Here’s What We Learned From the ‘Transformers: Combiner Wars’ Preludes

In the beginning…there was the middle.

The review of the show itself is going to be a bit of a challenge because I’m getting the distinct impression it was not made for me. What I mean by that is this seems to be made for fans of Transformers that are a level or two above me. I am a fan of Transformers, don’t get me wrong, but my relationship isn’t nearly as intimate as, say, Red vs Blue. In recent memory, I have seen and enjoyed the Prime television series, am just generally okay with the current Robots in Disguise series, have fond memories of the Beast Wars/Machines and Armada series from back in the day, and…”experienced” the live action movies.

This new series, Combiner Wars, seems to be either adapting or expanding on a storyline from the IDW comics that’s spanned years, and so might be alienating or even impenetrable for those who haven’t been exposed to that. That said, I’m of a mind that a work should stand on its own, and so will be judging this series based on that. I’ve done some homework so I won’t be completely lost, but from here on I will simply be taking it as it comes. Plus, what we have here are just preludes, so maybe they’re meant to be intentionally vague and mysterious in order to generate intrigue.

Our first prelude comes from the perspective of our mainstay Optimus Prime, here voiced by Honest Trailers “Epic Voice Guy” John Bailey. He recounts how the war against the Decepticons has long since ended on Cybertron, but the new conflict, The Combiner Wars, only took its place. As a being born into conflict, he has grown weary of how the methods of destruction and death have only escalated. Somehow, this leads to one (possibly) final confrontation with Megatron with Prime winning, blaster pointed point blank at Megatron’s damaged body. Is this an event to come or is a greater threat on the way?

The next one is entirely narration from a new character, Victorion, who is also one of the titular Combiners that will possibly be warring. Combiners have existed in Transformers before and had been used mainly to put certain characters together to sell more toys. This storyline apparently examines the mental effects this process might have on those involved, as well as how it can be exploited by people in power and what the idea of it represents for a people who have been divided but wish to be unified. Victorion reflects this in her monologue, stating that her existence as someone who is a fusion of several individuals should be the symbol for an obtainable peace that Cybertronians seem to have lost faith in. Whether they’ll agree with her on that point is to be determined.

The third part gives focus to Starscream, previous second in command to Megatron in the Decepticons and legendary for his constant attempts to take over leadership through numerous betrayals. He’s so famous for this aspect that he’s the Trope Namer for “the evil sidekick that always betrays the boss”. Only now he is not only a leader, but part of the council for all of Cybertron. Now that’s a promotion! But as the somber guitar riffs play, we learn that the role Starscream has dreamed and yearned and craved for so long is crushing him with its responsibility. Will his lust for power corrupt his authority or can he truly rise to lead his people to prosperity?

Lastly, we cover the thoughts of Windblade, a relatively recent addition to Transformers canon, and even showed up in the current cartoon series. While there she was kind of lacking in a distinct personality, here she is a citizen of Caminus, a planet that has been devastated by constant attacks by Combiners and been forsaken by its leader, the Mistress of Flame, so that she may take a council position on Cybertron alongside Starscream. Feeling abandoned and finding herself without any further options, Windblade now plans to take action and bring an end to these emerging threats to her planet’s safety. Will she be able to come back from the dark path she is beginning?

And that about covers the preludes. Considering these are barely even previews of the show to come, I wouldn’t feel right rating them, but hopefully they do their job well and can drum up speculation and interest towards this new show. Now we wait for the show itself which begins (and possibly ends?) August 2nd. After all is said and done, we’ll see if this show truly has the touch and/or the power.

…that was a Stan Bush reference.