YMMV / Unicron Trilogy

• Can't Un-Hear It: For viewers of the English dub, Garry Chalk and David Kaye are almost as synonymous with Optimus Prime and Megatron as Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. The fact that they previously voiced Optimus Primal and Predacon Megatron in Beast Wars and Beast Machines certainly doesn't hurt.
• Complete Monster: See here.
• Engaging Chevrons: The transforming and Super Mode sequences. Cybertron boasts the longest duration of stock sequences, but Energon gets points for having Prime's Super Mode sequence at the beginning of every fight and then not actually using said powerup in more fights than not. The same goes for the combining that is the series' main toy selling gimmick - it's a pure time-waster, as Hot Shot firing his standard weapon is no more effective when he happens to be wearing Inferno as his legs.
• Magnificent Bastard: Starscream here is presented as one of his most cunning, dangerous and even noble adaptations. In Armada, Starscream is a tragic and troubled warrior who regularly proves himself the most courageous and convicted Decepticon. Often outdoing those around him to gain powerful advantages, Starscream eventually turns on Megatron out of sheer disgust at his master's evil. Starscream then becomes a valuable ally to the Autobots in freeing the Mini-Con slaves and stopping Megatron from destroying the Earth. Starscream's nobility is so strong that he nearly humbles Megatron and sacrifices his own life to inspire the Decepticons and Autobots to team up against Unicron, his death mourned by friend and foe alike. Revived in Energon, an amnesiac Starscream shows himself to be as deadly as ever, nearly assassinating both Optimus Prime and Megatron before swearing fierce loyalty to the latter and enacting countless schemes to perfection on his part. By the time of Cybertron, Starscream has embraced his own ambition and schemes to rule the universe. He feigns loyalty to Megatron before betraying him and invading Earth with a Decepticon army of his own, after which Starscream thrashes and outwits the entire Autobot team. Claiming the Omega Lock, Starscream duels with Primus more than once in an attempt to claim godlike power, surviving each time, and even when eventually beaten by Galvatron in a final battle, Starscream accepts his defeat and inspires Galvatron into continuing his own personal quest for power.
• Vindicated by History: The first and last entries both went through this, though Cybertron gets it more. Armada was released to very tepid responses thanks to its Gotta Catch 'Em All premise and its Troubled Production, but wound up Growing the Beard in its second half and came to be regarded more neutrally. Cybertron was dragged down by its limited animation and loose connection to the previous entries, but eventually won over a lot of fans with its surprisingly strong writing, Art Evolution, and Superlative Dubbing. Both initially suffered the stigma of being a Continuity Reboot, until such reboots became a common feature for the franchise. This helped them to shake the bad rap they got. This pointedly did not happen with the middle entry, which is still widely hated and generally considered the worst Transformers series ever.

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