The Transformers
|
The Transformers is a four season cartoon which was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1987. Created to promote the Transformers toyline, the series features two factions of transforming robots -Autobots and Decepticons -who end up on Earth. In total 98 episodes were produced. The first two seasons take place before the events of The Transformers: The Movie, whilst the last two seasons take place after it.
Contents
1) Episode List
2) Releases
Episode List
Season 1
The first season consists of 16 episodes. The heroic Autobots leave their energy-depleted home world of Cybertron to find new energy sources, but are followed and attacked by their enemies, the evil Decepticons. The two sides crash land on Earth, and are reactivated four million years later, where their battle begins anew. This season mainly used characters from the 1984 toyline, but would also feature characters who wouldn't be available to buy until 1985.
Bonus Material: Development work document |
Season 2
The second season continues the adventures of the Transformers. The first few episodes continue to focus on characters from the 1984 lineup. But later on, mainly starting from the Dinobot Island two parter, a large amount of new characters are introduced, who would be on toy shelves throughout 1985. Due to some characters have spaceship alternate modes, some episodes take place on planets other than Cybertron and Earth. Towards the end of the season, even more new characters are introduced, most of which wouldn't be available to buy until 1986.
Bonus Material: Public Service Announcements / Series update document |
Season 3
Picking up shortly after the events of The Transformers: The Movie, the third season sees the Autobots back in control of Cybertron. But not only do the Autobots have to deal with the Decepticons, a new enemy is introduced in the form of the original creators of the Transformers: the Quintessons. The third season is known for its wildly inconsistent animation quality, featuring some of the worst-looking episodes in the entire series, but also featuring some of the best. The season mainly uses characters who were available in the 1986 toy lineup, but towards the end features new characters like the Technobots and Terrorcons, who wouldn't be available to buy until 1987.
Bonus Material: The Secret Files of Teletraan II |
Season 4
The fourth season was originally meant to consist of five episodes, but this was cut down to just three. The primary goal of this season was to use as many toys from the 1987 lineup as possible, which there were a considerable number of -over the course of these three episodes, nearly 50 new characters are featured. The story introduces the Headmasters and Targetmasters, characters who could transform into the head or weapon of a Transformer, boosting their power.
In the late 1980s and early '90s, episodes were released on VHS, usually consisting of two episodes per tape. Currently, the best way to own the series is to buy the DVD sets -the complete series has been released in multiple countries. However if you just want to watch the show, the Hasbro Pulse Youtube channel has uploaded every episode, which can be watched for free.
