Beast Wars: Transformers - Season One Review

1/27/2025

Warning: Unmarked spoilers for the Beast Wars: Transformers cartoon are ahead, including beyond season one! Avert your eyes, if you wish to stay surprised by these robots in disguise!

Every 3 to 4 years, I enter a strange state of mind where I completely fixate on The Transformers franchise. Why this happens has yet to be determined by science. If you've been following my Bluesky, you'll know that I've been down bad for these bots lately. The strange thing about my fixation is that I have never finished any Transformers animated series, or comic run. It's often the toys that are my favorite thing. Here I am piling as many weapons as I can onto Siege Skytread. Still, the fiction is highly appealing, often sitting between toy commercials and grandiose sci-fi about machine life trapped in war. I don't dislike any series; I just don't seem to finish them. I have seen Transformers: The Movie six or seven times, for whatever that's worth!

Things have finally changed this time, though, as I've managed to finally complete Beast Wars, the animated series I've previously made it the furthest in. I've always been charmed by the organic qualities of beast modes. Imagine if you saw some bear outside turn into a robot! The early CGI is certainly a draw, beautiful in its own right, sometimes surreal in an enjoyable way. Beast Wars is the one I had to finish at some point.

And I'm so glad I did. Read on to begin a full, gushy breakdown of the series...starting with season one!

Maximize!

You probably know the basic setup for most Transformers series. In Beast Wars, a Maximal ship helmed by Optimus Primal chases fugitive Megatron to a mysterious planet. Unable to maintain robot modes for extended periods, everyone takes on new beast modes based on local fauna. So begin the Beast Wars! Let's meet our season one Transformers...

  • Optimus Primal

    • Heroic ape leader of the Maximals. Often simply called Optimus at first, Primal has his work cut out for him. The Maximals are initially a disparate group, and I would include Primal in that. I find him to be a rather realistic person, at least in the context of other "Optimus" characters. Primal is somewhat frequently seen getting pissed off, being unsure of himself and others, and just generally being down to earth. I'm not sure he would come off that way without the fantastic performance by Gary Chalk, but regardless, Primal is a character that feels like a strong, hopeful leader without being a complete superhero. As he says at the end of the first episode, "I will not give an order I would not be willing to do myself!"

  • Cheetor

    • Your yellow, youthful character for the show. Cheetor is not my favorite Maximal, but I do like him. He just tends to get outshined by some of the others. Pretty much everyone in the show at some point has some kind of "You can't tell me what to do, dad!" outburst that's sometimes reserved for Cheetor's archetype. Other characters can be sassy and make mistakes, so it's hard to pinpoint one truly unique quality about Cheetor. Never quite the protagonist, even in episodes where he technically is, I still warmed up to him as part of the team. The way he calls Primal "big bot" is super cute.

  • Rattrap

    • Very possibly my favorite character in the series. Rattrap is very notably a straight-up asshole in the earliest episodes, but quickly develops into a reluctant hero that will do the right thing...after he's tried everything else. Despite some growth, "Shut up, Rattrap" will be an amusing catchphrase for the entire series. Rattrap gets a lot of the best one-liners, and just works really well as friction within the Maximals without being completely obtrusive. A true lovable rascal.

  • Rhinox

    • The calm scientist type of the group, a gentle giant of sorts who is seriously packing heat! Think of me whenever he starts lighting people up. If the Maximals are a house of cards, Rhinox is the table they're layed upon. He's pretty reliable, usually levelheaded, and possibly more dangerous and capable than he lets on. "Rhinox is sick" is something I say a lot in season one, and a little less so afterwards as he becomes more and more relegated to The Computer. You get to see him lead when Primal is unavailable, and uncover the secrets behind an alien presence in an on-going plot. How can you not love him?

  • Dinobot

    • This motherfucker steals the show. Honestly, he does. A defector from the Predacons, Dinobot is vicious in battle, insanely opportunistic, but values honor. Not above everything else, but it's that mix of personality traits that makes Dinobot so fun to watch. He's got the strength and combat prowess to back up his attitude, too. A warrior to the very core, Dinobot is a chaotic force in the best way. He shares a voice actor with Rattrap, Scott McNiel, and the banter between the two is absolute gold.

    And introduced gradually in the series...

  • Tigatron

    • This is one cool cat! He contrasts the other Maximals very well; his independence from the craziness of Maximal home base means that he seems somehow above it all. Not in a jerkish way, one of the best episodes of season one involves Tigatron's loyalties to nature and animal-kind versus the Beast Wars. Tigatron has his honor and values, but he's also nothing like Dinobot. Voiced by Blu Mankuma and sporting a rather impressive mustache, Tigatron is compelling in his convictions. His more spiritual qualities might have inspired the later series Beast Machines. I only wish he were in more episodes AFTER this season, but any episode with Tigatron in it is almost universally better for it.

  • Airazor

    • I love this girl SO MUCH; she wears one of the coolest names, and her character seems so promising. Airazor is less of a loner than Tigatron, but has just a hint of snarky Maximal behind a nurturing personality, when she's not shooting down Predacons. She comes in just a bit too late, and her relationship with Tigatron ends up being a major part of her character down the line. Her relationship with Tigatron is great; it feels natural that they would hit it off. Watching it develop is sweet. It just means that Airazor doesn't get a ton of solo moments that I really, REALLY wish she did.

And on team Predacon...!

  • Megatron

    • The fugitive, shakespearean (according to his voice actor, David Kaye) leader of the Predacons. It would be a very different show without Megatron, who is just threatening enough to be a believable villain, but not without comedic moments. The Predacons in general, especially in season one, are a funny bunch. I also nominate Megatron as having the coolest transformation animation in the series. He's big, bombastic, and not a single second with him is wasted time.

  • Terrorsaur

    • Terrorsaur is a character with a very clear analogue, in that he borrowed a lot of traits from Starscream. He's red and white, he's a flyer, and he's frequently scheming to overthrow Megatron. Terrorsaur shares an issue with Cheetor as well, in that he tends to get outshined frequently by other characters. Nearly all of the Predacons try to overthrow Megatron at some point or another. None of them particularly like him. One of Terrorsaur's featured episodes is a fairly boring story where he gains more power, and can't do much with it. Maybe most unfortunate of all against poor Terrorsaur is that he gets badly upstaged by THE ACTUAL STARSCREAM. Terrorsaur never quite found a strong personality trait or character trait beyond what is taken from Starscream, and thus doesn't make it to season two. I kind of liked him, and I even found his toy, but he's just not the Predacon's best.

  • Tarantulas

    • Now THIS is a great character! I have written about Tarantulas a few times on my Bluesky. He's the other strong contender for best character. Tarantulas is a treacherous spider, but Megatron allows him an awful lot of independence, including his own lair. You can read a lot into the relationship of Tarantulas and Megatron across the entire series, which is the kind of thing I cannot say for Terrorsaur and Scorponok. Tarantulas shines brightest in season two, but even pretty early on he manages to be entertaining, and frankly, kind of cool. I really like him.

  • Scorponok

    • A Predacon who did not invest his intelligence ("Megatron back, Megatron back!"), Scorponok is... well, he's just kind of stupid. The closest thing he gets to a standout episode doesn't even really involve him, but a special weapon he has. He is badly upstaged by our next Predacon in terms of appeal and laugh. He is supposedly Megatron's listed second-in-command, but this rarely comes up, and I can't recall anything notable being done with this idea. I'm sorry, Scorponok...but hey, you got to inherit your name from a cool G1 Decepticon.

  • Waspinator

    • One of the hearts of the show. No, seriously. Waspinator is frequently the focus of Looney Tunes-style violence, down on his luck, used as a decoy, and is generally at the bottom of the Predacon chain. This makes him extremely endearing and lovable, and he was apparently a major favorite for the children at the time. Waspinator's gig as comedic relief is a torch he reliably carries throughout the entire series. I love him, and you will too.

    Aaaand your bonus unlockable characters for the Predacons...

  • Blackarachnia

    • This is another character that's essay worthy by herself. Sort of created at the hands of Tarantulas (the decision to make her a spider hilariously questioned by Megatron), Blackarachnia is a very active character that becomes a pretty important part of the cast going forward. She is somewhat traitorous and underhanded, as most Predacons are, but willing to talk a ton of shit to their faces when she needs to challenge them. Many, many things happen to Blackarachnia as things go on. I enjoy that there's no particular romance plot with her in season one, but it's something they got a little bit overboard with later. Still, I can see why they kept wanting to use her. I don't want to undersell her by saying she's merely feisty, but she's definitely got an active personality and regularly stirs a ton of trouble for everyone.

  • Inferno

    • Inferno is not a great character, to me. But I do love when he calls Megatron his queen. Slay, queen! His introduction episode seems to just drag on; at first he actually does believe he's a fire ant protecting a colony. You actually don't see him in beast mode that often, for whatever reason. They have to tone down these qualities a bit so he can actually be under Megatron's command and be in episodes, because he's pretty whacked out in the start. Not a whole lot changes with Inferno and I can't recall any time that he was really the star player. As the series goes on, he becomes a less charismatic Waspinator. That means they often play well together, but as a solo act, Inferno is very often just another goon.

Back To The Plot

Covering the characters says a lot of what I want to about Beast Wars, but for broad strokes...

Beast Wars' first season is mostly made up of episodic, fairly independent adventures. These episodes are great because the cast is so often so likable. Why yes, I do want to see how Dinobot handles some weird thing, or see everyone go feral, because the way all the characters react to everything is a lot of fun. It's classic cartoon writing, to me. Put them in a situation and see what happens! Episodes where either faction rescues (or capture) a protoform and introduce a new character tend to be fun ones too. Except Spider's Game, which is probably the last dull episode the series ever has. And that's an episode starring Tarantulas and Blackarachnia! Inferno, you bonehead...

This series really tickled me pink with its building interest in both its own story potential and Transformers continuity. There's a running plot with an alien (besides the Transformers themselves) presence on the planet. The nature of the Golden Disk Megatron stole (you can see Dinobot holding it in episode 1) is something they really get to play the long game with. Possession is a great episode, but G1 references never get in the way of telling stories with the actual Beast Wars characters. At least, not at this point.

Meanwhile, that alien plot with the Vok is something that gets teased as early as the fifth episode. These guys are mysterious, and it's interesting to watch everybody react and plan differently to their presence and later, active threat. Having a villain presence beyond Megatron opens up a lot of story potential, and they work it well! This thread in particular feels like they wanted to spice up Transformers with just a little bit of Star Trek, or something. Two great tastes that taste great together! I'm particularly fond of the two-parter The Trigger, featuring a very different locale and a starring role for Tigatron and Blackarachnia.

One of the interesting writing mechanics is that everyone can only stay in robot mode for a certain amount of time. This is something they drop in the following two seasons, but it works here. There's a reason for everyone to stay in beast mode until it's time for a dramatic action scene, and it adds to the fun. How long it takes for the Energon to overload their bodies is pretty arbitrary, but not an issue. For whatever reason, I've come to really enjoy looking at things like that and how they work with the rest of the writing.

Speaking of those mechanics, the first season of Beast Wars is the least bogged down with the responsibility of advertising the toys. Now, remember, I love the toys, so this kind of thing is just part of Transformers writing. It sticks out more in the later seasons because it seems so out of place in a character-driven show with great overarching plots. Here, though, it's simple; the characters are the awesome toys, and their ability to transform is all we need to see. Most characters, arguably, have their best looks aesthetically in the first season. Poor Optimus Primal only gets worse as the series goes on, but Megatron doesn't miss.

Season one is bold enough to end on a pretty shocking cliffhanger. I can't get enough of Gary Chalk yelling "MEGAAAAATROOOOON!" It's beautiful. Check out some of the 2D explosions in that scene! Less beautiful. Things change quite a bit in season two, but the show's overall tone and just general quality don't. Before that, I'd like to do a short favorite episode list. This is by no means complete or definitive, just a few with highlightable moments for me.

Favorite Episodes

  • Chain of Command

    • This episode is worth it just for the scene where they have to vote for a leader, and two people vote for Dinobot. I would happily nominate this episode as putting the character dynamics on display, at least for the Maxmials. This is also the first episode to tease the Vokk, and one where Rhinox blasts Waspinator. One of the best of the very early episodes.

  • Double Jeopardy

    • Rattrap weirdly gets two feature episodes back to back, which doesn't bother me, but I think of this as the better one. The less you know about this episode going into it, the better. Primal is at some of his most amusing here, as well.

  • Dark Designs

    • Absolutely hilarious episode. Rhinox messes up the Predacons all by himself. This episode features Primal making fun of Megatron, very possibly the funniest moment in the entire series! Seems like it's pretty easy to reprogram or corrupt a Maximal to be evil in this one. Go figure.

  • The Trigger, Part 2

    • Count both parts here, but one of the oddest episodes with its video game-like setting shows off the best of many characters. Rattrap rides Terrorsaur, Blackarachnia takes the leading villain spot, and Tigertron and Airazor work together and start to bond. More alien drama is set for the finale, as well.

  • Before The Storm

    • The last three episodes are back-to-back bangers, but it's around this point that my boy Tarantulas shows off some of his best work, going behind Megatron's back and leaving the audience curious. Tigatron also gets to be a computer hacker, in a rather inspired scene. There's just a ton of fun everywhere in the finale.

Phew....okay, now I can get back to watching Beast Machines. That show is crazy, but season two of Beast Wars has a lot to talk about...

See you next time! MAXIMIZE!

- Heroic Maximal Jane