Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

[Sabrblade]

They are robots

Which is why that "gore" was allowed on TV; if it's robots, it's not really gore, just broken machinery. You can argue the semantics all you like, it won't change that.

They're still people having their innards graphically torn out of their bodies

No, they're robots having mechanical components being ripped out.

Which to them are their innards.

The folks at the CW likewise felt that it was too graphic to show onscreen, and so cut that whole sequence out during that episode's airing on that channel.

I seem to recall you mentioning the CW broadcast removing a lot of content, not all of which was omitted due to simple subject matter.

The majority of censored content was due to the subject matter, though.

[Shadowman]

They are robots

Which is why that "gore" was allowed on TV; if it's robots, it's not really gore, just broken machinery. You can argue the semantics all you like, it won't change that.

They're still people having their innards graphically torn out of their bodies

No, they're robots having mechanical components being ripped out.

Which to them are their innards.

Yeah, and? It doesn't make them not robots that their interior mechanic components are inside them.

Do you just bawl when you see that scene from Office Space where they smash the printer or what? Must be like Saw for you.

[Sabrblade]

Yeah, and? It doesn't make them not robots that their interior mechanic components are inside them.

Nor does their being robots not make them people in their case. They're as alive as any human is; a point which the franchise has gone to great lengths over the decades to illustrate.

Do you just bawl when you see that scene from Office Space where they smash the printer or what? Must be like Saw for you.

Never saw it.

[Shadowman]

Yeah, and? It doesn't make them not robots that their interior mechanic components are inside them.

Nor does their being robots not make them people in their case. They're as alive as any human is; a point which the franchise has gone to great lengths over the decades to illustrate.

Yeah, I saw Short Circuit. "Alive" is not part of the issue. They're non-organic beings (Which the Beast Era went to great lengths to illustrate) and thus "gore" does not apply to them as it would a human.

Point is, at no point did Prime get anywhere near as dark Batman TAS. One robot breaking another doesn't prove that it is, it just shows you're just so sensitive that you're likely to weep over a broken toaster.

[Sabrblade]

Yeah, and? It doesn't make them not robots that their interior mechanic components are inside them.

Nor does their being robots not make them people in their case. They're as alive as any human is; a point which the franchise has gone to great lengths over the decades to illustrate.

Yeah, I saw Short Circuit. "Alive" is not part of the issue. They're non-organic beings (Which the Beast Era went to great lengths to illustrate) and thus "gore" does not apply to them as it would a human.

Nowadays they are considered organisms, especially when the show itself openly says so.

Point is, at no point did Prime get anywhere near as dark Batman TAS. One robot breaking another doesn't prove that it is, it just shows you're just so sensitive that you're likely to weep over a broken toaster.

There is a huge difference between artificially-made Earthen appliances and naturally-occurring, sentient, sapient, silicon-based, alien organisms.

And since you brought it up, TVTropes has a Nightmare Fuel section for Prime too, one much larger than the BTAS one.

Plus, Bulkhead himself considered what he did to that Vehicon inappropriate enough for him to insist that Miko turn away from seeing him do it. Just because something can be shown onscreen doesn't mean that it should.

[Shadowman]

Okay. Good for you. Great. That does not change my point in the slightest. It was allowed on screen because they're robots (And please keep arguing that in a thread titled "Robots in Disguise") and thus do not count as actual gore. Robots have been used to get around putting gore in things. (You ever notice lightsabers got more use in Star Wars once the bad guys primarily became droids?) Arguing semantics like "Oh, they're actually organisms 'cause it was mentioned like, once in one continuity that isn't even canon with this one" does not make them not robots.

Meanwhile, in Gotham City, this happened. Timm and Dini managed to get around the censors by being careful and clever about it. (They had implied lesbians twenty years before Korra did it)

[Sabrblade]

Okay. Good for you. Great. That does not change my point in the slightest. It was allowed on screen because they're robots (And please keep arguing that in a thread titled "Robots in Disguise") and thus do not count as actual gore.

It's gore for the Cybertronians. You keep looking at this from a human-centric perspective when that has never been what I was talking about. Put yourself if their shoes. Their being robots, was never in doubt, but their nature of being robots isn't the same nature as like, as I mentioned before, ASIMO is a robot. Or to use a TF example, Nightbird. You wouldn't call her the same type of robot as the Transformers, would you? Wheeljack and Ratchet sure didn't.

There are typically two different kinds of "robot" in TF fiction. The artificial pieces of machinery that aren't people, and the living space organisms who naturally exist. Your focusing entirely on the former, while all I've ever been talking of is the latter.

Robots have been used to get around putting gore in things. (You ever notice lightsabers got more use in Star Wars once the bad guys primarily became droids?) Arguing semantics like "Oh, they're actually organisms 'cause it was mentioned like, once in one continuity that isn't even canon with this one" does not make them not robots.

How is the first episode of Prime not part of the same continuity as Prime?

Meanwhile, in Gotham City, this happened. Timm and Dini managed to get around the censors by being careful and clever about it. (They had implied lesbians twenty years before Korra did it)

What happened in that clip is in a whole different ballpark than the stuff that went down in Prime. Bane's exaggerated design when he puffs up becomes unrealistically cartoony, and Batman stops anything really graphic from actually happening anyway. And, Bane's also, you know, not killed. Had Bane's body exploded or started to have bodily fluids oozing out of his skin or his eyes or had any part of his insides exposed onscreen and in a realistic manner, then that would have been too far. Instead, Timm and Dini were, as you said, clever enough to show something painful and disturbing in a subtle enough manner rather than diving full on into areas of the uber grotesque and depressing.

[Shadowman]

That was, far and away, the stupidest thing you have ever said. It's gore the the Cybertronians? Yeah, I'm sure **** cartoon characters don't have much of a voice with the censors, that's the issue.

[PrymeStriker]

That was, far and away, the stupidest thing you have ever said. It's gore the the Cybertronians?

I find the irony between these two sentences very amusing.

Yeah, I'm sure **** cartoon characters don't have much of a voice with the censors, that's the issue.

Yes, Transformers don't watch their own show. Doesn't make it any less disturbing.

Batman: The Animated Series is probably a lot darker than Transformers Prime given its more mature TV rating in comparison. BTAS is rated TV-PG while TFP is rated TV-Y7. Clearly, something's happening with Batman that's having more impact than Prime in that regard. We, not only the fandom, but the audience altogether, lack sensitivity to when heaps of robo-entrails are getting torn out of a "robot."

Upon further consideration, which everyone except for you seems to have done long ago, Transformers Prime deals with robot violence very differently from any previous Transformers series. It actually pays attention to the fact that they're aliens first, robots second, where other shows have presented this and treated it the other way around. Consider some examples:

Beast Wars: Waspinator is, cut in half, torn apart, and blown up constantly. It's "comical" ( ). They just put him back together later on.

Prime: Breakdown was mauled to death by Airachnid. That's it for him. They put him back together alright - as a means for Silas to become the living dead.


------------

Animated: Sentinel Prime was definitely a head of the game in "The Return of the Headmaster." Lame pun, I know. When he was decapitated, that was no big deal. Optimus even took the time to laugh at it. They just reattached it at the end of the conflict.

Prime: Arcee twisted a Vehicon's head off with her ankles by doing a 180 on his shoulders. Not only could that not be anything but painful as hell, but that Vehicon was long gone once he saw his own ass. They didn't reattach his head later because it'd be like trying to sow Vic Morrow's head back on to his body and calling him ready to finish the Twilight Zone movie.

------------

Just because other shows have decided to emphasize all the (annoying) robot tropes in Transformers by making them aliens second does not mean that you should apply the same logic to Prime, in which has made it very clear they didn't take robot violence that lightly. They still got away with it given all of those robot clichés that exist in TV and film. It's Transformers. While it's not cringe-worthy violence, it doesn't mean that conceptually, what went down in Prime was rather grotesque.

[Shadowman]

That was, far and away, the stupidest thing you have ever said. It's gore the the Cybertronians?

I find the irony in these two sentences very amusing.

How so? Oh, I made a typo, and thus I'm "stupid?" Cute.

Call me back when you have any argument other than "robots get broken, and it must be painful for them, despite being cartoon characters, and despite Transformers in prior series suffering far worse (Hi, Waspinator!)."

[PrymeStriker]

How so? Oh, I made a typo,

Yes.

and thus I'm "stupid?"

Nope. It's just ironic.

Cute.

Well, I try my best.

Call me back when you have any argument other than "robots get broken, and it must be painful for them, despite being cartoon characters, and despite Transformers in prior series suffering far worse (Hi, Waspinator!)."

I have made an argument other than "robots get broken, and it must be painful for them, despite being cartoon characters, and despite Transformers in prior series suffering far worse." It's called the entire post above you.

You're a rather bigoted person. It's like you didn't even bother reading my post and just amounted it all to something completely out of context. Funny you mentioned Waspinator, as I used him as an example contrasting his (pathetic, annoying, repetitive, uninspired, illogical, really unfunny) slapstick to the violence on Prime. Stop trying to mesh the franchise together.

I'm not making any further inquiries on the matter. I've made my case very clear and you chose to ignore it and completely miss the point. What's the use in trying?

[Shadowman]

What's the use in trying?

I know, right? I keep explaining that a busted robot is not seen the same way by the censors as a busted human, and that's why Prime got away with everything. Then everyone begins talking as if suddenly the cartoon characters are real people. Because apparently "Fantasy violence" (The only kind that's ever been shown in Transformers) is the same thing as "graphic violence." (The kind of thing you'd see on, say, Walking Dead)

[Va'al]

While it does not come as a surprise - we had already heard from Hasbro Studios about Cartoon Network being the channel for Transformers: Robots in Disguise in October - another press release has been circulated concerning the global broadcast rights for the upcoming animated series featuring beast-like Decepticons, Drift and mini-cons, and the main cast of Bumblebee, Grimlock, Sideswipe and Strongarm. Read up below!

CARTOON NETWORK ACQUIRES GLOBAL RIGHTS TO HASBRO STUDIOS’ NEWEST SERIES, TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE

Next Series in Beloved Franchise to Air on Cartoon Network Channels in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East Following Earlier U.S. Deal

Los Angeles, Jan. 13, 2015 – Cartoon Network has acquired the global rights to start airing the brand new series, TRANSFORMERS: Robots in Disguise, beginning in 2015. The agreement follows Cartoon Network’s previous U.S. deal for the show with Hasbro Studios, the Los Angeles-based entertainment division of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS). Stephen Davis, Chief Content Officer of Hasbro, Inc., made the announcement today.

“We are thrilled to have expanded our ongoing international relationship with Cartoon Network, freeing them to unleash our Transformers characters to the entire world starting early this year,” Davis said. “Fans everywhere will now be able to experience the humor, fun, adventure and cooler, lighter, brighter animated style that our Autobots and Decepticons deliver as we open up the next storytelling chapter in this beloved franchise on Cartoon Network around the globe, from hubs in the U.S. and Europe to Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Finn Arnesen, senior VP of global distribution and development for Hasbro Studios, added, “Cartoon Network makes a tremendous launch pad for TRANSFORMERS: Robots in Disguise. Complemented by additional Turner channels, Cartoon Network provides the ideal fit across the board for our series, reaching a core demographic of boys 6-11 and kids of all ages.”

The mission begins as Bumblebee must step up to be leader in the years after we left the Autobots in Transformers Prime. Summoned by Optimus Prime to save Earth from a new Decepticon threat, Bumblebee puts his light-hearted mettle to the test after assembling a rouge team of young Autobot action heroes. Bumblebee must balance his job fighting off evil with being equal parts squad leader and coach to a rascally band that needs constant coaxing to learn how to work together. The results are comical when the cool rebel, elite guard cadet, bombastic dinobot and overly excited mini-con must balance team-building with chasing and capturing their new enemies in every episode packed full of action, fun and adventure.

The highly innovative TRANSFORMERS franchise is one of the biggest brands in the world, spanning television, film and digital entertainment (including the 2014 global blockbuster, TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, the fourth in the hit film series); as well as gaming; apps; publishing; transmedia events; toys, games and licensing.

[Sabrblade]

So much hype in one announcement, yet STILL no airdate given.

[rpetras]

Great!

The first three episodes will be on an endless loop for 3 weeks, then the show will be off air for 4 months, then return to the juicy 5:30 AM Sunday morning time slot.

TFA all over again.

[Sabrblade]

Great!

The first three episodes will be on an endless loop for 3 weeks, then the show will be off air for 4 months, then return to the juicy 5:30 AM Sunday morning time slot.

TFA all over again.

This is news how?

[Shockwave7]

Gone crawling back to CN, eh? Looks like "the HUB" isn't the cat's meow they thought it would be. Oh wait - the "HUB" doesn't exist anymore, it's 'Discovery Kids' or some such thing. I guess they couldn't make a go of having a network that was little more than reruns of cancelled 80s cartoons.

They'd have done better to just stay with CN and carry on Transformers Animated for a couple more seasons. The toys were better, and the show was good.

[kaijuguy19]

Gone crawling back to CN, eh? Looks like "the HUB" isn't the cat's meow they thought it would be. Oh wait - the "HUB" doesn't exist anymore, it's 'Discovery Kids' or some such thing. I guess they couldn't make a go of having a network that was little more than reruns of cancelled 80s cartoons.

They'd have done better to just stay with CN and carry on Transformers Animated for a couple more seasons. The toys were better, and the show was good.

Seeing as how CN's record of canning certain action shows over the years such as He-Man,Thundercats,Young Justice etc due to them saying those shows not having good ratings,girls watching them more then boys,not having a toyline,etcAnimated would still be canned before it's time even if Hasbro didn't try to make their own station and CN would still be trying to screw Hasbro over a lot of times.

I'm honestly now nervous for Hasbro's future when it comes to future TF shows since it's very likely that RID15 will be put in a bad time slot and killed off not to mention that kids are more into electronics nowadays more then toys and that it could leave the brand and Hasbro even in a pretty rough state.

Though I guess CN would probably let RID15 live since it may want to compete with Nick with it's TMNT 2012 series since CN's ratings have been down due to obvious reasons or maybe this time Hasbro has a back up plan in case RID15 does get taken off air which let's face it will likely happen. Guess we'll find out eventually.

[Shockwave7]

It is true that CN has been treating their franchise related shows with about as much care and respect as a peasant shows to his compost fork. Look what they did with "Beware The Batman", heck, with most of their DC showcase. Thundercats was another excellent demonstration of how CN totally botched a really good show. Transformers Animated lasted a little longer than that, though it was also ended prematurely.

That doesn't bode well for RID.

[Sabrblade]

For Hasbro, it's "darned if they do, darned if they don't" with airing RID on CN. CN was notoriously unfair in its treatment of the whole Unicron Trilogy and Animated, but the Hub wasn't reaching as wide an audience as it needed. CN can reach more viewers than Discovery Family can, but it's still being unfair to action shows, even the ones it make in-house. But Hasbro needs RID to air on a channel that boys will watch, and that's why they went with CN.

So in a way, Hasbro's choices were "Air the show on a channel that can guarantee the show a full and lasting broadcast, but can't reach a large enough audience (Discovery Family)" or "Air the show on a channel that can reach a large enough audience, but can't guarantee the show a full and lasting broadcast (Cartoon Network)".

[dreadwing95]

if i could run cartoon network i would try so hard to get it back to its former glory but i doubt i ever will run it and so the story will remain the same as always. the good shows will get canceled and the terrible ones will keep coming. this show will die before it even leaves the ground

[Sabrblade]

if i could run cartoon network i would try so hard to get it back to its former glory

Like how Boomerang is now?

[Va'al]

The official Transformers Facebook page has uploaded a new clip to promote the arrival of animated series Robots in Disguise - and the spotlight falls upon the Decepticon prisoners! Check out the embedded clip below for just a little more on Steeljaw, Underbite and more devious cons.

Who are the villains that the new team of Autobots will be tackling when Transformers: Robots in Disguise debuts on Cartoon Network this year? We're glad you asked! Check out an inside look at Steeljaw and his dastardly Decepticons!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=773847379352125&permPage=1

[Sabrblade]

Nice to see this video again. We saw it on Hasbro's website with six other clips, but it's still awesome.

Steeljaw's looking and sounding as cool as ever. Can't wait to see him as the Cons' new de facto leader.

[Va'al]

Nice to see this video again. We saw it on Hasbro's website with six other clips, but it's still awesome.

Steeljaw's looking and sounding as cool as ever. Can't wait to see him as the Cons' new de facto leader.

Yeah, I realised it showed up once before as I clicked Submit on the news, but a reminder is good and we hear some of the voices again rather than the Chinese dub/just stills.