Here's something I just realized...

The cartoon "Transformers" lasted for 3 seasons in the mid 1980s. The first two seasons were set in the present(meaning the 80s), while the third season and the movie they made just before that were set several years in the future.

The time period that the movie and the third season were set in always seemed so futuristic and a long way off. It just seemed so distant. But do you know what year the movie is set in?.... 2005!

That's right! 2005! We're living in the "Transformers" future NOW! That's so depressing, isn't it? Where'd all that time go?

I wonder if we've lived up to the vision of the future offered by "Transformers"? I remember in the third season, human beings were depicted as having colonies in space and being able to travel to other planets, so I guess not. We've been able to come up with some cool stuff, like iPods and the Internet, but we've still fallen short. That's depressing, too.

That's pretty cool. I hadn't remembered that - it's been ages since I've watched that show (I do love the general storyline as well as the 80's rock songs from it, though).

I'm sure they weren't trying to be accurate with a portrayal of what was then 20 years into the future. It was an animated show (not really a "kids" program per se, but kinda directed towards them), so it was meant to be fun and imaginitive, not scientific.

Now, if you were to ask someone in the mid 1980's what they thought 2005 would be like, they probably would envision it to be a little more "futuristic" than it really is (was). However, not nearly to the extent of anything like that.

That's the kind of stuff it takes 50, 60 or 70 years to transform (no pun intended). Not freakin' 20! ;)

P.S. The future NEVER changes as drastically as people predict. Not even close. Reason being - it's hard to envision "logical" changes, such as pop culture, fashion, technology and music. You just never know.

But...... where are the giant robots that transform into stuff?  ::)  ;D

Speaking of fictional visions of the future, do you realize that Back to the Future Part II is set in 2015? That leaves us just nine years to live up to the BTTF depiction of the future!

I wonder if we'll have flying cars by then? I'm really looking forward to hoverboards!  :D

Speaking of fictional visions of the future, do you realize that Back to the Future Part II is set in 2015? That leaves us just nine years to live up to the BTTF depiction of the future!

I wonder if we'll have flying cars by then? I'm really looking forward to hoverboards!  :D


More likely, '80's themed restuarants like how there's places that are inspired by the 50's and '70's...

remember seven years ago when the moon flew out of earth orbit?

and five years ago when we found that black monolith in orbit around jupiter?

ah, those were the days.

;D

Despite the crude (by today's standards) animation, the Transformers was one of my favorite 80's cartoons. Although I hate most of these movies that are remakes of old TV shows, I think that an up-to-date, CGI version of the Transformers would be way cool if it was done right. (Especially if they could get the voiceover actors from the original show. I thought that Optimus Prime in particular had a cool voice.)

That's pretty cool. I hadn't remembered that - it's been ages since I've watched that show (I do love the general storyline as well as the 80's rock songs from it, though).

I'm sure they weren't trying to be accurate with a portrayal of what was then 20 years into the future. It was an animated show (not really a "kids" program per se, but kinda directed towards them), so it was meant to be fun and imaginitive, not scientific.

Now, if you were to ask someone in the mid 1980's what they thought 2005 would be like, they probably would envision it to be a little more "futuristic" than it really is (was). However, not nearly to the extent of anything like that.

That's the kind of stuff it takes 50, 60 or 70 years to transform (no pun intended). Not freakin' 20! ;)

P.S. The future NEVER changes as drastically as people predict. Not even close. Reason being - it's hard to envision "logical" changes, such as pop culture, fashion, technology and music. You just never know.
Of course, wildly fantastic depictions of the future go back much further than that. You ever seen one of those episodes from the original "Twilight Zone" (which was on in the late 50's and early 60's) or some 50's sci-fi movie, where they travel forward in time to "1985" or "1992," and everyone is wearing silver unisex jumpsuits and they have giant computers that speak in a monotone voice, and have thriving colonies on Mars?   ;D ;D ;D

Where are the flying cars, like the ones from Blade Runner?  ;D

Although I hate most of these movies that are remakes of old TV shows, I think that an up-to-date, CGI version of the Transformers would be way cool if it was done right. (Especially if they could get the voiceover actors from the original show. I thought that Optimus Prime in particular had a cool voice.)


Ask and you shall receive:

http://www.transformerslive.com/
(click on the News section)

I doubt if flying cars will ever exist ... What if you were flying around in your hover car when suddenly you run out of gas?  :o

Of course, wildly fantastic depictions of the future go back much further than that. You ever seen one of those episodes from the original "Twilight Zone" (which was on in the late 50's and early 60's) or some 50's sci-fi movie, where they travel forward in time to "1985" or "1992," and everyone is wearing silver unisex jumpsuits and they have giant computers that speak in a monotone voice, and have thriving colonies on Mars?   ;D ;D ;D


Yeah, I even have a book from 1999 all about the millenium. This includes past predictions of circa 2000. The way they thought this period would be, back in the 50's was pretty laughable now (e.g. spacesuits). ;D

Heck, even before that, I know there were "World fair" type predictions (from the world fairs in New York City, for instance) from around the 1930's or 40's. It was basically where they envisioned 1970 or 1980, and it was like a Jetsons-styled future, with machines that operated themselves and did housework, flying cars. Stuff like that.

Well, I don't know about cars turning into robots as "Transformers," but "Transformers" as women turning into men and men turning into women are pretty common in my area...just spend a day or two hanging out at Hampshire College and see what you can scope out!
;D

Even in the '90s, 2005 was seen of as the (near) future, as in people thought of it (if not really expected it) as futuristic.

Hang on, I just thought of an explanation as to why the real world hasn't been able to live up to the way the year 2005 is portrayed in "Transformers."

In "Transformers", when the Autobots' space ship crashed on Earth after leaving Cybertron, they were able to grant humanity access to all the advanced technology they brought with them. That's why people in the cartoon were able to achieve so much more progress by the year 2005 than we have been able to.