Not that Beast Wars didn't have an ulterior motive. It managed to move a decent number of show-related merchandise over its five-year run as well, but where Beast Wars differed from Generation One was plot. In the original series, only a handful of characters were really developed. Optimus was the father-like good guy, Bumblebee was the human protector and Starscream was the backstabber. Beyond that, characters would take on character traits based on plot needs.
Beast Wars shifted this idea. Whereas Generation One tried to cram in large teams of Autobots and Decepticons, Beast Wars focuses on small factions of Maximals and Predacons. This allows for characters to grow into certain roles and develop their personalities beyond the background furniture that occasional piped up in battle. In the original series, Autobots would blindly follow Optimus' orders. Beast Wars changes that dynamic; Maximals will doubt Optimus's leadership or outright defy his instructions. There's even a switch-up on Generation One's inner conflict between Megatron/ Starscream. Dinobot, the series' Starscream stand-in, joins the Maximals because it is the best way to take over the Predacons.
Going back to the beginning, it is clear the series really had to grow into what it eventually became. The plot beats in the first episodes are near mirror images of the original series. The Predacons, ancestors of the Generation One Decepticons, are searching for Energon while the Maximals, the Autobot's descendants, are out to stop them. The two forces engage in a space battle, causing their ships to crash on a prehistoric Earth. Yes, Beast Wars is a sequel to the Generation One series and, yes, the Autobots and Decepticons are already on the planet... but those plotlines don't emerge until Season 2.
The primary focus in Season 1 is the battle over the planet's vast Energon reserves, though towards the middle of the season a greater threat, involving a group of artifacts from a race of aliens called the Vok, takes center stage. The transition from one major plotline to another is handled incredibly well and marks the series' transition from toy-hocking CG show to a real character drama. There's tons of action and battles galore - so Beast Wars isn't just a bunch of robots talking about their feelings. But again, personalities are able to develop, setting up character rivalries and other cool plot points.
New characters are introduced over the course of the season whenever new blood is needed. I really like how new characters are introduced. In particular, I like the concept of Megatron reprogramming stasis-bound Maximals into Predacons. The idea is outright neat and introduces more conflict into the series.
Although rendered in late 90's, the CG holds up better than I expected. There are noticeable flat spaces, low-res textures and rendering tricks (crumbling rocks always turn into boxes), but it's low quality isn't a major distraction. Many of the original CG models, including a few early test models, are included in gallery form as well as original concept art. Both are great additions for Beast Wars fans or anyone interested in animation or CG.
The big extra is the mini-documentary "Maximize! Creating a New Breed of Transformer." The segment is hosted by members of both Hasbro and Mainframe and details the process of developing both the television series and toy line. It is short, but manages to pack in a lot of information.
Shout Factory has done an impressive job with Transformers: Beast Wars - Season 1. The series gets off to a rough start, and the "ancient" CG work might bother a few picky viewers, though it quickly develops into the standard-bearer for future Transformers series.
