"Prime" Lessons

On the eve of Transformers 3 "The Dark Side of the Moon" I feel somewhat electric with anticipation at what the critics have so far called (for the most part) the best of the trilogy. My anticipation is made even more feverish by the spoiler info leaking out that Optimus Prime brings his "A" game and the battle to the Decepticons like never before. There is a moment in one of the commercials where he stands before his allies, human and sentient robotic ands declares "Now is the time for us to take the battle to them!!!" Oh dear God that sent chills up my spine.

So with the movie opening today I felt the urge to bring forth my tribute to one of the greatest and most iconic cartoon super heroes that has ever been created. He is a legend, a stalwart her beloved by both the young and the old. He shines brightest when times are darkest and carries the torch of leadership that blazes with a strength that few can match. His name is Optimus Prime.



Scouring the internet in search of the pearls of greatness from Optimus Prime was no simple task, not because I could not find any but that there was a plethora of it. Take for instance the following, great wisdome in quotes from Optimus Prime.

"You may lose your faith in us, but never in yourselves. From here, the fight will be your own."
This lesson is about believing in oneself even when you stop believing in others. Sometimes we are disillusioned by life or the harm done to us by others. When others slight us and seek to bring us down it might make us question our value or our place in the world. But respect and true strength begins within ourselves; if we are to make others believe in us then we must first believe in ourselves. Optimus Prime makes this point abundantly clear in a moment of battle when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. He also shows us in the last sentence that some battles can only be fought by the individual; it is the way life tests us and forges us to be stronger, much like Optimus demonstrates this in the face of Decepticon VILLIANY.

"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing"


This statement by Optimus Prime, though short, is very profound. There are some things in life we can control the outcome of but other things leave us at the mercy of fate. Fate can be kind or it can be cruel. It generally plays no favorites. What Optimus Prime attempts to point out here is that alot of times you just don't see the curve balls life throws at you coming so you must always remain ready to answer the challenge. Shying away from fate more often than not leaves you to it's unkind side. Standing up to fate when it calls upon you at least shows that you possess courage and conviction when hard choices must be made. This is the mark of a great leader...as is Optimus Prime.


"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

This statement by Optimus Prime speaks volumes. Sometimes we take our freedoms for granted. There are many countries where the rights that we exercise daily are denied or fought for at great peril and loss of life. The right to choose destiny, to forge a path before us is a right that should not be denied to anyone. The Decepticons, the tyrants and VILLAINS that they are, attempted to rob humanity of that right and either exterminate or enslave us. Optimus Prime understood how wrong this was and opposed it with everything he had, even to the cost of his life (although he was later resurrected). In Autobot lore this statement is one of their core beliefs. During my moments of costumed activism I exercise my free right to go about my charity work in costume and under the guise of a different persona. The haters and the naysayers can flap their lips all they want but the results have always been positive and people have appreciated the help and support I have provided them. Freedoms like this and so many others are our right and we should defend them, especially if our actions are inherently beneficial to those in need.

Megatron: "Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?"
Optimus: "You'll never stop at one!"
Perhaps my favorite or second favorite, although the scene in which this was spoken culminated with Megatrons cowardly backstab attack (because VILLAINS often strike this way). Optimus Prime not only demonstrates his deep faith in the sanctity of life, even if it just one, but he makes one thing abundantly Clear. Even as Megatron tries to put a value of Sam's life, Prime knows better than to have a moral debate with an advesary that is morally bankrupt. This is a pattern that is often repeated by villains of all types, be they cartoon or real life. It's rarely enough for them to destroy and degrade a single enemy for whatever form of sadism they apply their logic to. I've seen it so often, especially lately. The lies, the manipulations, the hateful bravado and poison from the lips of sycophants with large egos and addled minds. One victim is never enough. One victim only makes them realize that their hate has power..the power to destroy. There is only one way to take this power away and that is to stand up to this kind of evil. Remaining silent or apathtetic to such behavior is wrong. Optimus Prime knew that Megatron would never stop at one because that is the nature of evil...of villainous hearts. One is never enough for them. For all of us who know what is right and are willing to fight for it..one should be too much.

Ironhide: "Why are we fighting to save the humans? They are a primitive and violent race."
Prime: "Were we so different?"

Here Optimus Primes chief lieutenant Ironhide (possessing a bit of a warhawk personality) questions why they are shedding precious metal and risking their spark for the human race. He looks upon them with disdain, seeing them at conflict with one another. But Prime is quick to remind Ironhide of the Cybertronian War, of the atrocities committed and the lives lost forever. He reminds Ironhide of the battle that has been going on between the Autobots and Decepticons as far back as when humans were living in caves and the worst weapon they could throw at each other was a spear and not a nuke. Optimus Primes wisdom shines again here, humbling Ironhide with a rhetorical response. He acknowledges that violence, whether at the expense of flesh and blood or metal and energon is still, and sadly, not monopolized by any one race. You can tell he speaks with a tone of regret and lamentation, a reluctant but stalwart warrior who prays for peace but prepares for war unlike any other. Optimus Prime is IMHO the closest thing to a true samurai or paladin that exists in the Transformers mythos. 

Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime,  says the following about Optimus Prime..
"There's a calmness to Optimus Prime, and yet a gentility and strength and honor and dignity."

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"For two glorious years, Optimus Prime was America's hero....Then in 1986, the original Prime did something that distinguished him from most other cartoon heroes. He died. He died for freedom, for righteousness, and for shelf space....For nearly two decades...the sons of Prime waited for Papa Bot..."

"...Prime practically step-parented the latchkey kids of the mid-'80s. He was our Allfather at a time when flesh-and-blood role models were increasingly few and far between....So when Prime declared, "One shall stand, one shall fall!" in that seismic, tear-down-this-wall timbre of his (or, more accurately, voice actor Peter Cullen), you believed him...."

"With bated breath and shaken faith we await the return of our Almighty Rig. Because without Prime, we're stuck with whiney Spider-Boys, metrosexual pirates, and koan-spouting kung-fu Christs in designer sunglasses and unisex clubwear. Because he died protecting us in '86, and nothing's ever been the same since. Because these days, the only real men left are giant robots..."

-- from "The Rebirth of Optimus Prime" - Wired Magazine, June 2007

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF OPTIMUS PRIME 

10. Always start a road trip by saying, "Transform, and roll out!"
9. Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.
8. Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost.
7. There’s a thin line between being a hero and being a memory.
6. Give everyone a chance. There’s more to them than meets the eye.
5. Don’t bite off more than you can shred.
4. The future is built on dreams. Hang on to them.
3. Danger can't be ignored. It must be conquered.
2. All you need in life is a little energon, and a lot of luck.
1. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.
  Special thanks to the following blogger for all this awesome Optimus Prime goodness...
  http://quotableoptimusprime.blogspot.com/

And finally I really hope that this third installment of the series is everything that I have heard it to be, They say the last hour of the movie is just one hellacious battle in Chicago that makes your jaw drop often. They also say that Optimus Prime unleashes his righteous fury unlike ever before and woe to his enemies who stand in his way. He is and always will be the greatest of them all..a true leader who understands that if you step on the path of war you must balance strength with temperance, courage with recklesness, and stand by the consequences of your decisions. Optimus Prime was always the guy carrying the burden of hard choices but he followed thru because he knew he was seting the example that others would follow. When his creators decided to kill him off long ago a Youtube video says that they were not prepared for the amount of backlash they got. That speaks to the legacy of Optimus Prime..a figure whose heroism and sense of purpose transcended the television and movie screens and spoke to the one place that matters most..our hearts.

So everyone..roll out and check out Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon and when Optimus Prime starts kicking ass sit back and enjoy the ride. I sure as hell will.