LibriumArcana.Games

I speak of course of Optimus Prime, of the orginal series that ran in the 1980s, not Optimal Prime of Beast Wars or Rodius Prime or any other Primes known to you (covers everything? I think so.)

Well on to the question, many a times it has been brought up that prehaps, just prehaps Prime could have ended the war if he fought more aggressively.

Which leads me to ask for discussion, do you feel Optimus Prime was an effective war time leader, or not?

He's a good leader, a figure you could rally behind. More of a Roosevelt than an Eisenhower, though. He should have turned the fighting of the war to someone else, Ironhide or Prowl maybe?

Prime was always more of a diplomat than a general. Most of the Autobots were reluctant fighters, iirc. Out of all of them Grimlok was the only true war-leader, to be honest. Pity he had such a primative mind....

Actually for awhile Grimlock was more brilliant then Perceptor, Ratchet and Wheel-Jack... but that's another discussion.

Prime was a capable leader. Sadly, as much as I hate to admit it, he was far more capable then any of the "leaders" that followed him. This includes Rodimus and Big Suck Los-errr Ultra Magnus. He was a capable soldier but was not a "war" leader so to speak. Granted, he lead the Autobots for only a few million years but he just lacked the violent aggressive mentality to properly fight the war as was needed. Later in the series there was others he could turn to for help in leading it but at the beginning there was...very few.

He was simply the most capable leader of the time, not a "great" leader. Now Sentinel Prime, THERE was a autobot leader. But again, thats another discussion.

Now Sentinel Prime, THERE was a autobot leader. But again, thats another discussion.

Didn't Megatron tear him limb from limb while he plead for peace?

Dreamwave comics. Prior continuities and universes depicted him as a giant mobile battle station that was miles in size. He seiged Castle Decepticon during the earlier days of the war by himself. Megatron may have done so in that continuity but if I recall correctly, and granted it's been a few years, I believe he fell at the battle of Valvolux

Well it could be worse, we could have to debate Aramada timelines as well...

frigidmagi wrote:Well it could be worse, we could have to debate Aramada timelines as well...

I gotta step up for the bastard, abused stepson.

It got alot better after the beginning of the Sabre arc. And Starscream became an actual, fully fleshed out character for once.

The creator still has a special place in hell awaiting him.

Optimus Prime was a great Leader of the Autobots, but not a great war-leader.

Truth be told, if he fought more aggressively in the war, then the Autobots could have won it sooner.

But then again, IF Optimus did fight more aggressively, would he still be Optimus Prime? Remember, Optimus was a doctor, diplomat soldier, he fought for Peace, not conquest. I would argue that if Prime fought the war on a harsher footing, he would be more like Megatron, instead of the Leader we came to know and love.

Dark Silver wrote:I would argue that if Prime fought the war on a harsher footing, he would be more like Megatron, instead of the Leader we came to know and love.

I never liked him. He was a wuss who failed to prosecute a war effectively and that cost untold numbers of lives. He put autobots at extreme risks to save human lives while not asking for substantial amounts of aid from humanity in return, a political and military blunder. His failure to go on the offence against the Decepticons or act to restore power to the Cybertron autobot factions meant that Megatron was able to wage campaign after campaign, being able to regroup and rebuild after defeat. The collateral damage to human civilization in the cartoons alone was enormous, especially in the "space bridge Cybertron next to Earth" series.

I do tend to like the bad guys, but come on. Prime only looks so good because all the other Autobot leaders sucked hard. Megatron at least knew he was fighting a war and tried to win it instead of settling for perpetual bloody stalemate.

I would argue that if Prime fought the war on a harsher footing, he would be more like Megatron, instead of the Leader we came to know and love.

I'm going to have to contest that. Fighting the war more effectively does not make him more like Megatron, it makes him more like Eisenhower, Grant and other Generals who fought to break their opponents and therefore once and for all end the conflicts they found themselves in.

Prime wouldn't be fighting for conquest, he would be fighting to end a threat to Cybertron once and for all.