TFP: Crossfire - spoilers ahead
This is, once again, me putting forward theories just for the sake of being able to shriek, "I TOLD YOU SO!" if they ever come to pass.
I'm going to skip the big blue elephant in the room that this episode put forth because I just can't talk about it anymore until we see the canon aftermath, so this is entirely about Starscream instead.
So there's been a lot of talk about how dysfunctional the Decepticons are lately. And we saw the tiniest hint of an honorable streak out of Starscream in Crossfire, in which he doesn't kill or even just injure Arcee at the end. Twice now, he's called on Ratchet for medical help, rather than going crawling back to the 'Cons. But as his discussion with Airachnid revealed, even now, having broken from their ranks, he still wants to rule the Decepticons. And then someone else on tumblr mentioned how Ratchet and Bulkhead went off this time to help Starscream, presumably without checking with Optimus first, and how it's indicative of how they got used to operating on their own while he was onboard the Nemesis.
So all that got me to thinking...
The Autobots were dysfunctional and started in-fighting while Optimus was gone.
The Decepticons were fully functional and focused while Megatron was gone (both in space and while he was comatose).
The Dececpticons are dysfunctional and have started in-fighting now that Starscream is gone.
So if the assumption is that a lack of solid leadership is what causes the factions to fragment... then Starscream really IS the true leader of the Decepticons, by virtue of the fact that is it without HIM, not Megatron, that the ranks start to fall apart.
I have been hoping and hoping and HOPING since about mid-season 1 that Starscream would learn the error of his ways and jump ship and join the Autobots, for all of the reasons he listed off to them in Partners - "What have they done for me lately, besides humiliate me, spy on me, demote me?!" But this thought process gives me an alternative that I would be equally happy to see:
Starscream takes over the Decepticons when the Autobots finally defeat Megatron and then, because he's learning in these recent episodes that the Autobots actually aren't the horrible enemy faction that he's always viewed them as - they keep helping him, etc. - he calls an end to the fighting. As a friend of mine pointed out - this is exactly what Optimus implored him to do way back in episode 6.
Best part of this is, Optimus and Starscream survive the series, which is practically unheard of. I'm pretty sure Starscream (or his equivalent) has ALWAYS died. I would love it if the TFP writers would break that tradition, mostly because he's my favorite, but also because I love it when things get turned on their head like that.
I'm going to skip the big blue elephant in the room that this episode put forth because I just can't talk about it anymore until we see the canon aftermath, so this is entirely about Starscream instead.
So there's been a lot of talk about how dysfunctional the Decepticons are lately. And we saw the tiniest hint of an honorable streak out of Starscream in Crossfire, in which he doesn't kill or even just injure Arcee at the end. Twice now, he's called on Ratchet for medical help, rather than going crawling back to the 'Cons. But as his discussion with Airachnid revealed, even now, having broken from their ranks, he still wants to rule the Decepticons. And then someone else on tumblr mentioned how Ratchet and Bulkhead went off this time to help Starscream, presumably without checking with Optimus first, and how it's indicative of how they got used to operating on their own while he was onboard the Nemesis.
So all that got me to thinking...
The Autobots were dysfunctional and started in-fighting while Optimus was gone.
The Decepticons were fully functional and focused while Megatron was gone (both in space and while he was comatose).
The Dececpticons are dysfunctional and have started in-fighting now that Starscream is gone.
So if the assumption is that a lack of solid leadership is what causes the factions to fragment... then Starscream really IS the true leader of the Decepticons, by virtue of the fact that is it without HIM, not Megatron, that the ranks start to fall apart.
I have been hoping and hoping and HOPING since about mid-season 1 that Starscream would learn the error of his ways and jump ship and join the Autobots, for all of the reasons he listed off to them in Partners - "What have they done for me lately, besides humiliate me, spy on me, demote me?!" But this thought process gives me an alternative that I would be equally happy to see:
Starscream takes over the Decepticons when the Autobots finally defeat Megatron and then, because he's learning in these recent episodes that the Autobots actually aren't the horrible enemy faction that he's always viewed them as - they keep helping him, etc. - he calls an end to the fighting. As a friend of mine pointed out - this is exactly what Optimus implored him to do way back in episode 6.
Best part of this is, Optimus and Starscream survive the series, which is practically unheard of. I'm pretty sure Starscream (or his equivalent) has ALWAYS died. I would love it if the TFP writers would break that tradition, mostly because he's my favorite, but also because I love it when things get turned on their head like that.