So it's been announced that a) a new animated Transformers series is in development (which gives me a fresh pang of sadness that there is no more
Animated, but the franchise marches on), b) it'll air on Discovery Kids (which is...puzzling, given that Transformers is about as far from actual science as you can get, but then regular Discovery Channel airs
Mythbusters and that is much less interested in science than it is in blowing stuff up, so fair's fair), c) it'll be called Transformers: Prime, and d)
Jeffrey freaking Combs will be providing the voice of Ratchet.
That sound you hear is my
Re-Animator and JLU-era Question fangirl squee.
eeeeeeeee.I'm excited as to what this means for how Ratchet will be played - given Combs' other roles (and his smooth, quieter delivery) I have a feeling this Ratchet will be more in the vein of G1!Ratchet, who was more laid-back and irreverent, rather than TFA!Ratchet (who is...basically fanon!G1!Ratchet, interestingly; fanon is odd that way). Either way, I'm looking forward to the promos and teasers so I can know more about the new series.
But what really amused me was reading the comments in the article announcing Combs, and how a good third of the comments were (of course) already declaring the new series and indeed the franchise Ruined FOREVER based on (take your pick) the fact that the series is airing on a cable channel, the series'
name (no joke), or the fact that the series will in fact be aimed at children. Because apparently we have again missed the memo that the Transformers franchise exists to
sell toys to children, whether adults collect them or not. (Interestingly enough, I saw few cries of Ruined FOREVER based on Combs' casting. A few raised eyebrows, but little actual disapproval.)
I was already giggling a bit at this rare opportunity to watch one of TF fandom's famous tantrums in real time, but then I realized that this all sounded eerily familiar. In fact, it sounded eerily familiar because just yesterday Doctor Who fandom was throwing much the same strop over one of the announced writers for Season 5 (or is it 6?), declaring that New Who and indeed the franchise were Ruined FOREVER because a writer they didn't like had signed on. Many of the angry comments sounded almost exactly the same.
And then I really did laugh out loud. Oh, fandom. Your absurdities never cease to amuse, except when they do and I kind of want to slap you.
Final point: I am only moderately ashamed that, once I heard there was a new TF series being produced, one of my first thoughts was "maybe this time there will be girl robots who do things oh please please please let this one have girl robots who do things
please I don't think that's a lot to ask and while I'm here can I have a pony." A GIRL CAN DREAM, OKAY.