Sentinel Prime and the Failed Shield

radioactivesupersonic:

Actually, y’know what? I lied. Running on exactly one episode of season 2 and its lone appearance of Sentinel outside of flashbacks or a forgettable phone call, I’m metaing about this slightly ridiculous chin man.

So I really enjoy Transformers Animated and the weapon choices it gives each character. They speak very meaningfully about the characters- the distant yet deeply emotional Prowl wielding incredibly sharp throwing weapons that allow him to engage intensely at a distance, the powerful and sensitive Bulkhead wielding huge, clunky-looking wrecking maces with impressive precision and finesse- the frugal and less bloodthirsty than she wants to admit Arachnia wielding power-copying with a side order of immobilizing venom.

So naturally, all the way back in Along Came A Spider, Sentinel’s shield stood out to me. It’s still standing out to me as of The Elite Guard and his formal introduction as a character.

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citrus-art-and-life:

citrus-art-and-life:

unpopular opinion: i like sentinel prime from tfa

ITS ITS NOT CAUSE I THINK HE’S A SECRETLY GOOD GOOD GUY WHO REALLY DOES ALL HE CAN TO MAKE CYBERTRON BETTER–HE’S A BITTER, EGOTISTICAL ASSHOLE WITH A SOB STORY, BUT I REALLY LIKE THAT SOB STORY!!!

he elita and op were partners, and they were so tight they might as well have all been bonded, they were sparked in the same cadre, they went to the academy together, and were preparing their own teams to go into the academy/head right off into the military, and even took on missions together in their off time

they were ALWAYS together, ALWAYS doing the same basic things as each other so they could progress on the same level, and they were singularly unique in their fields. 

elita was an expert level scientist, sentinel acted and stepped into the role of sergeant and warrior and rule upholder with startling ease, and optimus had great potential for being a leader/commander/prime in addition to having the smarts to help

they were all able to cover up the other’s faults and benefited GREATLY from having one another around

and then the accident happened

and suddenly every negative part of optimus and sentinel that elita usually could cover up and warm wa left out to rot in the open, sentinel’s bitterness overtook him in the same way optimus’ spark piercing insecurity did 

they all got fucked up by what happened, and they all had to step into new roles of power they weren’t really ready for

elita became the decepticon’s best scientist in shockwave’s stead, her bitterness and self pity made her turn her back on everything she loved and cared about cause she was certain she would be derived if she went back to cybertron, a certainty that cybertronians would be disgusted by her–and that SENTINEL would be disgusted by her, so why come back at all?

optimus became the prime of a rag tag team of spacebrige technicians–well, ONE technician, and the rest were a stew of drop outs, grumpy vets, and cyber-fighters led astray. He was then essentially kicked off of cybertron to repair spacebridges with them for long, indefinite amounts of time, going extremely far away from their home planet and probably their home GALAXY since they weren’t allowed to use the space bridges themselves. he would have felt alone despite being in cramped spaces with his team, left to deal with the crushing weight of his own thoughts and insecurities 

and sentinel? sentinel would have been lauded. he would be getting condolences for losing BOTH his partners, and praise for trying to “talk optimus out of it” when he knows damn well he never did that. He went on to be prime and even acting magnus, and had to lead during a time of upheaval, when civilians were wondering when the next attack would be coming, the threat of megatron’s return looming over him, and his own guilt, anger and bitterness to mix into a vat of disturbed thoughts and hyper paranoia. when ratchet returned to cybertron, he was not met with a welcome. sentinel had brainwashed the cybertronian commonwealth into being afraid of mechs that came from out of cybertron, as if anyone coming planetside was an Other, a threat, and sentinel could only encourage that behaviour.

and the complete sense of INADEQUACY he must have felt when he saw optimus, tired but happy, with megatron in chains would have crushed him.

so im not saying sentinel’s an uwu baby who can do no wrong

but in my opinion

the whole things’s pretty sad