Okay, lot of debate...

[angelophile]

There's been waaaaaay too much debate over this on Transformers sites, regarding the new movie. Thing is, some people might remember that in the original cartoon and toys, some of the Transformers had a tendency to shrink. It was never explained how. One minute you had a twenty foot high robot, the next a walkman or cassette or something.

Now, this has always struck me as being pretty daft.

Now with this new movie they've got a chance to start over - new toys and stuff, so is size shifting something you think could fit into a Transformers movie, or do you think it should be left out and the focus just be on mechanical stuff?

I know most people won't care and aren't fans and that's exactly the kind of people I'm interested in hearing the opinions of.

So...

[Poll #624560]

Comments

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

I think it's okay if they make some attempt to justify or explain it. If transformers just shrink randomly that's kinda stupid, but if they establish that certain transformers rotate mass into a fourth dimension or have Cybertronian shrinkage technology or something it could actually be a very cool effect to have something very small slowly start to grow into a huge robot at some dramatic moment.

[fenrishero.livejournal.com]

It is explained. Each Transformer has a transformation cog, and the cog serves two functions. First, it provides the robot with the appropriate transformation forms so it can change shape. Second, if the transformer changes sizes, it's whats responsible for shifting the extra mass into a storage dimension. This shifting of mass includes any extras that only appear in one form or the other (Optimus and Rodimus's trailers being the prime example).

[angelophile.livejournal.com]

See, but that doesn't explain why some Transformers can do it and others can't. And why they can only do it to transform into stationary objects.

As for whether it should be explained?

The Force.

Nuff said.

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

The Force was something magical, so explaining it as something mundane-but-still-magical is stupid. The Transformers are, at least on first glance, technological, so it's not stupid to try to explain it.

[angelophile.livejournal.com]

True to a dgeree. Personally, if they use it I'd be happier with no explanation than a gobbledygook one. I mean, everyone knows that the transporters in Star Trek beam people all over the shop but I expect only Star Trek fans have a clue how hey work and it's never been explained in any of the movies that I've seen.

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

Not exactly, but I think it's fairly clear from the shows and movies that the transformers convert people to energy, transmit them, and then (somehow) materialize them at their destination. The exact mechanics don't usually manner, and it's much the same with shrinking... saying that either some of the transformers have Shrinking Technology just establishes the idea... similarly, saying that some of them can rotate mass into another dimension. You don't need to get into how so long as you just convincingly get across the idea that they do, and it's not magic.

The main ones this would affect, from my limited Transformers knowledge, would be Megatron and Soundwave. I'd say leave it out for Megatron, but Sound Wave could be explained as some kind of experimental prototype or rare mutant subspecies or something in a movie, so you could keep him.

Now, more importantly... when Optimus turns into the truck in the movie, is his trailer going to suddenly appear behind him out of nowhere? ;)

[jennanne.livejournal.com]

I know this is off the subject but your icon rocks!!! I couldn't stop laughing and I'm at work, one of the students walked up and asked what was so funny!! It sure does look bad when you’re sitting at your desk laughing at your computer. AWESOME!!