didn't really get a stable environment to develop his skills.

 

That, and he had the worst alternate mode out of all the Autobot leaders. As someone previously stated, leaving his race car mode would have been better. :tfgrin

I think Ultra Magnus sucked, personally. He was a milquetoast version of Optimus Prime. He had no charisma and no passion for his cause like Optimus did. Case in point: you would NEVER have seen Ultra Magnus react the way Prime did at the end of MTMTE when it looks like the Decepticons have won.

 

I have to agree about Rodimus Prime's alt mode. Like his name, it was an ill-advised attempt to link him to the far superior Optimus Prime. (And anyway, it always bugged me that 99% of the time, the animators treated Roddy's trailer like it was just part of him when he transformed. Subspace not good enough for you guys anymore??)

I hereby dub Hot Rod the Ralph Wiggum of the TF Universe..!!!

 

In the immortal words of Ralph:

 

"I bent my Wookie...."

 

:eek

Optimus Prime had more skill and bravery the Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime EVER did and as for a leader? I wont even go there but do me a favor think before you make those comments ok? Its obvious your biased for Hot Rod and thats cool but to say what you did about the greatest Autobot leader is just plain dumb and dumber. 

 

I guess it's just a matter of taste. Optimus drove me crazy sometimes on the TV show. Even as a kid it annoyed me that he seemed like he was so perfect, because I could tell it wasn't realistic. I also felt he had a very smug, holier-than-thou attitude. I guess the two 'bots are probably about even on bravery, I'll grant that. But I always think it is more fun seeing a hothead throw himself into danger than to watch the slow, calculated decisions of an experienced general.

 

Also, to me Optimus' style of leadership just would never cut it in an actual war. He's too friggin' nice. Like I said earlier, in the movie he should have just blasted 8 holes in Hot Rod to kill Megatron, but instead, he rendered Hot Rod's brave actions meaningless by not having the spine to sacrifice one of his soldiers for the greater good. My "bias" for Hot Rod just comes from the fact that I think he's a better, more interesting character, a heck of a lot more fun than Optimus and definitely a better leader.

 

I agree. Optimus Prime was like the Autobots' father. There was just a pervasive sense in G1 seasons 1-2 that Optimus was clearly in charge, and no one else was even a close second. Even Grimlock comes off more as a rebellious teenager than a true challenger.

 

I think there's a lot of truth to looking at it this way. This is yet another aspect that made the G1 comics so much better than the show. There were legitimate contenders to Optimus' "throne," so to speak. Blaster, Fortress Maximus, and eventually even Grimlock all showed true leadership and were definitely able to hold a candle to Optimus Prime. I understand that in a kids' show, it makes more sense to have an unquestionably perfect father figure, because it gives kids a sense of security about the good guys. However, as an adult, I am glad Simon Furman and the other comic authors brought more depth to the ranks of the Autobots.

 

All this is not to say I didn't appreciate seasons 1 and 2 for what they were. But I felt that season 3 was a lot more ambitious with its treatment of Rodimus as an imperfect leader, someone who did rely on the council of those around him (as I think any good leader would do anyway).

 

Part of me has to wonder, too, what exactly did the Matrix do for Hot Rod besides give him a deeper voice and a Winnebago alt mode? Probably very little. The change in attitude he experiences seems to come more from appreciation of his new responsibility. So, he's still a young kid and he is still learning, as you said. I just find that way more interesting than Optimus Prime.

 

That, and he had the worst alternate mode out of all the Autobot leaders. As someone previously stated, leaving his race car mode would have been better.

 

Can't believe you don't love the flaming Winnebago! It's my favorite alt mode in the history of Transformers. Flaming futuristic Winnebago, complete with exhaust pipes that shoot fire... I'm sorry, life doesn't get any better than that for me. Love it. When I am a billionaire, I'm going to have one of these custom-made.

:pfx

 

G-1 Optimus Prime will always, for me, be defined by two moments:

 

- The movie: "Megatron has to be stoppped, no matter what the costs", following by Prime just plowing his way through the decepticons. THe best OP moment of the cartoon/movie. :thumb

 

- eps in which Blitzwing & Astrotrain take over. At the end the most powerful deceps are fighting eachother. Ironhide reaches for his gun and wants to join the fight ("C'mon, let's get 'm"), but Prime holds him back, arguing that since the Deceps aren't firing at them, they should attack them (same argument which almost made the british loose WW2). What Prime should have done was summoning almost all his troops, surround the stadium, and when Megatron stands victorious and the others are severly injured on the ground, have all the autobots attack as one. Result: most powerful and leading Decepticons are vanguished, Autobots win.

 

 

I had great hopes for Rodimus Prime. Unfortunately, the cartoon (and even the UK comics) portrayed him as whiny and lousy leader. They should've portrayed him more like Primal in BW.

tried to stop Megatron as Hot Rod, only to have Optimus' reluctance to fight get himself killed. when Hot Rod became Rodimus Prime, his own guilt made him felt he could never live up to Optimus' legacy...

Seems to me that everyone is making excuses for the Moron but all essentially say he is an incompetant boob, like making a 20 year old who shot himself full of steroids head of the armed forces, what use is the best will in the world if you cant do the job you are supposed to do?

 

Grimlock should have been leader after Optimus Prime ;)

K, my avatar and sig obviously make me a little biased here. Having said that...

 

I don't think Hot Rod did a thing wrong. It's the heat of battle, and he saw a situation where his leader was about to be killed. A lot of people seem to overlook the fact that Hot Rod had total respect and admiration for Optimus Prime. He was trying to save the guy's life. Now in a sudden panic situation, you don't really think about what you need to do for that long, you just do it. So I think it's a little silly to expect him to stand there for a few seconds and ponder, "Hmm, should I lunge at Megatron or shout from afar?" I doubt very many people in this board have ever been in a war, but if you've been in any kind of stressful physical situation, you know that instinct just kicks in and you act on that.

 

So what was Hot Rod's instinct? Bravery. Self-sacrifice. Initiative. Decisive action. We call those the quality of a natural born leader folks, and that's exactly what The Matrix recognized in Hot Rod at Prime's death bed and in the bowels of Unicron.

 

But back to that dreadful moment. So Hot Rod does what any brave soldier who loves his leader would do, he throws himself into danger to save Optimus Prime. What does he get in return for his brave actions? That whiny pacifist sits there and lets himself get shot to pieces by Megatron, thereby sacrificing his own life needlessly and rendering Hot Rod's sacrifice completely in vain. Does it ever occur to Optimus that Hot Rod would have been willing to sacrifice his life to save his leader-- to play the old "shoot the hostage" scenario and let fate decide if he were to live or die? Prime's life was the one at stake from the get-go. Optimus changed the scenario by refusing to have the stomach to sacrifice a warrior for the greater good.

 

One Autobot soldier being used as a human shield, killed for the purpose of destroying Megatron forever? Sounds like a good exchange to me, and Hot Rod would have agreed. But instead, he hesitates and loses the best chance the Autobots ever had at finishing Megatron. No wonder the Matrix chose Hot Rod to succeed as leader. Surely its sensor sweeps indicated a backbone in that robot body, which was more than Op ever had.

 

Hot Rod/Rodimus' only mistake was overly idolizing Optimus, and eventually bringing him back to life. He showed more real leadership skill than Optimus ever had.

You MUST be joking. Please tell me you are, especially this part:

 

Hot Rod/Rodimus' only mistake was overly idolizing Optimus, and eventually bringing him back to life. He showed more real leadership skill than Optimus ever had.