Top 10 Best Beast Wars Episodes
Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 12:49 pmEvery two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top List related to all things Transformers. To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Beast Wars this year, Shajaki is counting down the Top 10 Best Beast Wars Episodes from the original computer animated series. These are one person's opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 10 Best Beast Wars Episodes
This list was seriously a labor of love. It seems the Transformers were introduced to me at the perfect stages of my life. G1 was a toy commercial, great for the first 5 years of my kiddie life. But Beast Wars with it's more developed stories and themes came out in 1996, and I was just old enough to really appreciate it. But enough of this, there's a lot of words coming at you so let's get started!
This may have been the first example (or just the first time I noticed) how great Megatrons war strategies were in this show. The most important thing was numbers, followed by flyers. In Season 1 the Maximals were at quite a disadvantage in those regards. In this episode Megatron dispatches his two flyers to take out Optimus Primal rather than making it a straight race to the newly fallen stasis pod thus forcing the remaining Maximals to pursue on foot. Also comes Dinobot's first real test of loyalty as he's not only left alone and in charge of the base and a half-scrapped Primal, but tempted by Megatron to rejoin the Predacons with a big fat raise. To which he poetically replies "EAT SLAG!". Good 'ol Dinobot.
Did anyone else think that Terrorsaur was basically the Beast Wars version of Starscream? I sure did, which made "Possession" a little confusing to me. But I digress. The screechy traitor finally has his day in this episode when he stumbles upon a floating mountain of Energon, which he gets accidentally super charged by. So naturally he hightails it straight to Megatron and tears him to pieces. Thankfully he does so quickly because the charge not only fades but puts him at a critical low amount of energy forcing him to crawl back to mountain for another hit. Unfortunately for him however, a flying gorilla battle and rat bomb kinda ruin his future plans. And it seems his new "followers" would rather rebuild Megatron than submit to his command. Really, this episode just feels like a terrific throwback to the what(?) every 12 minutes that Starscream tried to overthrow Megatron in the original Transformers. And you gotta love that.
These episodes are quite significant, as they re-set in motion what started in the series pilot. We are formally introduced to the realization (by Waspinator of all characters) that they are indeed on prehistoric earth, which has grave implications. The Fuzor's also make their debut, which is one of the most creative concepts to come from the franchise. The Maximals fight heroically to what is thought to be their deaths, until the triumphant return of (a now) Transmetal Optimus Primal. And the Spaghetti Western setting adds a bit of well deserved drama and suspense.
Dinobot is attacked by a flower. AND. Oprimus Primal is a stone cold bad-ass. A botched attempt at turning Optimus into a wimp, turns him into a rage monster. And once he's armed to the teeth he blasts his way single handedly into the Predacon base and through each Pred as well. It's actually kind of frightening to see what Primal is capable of once he's let lose of all restraint, and he preforms some pretty gruesome acts. He impales Tarantulas to a wall after walking straight into a barrage of bullets, and Robo-Cop's Waspinator through another. This is also one of the few episodes that Optimus goes "full face-plate" and you know when that happens, look out.
This episode has a number of notable moments, namely a laughing Inferno crushing Waspinator with a jamming station tower (kidding). Far more notable than that though, is Blackarachnia squaring off against Tarantulas. She really showcases her fierce spirit here, her willingness to destroy herself along with her cranial stowaway to regain her freedom (by way of a cracked Energon cube to sever their psychic link) is beyond brave. Another highlight is the awesome fight scene at the end. I recall being impressed with its choreography, it really felt like it was a step up.
The new Dinobot is starting to come into his own as he stalks a misunderstanding Blackarachnia in this episode. Thinking that she's about to be forcefully re-wired back into a Maximal, she goes on the lamb only to be followed by the deadly Transmetal 2 Raptor. After a little cat-and-mouse'ing, he brilliantly leads her into a jamming zone preventing her from calling for backup.
But when they start fighting for real, it's intense. When he's swiping his massive claws as he slowly closes in, the speed in which he sprints and crashes through tree debris like it were paper, is simply terrifying. The Widow gets the upper hand, if only to demonstrate that he's near invincible like his Spark brother Rampage. But even though Dinobot doesn't fall for her side switching deception later, her and a party crashing Silverbolt manage to best him by triple dose cyber venom'ing him to the face and off a cliff into the jungle below. Invincible or not, he'll need time to recover from that.
This was a great way to bring G1 lore into this new of of Transformers. After introducing the concept of the "spark" and spark mutations, this helps make sense of "Starscreams Ghost" from the original series. The intelligent strategies used by both sides in this episode also make for some great story telling. Screamer attacking where they least expect, the Maximals pretending to be gravely injured to regain access to their base, and the king of deception using the Maximals in an attempt to rule over both sides. Not to mention, Doug Parker does a phenomenal take on Starscream and really brings life to the icon.
If I wanted to save myself some time (and many words) I could simply sum up "Nemesis" in one word: EPIC. But for fun, here's the rest of my words. It seems like this is the end for Megatron, but ironically some leftovers from the enigmatic traitor Tarantulas will revitalize his campaign.
There were two ancient Cybertronian ships that came to Earth, the Ark and the Nemesis. The Ark is currently housing the deposed Maximals, and Megatron has just found the behemoth Decepticon warship. Meanwhile in irrelevant-town, Inferno and Quickstrike attack some humans in an attempt to steal their caves while Waspinator declares his resignation from the Predacons (and later their loyalty is rewarded by being flambeed my Megs himself). Jump back to Megatron and Dinobot trying to fire up the Nemesis, and the grudge match of the millennium is about to go down: Depth Charge & Rampage. They cross raw Energon blades until Depth Charge has the upper hand and Rampage... disturbingly submits and allows the blade to pierce his spark. Why? Perhaps all immortals wish for death. Maybe he knew his arch enemy would also die in the process. Or even that he sees life as a cruel joke, signified by his unsettling laughter in his final moments.
We may never know, but Primal mistook their explosive demise as mission accomplished. And yet, the Nemesis rose....
The newly reborn Tigerhawk sacrifices himself by taking the full force of the Nemesis while Primal regroups with the rest of the team.
All the while, the taint of Protoform X has been fading and Dinobot is becoming self aware.... as in, his former self. This ultimately leads him to defy the great dragon in his moment of triumph.
When the Ark can't move and Primal is down, it's Dinobots dissent that buys Rhinox enough time to crash the newly discovered Autobot shuttle through Megatrons control room, plastering him on the windshield. And it's that very shuttle that carries the crew (and roof'ly constrained Megatron) back to Cybertron, leaving a happy and intact Waspinator behind. That marked the end of the Beast Wars and what many feel to be the most impressive pieces of TF lore even to this day.
This was the first time that I realized that this series had a concrete connection to G1. There were plenty of clues before this but as a kid, they for some reason flew right over my head. What's great about this 3 parter? First off, the Tripredicus Council (who were recently immortalized in this years Botcon set).
They give resonance to the notion that the situation is more grand than the (seemingly) simple conflict going on on prehistoric Earth, as Megatron's actions have had consequences on Cybertron that we haven't even seen. Second, Ravage.
Talk about throwbacks! Not only is he formidable, but still Decepticon to the core. Which we see when Megatron reveals the hidden message on the golden disk and turns the Jaguar to his cause. It's his predecessor, the original Megatron and Ravages former Commander instructing his descendants to find the Ark in the distant past and destroy the Autobots, thus altering history in favor of the Decepticons.
When I first saw this scene, it sent shivers down my spine. Which actually happened again when Ravage yells "DECEPTICONS FOREVER" and transforms into cassette mode.
Fortunately for the Maximals, Rattrap decides to show off his exceptional saboteur skills and single handedly takes down Tarantulas, Ravage, his ship, and in turn Rampage as well.
But the chills continue as we see the legendary Ark, ancient Autobots and Decepticons, and Optimus Prime himself as (BW) Megatron tries to wipe him out of existence. "Optimal Situation" aside, Megatron actually succeeds, and to me that gives him legendary status.
Has a character shown this level of depth before in the franchise? Every TF fan out there has likely either seen this episode or at least heard of it, for it brings us the final fate of the much beloved character Dinobot. Some might even argue that it was felt even more than the death of Optimus Prime in Transformers The Movie, I know it was for me.
Megatron discovers that he can change the future, and decides to start by exterminating the human race at its earliest roots. In an effort to save the future and past alike, Dinobot engages the entire Predacon team with total disregard for his own well-being.... and is triumphant. He cuts Inferno in half, blasts Blackarachnia with his stolen gun, squashes Waspinator, forces a backfire on Rampage with the bugs head, and beats Quickstrike with his bare hands. This brings him to the point of no return, where he's about to go into stasis lock but over rides the command as there's still one maniacal Predacon to deal with: Megatron. A villainous speech rock/stick beat-down later, Dinobot subdues his former Leader and destroys the Golden Disk once in his possession with the last ounce of his remaining energy. Megatron furiously flees when the Maximals arrive, but it's far too late for the heroic raptor. He wanted his story to be told truely, and be judged accordingly with the good and the bad. And his former comrades solute him as his spark joins the matrix.
One of the greatest strengths of the Beast Wars series, is it's limited cast. Because of this, we were subject to some incredible character depth and development. Dinobot was no exception. He was in fact the first winner of the Fans Choice Transformers Hall of Fame in 2010. It's no wonder this single episode is held in such high regard. His complexity made him an incredibly interesting character and he was one of the driving forces for the series and the stories within. His strong sense of honor and deep contemplation of his ultimate fate are what motivates him into action. He does some things that he's not proud of, but tries to make amends by giving his own life to save many others. The acceptance of his destiny can be heard in one of his most famous (and final) lines:
Honourable Mentions:
These episodes are dear to my heart, as it is the return (sort of) of my most favorite Transformers character: Dinobot. I can't even describe how much I loved his Transmetal 2 form, he looks like if you touched him, regardless of where, you'd be bleeding. The new look, and the fact that he mostly growls and only has two lines makes him kinda terrifying. And him tearing up Depth Charge was was bad-ass. But the reason this doesn't make the top 10 is because it left me wanting soooo much more. Which we get in "Proving Grounds"!
Thanks for reading folks and stay tuned for my upcoming Top Beast Machines list! Shajaki out!
Top 10 Best Beast Wars Episodes
This list was seriously a labor of love. It seems the Transformers were introduced to me at the perfect stages of my life. G1 was a toy commercial, great for the first 5 years of my kiddie life. But Beast Wars with it's more developed stories and themes came out in 1996, and I was just old enough to really appreciate it. But enough of this, there's a lot of words coming at you so let's get started!
10. Season 1, Episode 7: Fallen Comrades
This may have been the first example (or just the first time I noticed) how great Megatrons war strategies were in this show. The most important thing was numbers, followed by flyers. In Season 1 the Maximals were at quite a disadvantage in those regards. In this episode Megatron dispatches his two flyers to take out Optimus Primal rather than making it a straight race to the newly fallen stasis pod thus forcing the remaining Maximals to pursue on foot. Also comes Dinobot's first real test of loyalty as he's not only left alone and in charge of the base and a half-scrapped Primal, but tempted by Megatron to rejoin the Predacons with a big fat raise. To which he poetically replies "EAT SLAG!". Good 'ol Dinobot.
9. Season 1, Episode 6 : Power Surge
Did anyone else think that Terrorsaur was basically the Beast Wars version of Starscream? I sure did, which made "Possession" a little confusing to me. But I digress. The screechy traitor finally has his day in this episode when he stumbles upon a floating mountain of Energon, which he gets accidentally super charged by. So naturally he hightails it straight to Megatron and tears him to pieces. Thankfully he does so quickly because the charge not only fades but puts him at a critical low amount of energy forcing him to crawl back to mountain for another hit. Unfortunately for him however, a flying gorilla battle and rat bomb kinda ruin his future plans. And it seems his new "followers" would rather rebuild Megatron than submit to his command. Really, this episode just feels like a terrific throwback to the what(?) every 12 minutes that Starscream tried to overthrow Megatron in the original Transformers. And you gotta love that.
8. Season 2, Episodes 2 & 3 : Coming of the Fuzors
These episodes are quite significant, as they re-set in motion what started in the series pilot. We are formally introduced to the realization (by Waspinator of all characters) that they are indeed on prehistoric earth, which has grave implications. The Fuzor's also make their debut, which is one of the most creative concepts to come from the franchise. The Maximals fight heroically to what is thought to be their deaths, until the triumphant return of (a now) Transmetal Optimus Primal. And the Spaghetti Western setting adds a bit of well deserved drama and suspense.
7. Season 1, Episode 10 : Gorilla Warfare
Dinobot is attacked by a flower. AND. Oprimus Primal is a stone cold bad-ass. A botched attempt at turning Optimus into a wimp, turns him into a rage monster. And once he's armed to the teeth he blasts his way single handedly into the Predacon base and through each Pred as well. It's actually kind of frightening to see what Primal is capable of once he's let lose of all restraint, and he preforms some pretty gruesome acts. He impales Tarantulas to a wall after walking straight into a barrage of bullets, and Robo-Cop's Waspinator through another. This is also one of the few episodes that Optimus goes "full face-plate" and you know when that happens, look out.
6. Season 2, Episode 4 : Tangled Web
This episode has a number of notable moments, namely a laughing Inferno crushing Waspinator with a jamming station tower (kidding). Far more notable than that though, is Blackarachnia squaring off against Tarantulas. She really showcases her fierce spirit here, her willingness to destroy herself along with her cranial stowaway to regain her freedom (by way of a cracked Energon cube to sever their psychic link) is beyond brave. Another highlight is the awesome fight scene at the end. I recall being impressed with its choreography, it really felt like it was a step up.
5. Season 3, Episode 7 : Proving Grounds
The new Dinobot is starting to come into his own as he stalks a misunderstanding Blackarachnia in this episode. Thinking that she's about to be forcefully re-wired back into a Maximal, she goes on the lamb only to be followed by the deadly Transmetal 2 Raptor. After a little cat-and-mouse'ing, he brilliantly leads her into a jamming zone preventing her from calling for backup.
But when they start fighting for real, it's intense. When he's swiping his massive claws as he slowly closes in, the speed in which he sprints and crashes through tree debris like it were paper, is simply terrifying. The Widow gets the upper hand, if only to demonstrate that he's near invincible like his Spark brother Rampage. But even though Dinobot doesn't fall for her side switching deception later, her and a party crashing Silverbolt manage to best him by triple dose cyber venom'ing him to the face and off a cliff into the jungle below. Invincible or not, he'll need time to recover from that.
4. Season 1, Episode 21 : Possession
This was a great way to bring G1 lore into this new of of Transformers. After introducing the concept of the "spark" and spark mutations, this helps make sense of "Starscreams Ghost" from the original series. The intelligent strategies used by both sides in this episode also make for some great story telling. Screamer attacking where they least expect, the Maximals pretending to be gravely injured to regain access to their base, and the king of deception using the Maximals in an attempt to rule over both sides. Not to mention, Doug Parker does a phenomenal take on Starscream and really brings life to the icon.
3. Season 3, Episodes 12-13 : Nemesis
If I wanted to save myself some time (and many words) I could simply sum up "Nemesis" in one word: EPIC. But for fun, here's the rest of my words. It seems like this is the end for Megatron, but ironically some leftovers from the enigmatic traitor Tarantulas will revitalize his campaign.
There were two ancient Cybertronian ships that came to Earth, the Ark and the Nemesis. The Ark is currently housing the deposed Maximals, and Megatron has just found the behemoth Decepticon warship. Meanwhile in irrelevant-town, Inferno and Quickstrike attack some humans in an attempt to steal their caves while Waspinator declares his resignation from the Predacons (and later their loyalty is rewarded by being flambeed my Megs himself). Jump back to Megatron and Dinobot trying to fire up the Nemesis, and the grudge match of the millennium is about to go down: Depth Charge & Rampage. They cross raw Energon blades until Depth Charge has the upper hand and Rampage... disturbingly submits and allows the blade to pierce his spark. Why? Perhaps all immortals wish for death. Maybe he knew his arch enemy would also die in the process. Or even that he sees life as a cruel joke, signified by his unsettling laughter in his final moments.
We may never know, but Primal mistook their explosive demise as mission accomplished. And yet, the Nemesis rose....
The newly reborn Tigerhawk sacrifices himself by taking the full force of the Nemesis while Primal regroups with the rest of the team.
All the while, the taint of Protoform X has been fading and Dinobot is becoming self aware.... as in, his former self. This ultimately leads him to defy the great dragon in his moment of triumph.
When the Ark can't move and Primal is down, it's Dinobots dissent that buys Rhinox enough time to crash the newly discovered Autobot shuttle through Megatrons control room, plastering him on the windshield. And it's that very shuttle that carries the crew (and roof'ly constrained Megatron) back to Cybertron, leaving a happy and intact Waspinator behind. That marked the end of the Beast Wars and what many feel to be the most impressive pieces of TF lore even to this day.
2. Season 2, Episodes 11-13 : The Agenda
This was the first time that I realized that this series had a concrete connection to G1. There were plenty of clues before this but as a kid, they for some reason flew right over my head. What's great about this 3 parter? First off, the Tripredicus Council (who were recently immortalized in this years Botcon set).
They give resonance to the notion that the situation is more grand than the (seemingly) simple conflict going on on prehistoric Earth, as Megatron's actions have had consequences on Cybertron that we haven't even seen. Second, Ravage.
Talk about throwbacks! Not only is he formidable, but still Decepticon to the core. Which we see when Megatron reveals the hidden message on the golden disk and turns the Jaguar to his cause. It's his predecessor, the original Megatron and Ravages former Commander instructing his descendants to find the Ark in the distant past and destroy the Autobots, thus altering history in favor of the Decepticons.
When I first saw this scene, it sent shivers down my spine. Which actually happened again when Ravage yells "DECEPTICONS FOREVER" and transforms into cassette mode.
Fortunately for the Maximals, Rattrap decides to show off his exceptional saboteur skills and single handedly takes down Tarantulas, Ravage, his ship, and in turn Rampage as well.
But the chills continue as we see the legendary Ark, ancient Autobots and Decepticons, and Optimus Prime himself as (BW) Megatron tries to wipe him out of existence. "Optimal Situation" aside, Megatron actually succeeds, and to me that gives him legendary status.
1. Season 2, Episode 9 : Code of Hero
Has a character shown this level of depth before in the franchise? Every TF fan out there has likely either seen this episode or at least heard of it, for it brings us the final fate of the much beloved character Dinobot. Some might even argue that it was felt even more than the death of Optimus Prime in Transformers The Movie, I know it was for me.
Megatron discovers that he can change the future, and decides to start by exterminating the human race at its earliest roots. In an effort to save the future and past alike, Dinobot engages the entire Predacon team with total disregard for his own well-being.... and is triumphant. He cuts Inferno in half, blasts Blackarachnia with his stolen gun, squashes Waspinator, forces a backfire on Rampage with the bugs head, and beats Quickstrike with his bare hands. This brings him to the point of no return, where he's about to go into stasis lock but over rides the command as there's still one maniacal Predacon to deal with: Megatron. A villainous speech rock/stick beat-down later, Dinobot subdues his former Leader and destroys the Golden Disk once in his possession with the last ounce of his remaining energy. Megatron furiously flees when the Maximals arrive, but it's far too late for the heroic raptor. He wanted his story to be told truely, and be judged accordingly with the good and the bad. And his former comrades solute him as his spark joins the matrix.
One of the greatest strengths of the Beast Wars series, is it's limited cast. Because of this, we were subject to some incredible character depth and development. Dinobot was no exception. He was in fact the first winner of the Fans Choice Transformers Hall of Fame in 2010. It's no wonder this single episode is held in such high regard. His complexity made him an incredibly interesting character and he was one of the driving forces for the series and the stories within. His strong sense of honor and deep contemplation of his ultimate fate are what motivates him into action. He does some things that he's not proud of, but tries to make amends by giving his own life to save many others. The acceptance of his destiny can be heard in one of his most famous (and final) lines:
Dinobot wrote:The question that has haunted my being has been answered: The future is not fixed. My choices are my own. And yet, how ironic, for I now find I have no choice at all. I am a warrior... let the battle be joined.
Honourable Mentions:
Season 3, Episodes 5-6 : Feral Scream
These episodes are dear to my heart, as it is the return (sort of) of my most favorite Transformers character: Dinobot. I can't even describe how much I loved his Transmetal 2 form, he looks like if you touched him, regardless of where, you'd be bleeding. The new look, and the fact that he mostly growls and only has two lines makes him kinda terrifying. And him tearing up Depth Charge was was bad-ass. But the reason this doesn't make the top 10 is because it left me wanting soooo much more. Which we get in "Proving Grounds"!
And now, some LAWL's!
Thanks for reading folks and stay tuned for my upcoming Top Beast Machines list! Shajaki out!
