Editing Transformers (section)

====''Beast Wars'' and ''Beast Machines'' (1996–2000)====
{{Main|Beast Wars: Transformers|Beast Machines}}
The story focuses on a small group of [[Maximal (Transformers)|Maximals]] (the new Autobots), led by [[Optimus Primal]], and [[Predacon (Transformers)|Predacons]], led by [[Megatron (Beast Wars and Beast Machines)|Megatron]], 300 years after the "Great War". After a dangerous pursuit through [[Wormhole|transwarp space]], both the Maximal and Predacon factions end up crash landing on a primitive, uncivilized planet similar to [[Earth]], but with two moons and a dangerous level of Energon (which is later revealed to ''be'' prehistoric Earth with an artificial second moon, taking place sometime during the 4 million year period in which the Autobots and Decepticons were in suspended animation from the first episode of the original Transformers cartoon), which forces them to take organic beast forms in order to function without going into stasis lock.<ref>{{cite episode | title = Pilot (Part 1) | series = Beast Wars | series-link = Beast Wars | airdate = 1996-09-16 | season = 1}}</ref> After writing this first episode, [[Bob Forward]] and [[Larry DiTillio]] learned of the G1 Transformers and began to use elements of it as a historical backstory to their scripts,<ref>{{cite video | people = Bob Forward | title = Interview with writer Bob Forward | medium = DVD | publisher = Rhino | date = 2003-08-12}}</ref> establishing ''Beast Wars'' as a part of the ''Generation 1'' universe through numerous callbacks to both the cartoon and the Marvel comic. By the end of the first season, the second moon and the Energon are revealed to have been constructed by a mysterious alien race known as the [[List of Beast Wars and Beast Machines characters#Non-aligned characters|Vok]].

[[File:G1Prime BWMegs.jpg|thumb|Beast Wars [[Megatron (Beast Wars and Beast Machines)|Megatron]] attacks [[Optimus Prime (Transformers)|Optimus Prime]] in a clash of generations.]]
The destruction of the second moon releases mysterious energies that make some of the characters "[[transmetals|transmetal]]" and the planet is revealed to be prehistoric Earth, leading to the discovery of the ''Ark''. Megatron attempts to kill the original [[Optimus Prime (Transformers)|Optimus Prime]],<ref name="agenda">{{cite episode | title = The Agenda | episode-link = The Agenda (Beast Wars) | series = Beast Wars | series-link = Beast Wars | airdate = March 11{{ndash}}13, 1997 | season=2}}</ref> but at the beginning of the third season, Primal manages to preserve his spark. In the two-season follow-up series, ''Beast Machines'', Cybertron is revealed to have organic origins, which Megatron attempts to stamp out.

After the first season of ''Beast Wars'' (comprising 26 episodes) aired in Japan, the Japanese were faced with a problem. The second Canadian season was only 13 episodes long, not enough to warrant airing on Japanese TV. While they waited for the third Canadian season to be completed (thereby making 26 episodes in total when added to season 2), they produced two exclusive cel-animated series of their own, ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Life-Form Transformers|Beast Wars II]]'' (also called ''Beast Wars Second'') and ''[[Super Life-Form Transformers: Beast Wars Neo|Beast Wars Neo]],'' to fill in the gap. Dreamwave [[retroactive continuity|retroactively]] revealed ''Beast Wars'' to be the future of their G1 universe,<ref name="dream beasts" /> and the 2006 IDW comic book ''[[Beast Wars: The Gathering]]'' eventually confirmed the Japanese series to be canon<ref>{{Cite comic | writer = [[Simon Furman]] | penciller = [[Don Figueroa]] | title = [[Beast Wars: The Gathering]] | issue = 1 | date = 2006-02-15 | publisher = [[IDW Publishing]]}}</ref> within a story set during Season 3.<ref>{{cite news | title = Interview&nbsp;— IDWs Ryall & Furman Talk Beast Wars Comic | publisher = Comic News International | date = 2005-10-25 | url = http://comicnewsi.com/article.php?catid=208&itemid=7960 | access-date = 2007-01-31 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061030212311/http://comicnewsi.com/article.php?catid=208&itemid=7960 | archive-date = 2006-10-30 }}</ref>

Beast Wars contained elements from both the G1 cartoon series and comics. Attributes taken from the cartoon include Transformers that were female, the appearance of [[Starscream (Transformers)|Starscream]] (who mentions being killed off by Galvatron in ''The Transformers: The Movie''), and appearances of the Plasma Energy Chamber and Key to Vector Sigma. The naming of the Transformer ship, the ''Ark'' (and reference to 1984, the year the Transformers on board are revived), the character [[Ravage (Transformers)|Ravage]] being shown as intelligent, and Cybertron having an organic core are elements taken from the comics.

In 2011, [[Shout! Factory]] released the complete series of ''Beast Wars'' on DVD.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/05/16/transformers-beast-wars-returns-on-dvd |title=Transformers: Beast Wars Returns on DVD |work=IGN |date=May 16, 2011 |access-date=February 16, 2022}}</ref>