The Headmaster Process

[Gomess]

DISCLAIMER: We all know it was a weird gimmick to shuck brick-like toys. This is a purely in-universe discussion; don't bother bringing that up!

Just what ARE the advantages of sitting in the head of an already sentient robot? Are you truly piloting them, or is there some sort of unspoken dialogue between driver and vehicle, creating "two minds in one" and effectively doubling the TF's intelligence??

I always found the on-the-spot discussing, as seen in The Rebirth, patently ridiculous. If that's how Nebulans communicate with their partners, they'd be better off as separate soldiers, yelling "Rip off one of the tentacles!" to each other and giving said tentacles TWO targets instead of one.

Also: "We're stuck being vehicles without our heads!" ...This is ridiculous and just plain wrong on so many levels. It'd only really work for me if the Nebulans were in CHARGE, and introduced the Headmaster process as a way to keep the TFs under control...

Come on folks, help me out here. Just why WOULD you, as a Nebulan *or* a TF, want to undergo such a process?

[Onslaught Six]

Headmasters are just big empty robots with little robots for heads. End discussion.

(Read: Nebulans suck.)

[Gomess]

Hey, I'm serious, jackass! Anyone got anymore *interesting* thoughts on the matter?

[Onslaught Six]

So am I. I really don't like the Nebulans as a concept, and they're usually really out of character. And while these kind of questions are certainly interesting, I find it more rewarding to just have them being Little Robots Controlling Big Robots. (Plus, the same duality concept can still apply with two robots!)

Also, someone once said that the reason they bond to organic lifeforms is because they have the ability to 'think outside the box' and be creative, as opposed to TFs who are stupid and set in their own ways. After all, they carried on a millenia-long war with very little new technology developing, whereas once the humans start getting involved, we get new tech out the wazoo.

[andersonh1]

Wasn't Furman's justification for the process that it increased reaction time for the Transformer? I seem to remember Shockwave saying something along those lines to Scorponok during their fight in Maximum Dinobots.

Other than that, what advantage would it be? The human component is going to be more vulnerable than the Transformer alone would be, and isn't going to live very long by Transformer standards. There would have to be a continual supply of new organics willing to bond with the Transformer.

[Onslaught Six]

That's implying that once they get bonded, they don't become cybernetic enough to live for ages.

[Gomess]

No interest in the "makes TFs reliant on humans" theory...?

It reminds me of the Marvel version of the Targetmasters, which were effectively Nebulan Gun Control. "Wanna shoot on MY planet, do ya? Well not in this sector, buddy. *locks up*"

[Dominic]

Anderson is right in mentioning the benefits as described in the comic. (But, Furman also said that it only worked if both parties actually got along together.) It would like also increase their ability to handle cognitive load. Of course, inconsistent writing, (largely due to Budiansky), often meant that the Headmasters were almost entirely without their own drive/will if the heads were not present. The whole thing came across as an inversion of the dynamic in "Shazam!"

The cartoon skewed the transaction heavily in favor of the Nebulans, the idea being that the TFs had to put themselves at a disadvantage in order to gain the trust of the nebulans. The advantage to the nubulon/humans, (access to tech, strength and other resources), was pretty clear.

IDW also has a take on the head master process. Zarak (later Dante) and Skorponock joined up. Then, Sunstreaker was effectively bonded with *dozens* of humans. It sucked pretty hard core for him. But, it worked great for the humans.

[Onslaught Six]

Skorponock

*thwap*

[Dominic]

Whudeva.