Beast Wars: Encyclopedia - Beast Wars

Beast Wars

Beast Wars (Beasties in Canada) was a line of toys in the Transformers range, released by Hasbro in the late 1990s. The toys spawned a full-CG animated series set in the Transformers universe, produced by the Transformers Production Company. The series was made in the 1990s, and some have seen it as a sequel to the original Transformers cartoons of the 1980s, though others point to story elements originating in other versions of the Transformers story. The Dreamwave Generation 1 ongoing series seems to show evidence that Beast Wars took place in that continuity.

Each 1/2 hour episode of the series follows the adventures of the "Maximals" and the "Predacons", both of which are beings who transform between "robot" and "beast" forms. The Maximals inherit the protagonist role of the Autobots from the original series, while the Predacons inherit the antagonist role of the Decepticons. One of the interesting plot elements is the fact that the balance of power often goes to the Predacons, many of whom are trained soldiers. The Maximals, on the other hand, are mostly scientists who have been drawn into a conflict that is beyond the scope of many of their experience.

The head writers for the Beast Wars TV series were Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio. All three seasons have now been released on DVD.

The Production Designer for the show, Clyde Klotz, won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 1997. This award was for his work on Beast Wars, making the series an Emmy award winning show. [1]

Beast Wars - Pilot episode

The two-part pilot episode, entitled "Beast Wars", chronicles the arrival of both the Maximals and Predacons on a mysterious, uncharted planet. The Predacons have stolen a golden disc which was the most valued relic of the planet Cybertron (the home of the Transformers) and supposedly held the location of a rich Energon source, which could make the Predacons invincible. The Predacons flee into outer space with it in their spacecraft, seeking Earth. (Their exact reasons for seeking Earth are explained later.) They are pursued by a Maximal exploration ship, which was the only ship able to lock on to the Predacon ship. The opening scene shows the Predacon ship emerging from an apparent wormhole, closely pursued by the Maximal ship. In a brief battle over the unknown planet, both ships are critically damaged and plummet to the surface.

Both the Maximals and Predacons are stranded on the planet (which we learn is prehistoric Earth, specifically the Africa area of Pangaea during the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago), which they soon learn is rich in Energon. Although Energon is vital to the survival of the Transformers, an environment as Energon-rich as that which they now find themselves in is harmful——causing them, when in robot-form, to short-out within anywhere from a few minutes to mere seconds, depending on the Energon concentration levels in the vicinity. Thus both the Maximals and Predacons scan the surrounding terrain for lifeforms, which they can then use as a template for their new beast-forms that protect them from the radiation.

The four Maximals take on the forms of a gorilla (Optimus Primal, their leader); a cheetah (Cheetor); a rhinoceros (Rhinox, Prime's close friend and lieutenant); and, a giant rat (Rattrap). Meanwhile, the leader of the Predacons (named Megatron, like his Generation 1 counterpart) takes on the form of a purple tyrannosaurus rex. His minions take on the form of a velociraptor (Dinobot); a giant wasp (Waspinator); a giant tarantula (Tarantulas); a pterosaur (Terrorsaur); and a giant scorpion (Scorponok). Dinobot quickly defects to the side of the Maximals, due to his dissatisfaction with Megatron's failure to bring them to the correct planet (specifically, he calls Megatron an "idiot" and is blasted away from their company as a result).

Thus began the Beast Wars, as the Maximals and Predacons battle on the mysterious planet for control of the Energon source.

Beast Wars - Further adventures

Before the Maximal ship crashed on the planet's surface, it ejected dozens of stasis pods, containing dormant Transformers, into a safe orbit. When the stasis pods come down to the planet's surface, the pod's computer scans the immediate area for animals (searching for a suitable beast form). Eventually, a new Transformer emerges; upon detecting the pods' electronic signals, the Maximals and Predacons each race to rescue (or reprogram) him or her first. Thus, as the first season progresses, the cast of characters is built up in this way.

The subsequent seasons of the Beast Wars saga see dramatic changes to the characters, including the introduction of the Transmetals, characters based on the Hasbro Transformer toys which feature three modes of transformation, not just two, clearly meant to recall the three and six-changer transformers, and the Fuzors, in which the Beast Mode of the Transformer consists of a combination of two different animals (for example, a wolf and a eagle).

Beast Wars introduced the concept of spark, a secular/mechanical term for "soul". Each Transformer carries his own spark within it and when critically injured, the Transformer dies and its spark leaves its body. Both Maximal and Predacon sparks return to "the Matrix". Sparks and mortality would play a major role in Beast Wars.

Eventually it was revealed that Maximals and Predacons were the descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons, and that the Autobots were the eventual winners of the wars in the original Transformers saga. The Decepticons were, for the most part, dismantled or made second-class citizens, or as Megatron referred to them, "slaves."

Further developments come with the revelation that the Transformers have been stranded on prehistoric Earth with the Autobot Ark, containing the stasis-locked (i.e., in suspended animation) Autobot leader Optimus Prime, his officers, and the Decepticons who boarded the Ark before it crashed. Also, one of the "Golden Discs" was in fact the Voyager Golden Record, and the location of Energon was Earth itself. The original Megatron had inscribed additional information onto the disc.

It is also revealed that the first Megatron's mission was a futuristic rebellion. He plans to destroy the first human or blast Optimus Prime as he lies in stasis, and free the Decepticons and thus reverse the Predacons' defeat by the Autobots and Maximals.

Beast Wars - Characters

Beast Wars - Maximals

They were based in the spaceship Axalon.

• Optimus Primal: Supreme Commander of the Maximals whose beast-form is a silver-back gorilla, without a silver back. Also, the face is more cartoonish, and less oblong. Optimus is a sensitive leader with much concern for his friends and comrades. In addition, he is also imperfect (sometimes making flawed judgements, a trait that sets him apart from other Autobot leaders) and prone to losing his temper under pressure. He uses the word "Prime" a lot, usually in a sarcastic fashion as a descriptive or an expletive. He was killed saving everyone from the Vok Planet Killer, but resurrected as a Transmetal, able to fly using a hoverboard. Then, when he absorbed the spark of Optimus Prime while his predecessor's body was being fixed, he evolved into Optimal Optimus. Rattrap often referred to him as "the Boss Monkey," while Cheetor was prone to calling him "Big Bot."
• Rhinox: proficient in technological creation and repair; beast form is a rhinoceros. Rhinox's personality is a two-sided coin. On one side, he is a gentle giant who loves peace and quiet and smelling flowers; on the other, when agitated Rhinox is prone to making threats or using his imposing body to gain compliance. Rhinox seems generally as capable of leadership as Optimus Primal (filling in when Optimus Primal is incapacitated or held hostage by the Predacons), and Optimus Primal has told him as much. However, Rhinox abhors the babysitting and loss of independence that come with being a full-time leader. He is indisputably loyal to Optimus Primal; their mutual respect is so strong that Rhinox is the only Maximal that Optimus Primal seeks advice from (causing mild, intermittent jealousy among a few other Maximals). Though never confirmed, it is implied that Rhinox might be older than Optimus Primal, and a once-great (but burned-out) ex-leader. Rhinox is the only Maximal whose form does not change or evolve for the duration of the series. The nickname of his two hand held mini-machine guns, though never said on screen, were "The Chain Guns of Doom". He spent much of the second and third season minding the Maximal bases rather than going out on missions.
• Rattrap: a somewhat pessimistic smart-aleck whose beast form is a rat. Rattrap fills the comic relief portion of the show; he also seems to be the Maximals' covert ops/spy and once defected to the Predacons to find out secret information. As a Transmetal, his vehicle mode is a high-powered car. Second to Rhinox, Rattrap has some knowledge about mechanics, especially sabotage and demolition/explosives. Rattrap often criticized Cheetor's immaturity and would at times defy Optimus Primal when he felt Optimus's ideas were unreasonable, too risky or stupid. Rattrap also was very suspicious of Dinobot's loyalty throughout his time as a Maximal. The two often bickered, but for the most part were friendly rivals right up until the time of Dinobot's death in Code of Hero (although rattrap never quite completely trusted Dinobot entirely after the events of Maximal No More, in which Dinobot briefly returned to his original Predacon allegiance). Dinobot often made jokes about Rattrap's odor. As Dinobot lay dying, Rattrap was shown to be affected by Dinobot's bravery and passing. Rattrap was the most eager of the group to go home to Cybertron. Rattrap was constantly giving his comrades nicknames, both derogatory and buddingly friendly, often calling Optimus "the Boss Monkey", Tigatron "Tigatron the Barbarian", Dinobot "Chopper Face" (most likely because of his chopper weapon), Black Arachnia as "Legs" or "Webs" and Silverbolt as "bird dog" (at one point he called Silverbolt "Sir Drools a Lot"). Dinobot often referred to Rattrap as "Vermin". Despite his tendency to give his comrades nicknames, Rattrap was in fact a capable leader, and in Primal's absence would take the mantle of leadership.
• Dinobot: seemingly merciless, Klingon-esque Combat Specialist. He was a former Predacon whose beast form is (incorrectly called) a Velociraptor, and shares the name of a sub group of near-indestructible Generation 1 Autobots. The size of the form hearkens more to the large species of raptor discovered in Utah, the Utahraptor, but this was unintentional and merely a creative change. Like a samurai, Dinobot has a high sense of honor and duty -- one that often blinds him to concepts like compromise or forethought. Dinobot is impatient and naturally suspicious; the Maximal's lingering distrust of him, particularly Rattrap, who often called Dinobot "Chopper Face" while Dinobot called Rattrap "Vermin", for being a turncoat only heightens this. Dinobot was short-tempered and ever-ready to sharply criticize those he disagreed with -- even Optimus Primal, whom he secretly harbored deep respect for. Despite a seemingly insufferable persona, Dinobot was fiercely loyal to the Maximal cause (or perhaps merely channeling his hatred of Megatron), displayed surprising integrity, and was even (rarely) empathetic. He sacrificed his life to stop Megatron from killing the primitive humans in the episode "Code of Hero" (considered by many fans the best episode of any of the Transformers series).
• Tigatron: The first Maximal protoform to be awakened from an Earth-fallen stasis pod, Tigatron served as the team's recon. His beast form was a White Siberian Tiger that lived in the Artic. Of all the Maximals, Tigatron was the one most 'in harmony' with his beast form and shares a love for the beauty of nature with Airazor. During his long travels through primeval earth, he managed to merge his animal instincts with his Maximal brain, uniting his beast and robotic forms. His personality is that of an buddhist monk; he is slow to anger, lives in harmony with the world around him, is a pacifist, and is wise and well-spoken. Tigatron's unwavering adherence to his moral convictions (including a belief that fighting should always be the final resort) often put him at odds with the Maximals. His early relationship with Optimus Primal was uneasy, but Tigatron ultimately became one of his most loyal followers. As a result he was viewed as aloof, despite possessing some of the most powerful weaponry of all the Transformers. Tigatron was less willing to participate in pre-emptive military actions, but always willing to run to the Maximal's rescue whenever they were on the brink of disaster or ultimate Predacon victory. He and Airazor were abducted by the mysterious alien race known as the Vok, who fused them into Tigerhawk (TigerFalcon). Later revived by the Vok to assist Primal Prime.
• Airazor: The second Maximal protoform, her beast mode was a large Peregrine Falcon. Brash and self-confident, Airazor is the Maximal's aerial scout during the better part of the series' first season. When her stasis pod crashed, the locking chip of Airazor's protoform was damaged. Rhinox transplanted Cheetor's locking chip into Airazor's protoform and giving her a chance of survival. Together with the locking chip, Airazor inherrited some of Cheetor's personality-quirks. She had a romantic relationship with Tigatron before being abducted by the Vok and fused into Tigerhawk. She was later revived by the Vok to aid Primal Prime. Airazor was male in the Japanese version of the series, but was female in the manga.
• Silverbolt: Maximal flyer and Fuzor; his Beast mode is a fusion of an eagle and a gray wolf. Among them, he was the most righteous and stood up for both the Transmutate and the formidable Predacon BlackArachnia. He was sort of a contrast to Dinobot (who embodied Predacon honor, similar to the Samurai code of bushido); Silverbolt embodied the Maximal version of honor which was like the chivalry of the medieval knights, which sometimes left his team mates feeling befuddled at just how seriously he took his ideals. Like Tigatron, Silverbolt was slow to anger but wouldn't back down from a fight. Rattrap often called him "Bird Dog" and, at one point, called him "Sir Drools a Lot". Silverbolt himself didn't seem to mind and generally let whatever criticisms people made of him roll off his back. Silverbolt fell in love with BlackArachnia, and had charmed her (via his unshakeable integrity and commitment to protect her no matter how or where) into grudgingly falling in love with him, at the end of Season 2; when Rattrap made a derogative remark about Black Aranchia's well being, Silverbolt threatened to harm him brutally. Already growing increasingly dissatisfied with Megatron's leadership, and believing that her powers were superior to all other Transformers, BlackArachnia was already contemplating leaving the Predacons and going solo. Waspinator often referred to Silverbolt as "Doggy-Bot".
• Depth Charge: Marine Commander and former Maximal Security Officer; beast form was a metallic manta ray. He had a vendetta against Rampage who was contained at the planet he served at and when Rampage broke loose he killed Depth Charge's squad. Depth Charge was a quiet, brooding warrior, traumatized and obsessed with killing Rampage. In the end, he died when he impaled Rampage's spark with a piece of raw Energon, thus causing an immense explosion.
• Tigerhawk: Merged form of Tigatron and Airazor, sent to Earth by the Vok to destroy Megatron. Originally possessed by a pair of Vok, who were later removed and infused within Tarantulas. The Sparks of Tigatron and Airazor, pursuing their fused body, merged together to inhabit the new Maximal. Tigerhawk was destroyed shortly afterward by the Nemesis.

Beast Wars - Predacons

Note: The Predacon spaceship in the U.S./Canada has never been canonically named, but the de facto name for it is the Darkside. Originating in fan circles, the name was derived from the Terrorsaur's quote, "Welcome to the dark side!" from the episode "Equal Measures," and was later used in an official capacity in the episode descriptions in the DVD box sets and in the PS1 "Beast Wars Metal" video game. In Japan, external media such as trading cards and magazine articles, but not the dub of the show itself, refer to the the ship as the Terror Crasher.

• Megatron: secretive Leader of the Predacons,and part-time inventor. He is considered a megalomaniac among his followers, and unqualified to be their leader. That has lead many Predacon subordinates to periodically plot against him or defect. The Tripredacus Council also considers him to be untrustworthy which is why Tarantulas was sent undercover to keep an eye on him. Megatron shares the name with the Decepticon leader Megatron. His trademark is saying the word "ye-e-e-sss" in an exaggeratedly self-impressed way after certain statements, or as a stand-alone emphatic phrase, although he claims that no one is intelligent enough to agree with him. Megatron always has a secret agenda which is usually convoluted and involves calculated risks, gambles, and manipulating other Transformers. His ultimate goal is the conquest of Cybertron, where he is currently branded a criminal. His favourite toy is a yellow rubber duck.
• Tarantulas: Scientist, ninja, and covert Predacon police lieutenant in the service of the Tripredacus Council. Always trying to save himself first (and last), his beast form was a giant tarantula. Megatron often relied on Tarantulas because of his technological and strategic brilliance, but was always suspicious of his intentions and aspirations. Shortly before his demise, Tarantulas made a remark implying that he, as well as the Tripredacus Council, were not descended from the Autobots or Decepticons that crashed landed on Earth, but supposely one of the Decepticons that remained on Cybertron (Megatron later refers to Tarantulas as "Unicron's spawn"). He later died from an accidental shot from his own ray gun while fighting the Vok influence which he had extracted from Tigerhawk. In the BotCon comics, having been corrupted the extracted Vok resurrected Tarantulas and built Tripredacus Agent. In Transformers: Universe, Tarantulas returned to his true master, Unicron.
• Waspinator: Stupid, yet loyal flyer; beast form was a giant wasp. Waspinator often refers to himself in the third person. His body is broken apart or dissembled numerous times throughout the series. Among the original crew, he was the only one, ironically, that survived to the end of the series finale, when he was last seen being worshipped, even more ironically, by the planet's inhabitants. Waspinator is the only Predacon whose form does not change or evolve for the duration of the series. Outside of Optimus Primal and Megatron, he had a tendency to address his comrades and enemies by nicknames that vaguely described their personas or transformation modes. Examples: Silverbolt = Doggy-Bot, Tarantulus = Spider-Bot.
• Terrorsaur: Technical advisor and Aerial Combatant; beast form was a pterodactyl. Terrorsaur was the most disloyal member of the Predacons. Much like the Decepticon Starscream, Terrorsaur attempted numerous times to overthrow Megatron so that he could become leader. Megatron kept him in service despite knowledge of Terrorsaur's treachery. He died in the season 2 premiere after colliding with Scorponok and falling into lava.
• Scorponok: Loyal second-in-command to Megatron; beast form was a giant scorpion. He possesses some technical knowledge, though behind Tarantulus and BlackArachnia in skill, and is notoriously incompetent. He died along with Terrorsaur in the Season 2 premiere.
• Blackarachnia: Saboteur, spy, and master of electromagnetic energy. Maximal protoform that was converted into a Predacon by Tarantulas; beast form is a giant black widow spider. Blackarachnia has some skills in mechanics and science, 2nd to Tarantulas. In season 1 and 2, she largely assisted Tarantulas in his machinations and was briefly possessed by him. Later she joined up with the Maximals after falling in love with Silverbolt and was able to gain a new Transmetal 2 form. Her Transmetal 2 form came after a failsafe installed by Tarantulus killed her. Ressurrected as full Maximal, the way she was supposed to be, her Transmetal form only keeps two forms, instead of the traditional three. Blackarachnia possessed multiple weapons, and the ability to spin webs that could electromagnetically drain energy from Transformers caught in it.
• Inferno: Maximal protoform converted by Tarantulas; beast form is a giant fire ant. A glitch in this process resulted in Inferno believing he really was an ant, although his impenetrable personal loyalty made his boss (whom he often referred to as his "Queen," to Megatron's chagrin) forgive his quirks. Inferno was extremely tough and powerful, while at the same time being amazingly simple-minded. Inferno was unintentionally killed by his "Queen" in the Beast Wars finale (during an attack on the early humans).
• Quickstrike: Originally a Maximal Fuzor, he defected to the Predacons due to his more violent nature. His Fuzor form is a giant scorpion with a cobra acting as his tail. Quickstrike attempted to seize power with Tarantulas, by slagging Megatron during the Predacon infiltration of The Ark. His attempt (Tarantulas was mainly in charge) failed and his 'trial for treachery' did not conclude. He was saved from being destroyed by Rampage and Dinobot (2) acting on Megatron's orders. Quickstrike was unintentionally killed (along with Inferno) by Megatron in the Beast Wars finale. He often came off as a cartoonish "Old West" gunslinger caricature.
• Rampage: Warlord. A Maximal experiment gone wrong; Maximal scientists were attempting to recreate Starscream's mutant immortal Spark, creating Protoform X (Rampage's original name). X destroyed countless Maximals, razing entire colonies including Starbase Rugby and Omicron. Rampage (whose beast form is a giant metal King crab) is a sadist who loves nothing more than death and destruction. He was recruited by Megatron when he removed half of Rampage's spark, which Megatron uses to keep him in line. He was killed by Depth Charge at the end of the series. Although Rampage's love for pain, suffering, and fear is well known, many consider Rampage not to be evil (at the level of the Predacons) but to be a simply dark, disturbed, and lost transformer who was shaped by the Maximals themselves.
• Dinobot 2: Blank protoform equipped with half of Rampage's Spark and Transmetal 2 technology, Dinobot 2 was created as a clone of the Maximal Dinobot. Without any of Dinobot's honor, this Dinobot was a formidable foe. After Rampage died, Dinobot 2 regained the personality of the original, and thus refused to attack his former comrades. He died when the Autobot shuttle tore through Nemesis.

Beast Wars - Non-Aligned Characters

• Jak and Una: Two hominid children who befriend the Maximals.
• The Vok: A race of semi-divine aliens. They travelled through time and space conducting several experiments. Prehistoric Earth became one of their testing grounds, seeding it with raw Energon deposits and other anomalies such as flying islands, Stonehenge, a golden disk, etc. They even constructed a second moon, which was in reality, a giant cannon capable of wiping all life off the face of the Earth should they need to "sterilise" the Earth. This was seen as a necessary step when the Maximals and Predacons arrived from the future and started the Beast Wars. The Beast Wars posed a threat to galactic peace and the Vok took it upon themselves to cleanse the Earth of all life, rather than risk interplanetary war. After losing direct contact with the Beast Wars Transformers, the Vok abducted Tigatron and Airazor, and rebuilt them as their emissary, Tigerhawk. The Vok element was removed from Tigerhawk by Tarantulas, who wanted to gain its power. Both were apparantly destroyed by a weapon fired at Tarantulas. However, as BotCon Beast Wars: Primeval Dawn reveals, Tarantulas and the Vok survive, and battle once more. It is also revealed that the Vok evolved from the Swarm (as seen in the Transformers: Generation 2 comic book), the Vok sought to correct the 'sins' they had committed as the Swarm and went on a mission to maintain creation. The Quintessons consider the Vok's existence to be an aberration. It is unknown how many Vok exist.
• Transmutate: A Transformer created from a stasis pod that was so extensively damaged that it created her with permanent neurological and physical impairments. Transmutate was inarticulate in speech or thought, and unable to transform, but deeply emotional and powerful; she was capable of flight and energy projection. Transmutate befriended both the Maximal Silverbolt, who sought to protect her, and the Predacon Rampage, who knew the pain of being labelled a "freak," and sought to form a sympathetic friendship with her. Megatron saw Transmutate as having no value as a combatant and initially wanted to destroy her. With Transmutate's immense physical powers but limited mental capacity, Optimus Primal viewed her as a threat and thought it best if she were shut down. This caused a moral divide between Optimus Primal and Silverbolt. Silverbolt and Rampage battled over custody of Transmutate. Unable to tolerate watching her friends fight, she sacrificed herself to protect Silverbolt and Rampage from each other, leaving Maximal and Predacon to mourn for her passing. Her episode served as an extremely powerful metaphor for euthanasia and is arguably one of the most morally provocative stories ever written for Transformers.

Beast Wars - Generation 1 characters included

• Starscream: (From the original Transformers series) guest starred in one episode. His spark is immortal (the result of a random aberration that so far cannot be completely duplicated, though Rampage is apparently the closest that has ever come to it.), and one day it was able to possess Waspinator, resulting in an all-too brief return of the Air Commander of the Decepticon battle fleet. Waspinator, predictably, enjoyed dramatically enhanced combat abilities during this unlikely fusion.
• Ravage: Intelligence/Saboteur. Another returning Decepticon from the original series that appeared in the 3 part episode, "The Agenda". After the Great War, several of the Decepticons that had been captured or that surrendered were granted amnesty. In time, one was reprogrammed and rebuilt as a Predacon, Ravage. In his upgraded form, Ravage was more humanoid and possessed active camouflage, although he could still transform into a tape cassette. When the Maximals on prehistoric Earth were finally able to send a "signal" back to Cybertron, it was intercepted by the Predacon council, who ordered Ravage on a clandestine mission to the planet aboard an advanced stealth warship, with orders to kill Megatron and all witnesses including the Maximals. Initially, Ravage aided the Maximals in capturing Megatron. However, the imprisoned Megatron then informed Ravage of his true agenda in coming to Earth; the original Megatron had encoded a message on the Voyager Golden Record. The message would only have been found if Megatron was defeated in the Great War (which he was), and it ordered any remaining loyal followers to go to Earth (whose coordinates the record provided) in the past and attempt to attack the Autobot Ark ship while Optimus Prime was still frozen in stasis-lock. On hearing these orders from his former commander, Ravage switches sides and joined the Predacons in a massive but ultimately thwarted attack on the Maximals. Destroyed in the explosion of his ship, his last words were "Decepticons forever!". Ravage was later revived by the corrupted Vok as a Transmetal 2 and aided Tarantulas in battling Primal Prime.
• Optimus Prime: Leader of the Autobots. When the Maximals discovered the Ark, Megatron attacked Optimus Prime to wipe them from history. To save Prime, Optimus Primal took his Spark into his own body for a time, resulting in his mutation into Optimal Optimus. After Prime's body was repaired, his Spark was returned. The Autobot Matrix of Leadership was later used by the Vok to bring life to Primal Prime.
• Megatron: Leader of the Decepticons. Found aboard the Ark along with Optimus Prime and his crew. Megatron later infiltrated the Ark and absorbed his ancestor's Spark, resulting in the birth of Megatron in his Red Dragon form. Despite this, Megatron was defeated, and the original Megatron's Spark was returned.

Beast Wars - Sequel

Beast Wars was followed up by a new series with a new creative team in charge of the cartoon. This was called Beast Machines.

Beast Wars - DVD Release

In 2003, Beast Wars: The Complete First Series, was released on DVD by Rhino Entertainment. It's official release date was August 12, 2003. Over the next two years, Beast Wars: The Complete Second Second and Beast Wars: The Complete Third season were released.

Beast Wars - Botcon Comic

In the BotCon comics, two particular Beast Wars storylines are tapped.

In the Point Omega storyline, several events lead up to a tremendous battle against Shokaract, a Predacon fueled by the Dark Essence of Unicron himself. This also serves as an introduction for Apelinq, and the only appearances of Windrazor, Sandstorm, Antagony, and Cataclysm.

In the Primeval Dawn story, Tarantulas comes back from the dead alongside Ravage, Spittor and Razorclaw to complete the mission he set out to do, while the Vok create Primal Prime to stand in his way; Primal Prime teams up with Airazor and Tigatron, who have come back from the dead as well.

Beast Wars - Japanese treatment

The Japanese series Beast Wars II (ビーストウォーズセカンド Biisuto Uoozu Sekando） and Beast Wars Neo （ビーストウォーズネオ Biisuto Uoozu Nuo） were created to fill the gap while the second and third seasons of Beast Wars were being translated into Japanese (called Beast Wars: Metals). The characters originate from the future that the Beast Wars teams left, but the events of the series take place in the far future. The series are noted primarily for the return of Unicron, but more negatively, for their childish, comedic nature. Beast Wars II spawned a theatrical movie (「ライオコンボイの危機」: "Lio Convoy's Crisis"). See Transformers Series for more details. The Beast Wars Neo toyline was created to cater to the Japanese market. Whereas the cybernetic Transmetal Beast Wars Transformers sold well in Western markets, Japanese fans preferred more realistic looking beast modes. Beast Wars Metals was not as successful with Japanese fans. The Beast Wars Metal show and toy line only lasted a few months before being quickly replaced by Transformers Car Robots (later released in English-speaking countries as Transformers: Robots In Disguise) in the following new year.

Beast Wars - Comic books

Dreamwave Productions had plans to release a Beast Wars comic in early 2005. While Dreamwave Productions filed for bankruptcy in January 2005, the licence for all Transformers comics, including Beast Wars was picked up be IDW Publishing, and is scheduled to be released in early 2006. The series will been written by Simon Furman and drawn by Don Allen Figueroa. Brad Mick and Adam Patyk were originally planned to write the series until they left Dreamwave after not being paid for several projects. The Beast Wars comic is expected to take place parallel to the third season of Beast Wars and is expected to introduce new characters like Magmatron, Razorbeast, and Wolfang. Generation 1 characters are expected to join the cast too, such as Grimlock in his Beast Wars (recolored Dinobot toy) body and Ravage in his Transmetal 2 "Tripredacus Agent" incarnation.

Beast Wars - Cast Canada

• Gary Chalk - Optimus Primal
• Richard Newman - Rhinox
• Ian James Corlett - Cheetor, Sentinel, Seaclamp
• Scott McNeil - Rattrap, Dinobot, Waspinator, Silverbolt, Ramhorn
• Blu Mankuma - Tigatron/Tigerhawk
• Pauline Newstone - Airazor
• David Sobolov - Depthcharge
• David Kaye - Megatron
• Don Brown - Scorponok
• Alec Willows - Tarantulas
• Doug Parker - Terrorsaur, Starscream
• Venus Terzo - Blackarachnia
• Jim Byrnes - Inferno
• Colin Murdock - Quickstrike
• Campbell Lane - Rampage
• Elizabeth Carol Savenkoff - Predacon Ship Computer
• Lee Tockar - Ravage
• Susan Blu - Transmutate, Una

Beast Wars - Cast Japan

• Takehito Koyasu - Convoy
• Daiki Nakamura - Rhinox
• Wataru Takagi - Cheetas
• Kappei Yamaguchi - Rattor
• Keiji Fujiwara - Dinobot
• Koichi Tochika - Tigatron/TigerFalcon
• Tetsuya Iwanaga - Airazor
• Mitsuo Iwata - Silverbolt
• Kiyoyuki Yanada - Depth Charge
• Shigeru Chiba - Megatron
• Masashi Endo - Scorpos
• Nobuo Tobita - Terrorsaur, Quickstrike, Sentinel
• Yuichi Nagashima - Tarans
• Kenso Kato - Waspittor
• Ryoka Yuzuki - Black Widow, Destron Computer(Naviko)
• Shinichiro Miki - Inferno
• Nobuyuki Hiyama - Rampage
• Kazuki Yao - Starscream
• Hidetoshi Nakamura - Vok Unicron
• Haruna Ikezawa - Transmutate
• Furin Cha - Cicadacon
• Yukimasa Kishino - Ramhorn
• Joji Yanami - Seaclamp
• Toshiyuki Morikawa - Jaguar

Beast Wars - Trivia

• Originally, the series was going to be set in the present, with certain Generation 1 characters reborn in new bodies. This was very much evident in the Tech Specs of the first line of toys. The writers of the series, however, knew next to nothing about the original series at first, and since they were given free reign to do what they wanted with a series whose purpose was to promote what was, at the time, a dying franchise, they rewrote the premise so that it apparently had no connection to Generation 1 outside of a few recycled names. When Bob Forward and Larry Ditillio discovered an online Transformers chat forum and learned more about the original series however, they began to work in elements from G1, placing the series in the same universe.
• While the toy line was lauded for its innovative joint construction and the show mostly liked by fans, some Transformer purists still decry the entire series as a mistake, having gone as far as to devise slogans like "Truk not munky" to show their disgust over the use of animals instead of vehicles for the line's alternate forms.
• The third season of the TV show was originally supposed to include an episode called "Dark Glass", written by Christy Marx. The script of the episode depicted an encounter between Rattrap and Dinobot II, where Rattrap finds that the datatracks of the original Dinobot in the ship's computer, and goes on a suicide mission to install it into the Transmetal 2 clone in a desperate bid to bring his old friend/foil back. However, the script was seen as "too dark" for little children to watch, and so the episode was never produced. A considerably lighter and more jocular episode called "Go with the Flow" was shown in its place.
• Actor Scott McNeil voiced five characters in the series; Rattrap, Silverbolt, Waspinator, and the two incarnations of Dinobot.
• While the Beast Wars and Beast Machines series officially exist as the future of a G1, it is not a specific G1, incorporating bits and pieces of continuity from both the original television series and the Marvel comics, while introducing new elements into the Transformer mythos, such as sparks and protoforms (however, it should be noted that beyond use of the comic-only term, "The Ark", and the comic book deity, Primus, all of the show's references are based on the G1 cartoon). This would be carried on into the Dreamwave comics, which seemed to integrate elements from both lines while working towards maintaining continuity with Beast Wars.
• Despite living all the way to the series finale, Waspinator is either shot, framed, or somehow blown-up in almost every episode. (similar to the character Kenny in the cartoon South Park).
• Among others, Transformers fan and proprieter of www.bwtf.com Ben Yee had been called on many times to provide insight into the Transformers mythos to Mainframe so they could properly incorporate them into the show. As thanks for his help, Ben Yee is given a commendation within an episode of the show as an in-joke. When Rhinox was reprogrammed as a Predacon, he sabotaged various aspects of the base, and even Waspinator's personality. When Black Arachnia referred to him as "wacko," Waspinator replied "Wacko? No, Wonko! Wonko the Sane!" This is a reference to a character from Douglas Adams' So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and was the screen name of Ben Yee at the time.
• The toyline of the Beast Wars included "Mutant Heads". They were going to include the heads in the televison series, but the graphic designers weren't that up to date on graphics to put them in.
• The show was originally going to feature a much larger cast of characters, but limitations on CGI at the time meant that the animators had to shorten the cast to five members on both sides, adding new characters sparingly. Bob Forward has credited this as being part of the reason why the show was so successful, because a smaller cast meant he could focus on character development and personality for every character, as opposed to the ungainly task of writing for an entire army's worth of characters.
• Initially, Waspinator, not Terrorsaur, was to die at the begining of Season 2. Because people enjoyed Waspinator as comic relief for the series, the creators decided to kill off Terrorsaur instead. Waspinator went on to be the only Predacon to survive both Beast Wars and Beast Machines (not counting Black Arachnia, who defected in season 3 of Beast Wars). [1]

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Beast Wars", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki