1999 - Transformers: Beast Wars Metals

After keeping fans in suspense for eighteen months to the fate of the original Beast Wars characters, Takara premiered Transformers: Beast Wars Metals on October 1999. The show was a direct continuation of the Japanese Beast Warsseries, once again utilizing dubbed-and-edited episodes from the second and third seasons of Mainframe's computer-animated program.

For the most part, Beast Wars Metals closely follows the original series' plots and ideas, aside from some story simplification and modest changes. For example, Optimus Primal and Megatron were renamed Metals Lord Convoy and Metals Lord Megatron, following their Transmetal upgrades. More significantly, the planet is identified as Energois -- not prehistoric Earth -- with the Tripredacus Council sending Metals Jaguar (Ravage) on a mission to kill all of the Transformers there...

Oh, how the mighty have fallen...

The most unusual change, however, goes to Rattor (Rattrap) -- in an attempt to ride the then-tremendous popularity of Pokemon, the new Metals Rattor became a high-pitched, whiny brat, borrowing more than a few mannerisms from Pikachu. In fact, tie-in manga like Comics Bom-Bom even depicted him as a rotund metal mascot...!