How Is ‘Transformers: War for Cybertron’ Different From the Rest of Transformers?

Life just got a bit more epic because Transformers is coming to Netflix. This month marks the premiere of the first installment of Transformers: War for Cybertron, an animated trilogy series about everyone’s favorite robots in disguise. Over the decades the Transformers universe has spawned 15 different animated series, multiple live action blockbuster movies, and even a 3D amusement park ride. With all of this Transformers lore, what makes Netflix’s take on the franchise so special?
Even though this universe spans hundreds of hours, Netflix’s War for Cybertron trilogy will be telling a story that few have ever seen. Instead of following the Autobots and Decepticons’ battle over Earth this three-part series will be an origin story about the civil war on Transformers’ home world of Cybertron. Specifically this new series will be about how Optimus Prime and Megatron came to be the leaders we love and love to hate.
It’s long been known that Optimus Prime, the honorable and fearless leader of the Autobots, was one of the last of his kind. In most shows and comics Optimus Prime is depicted as a member of an ancient race called the Dynasty of Primes. In several iterations he’s even considered “The Last Prime,” making him the last living heir of the original Transformers. Instead of jumping into Optimus Prime’s — well — prime, this new series will take things back in time and explore what led him to becoming the leader of the Autobots and Earth’s last chance.
Here’s how Netflix describes the series on its media site:

It is the final hours of the devastating civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The war that has torn apart their home planet of Cybertron is at a tipping point. Two leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron, both want to save their world and unify their people, but only on their own terms. In an attempt to end the conflict, Megatron is forced to consider using the Allspark, the source of all life and power on Cybertron, to “reformat” the Autobots, thus “unifying” Cybertron. Outnumbered, outgunned, and under SIEGE, the battle-weary Autobots orchestrate a desperate series of counterstrikes on a mission that, if everything somehow goes right, will end with an unthinkable choice: kill their planet in order to save it.

The first installment of the trilogy, which will premiere this week, is titled “Siege.” This group of episodes will cover how the war between the Autobots and Decepticons led to the destruction of Cybertron. It will then be followed by “Earthrise,” which will show how these two opposing forces’ search for the Allspark led to them landing on Earth. Finally the trilogy will conclude with “Kingdom.” That installment will see the Transformers join forces with their Beast Wars counterparts. For the Autobots that means aligning with their descendants the Maximals, and for the Decepticons that means joining forces with the Predacons.

For years Transformers‘ movies and shows have gotten a bad reputation for being vehicles to push ticket sales or merchandise. That’s not the case with War for Cybertron. The slick-looking series from Polygon Pictures, Rooster Teeth Production, and Allspark Animation is one of the first Transformers’ series that was made for fans of the franchise. It just goes to show you that sometimes even the nerdiest prayers are answered.

Watch Transformers: War for Cybertron on Netflix