You know what? I'm gonna say it! I LIKE Multiversal Singularities! I think it's a interesting concept!
The idea of these handful of godlike beings having knowledge that goes beyond the universe they're in? Being able to see the "whole game board" as it were? That's kind of interesting. It means you can have plots and machinations that span multiple universes. It means you could have these characters trying to set things up in one universe, so that they can make a different move in a separate one. It gives these handful of beings a sense of scope and grandeur that no one else can match. It gives these characters a epic feel, suitable for extremely powerful beings.
Personally, I feel like like Transformers is always at it's best when it embraces that it's a combination of technology AND magic. Science fiction AND Fantasy. Multiversal Singularities feel like a idea from a fantasy novel. And I just dig that.
It didn't really effect that many characters. Just the Gods and the Thirteen. And I think that's fine. Those characters don't show up that much, anyway. And when they do, them having knowledge from multiple universes kind of gives them this aura of omniscience that makes them feel special. If these kinds of characters are only going to show up once in a great while, why NOT give them a special ability that makes them actually feel special when they show up.
And it's a idea that really only a franchise like Transformers could pull off. A franchise that's been running for years, with a bunch of different variations of itself. But, with most of those universes being long dormant or discarded. Multiversal Singularities gives you a excuse to revisit a lot of these old worlds, while also giving them a bit of a new twist. Sure, nothing of note has happened in this universe for possibly decades...but here comes a new powerful character who might have PLANS for how to use it in a new way. It adds a little bit of a x-factor for how you can interact with these old worlds. Which was PERFECT for something like the Club.
And, let's be honest here, the whole Multiversal Singularity idea was mostly contained almost exclusively to the Club stuff. Which...is actually a pretty good idea? Keeping this kind of complicated high-concept exclusive to the media made exclusively for only the hardest of the hardcore fans. The kind of fans who would actually be willing to keep track of all of this and care about it. I honestly forget if even Furman himself ever actually mentioned the term "Mutliversal Singularity" in anything that wasn't made for the club. Furman didn't even come up with the term "Muliversal Singuarity", that was 100% the Club's invention. Furman may have started the general idea with Unicron in Universe and the Ultimate Guide, but he never really got that far with the idea. We never actually got Furman's version of the Thirteen, so who knows what he would have done with it?
I feel like the only reason people really have a problem with the idea of Multiveral Singularities, is because it became a headache for the fans running the Wiki. Do we have to merge ALL these characters into one page, now? How do we list their actions from different universes, by "real world" release dates or by chronological order? The fans maintaining the Wiki didn't like it, because it meant more work and more debate about how to handle it, and that vitriol eventually spread to the rest of the fanbase by association. Plus, again, this was mostly contained to just the Club stuff. So, any new media didn't really use the idea, causing contradictions in the lore that the Club had to write around. But...that's kind of part of the fun? Trying to find ways to make this all work together, even though it was never really made to work together? Again, that's a perfect thing for the fan-focused Club stuff to do.
And then there's the whole "Optimus is the Thirteenth" thing. And I'll just remind people, that never came from the Club. It didn't even come from Furman. That came from Aligned! It was the Covenent of Primus Guidebook that did that. That was just Hasbro trying to make Optimus the most important character ever, because they were slowly sliding into their "G1 is all we do" phase. The Club and Furman, and even the concept of Multiversal Singularities is not at fault for that. At this point, it's probably just easier to say that the Matrix itself is actually the Thirteenth, since most of the "replacements" are Primes. But, I'm not sure if Hasbro actually cares enough to actually do that.
Could it have been done better? Sure, I guess. But, I'm not sure if I'd say it was actually handled poorly or not. It would have been nice to really delve more into the idea. But, again, the Gods and Thirteen are RARELY the focus of any media. And Hasbro didn't want the Club doing it, because they were really wishy-washy about maybe doing a big project themselves with the idea of the Thirteen. Which never really came about in that era.
So, personally, I think it was a interesting idea. I'd even be open to it coming back, myself. Maybe they should actually have more of a plan for it, going forward, if they ever do? But, I think the idea itself has the potential to be a lot of fun. And, honestly? I think the Club stuff that used it was a lot of fun. I have some fond memories of all that crazy lore getting dropped and having to parse through it all. It's a very geeky type of fun. But, I'm here for it! I kind of wish we'd get something like the Club stories, again.
*AHEM*
Well, as for the actual topic of the thread?
Yeah, Energon's on the bottom of the list, for me. I do like some of the designs. Energon Megatron/Galvatron is probably one of my favorite redesigns for the character. Wing Saber's a cool design. And I'm a sucker for clear plastic, so I really like a lot of the designs for the Terrorcons like Cruellock. But, the show was...pretty plodding for most of it's run. The combination gimmick was a fun idea that...was only really executed well in a few cases. A lot of the combinations we got were...kinda lame. I think it's safe to say it's the weakest of the three.
As for which is better, Armada or Cybertron? Well....I could easily go either way, honestly.
Cybertron has cooler designs. Cybertron Optimus is a all time great. Cybertron Starscream just looks slick. Soundwave, Scourge, Primus, Vector Prime, all great designs. And the show is...more consistent, I think than Armada is. It runs at a pretty constant 7 out of 10 for most of it's run. And I think it's plot is structurally more interesting than Armada's. Cybertron just feels like it has the better world-building. All the different planets we got to see, and all their different cultures. A lot of the history and lore we got was interesting. It was the more interesting show to explore the world of. And the execution was solid, but not extraordinary.
Armada has the better gimmick. I mean...Cyber Planet Keys are just Mini-Cons that can't transform. A little Transformer that can activate a gimmick on a bigger Transformer? That's just a natural evolution of the old "Masters" from G1. These are arguably better toys, that are more fun to actually play with. And, even though I do prefer Cybertron's design aesthetic, I can't say there aren't some winners in Armada. Fully Combined Optimus is still probably the best super mode for Optimus out of the Trilogy. This was the first time we ever got Unicron and they knocked it out of the park with him. Armada Starscream is one of the most iconic looks for him. Tidal Wave, Sideways, even Demolisher and Blurr, great designs. As for the show....I feel like it has higher highs and lower lows than Cybertron. The first half of the show is pretty episodic and kind of forgettable, honestly. And it's full of...iffy animation, at best. But, that second half really kicks things into high gear. The entire Unicron Saga is pretty solid. Starscream gets one of his most iconic moments in any show, ever. The twist with the Mini-Cons are interesting, even if it's pretty abrupt and they don't really do much with it. And there's improvement in the animation quality in that second half. Plus...I just like traditional animation more, over Cybertron's half-CGI look.
It's been YEARS since I've seen either one. And my memory of them is pretty hazy at this point. And it kind of depends on which you think is better. Is a more consistent show, that that probably has a few fewer spectacular moments, better than a show that has a fair few moments that are just outright poor?
Ask me tomorrow and I might have a different answer. But for right now...I'm leaning towards Armada being the winner. I think it's just more memorable, overall. I might respect Cybertron's storytelling more. But, Armada has the better gimmick and a few more memorable moments in the show itself. Maybe it's nostalgia talking, but Armada just feels more..."cozy", somehow. Like it's from a different era that I kind of miss, where the toys came first over everything.
I hope you enjoyed my wall-o-text! Now, go grab a snack! You probably earned it after reading through all that. And remember, shop at Zaku's Wall-o-Text for all your impenetrable wall-o-text needs! Guaranteed that 90% of people will never get through them, or your money back! (But, not your time, I'm keeping your time!)
