Summary

• Transformers One creates a timeline dilemma for the Bayverse movies, blurring the lines of canonical continuity.
• The animated prequel unfolds "3 billion years before," the Bayverse movies, challenging its connection,
• Paramount's insistence on clinging to the Bayverse branding may be hindering the potential of new standalone stories like Transformers One.

I really enjoy Michael Bay's where Transformers One belongs in the franchise timeline. Although Bay only directed the first five Transformers movies in his movie universe, he's thankfully stayed on as producer during subsequent installments. The filmmaker has been pivotal to the franchise's resurgence in the 21st century, but I think the huge success of the reboot has started to hurt his series.

The timeline for the live-action Transformers movies began fairly straightforwardly, but as more additions have been made to the franchise, I've found that the overall continuity has become increasingly convoluted. While I initially found the approach to be a compelling way to flesh out the Bayverse, it's now getting to the point where I feel like the Bayverse is tripping over its own feet - but it could also be down to how well-received the earlier Bayverse movies were.

Transformers One’s Bayverse Connection Continues A Timeline Problem

A Transformers producer as used the Bayverse as a reference to when the movie is set

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, while Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura was discussing when Transformers One is set, Screen Rant learned that the animated prequel takes place "3 billion years before" the other Transformers movies on which Bonaventura has worked. The producer has been attached to every live-action Transformers movie since 2007, so his comment suggests that Transformers One is a hard prequel to those films. However, the animated project isn't being marketed as such. So, I find myself scratching my head, trying to determine whether Transformers One is a Bayverse movie.

With Transformers One taking place long before any of the events in the original movies could have transpired, nothing is stopping it from being set within the same canon as earlier efforts from the Bayverse.

With Transformers One taking place long before any of the events in the original movies could have transpired, nothing is stopping it from being set within the same canon as earlier efforts from the Bayverse. In addition, Bonaventura using the live-action Transformers movies as a reference point makes One's status as part of the Bayverse even more ambiguous. Similar scenarios played out for the release of 2018's Bumblebee as well as 2023's Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - both of which were only softly considered to be part of the Bayverse, but could easily have been reboots as well.

Why Transformers Still Can’t Let Go Of The Michael Bay Movies

The Bayverse has been a huge financial success

Beginning and sustaining a movie franchise isn't easy, and the Michael Bay Transformers movies hit the ground running. While I find they don't stay particularly consistent in of quality, what I can't deny is the franchise's irrefutable financial success. So, I completely understand why subsequent entries in the series have continued to associate themselves with Michael Bay's Transformers movies. A hard reboot would mean itting the first five live-action movies are part of a separate canon, and that could reduce interest among existing fans.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts and found watching each movie to be a jarring experience, regardless of how entertained I was. The look and feel of the movies not directed by Michael Bay still maintain his signature aesthetic, and yet they feel like incredibly optional viewing in the broader Bayverse. They can still technically fall under the same banner as Bay is still involved as a producer, but it feels like a stretch - or just borderline incorrect - to include them as part of the Bayverse proper.

Transformers Movies Would Benefit From A True Fresh Start & New Timelines

The Bayverse needs to come to a true end

The washy status of the timeline for the Transformers movies detracts a little from the enjoyment factor for me. Even if the same creative team remains involved, including Michael Bay, I think the franchise as a whole is overdue a hard reset. The Bayverse should come to a definitive end, even if only via a statement from Paramount if not in a movie. Then, the movies that are released after that point don't need to acknowledge the earlier efforts. This is sort of the opposite of what is happening at the moment anyway.

It almost seems like the later films are intentionally skirting around the edges of the main Bayverse movies, all so they don't have to it they're not directly connected to other installments.

Every post-Bay Transformers movie has been set in a year prior to the original movies, and they've not had to take into the first five films. It almost seems like the later films are intentionally skirting around the edges of the main Bayverse movies, all so they don't have to it they're not directly connected to other installments. They're quietly standalone projects and are poorer as a result. By officially hitting the reset button, the writers would have much more creative freedom to tell the stories they want to tell.

Transformers One Is The Perfect Opportunity For A Standalone Story

Michael Bay's latest Transformers story can convincingly be its own thing

Michael Bay is still credited as a producer for the animated movie. However, Transformers One's trailer adopts a vastly different tone to the Bayverse, and even goes as far as replacing Peter Cullen with Chris Hemsworth as the voice of Optimus Prime. However, the famous character goes by the name Orion Pax, as One is set in a period before he took on the mantle of Optimus Prime. The story will be set so far in the distant past that it'll be impossible to make it relevant to the other movies, so it's a great chance to start afresh.

In a way, Paramount's insistence on clinging to the Bayverse branding has actually hurt the later live-action movies.

Given the blurriness of which movies are part of the official Bayverse canon, I can easily imagine casual Transformers fans opting not to watch Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts if they haven't kept up with the franchise. They may think they need to have seen every Bayverse movie to understand later entries, which just simply isn't the case. So, in a way, Paramount's insistence on clinging to the Bayverse branding has actually hurt the later live-action movies.

Transformers One's incredibly different approach communicates its status as an isolated movie much better than the last two Bayverse-adjacent films. Newcomers will be just as happy watching the film as existing fans of the franchise will be. The change in medium from live-action to CGI animation also helps it stand apart from the Bayverse. I'll find the previously unseen origin of Optimus Prime and Megatron's status as enemies incredibly compelling, but I'd also be very surprised if there's not a sequel if the movie does well. So, the Transformers "prequel" is the perfect chance to start a new timeline.