Was the Sunbow cartoon entirely silent on the matter?

We know they were working on an oil platform in MTMTE Part 1, and typically crew are stationed there for weeks or months at a time, so at least briefly we knew where they slept, and before that Sparkplug was a ruby miner in Burma...

(Also, Spike was 14 or so, which means that the oil platform was using child labor...)

But, during the bulk of Seasons 1 and 2, where did the father and son live? Were they homeless?

Were they living in a crawl space under the flooring of the Ark, or behind Teletraan 1? (It wouldn't need to be a full height room for the Autobots -- a crawlspace or small supply cabinet might be plenty spacious)

Were they living in a van by the river? We know the Autobots were basically living out of their car, so I imagine the Witwickys might have been as well. Could it have been a vanette? Is that the Diaclone Black Ironhide that we are doubtless going to get in Generations Selects?

Would discovering that the Black Ironhide character is in fact the Witwicky homestead, and that he was an aspiring city-former make the toy more or less desireable?

We know Chip Chase has a home (in his debut episode, "Roll For It", which seems like a bad episode title when introducing a character in a wheelchair)..

Another question -- how old is Chip? We are never introduced to any other family members, and there is no concern for anyone when Decepticons are attacking his home, so he probably lives alone. And he hangs out with various famous scientists and ... a 14 year old boy. Everything other than his friendship with Spike suggests he's way older, in his late 20s at the earliest, and even then still a prodigy.

Did Chip meet Spike in an online chat room? In 2005, is Chip in prison for soliciting minors on the internet? Is that why we never see him?

Honestly, of all the human relationships in the G1 cartoon, MIT student Carly dating a 14 year old boy might be the least disturbing. I expect that just like "Lucky Charms" in Age Of Extinction, she also carries around a laminated card with the age of consent in every state, and I hate that the creepy scenes in the Michael Bay movie might have some precedent, but...

I mean, she's undergrad, right? Still skeevy, but she's not finishing up her doctoral thesis and twice his age or anything, is she? (If Daniel is 10 in 2005, then he was born in 1994/5, so we know Carly hadn't entered menopause by then, unless they adopted)

Alternately, perhaps in the Transformers universe, humans advance much more quickly, and there is just something very wrong with Spike that has left him so far behind his peers in terms of accomplishments. Some kind of brain damage from being exposed to the energy of ruby crystals at an early age.

I know, we're not supposed to look at these things and pull at the threads of the story, but there's something very wrong going on here in-universe.

On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 10:14:54 AM UTC, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> Was the Sunbow cartoon entirely silent on the matter?
>
> We know they were working on an oil platform in MTMTE Part 1, and typically crew are stationed there for weeks or months at a time, so at least briefly we knew where they slept, and before that Sparkplug was a ruby miner in Burma...
>
> (Also, Spike was 14 or so, which means that the oil platform was using child labor...)
>
> But, during the bulk of Seasons 1 and 2, where did the father and son live? Were they homeless?
>
> Were they living in a crawl space under the flooring of the Ark, or behind Teletraan 1? (It wouldn't need to be a full height room for the Autobots -- a crawlspace or small supply cabinet might be plenty spacious)
>
> Were they living in a van by the river? We know the Autobots were basically living out of their car, so I imagine the Witwickys might have been as well. Could it have been a vanette? Is that the Diaclone Black Ironhide that we are doubtless going to get in Generations Selects?
>
> Would discovering that the Black Ironhide character is in fact the Witwicky homestead, and that he was an aspiring city-former make the toy more or less desireable?
>
> We know Chip Chase has a home (in his debut episode, "Roll For It", which seems like a bad episode title when introducing a character in a wheelchair).
>
> Another question -- how old is Chip? We are never introduced to any other family members, and there is no concern for anyone when Decepticons are attacking his home, so he probably lives alone. And he hangs out with various famous scientists and ... a 14 year old boy. Everything other than his friendship with Spike suggests he's way older, in his late 20s at the earliest, and even then still a prodigy.
>
> Did Chip meet Spike in an online chat room? In 2005, is Chip in prison for soliciting minors on the internet? Is that why we never see him?
>
> Honestly, of all the human relationships in the G1 cartoon, MIT student Carly dating a 14 year old boy might be the least disturbing. I expect that just like "Lucky Charms" in Age Of Extinction, she also carries around a laminated card with the age of consent in every state, and I hate that the creepy scenes in the Michael Bay movie might have some precedent, but...
>
> I mean, she's undergrad, right? Still skeevy, but she's not finishing up her doctoral thesis and twice his age or anything, is she? (If Daniel is 10 in 2005, then he was born in 1994/5, so we know Carly hadn't entered menopause by then, unless they adopted)
>
> Alternately, perhaps in the Transformers universe, humans advance much more quickly, and there is just something very wrong with Spike that has left him so far behind his peers in terms of accomplishments. Some kind of brain damage from being exposed to the energy of ruby crystals at an early age.
>
> I know, we're not supposed to look at these things and pull at the threads of the story, but there's something very wrong going on here in-universe.

Great (and hilarious) points.

We might examine the matter through the context of the writers and producers, their ages, and the values they absorbed from their era as well as from their parents.

In that era, a college degree actually used to mean something, and only the most ambitious, intelligent, or connected qualified, unlike today, when a college degree is nearly a prerequisite for almost every occupation. Therefore, college credentials here may function more as a signifier of intelligence and social standing rather than age; indeed, it would be all the more impressive if mere teenagers were conquering the world of the Ivy League.

Taken in that context, I see Chip not as an older man, but a boy comparable in age to Spike, whose intelligence is outsized. It’s the show’s way of emphasizing that even though he may be physically disabled, he more than compensates with his brains and his courage.

Add to that, women used to be a rarity in higher education, and were often discouraged from pursuing their studies either through societal and familial pressure, or from a lack of integration in the universities.

In that context, Carly is truly exceptional. Again, I see her as comparable in age to the others - that she goes to MIT more likely signifies that she is a prodigy like Chip, except rather than overcoming the handicap of paralysis, she’s overcome the handicap of gender-based stereotypes/limitations. She’s very much the precursor to the “you go, girl” spirit of the 90s.

As well, manual labor had not yet fully acquired the stigma it carries today, and for a young man like Spike to forego continuing studies for learning a trade - especially from one’s own father - would not have been seen as a negative, but as admirable and natural. He is not necessarily younger or less intelligent, but instead is taking a different route to success in life, one predicated on grit and hard work.

On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 3:14:54 AM UTC-7, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:

> Was the Sunbow cartoon entirely silent on the matter?

Evidently. I can think of no references whatsoever to the location of the Witwicky residence.

Sparkplug had an auto garage in New York during the middle of season two. That's all I got.

It wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that they moved in with the Autobots at some point. With them being such staunch allies, they'd make an easy target for the Decepticons.
> We know Chip Chase has a home (in his debut episode, "Roll For It", which seems like a bad episode title when introducing a character in a wheelchair).

> Another question -- how old is Chip?

I think he was supposed to be a child genius. About the same age as Spike, but a college graduate. Like Doogie Houser.

> Honestly, of all the human relationships in the G1 cartoon, MIT student Carly dating a 14 year old boy might be the least disturbing.

She visibly chafed when the director at Major Pictures called her Spike's girlfriend ("Hoist Goes Hollywood"). Maybe they didn't get together until Spike was legal. (Daniel probably wasn't born until about 1993 or so, for whatever that's worth.)

I think the real question we need to be asking here is what happened to Spike's mom. Nobody ever mentions her. Not once.

Zob ("Ratchet? Wow, what a coincidence—that was my mother's name!")

Zobovor <zmfts@aol.com> wrote:
> On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 3:14:54 AM UTC-7, Gustavo Wombat, of the
> Seattle Wombats wrote:
>
>> Was the Sunbow cartoon entirely silent on the matter?
>
> Evidently. I can think of no references whatsoever to the location of
> the Witwicky residence.
>
> Sparkplug had an auto garage in New York during the middle of season two.
> That's all I got.
>
> It wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that they moved in with
> the Autobots at some point. With them being such staunch allies, they'd
> make an easy target for the Decepticons.

>> We know Chip Chase has a home (in his debut episode, "Roll For It",
>> which seems like a bad episode title when introducing a character in a wheelchair).
>
>> Another question -- how old is Chip?
>
> I think he was supposed to be a child genius. About the same age as
> Spike, but a college graduate. Like Doogie Houser.

I’m sorry, he wears a sports coat. He’s probably close to 30.

>> Honestly, of all the human relationships in the G1 cartoon, MIT student
>> Carly dating a 14 year old boy might be the least disturbing.
>
> She visibly chafed when the director at Major Pictures called her Spike's
> girlfriend ("Hoist Goes Hollywood").

She didn’t want anyone to call her out on her cradle robbing. She didn’t
want to end up on a sex offender registry.

> Maybe they didn't get together until Spike was legal. (Daniel probably
> wasn't born until about 1993 or so, for whatever that's worth.)

> I think the real question we need to be asking here is what happened to
> Spike's mom. Nobody ever mentions her. Not once.
>
>
> Zob ("Ratchet? Wow, what a coincidence—that was my mother's name!")
>

The story Bible refers to Sparkplug as a widower, although, how many dead
wives he had, and how they died is never mentioned. Not sure that the
widower thing is canon, since it was never mentioned on screen.

I assume that the story of Spike’s mom is related to why Sparkplug and
Spike moved around a lot — from Burmese mines to Oil Platforms, to the
undisclosed location in the bulk of Seasons 1 and 2. Whether they were
being chased by the police, or the man who Sparkplug framed for his wife’s
murder, or his wife herself… no idea.

There are probably 3 different tv show spin-offs that we never got.
- an Odd Couple sitcom where Gears has to share his quarters with humans
- a Bosom Buddies show, where Carly pretends to be Chip, and gets caught in
hijinks all the time keeping the secret
- a The Fugitive clone where the accused man has escaped and is trying to
find the real killer of his wife’s best friend who was married to
Sparkplug.