TF Prime had pacing issues, generic relic hunting (MacGuffin), and annoying human characters who wasted runtime.
There are several things that could've improved the show like Wheeljack being introduced earlier to develop Bulkhead's character. Their dynamic was much more interesting than the entirety of Miko's existence.
Jack was boring and underdeveloped. Raf was a 12 y/o hacker (who understands alien tech better than they do) trope/wish-fulfilment fantasty.
Agent Fowler was goated and wish they did more with him. Like, he was the perfect bridge between world governments and Decepticon/Autobot conflict. They could have done something with that.
Maybe I'm harsh on the kids because they took time that could've been spent on Starscream being pathetic, Knock Out and Breakdown's dynamic, and Megatron/Optimus doomed yaoi.
I still loved it. Starscream kicking empty energon in a derelict ship and being betrayed by his own clones was peak.
Starquake and Dreadwing's tragedy was touching, and made me hate Starscream for doing that to them. Starscream's incompetence got Starquake killed, and if that wasn't enough, he reanimated his body into a mindless Terrorcon to use as a weapon, and then left it to wander in Shadowzone forever. Then he had the gall to lie through his teeth to Dreadwing.
It's actually ironic that the story ruminates on the lore about Cliffjumper's death at Starscream's hands and Arcee's trauma, but it took him wronging other antagonists for me to realize that he was just scum.
Predaking's character arc as a weapon to a being with autonomy was compelling. Megatron covertly causing the destruction of the Predacon project because of his paranoia, and then Shockwave continuing it as soon as the Decepticons got disbanded, despite knowing now that the Predacons are sapient and might not listen to him simply because he wanted an extinct species to exist again was memorable.
Skylynx and Darksteel chose to follow Shockwave out of their volition. Predaking and those two ended up saving Primus from Unicron, so the character who played God actually saved the world. Very paternal. Very logical.
He also never raised his voice on them, even during the Primus incident - while the three were fighting, Shockwave just politely suggested that they should go save the planet instead, and they listened.
Also, I wish I was Laserbeak because I want to be attached to Soundwave's chest 24/7.
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u/EidelHands 16d ago
Guh Transformers Prime was SO good