The exact message Prime sends:

 

 

"I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any survivors of my kind who may be taking refuge among other systems, other stars. You are not alone. You have a home here, among others of your kind. We are waiting."

 

 

That's from the novel.

 

So no mention about the dominant life form, what the situation is.

 

As far as the museum thing is concerned, does it really matter whether their outside, crash into the museum, skeletons/statues outside, etc.

 

Another route we could go is somewhat similar to the cartoon ep SOS Dinobots and they find Prime, while evading human detection the entire time, and they introduce themselves as the Dynabots to Sam, Prime and the other Autobots, and Sam mentions that their faces look like dinosaurs somewhat, and eventually comes to the decision that to suit that, they scan dinosaurs and then their name goes from Dynabots to Dinobots.

 

Either way, it seems half the fandom wants to keep to realistic alternate modes, despite the fact that the Transformers have already revealed themselves even if it wasn't a worldwide event, but no doubt the news was somehow on the gun (they always are). The other half, considering the fact that the Transformers have revealed themselves, want the dinosaur alternate mode (myself included).

 

But ultimately, it's up to the people who make the movie and I'll probably be content either way, but happier if they keep them dinosaurs.

 

As far as the tabeloid thing goes Hobbestimus, well, we learned from MiB that the best investigative reporting regarding alien sightings are the tabeloids.

The fandom will always be split on pretty much all issues because people have different tastes and expectations. Thank goodness, the movie stuff isn't determined by the fandom.

If you have something to say about Soundwave, just say it.

:tflaugh

The exact message Prime sends:

 

 

"I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any survivors of my kind who may be taking refuge among other systems, other stars. You are not alone. You have a home here, among others of your kind. We are waiting."

 

 

That's from the novel.

 

That can't possibly be the whole message. If it is the whole message, then Prime's a dick. There's no coordinates or anything. "Hey, guys, I got a message from Optimus. He says we got a home...somwhere...stupid Optimus."

 

I'm guessing the important stuff is encoded on the beam Star Trek style and they don't bore the audience with it.

 

As for what half the fandom wants...I'm with Hot Rod. Thank God the movie isn't made by the fans.

The exact message Prime sends:

 

 

"I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any survivors of my kind who may be taking refuge among other systems, other stars. You are not alone. You have a home here, among others of your kind. We are waiting."

 

 

That's from the novel.

 

That can't possibly be the whole message. If it is the whole message, then Prime's a dick. There's no coordinates or anything. "Hey, guys, I got a message from Optimus. He says we got a home...somwhere...stupid Optimus."

 

I'm guessing the important stuff is encoded on the beam Star Trek style and they don't bore the audience with it.

 

As for what half the fandom wants...I'm with Hot Rod. Thank God the movie isn't made by the fans.

 

I agree with you and Hot Rod there.

 

And you may be right about the message. Or they could trace the message's origin to coming from the third planet in the Sol System (ours) and make their way here.

 

The question now remains, how will the new Decepticons come into the picture.

Did Starscream also send some kind of message? Did he intercept Prime's, piggyback another message onto it, and then send it back on it's way? Did he fly off to search for new Decepticons while others have also recieved Prime's message and make their way to Earth and are wait for Starscream to explain what in Primus is going on?

 

 

All questions that need answering. And besides, another thought about the Dinobots. Just like the Star Wars films, I'm sure time passes between this movie and the sequel, which would be convenient cause there's no way that in the matter of a year more Transformers would arrive one Earth having recieved Prime's message and then suddenly decided that they needed to come and settle into their new home. Those types of things take time. By that time though, the Autobots could be known about around the world and it wouldn't matter what they looked like, so if giant dinosaurs walk through downtown NYC, people'd probably realize it's either a movie being filmed with robots, or it's Transformers. But either way, I'll be happy if Grim and his team are in the film.

 

I personally never really liked films that take place almost literally where the one before left off. The notable exception was the Underworld films. I like my movies to have had time pass between them, whether the time is the actual time, like three years, or ficticous (three years between Eps 1 & 2 the movies, but in the SW universe, ten years had passed. And then just months in the SW universe between Eps 2 & 3 even though the movies had a three year span between their releases).

What if they decided that instead of bringing for the sequel Dinobots vs. Constructicons, how about Dinobots vs. Predacons? Would you also be opposed to the Predacons having animal modes?

 

Well, if the animal modes were organic, at least it would offer them some form of disguise, which is already better than dino modes. But there'd have to be a damn good reason for Headstrong to scan a rhino over, say, a safari truck.

 

Well how's about if you cross the dinos with military vehicles? Grim with a treaded rear cannon truck, Slag, and Snarl with tanks, Sludge with an amphibious attack vehicle, and Swoop with a jet maybe an F14 letting his wings swoop back for even more flight speed. Same could work with the Predacons if they chose to go that route for the Decepts new recruits.

 

You're getting dangerously close to what I suggested on page one of this thread:

 

I vote for Earth vehicles with strange, dinosaur or dragon-esque robot modes...Sam could very easily label them "Dinobots" in that case.

 

But if you're still talking humanoid robot modes with dino alt. modes, well, where did they find half dino/half military vehicles to scan? Would they build them from scratch? Or did they scan dino modes, then outfit them with guns later? Why in the world would they take the time to do that over just scanning military vehicles?

 

Which is why I say ditch the humanoid mode completely. The Decepticon robot designs in this film border on monstrous enough already that I think introducing a character like Grimlock who has a robot mode that naturally looks like a giant lizard thing (he's a reformed Decepticon, maybe?) would fit totally within the world the movie's created, and that character scanning an Earth vehicle works tons better from a story logic point than does a character scanning a dino mode.

 

Well my idea is that SS crashes back to earth into a cave finds the dino skeletons and thinks they would make good warriors. So he builds metal bodies similar to images he finds on the net using military salvage for parts. This gives them both enhanced mobility via treads, wheels, and jet turbines more weaponry, and dino modes. Now as has been mentioned the all spark is destroyed so SS being the sole Decepticon on the planet at this time thinks back to when Megatron left to follow the Allspark, and recalls that there was a team of Autobots that left to prevent Megatron from getting his hands on the Allspark. The LSC (Lightning Strike Coalition) so in hopes that they crashed here he scans the planet finds their five protoforms still in transport mode in stasis lock. To stop try to stop them from teaming up with Optimus SS messes with their memory banks and reactivates them. Once reactivated he has them scan the militarized dino modes they do and he then sends them out to find Optimus and the Autobots in the nearest city. Which just happens to be where Sam lives and he and BB try to reason with the Dinobots (as dubbed by Sam) when they transform to bot mode and BB recognizes them, and they then call Optimus for help when it is clear that they have no idea who they once were. (This is what causes the tension between Grim and Prime) Once Prime arrives on the scene Grim sees him and slightly recognizes him as the one who sent them after Megatron, and then abandoned them. Then according to what SS had told them Prime was responsible for the destruction of the Allspark and came to this planet to take it over. (Altered memories by SS mixed with truth) Later on when they see SS start attacking people and buildings Grim realizes that SS had lied to him, and he has the Dinobots turn on SS and they join up with Optimus and the Autobots even though Grim still doesn't trust him.

 

I'm almost done with the design for Grimlock I just need to draw his bot mode. I've come up with a transformation that folds the dino head, and neck into the bot mode chest still allowing his G1 look with out the dino head and neck hanging off of his back.

Rodiums, I don't mean to nitpick, but these are honestly the questions that pop into my head as I read this:

 

Well my idea is that SS crashes back to earth into a cave finds the dino skeletons and thinks they would make good warriors.

 

What do you mean by "finds"? Dinosaur skeletons require work to find, one does not normally stumble upon them. One especially does not stumble onto the complete skeletons of five unique spices of dinosaur all in the same spot.

 

What about them, particularly makes him think they'd be good warriors? He's a giant alien robot, with no respect for Earth or the life on it. And, honestly, put a dinosaur against Starscream and the poor thing wouldn't last two minutes. What about them makes him say, "I gotta have these guys get my back!" instead of "Oh, look, I've sat in the fossilized remains of pathetic, inferior carbon based lifeforms."

 

Also, and the actual movie next week may answer some of this, but: As an alien robot, does he even know what he's looking at when he sees a dinosaur skeleton?

 

Now as has been mentioned the all spark is destroyed so SS being the sole Decepticon on the planet at this time thinks back to when Megatron left to follow the Allspark, and recalls that there was a team of Autobots that left to prevent Megatron from getting his hands on the Allspark. The LSC (Lightning Strike Coalition) so in hopes that they crashed here he scans the planet finds their five protoforms still in transport mode in stasis lock.

 

He knows there are five Autobots on Earth in stasis? Why didn't either team try and get at them during the first movie?

 

Why is he building dinosaurs instead of contacting the other Decepticons?

 

If he can't reach the other 'Cons, or there are no other 'Cons, and he knows there are five soldiers he can make use of, and a planet full of military technology, why is he wasting his time building dinosaurs? Why not just reactivate them and have them scan some military equipment? Or, since in this scenario he's obviously not concerned with hiding these five soldiers, why not allow them to just go into battle in their Cybertronian modes?

 

 

 

Sorry.

 

I really like your ideas about the Dinobot/Autobot conflict, and I am really interested to see your design for Grimlock.

 

But I honestly feel I've tried to approach this from every angle I can, and I just don't see anyway that the Transformers adapting Earth dinosaurs for use as alt. modes comes off as anything other than illogical cartoon storytelling.

I agree with Hobbes (as usual) this whole need/scenario of having the dinobots actually BE dinosaurs is ridiculous. I could see the reptillion bot mode with a military alt mode, that would satisfy those that need a lizardy grimlock, but even that's just more fanwankery. I haven't seen the movie, but I have a good bit of faith in the movie producers and director judging by the previews. If they can find a way, a TRUE way to make it work then great, but If this series Jumps the shark on the second movie to satisfy a bunch of nostalgia filled gheybos, I'll be severely pissed.

I agree with you agreeing with Hobbes (no surprise there).

I also agree with everything else you just said x1000.

Rodiums, I don't mean to nitpick, but these are honestly the questions that pop into my head as I read this:

 

Well my idea is that SS crashes back to earth into a cave finds the dino skeletons and thinks they would make good warriors.

 

What do you mean by "finds"? Dinosaur skeletons require work to find, one does not normally stumble upon them. One especially does not stumble onto the complete skeletons of five unique spices of dinosaur all in the same spot.

 

What about them, particularly makes him think they'd be good warriors? He's a giant alien robot, with no respect for Earth or the life on it. And, honestly, put a dinosaur against Starscream and the poor thing wouldn't last two minutes. What about them makes him say, "I gotta have these guys get my back!" instead of "Oh, look, I've sat in the fossilized remains of pathetic, inferior carbon based lifeforms."

 

Also, and the actual movie next week may answer some of this, but: As an alien robot, does he even know what he's looking at when he sees a dinosaur skeleton?

 

Now as has been mentioned the all spark is destroyed so SS being the sole Decepticon on the planet at this time thinks back to when Megatron left to follow the Allspark, and recalls that there was a team of Autobots that left to prevent Megatron from getting his hands on the Allspark. The LSC (Lightning Strike Coalition) so in hopes that they crashed here he scans the planet finds their five protoforms still in transport mode in stasis lock.

 

He knows there are five Autobots on Earth in stasis? Why didn't either team try and get at them during the first movie?

 

Why is he building dinosaurs instead of contacting the other Decepticons?

 

If he can't reach the other 'Cons, or there are no other 'Cons, and he knows there are five soldiers he can make use of, and a planet full of military technology, why is he wasting his time building dinosaurs? Why not just reactivate them and have them scan some military equipment? Or, since in this scenario he's obviously not concerned with hiding these five soldiers, why not allow them to just go into battle in their Cybertronian modes?

 

 

 

Sorry.

 

I really like your ideas about the Dinobot/Autobot conflict, and I am really interested to see your design for Grimlock.

 

But I honestly feel I've tried to approach this from every angle I can, and I just don't see anyway that the Transformers adapting Earth dinosaurs for use as alt. modes comes off as anything other than illogical cartoon storytelling.

 

 

You have good points there Hobbstimus.

 

Now as far as them having Dinosaur based alternate mode, while I'd love it and it would indeed make them true Dinobots, there's nothing holding me back from disliking them if they're not dinosaurs. Besides, I'm sure the writers and people at ILM/Dreamworks will work out some way for them to be in the movie, and they'll probably try all sorts of combinations before releasing what they actually look like. And if they do include Dinobots, they might try to work them in as Dinosaurs, but that's up those who produce said movie.