The new Transformers animated series, Earthspark, is doing a lot of things that may make dyed-in-the-wool fans uneasy. The show is a family show that focuses on its robotic heroes as they sit with two young kids and their parents. It is about a new generation of Earth-born Terran Transformers and not about the conflict between Autobot and Decepticon. This is a sequel to the classic cartoon.
The arrival of the Transformers on Earth and the war with the Decepticons are not part of the setting of Earthspark. It has already happened. It's a world where the Transformers and Decepticons arrived in the 1980s, and fought a brutal war over the new world they had found, roping in humanity along the way.
Things in this world are very different from 40 years ago. The war is over, people know Transformers exist, and culture has developed an awareness of them akin to our own, through comic books and toys. The war ended in relative peace due to the fact that Megatron was persuaded to come to the negotiation table and form a new alliance to rebuild the home they had fought over.
Dot Malto, a former soldier in the Autobot/Decepticon war and now an undercover agent for GHOST, is one of the main characters in Earthspark. The two "Terran" Transformers are kept secret from their human colleagues at GHOST, not just so they can remain with the Maltos.
The balance of familiar and new is what makes Earthspark a compelling family show. The Malto family is tied to the classic show in a way that creates fertile ground for nostalgic elements. I was drawn to the show immediately because of the appeal of the worldbuilding and the charm of what is new in the Transformers world.
While their antics with Mo and Robby are going to be the draw for younger audiences, there's enough meat on Earthspark's bones beyond the typical family show stuff to keep old-school fans interested. The Autobot/Decepticon conflict is pushed into the past to create room for new pressure points. Mandroid, a former veteran of the war who now sees the only way to drive the Transformers off of Earth is by becoming more like them, is adapting parts of his damaged body with Cybertronian technology. There is more to it than just Decepticon holdouts from the war, but also GHOST as an organization, and the differing views of Megatron and Optimus Prime.
There is something fascinating in watching Megatron wrestle with the idea of imprisoning his former soldiers and how GHOST treats them. A lesser show might use this to play into a re-heel turn for Megatron, but Earthspark sets itself apart by having Optimus and Megatron's friendship challenged yet ultimately strengthened by this, the former realizing that his friend has a point about GHOST's politics.
It will be interesting to see how the show progresses in its relationship with the classic Transformers story. While the series remains an action-packed adventure show for families, there is a lot of potential for the show to balance a love letter to Transformers nostalgia with something that feels like a genuine step forward for the franchise.
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