Liz’s TFP Analysis: I’m doing these because I want to talk about the characters’ personality and role in the show. If you have a response I’d love to hear it so we can have a discussion… but don’t just disagree with me without having solid argument to back yourself up, because that’s not what I’m looking for.
Soundwave: the Quiet (creepy) One
YAY SOUNDWAVE. :D
Let’s discuss Soundwave. :)
My roughly organized and sorta random thoughts on TFP!Soundwave:
Ironically he sorta strikes me as the most emotional Decepticon, or one of the most emotional? Mainly because I think loyalty is Soundwave’s defining trait; it’s an emotion like that which ultimately drives him. Again, in the latest episode, when he’s frantically typing and finally snaps and violently quells rebellion this time around. Little subtle moments like that speak volumes about his character, and are even more striking. And of course before that he does work to protect Megatron.
I think he’s even more emotional since it’s still not exactly clear (to me anyway) why Soundwave’s so loyal to Megatron. But I do like that mystery, and it’s still the first season, going into the second season—maybe the show will give us more of a clue as to why Soundwave’s the poster boy for loyalty among the Decepticons. But with that mystery, I’m kinda inclined to fall back on my desire/tendency to make villains more complicated, and believe there is a healthy dose of something close to affection within Soundwave’s sense of loyalty to Megatron, or at the very least an unyielding honor code. Or to do with Soundwave thoroughly identifying Megatron with the Decepticon cause. Maybe a mix of all that.
BUT I still wondered about Soundwave sorta letting Starscream get away with a lot of stuff short of offing Megatron when he got to take over. Like, why didn’t Soundwave just take charge in that precarious situation? Even with Starscream actually doing his best to look legit to Soundwave? Why was Soundwave so, well, rather patient? Which led to some interesting thoughts: Starscream knows to be careful around Soundwave with Megatron in stasis and him as the new Lord of the ‘Cons (unlike Airachnid), and to even make his right to rule seems sorta legit. And it works, basically. Because Starscream knew it would work on Soundwave. So I’d say my interpretation on Soundwave’s loyalty/honor just got a little more interesting and complicated…I think. Or there’s simply this interesting detail: Megatron did leave Starscream in charge; in the hierarchy Megatron allowed, Starscream was Second-in-Command and next in line to rule if anything happened to Megatron. Even though there are clearly other factors at work—mainly Starscream’s treachery—Soundwave seems committed to following his Master’s last say on the matter. He doesn’t seem to try to think, ‘well, if Megatron knew what a poisonous glitch Starscream was, he wouldn’t have made him Second-in-Command;’ he rather literally follows Megatron’s last call, rather honorably, though short of letting Starscream off Megatron…which can be safely said is outside of the ‘honorable’ or best way a chain of command should work, or at least in Soundwave’s hypothetical POV. That, and Megatron may have even shared a little with Soundwave his own POV on his complicated dynamic with Starscream, i.e. ‘I find this poisonous glitch amusing.’
My fanon: Soundwave may be—silently, of course—experiencing a ‘absence makes the spark grow fonder’ with the missing Starscream. Or at least missing the devil he knew. Y’know, the scheming second who knew not to so directly challenge Megatron and actually force Soundwave’s hand. Soundwave has better things to do than to so explicitly kick ass, and at least Starscream sorta respected their ‘dance’/etiquette.
(But I do like how Airachnid didn’t pick up on that particular Nemesis dynamic at all. She professed herself to be a loner—it makes sense to me that she wouldn’t be able to immediately maneuver through a group so easily and make such a grave error. That, and I get the feeling that this is the first time she and most of the Nemesis crew have worked together before. I believe Megatron’s the only one she really knows on the ship, and even that can be dated by the passage of time, since I get the feeling that canon’s present timeline is the first in a while they’ve seen each other.)
I like thinking about the dynamic Soundwave and Starscream have. I like to think they have a complicated history that’s made them at the very least irritatingly familiar to each other, to the point that long term separation may be a little odd on a subconscious level. Soundwave is used to dealing with a plotting Starscream. Starscream is used to tiptoeing around Soundwave. I think it was obfuscobble who said in his/her TFP character design meta that those two have probably held entire conversations without Soundwave saying a word; I love that. The fascination starts with Megatron; these two are like his Top 2, I think, in general/personal signficance. They’re both his ‘right’ hands, in a way, and yet pretty much complete opposites to each other, and still both usually at either side of Lord Megatron.
And with regards to Soundwave=Decepticon symbol: my early thought was that it was a point in favor of Soundwave wearing a mask/helm, something he designed after the Decepticon symbol as another indicator of him being the walking embodiment of loyalty.
(By the way, I love that you’re doing your TFP character analysis posts. I want to find time to respond to them all eventually. I can’t wait to see more, I seriously check every day for an update now. XD)