TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS on COSMOS

[@ChrisMcFeely]

An important correction note here: I said in the video that the Star Seekers were meant to feature in the third season of the "Prime" cartoon, but it turns out that's incorrect; they were meant to appear in whatever came AFTER the third season, whether it was a fourth season of "Prime," or a whole new show, but that fell through when Hasbro's "HasLab" creative division was shut down. Check out "The Basics on the Aligned continuity" and "The Basics on Transformers Prime" for more details!

[@wilsonng994]

Thks for the correction. Really appreciate it.

[@natek4488]

Sucks that Prime didn't get more seasons after Predacons Rising. I would've loved to see what the Autobots did while rebuilding their planet.

[@davidsavage5630]

I have a rather strange Cosmos story. Back in the day in the 80s when I had tons of Transformers toys, I had a Cosmos. My grandmother was fascinated with Cosmos for some reason. She hijacked that toy from me lol. He wasn't one of my favorites. He's pretty far down the roster from the likes of Optimus Prime and Grimlock. I think that little toy was kind of like a stress ball for her for whatever reason. She got cancer in 1990 and it was always by her bedside or in her hand. I saw her always fiddling with it when she was going through the worst of the chemo. I don't know what it was about that little thing that gave her some comfort but if it really did, I'm glad she had it to hold onto. Her hands were getting increasingly weak and frail and it wasn't very heavy or hard to move the pieces around but I could tell it was getting heavier to hold. She had it in her hand when she died in March of 1992. I remember my mom giving it back to me. I think that was the moment the floodgates really opened for me, emotionally. I put it my pocket the day of the funeral and when I thought I had a discreet moment when I didn't think anyone would see me, I tucked it into the coffin with her. There's a Cosmos toy that's been buried in a cemetery in Texas for 30+ years now. I felt like she shouldn't ever have to be without it even though I know it does her little good now. But it's the thought that counts right? In the end it was more hers than mine even though I originally bought it for myself with some chores money. No regrets..

[@theraginginfernape9496]

My heart 💔

[@thepoeticbutcher3370]

…much love to you & your Granny. & to Cosmos.. .

[@sebatianmatospelaez7018]

That was sweet from your part

[@straker454]

That's an amazing and heart warming story. I loved both of my grandmothers so it hits me right in the feels. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[@neptuneplaneptune3367]

Oh great now im crying!

[@KnightsofGaming2016]

Aww, it's so cute that Soundwave invited Cosmos to live with him on Sanctuary Station. Just imagine them chilling together, two cybertronians from two opposing factions.

[@Lazrael32]

that was the entire years long story of RID for IDW. war ended. now what? it was fun but the answer seemed to be decepticons restart the war a lot. (at least twice)

[@dr.science_0177]

Soundwave out of all the decepticons

[@pious83]

IDW didn't really know what to do with post-War Decepticons. So most of their popular characters become "good" or neutral.

[@Lazrael32]

@@pious83 idw's big problem was a lack of cohesion over the course of the series. It has major tonal wiplash and inconsistant characterization. They pretty much let every new writer do whatever they wanted. There was some cool stuff that came out of it, but some awful and stupid stuff too.

[@straker454]

That's one thing I liked IDW for is exploring the idea of faction changes and even the idea of good Decepticons or at least not evil ones. . IDW THundercracker is a great example, where he quit, went to Earth to live peacefully and had a dog he cared for named Buster. There's a picture where he's holding her in his palm (yes Buster is a girl) and is threatening to hunt down and destroy I think Soundwave if he hurt her. It's quite sweet actually.

[@THATGuy5654]

Cosmos feels like one of those actors who was in everything, just putting in solid preformances as a reliable industry professional, but didn't really get any appreciation or meaty roles until later in their life.

[@bilal_Hadjlaoui907]

I always love the fact that cosmos Japanese name "Adams" was originally from a real person

[@sophieprime4669]

Adamski Is the guy that made up that sort of UFO! Its very popular in Japan.

[@summer20105707]

The Adamski UFO

[@maxbrandt6]

Another little fun fact, Cosmos' alternate form was also seen in the 1960s thriller TV show, The Invaders as the alien's saucer craft.

[@robjones716]

@@maxbrandt6 just looked it up, totally cosmos!

[@KasumiKenshirou]

And in that horrible Japanese exclusive Playstation 2 Transformers video game where they all spoke English but used the English dub actors from notoriously awful Resident Evil and Megaman English dubs instead of the actors for the cartoon, they screwed up and called him Adams, when they'd used the US names for all the other characters. I think his name overlooked because he was only mentioned in dialog rather than actually appearing in the game.

[@tannerprice2018]

I feel like the writers at IDW heard of all the cancelled stuff that happened with Cosmos, and decided to have him stop a nuke, blow up some Martians from a Tim Burton film, be friends with Soundwave and have a relationship with Blast-Off just to make the little guy feel better.

[@KiropLokiIncarnate]

Note that with the Cyberverse female Cosmos- Meteorfire was based on the late Steve Irwin, what with the exploring strange creatures and the Australian (or according to Cybertron, Nebulon) accent. Thus as his female companion, Cyberverse Cosmos is pretty close to Steve's wife, Terri.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

They should've used the GoBot Pathfinder instead of Cosmos, as she was already female and wouldn't have required a gender swap.

[@gabrielchee8470]

​@@KasumiKenshirou I don't think that would have been a good idea. Hasbro and TT are very wary when it comes to using Gobots names. One wrong step and Bandai could sue them both.

[@HaruMochizukiVT]

@KiropLokiIncarnate now that brings a little tear to the eye

[@robrice7246]

​@@gabrielchee8470How did Cyberverse get away with using Bug Bite then?

[@gabrielchee8470]

@@robrice7246 I think the logic was...umm...WFC Netflix made mercenary bug bite big and also his own character, and the CV team were assembling a group of mercs, so maybe that's why bug bite got away with it. I think otherwise gobots characters returning to tv screens as TF characters are likely still a bit slim due to the legal murkiness (plus only super nerds would care about them, so they're low priority for Hasbro)

[@richardhodgson6711]

The idea of Cosmos originally being a GoBot actually makes a lot of sense.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

There was a UFO GoBot called Pathfinder. Years later, Takara released a set of recolors of G1 mini cars (they weren't all cars, but I don't know what else to call them) all named after the US GoBots toys, including a recolored Cosomos as Pathfinder. They ended up dropping the GoBot names from the toys before they were actually released, possibly due to legal issues. While Hasbro owns "GoBots", Bandai actually still owns the original Machine Robo toys that GoBots were based on, so that may have been a legal problem in Japan (or just too close a call to risk a lawsuit), even though these character names were invented by Tonka and were never used for these toys in Japan. Also, Pathfinder was female in the Hanna-Barbera GoBots cartoon, so was Cosmos' gender-swap an homage to Pathfinder?

[@gabrielchee8470]

​@@KasumiKenshirou I dunno. Also the TFwiki image for Pathfinder says she's black, the cosmos release was just prototype cosmos colors.

[@mediabaron2416]

There is something so inherently humorous about an alien robot trying to disguise himself on Earth by taking on the appearance of a fictional representation of an alien vehicle. Like he either missed the whole point, or he's trying some sort of reverse psychology. Flying Saucers aren't real. Therefore, he couldn't possibly be a real alien.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

I like the idea that he was presumably offered a new alt-mode for his time on Earth, but he must have declined it.

[@shaden99]

This is for me the most strangest Transformer I have ever seen. I've got used to cars, trucks, planes, dinosaurs, insects, everyday-use equipment etc but, space saucer? That was very strange. And this is what makes Transformers memorable. Huge variety of Transformers and secrets that we are uncovering them everyday.

[@Hektols]

I assume that Cosmos never took an Earth based alternate mode and that he was seen by humans when he exploring Earth before Optimus and the others got reactivated.

[@brettwood1351]

@@Hektols I was brainstorming a Bumblebee type Cosmos solo movie once, and my idea was Cosmos took the 50's style saucer from an amusement park ride.

[@cristiantiniguar-sevilla467]

If you haven't heard of Beasts Machines, you're lucky.

[@Rakhamon]

Worth mentioning is that Cosmos' UFO design is specifically based on the supposed UFO that George Adamski claimed to have seen and boarded. Adamski was a bit of a celebrity in UFO circles and well-known even in the 80s, and Cosmos was even originally called "Adams" in Japan. The most famous Adamski UFO photo was later unveiled to be an unusually shaped street lamp, and thus the "peg" on top of Cosmos is technically the spot where the lamp attached to the lamppost.

[@darthpaul99]

I actually won his figure from a prize box for good behavior at school when I was a kid! It was one of my favorites because of that. A fun character in G1 as well.

[@AStromlessLightning]

I feel so sorry for Cosmos, he is a great character but with very little space and what he could have had has been canceled but of one thing I am sure: it doesn't matter how loved or hated or popular or unpopular because Chris Mcfeely will talk about him anyway. You are great 😁😆!

[@off-the-grounder568]

Very little space, you say?

[@undrhil]

" Very little space "… He's a UFO. He has * lots * * Of space! Lol!

[@ProfessM]

Somewhere in the multiverse Cosmos is the kid appeal bot over Bumblebee. I bet that world also has no traffic accidents. Jokes aside Cosmos is by far the best mini bot and I never get tired of seeing them.

[@madmerlinsart]

Cosmos has the honour of being one on the first G1 toy's I ever got, and is still a firm bedside table favourite, just because of how fun and easy he is to transform.

[@mariaisabelg4701]

Ah Cosmos. Who doesn't love a round boi! One of the most unique Autobots, even today his alt form is still so unique to him. Such a shame that his legacy toy was so shortpacked. Here's hoping that his mold can get another go in the future some day.

[@WildStudios65150]

It's not too often you have a Transformer with a Flying Saucer Vehicle it's pretty cool that Cosmos has such an alt mode.

[@darrenheideman2546]

I'm working on a Female Seeker with such a mode.

[@brettwood1351]

@@darrenheideman2546 We've got a female Go-Bot with a flying saucer alt-mode in Pathfinder, and she's been used for a Cosmos repaint, interestingly enough.

[@darrenheideman2546]

@@brettwood1351 Those are the primary inspirations, yes.

[@CaptainFrost32]

I have a friend who created a Transformers ttrpg character called Bot Meals, and has an Alt-Mode as a food truck branded as Sci-Fi Thai. I could see him being a Cosmos fanboy...

[@Elmeth75]

I had the “Choose Your Own Adventure”-style books where Cosmos enjoyed at least one starring role. They were fun! Probably a bit outside the scope of the Basics, though!

[@dirgewordsmithe]

Student: Cosmos Assignment: Complete Chapter 15: "Earth Mode Disguises and You!" Date Completed:

[@15oClock]

Cosmos typically: "Weak, gets captured, has to scare humans to stop being bored." One-shot Cosmos: *”Has killed Unicron.”*

[@shartslaw322]

Chris, that has to be one of my top 5 favourites, as I've always been the weird kid that loved cosmos, and this was a brilliant episode.

[@Rose-yx6jq]

4:23 this here is what is known as fan service but we're not talking about the beach episodes. We're talking about shout outs to fans. Like "hey we know you exist, we know you like our shit, here's a little treat for you. A token of appreciation." I mean Cosmos was clearly a very obscure character at the time.

[@soundsofstabbing3627]

love cosmos, his design is the definition of friend shaped

[@bilal_Hadjlaoui907]

I really love his little cute design,and he's one of my favourite minibots after beachcomber,he's just adorable and I like his design in idw

[@Vergil_sparda1987]

I liked beachcomber especially in the gold lake episode that moment with the deer and the bird was so wholesome

[@trevorthai1685]

I wish we could have seen Cosmos in those appearances in TF:Prime and TF: Animated! I bet those episodes would have been really cool :)

[@mikeddh2018]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@alexaanimations1237]

OH MY GOD YEAH!

[@kirb2electric]

He's in earthspark S2

[@neon_spotlight]

I remember someone mentioning cosmos being a good "Lakitu stand-in" for a mario kart style transformers game. Fun to see that there's a toy of him with a similar theme.

[@soelo592]

Cosmos is almost a obscure character but he somehow he is still relevant to the world. Honestly he is my favorite Autobot out of the whole series.

[@AlexReynard]

Got this little dude at a flea market. One of my very first Transformers, and I loved him immensely, despite his very featureless red head. Imagine my gobsmacked joy when I realized *years later* that you could pull that bit up and he actually had a face.

[@dracone4370]

Personally, I've found Cosmos's personalities in the series I saw them in to be rather entertaining; I think Cosmos really shines when they have someone to bounce off of, but that could just be me.

[@sivanlevi3867]

I love his relationships with other bots developed by IDW. Soundwave and Blastoff were surprising inclusions in that regard. Also, in the G1 cartoon, it is somewhat implied that, unlike the Marvel comic, Cosmos has a connection with the Autobot computer Teletraan I to send or receive information to and from Earth.

[@b10productions24]

I'm surprised that the live-action movie version of Cosmos was not mentioned here, but it really was a small role for the character, only appearing in crowd-filling panels of the tie-in comic series.

[@adampickering6816]

Cosmos has always been one of my favourites.

[@KodyCrimson]

You know, it's funny that the guy who has some of the worst luck in the cartoon didn't get offlined by a cosmically-powered Starscream in the comics.

[@darrenheideman2546]

Cosmos has to be one of the most unique Autobots. Too bad that his Legacy toy is marred in such infamy.

[@bradtobin839]

Yeah. He was supposed to be a Walmart-exclusive here in Canada, but he was either not in stock or too expensive to get online. He has to be available for a reasonable price on eBay someday! Also, I did not know Michael McConnohie voiced him! He's one of my favourite voice acting veterans from my childhood.

[@itsbiju]

That generations toy looks so cool! He definitely looks like a main cast character.

[@레프-431]

Nice to meet you. I'm a Korean subscriber. Koreans and I like Transformers. There is no one in Korea who saved legacy cosmos including me. There was a time when everyone really bad.😭😭

[@goldgodryukendo913x]

I've been waiting years for this. Cosmos is my favorite transformer aside from Optimus Prime.

[@concept5631]

I love the idea that Soundwave, a silent, efficient warrior, is friends with an Autobot that is the exact opposite of him.

[@sivanlevi3867]

Let's also not forget, in IDW's Combiner Wars comic, Cosmos was forced by Galvatron into combining with Sky Lynx, Sunstreaker, Slugslinger and Thundercracker to form Sky Reign.

[@MrTim2031]

Funny that Budiansky wrote him as weak in his bio. While he was a background character in the Marvel comic, he was always blasting Decepticons apart in battle scenes.

[@bjscorpio4041]

I remember in late 1985 in Melbourne Australia the demand for Transformers toys was so huge and the supply been so limited that Cosmos, Seaspray and Astrotrain were the only readily available toys on the shelf so on Christmas I unwrapped more than one Cosmos toy given to me by various extended family members. I wasn't upset by by instant Cosmos army.

[@legoawcstopmotioner9435]

I love Cosmos. Glad he's getting some more attention now.

[@shebakoby]

I remember at TFcon 2006 (Toronto) Michael McConnohie regaling us with the tale of how voice director Wally Burr wanted him to do a "Twisted Peter Lorre" for Cosmos. Whereas for Tracks, it was "Hahvahd Lockjaw" aka an impression of Thurston Howell III on Gilligan's Island (Jim Backus).

[@duffzilla1292]

I’m soo happy cosmos got the recognition he deserved with the legacy figure, how everyone has been desperate to find him. He’s a fantastic little guy

[@thomasthompson2431]

Cosmos was my first transformer. So sought some of his repaints, pathfinder and scrounge. As didn't have access to cartoon, based adventures from the comics and his two line cameo in the pickwick tell a tale adventure espionage.

[@kdognicholson24]

Cosmos has, apparently, appeared in the 2024 Transformers Earthspark show voiced by Weird Al Yankovic

[@RaymonZX200]

I hope Cosmos gets more roles, he's tied with Jazz and Sandstorm as my favorite Autobot

[@omegahtv6779]

I see that I’ve watched almost every single episode you uploaded. You’re doing a great job, keep keeping on!

[@DeamonChocobo]

He's such an adorable dumpling of a design. I really hope more Cartoons bring him back.

[@Technodreamer]

Hear, hear!

[@АртемПістунов]

Cosmos is such a cute little fat bot, that it seems sad that nobody looked at him and said: "Hmmm... This saucer autobot could be used for great stories, I reckon".

[@Achieme]

Cosmos is just incredibly underrated I even feel more bad for him that he has to be in space alone, and that he hardly gets any appearances if Hasbro can just give him a chance to prove himself.

[@benc.delacruz1813]

5:51 That was the best part of the ‘Mars Attacks!’ crossover. I also loved the KISS Martian designs from that 1-shot.

[@sivanlevi3867]

Cosmos is one of a humble few Generation 1 characters who has been both male and female.

[@nilanirmala8749]

it's nice that cosmos found friends

[@OHYisWatching]

You could say, he was out of this world

[@foxfireinferno197]

I always did like that little guy. It really is a shame he never got more of a spotlight before the IDW comics, especially given his, as far as I know, absolutely unique altmode.

[@KilosFoxo]

cosmos i the cartoons: cut from them for whatever reason or has a minor role in the comics: piloted a nuke, single handedly saved earth from an alien invastion and has killed gods

[@Grimlock794]

I have a Combiner Wars Scourge which was a repaint of Cosmos. There's a 5mm hole on the bottom that you can use to make him a shield. Unfortunately Cosmos was retooled so the hole is a little less than 5mm. So I used some widdled down wood to make a small peg able to attach to other Combiner or large figures.

[@thomasmcewen6751]

I love Cosmos so much, he is one of my top 3 favorite transformers of all time, he is the only original G1 toy I own given to me by my father. Im so happy you made this video, thank you!!

[@sivanlevi3867]

Michael McConnohie also voices Tracks along with G.I. Joe character Cross-Country and would go on to voice the 2001 RID versions of Hot Shot and Ironhide and the Mortal Kombat character Kano.

[@mikeddh2018]

3:30 that would've been such a great action figure

[@din_5817]

when i first saw cosmos i immediately thought "having your alt mode be a landmine has to be the most morbid thing ever lmao" then i learned he was a ufo lol

[@mynameisharry8739]

Oh don't you worry my friend! The IDW comics provide more than enough horrifying examples of that. Like the K-Class Deception troops who were made up of traitors and then forced to become suicide bombers by having their alt modes turn into bombs. Or the face mines where Decepticon scientists took an Autobot's face, spark and brain module to make a mine out of them that would scream and beg for help... And also explode if they were too scared...

[@Tokumastu1]

Now I just want to see more Cosmos. It's amazing how the UFO theme lent itself to so many varied stories.

[@knetge]

COSMOS is one of my faves glad you did this one

[@UltraRogue.]

7:53 headcanon acquired Trans cosmos

[@panelvixen]

So here is our plan for you, Cosmos. You will fly around the track with the cameras and start lights. You're in charge of the flag. So I'm going to be Lakitu? No, no, no. Uh, yes. I'll take anything. "Boogity, boogity, boogity, let's go racing."

[@Feedback105]

Aw, I like that little ending you said for him, it's so sweet

[@richieboylush]

Hi Chris - just wanted to say how much I enjoy these breakdowns - I've always been a Transformers geek and love revisiting and learning new things. Thanks for all your hard work - it's appreciated!

[@muhammadhabibieamiro3639]

Another amazing video

[@briximusprime]

I have always loved cosmos, recently I’ve not been a big fan of his rebooted version in both the newer comics and the cyberverse cartoon. My cosmos that I grew up on was from the early comics and IDWs robots in disguise. I’m glad you mentioned about his noble work in the comics. Not many bots can claim to defeat unicron without the matrix of leadership

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

Great video, as always! Thank you! Love this fun little character, and I think my favourite figure of him is still the Titans Return version. I'm glad IDW found good ways to use him.

[@danielbrant6740]

For those wondering about what the markings on the arms of the 2008 Universe toy mean, here's the quote from the TF Wiki page. _"Designer Bill Rawley claims responsibility for the markings on Cosmos, which spell out his name in "Cybertronian" lettering."_

[@KaiyaKaiju]

Your videos never fail to be both informative and enjoyable. Keep up the great work!

[@martin-multiplex4036]

yoooo, He was just in Transformers earthspark Season 2 way to go Cosmos

[@christianbrown2471]

Great video and that Legacy toy is fire....gonna add that to the ever growing collection.

[@dukenukem9770]

Great video! Cosmos is one of my all time favorite Transformers!

[@vxrdrummer]

This episode perfectly illustrates why I never collected toys besides the odd MP until WFC. All the G1 homage toys over the years were so horrible. Finally, we get screen accurate versions that have brought back a lot of collectors. I collected everything Transformers but the toys until WFC.

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff, as always!

[@itsahostiletakeover]

Really enjoyed what Barber did with Cosmos in the RID comic. The war was over but those faction lines still remained, and it was interesting seeing an Autobot truly become so friendly with Soundwave and his commune Decepticons, where he grew as a bot and eventually was ready to fight to the end alongside them against Unicron.

[@salamandora66]

Cosmos was also in a panel or 2 in the tie in comics for 07 transformers movie

[@386hotwheelz8]

Cosmos was one of my favorites as a kid thanks for breaking down his story for us Chris... Til all are One

[@absolutecuppa1337]

Been waiting for this one!

[@nfinity1421]

Thank you very much for this video! Cosmos was one of my favorites since I first saw him in the 80s.

[@OneDayWeAreFree]

I love Cosmos so much

[@andylloyd415]

I think that around the release of Rise of the Beasts, an episode on Snarl would be fitting, as that name by itself fits 'bots with beast modes. He's been a Stegosaurus in G1, a (supposed) Tasmanian Devil in Beast Wars, a lion in Beast Machines, a wolf in Cybertron, a Triceratops in Animated, and back to a Stegosaurus in Aligned. EDIT: Also, I just remembered: why WAS Snarl AWOL from the other Dinobots in the 1986 movie?

[@davidsavage5630]

He wasn't completely AWOL. He's in like two shots in the film. That's somehow stranger than if he weren't in it at all..

[@BBmetalhead04]

Cosmos, Astrotrain, and Jetfire should form a group called the DD (or Designated Drivers).

[@straker454]

LOVE Cosmos. It's funny but when I was a kid I didn't realize that the voice was a Peter Lorre impersonation, I actually thought it was a stereotypical Chinese or Japanese caricature voice instead XD I was EXTREMELY fortunate to have found and purchased the only Legacy Cosmos I have laid eyes on in person. I don't understand how Hasbro hasn't released more of him.

[@Richterdgf]

I'm quite surprised this episode didn't contain the phrase "off-lined by a cosmically-powered Starscream."

[@danishofdanish8386]

This makes up for the Legacy figure never being in stock!

[@pious83]

I really liked that Animated design. I wish we got to see the proposed episode in question. 6:15 Sounds familiar... Legacy of Rust, anyone??

[@Da_ComputerMonster]

There is no Easter Bunny, There is no Tooth Fairy, There is NO -Queen of England- IDW1 Punch/Counterpunch.

[@pious83]

@@Da_ComputerMonster A completed mini series we will never see.

[@lockout5731]

a autobot ufo is really awesome i cant wait for more of this content

[@CoolGuy-yk9kd]

my fav transformer! loved his silly little design and green is my fav color, and his character is really endearibg

[@bobi200samatar6]

I'm so mad that we never got TFA's version of Cosmos, he looks adorable.

[@UltimateMiketron]

Yet another great entry into this series.

[@21dscott72]

Thank you very much for talking about cosmos. He is a character I've been waiting for you to do for the longest. Hopefully they will bring him back into comic book & maybe live action

[@cosmosrules99]

My favorite episode for my favorite bot! It's been frustrating to be a Cosmos fan until recently, with all the false starts they've nearly gotten in media. I'm thankful for what was produced though, and that includes this episode!

[@ComicGuy74]

Great Video, Chris! Thanks for the spotlight on one of my favorite transformers!

[@LunaticPrime]

01:56 So the Michael Bay movies were actually honoring the source material.

[@KingKyoryu1234]

I've been asking for this episode for months

[@teamtaleplayer6907]

Why am I awake watching this 8 minutes after this video came out? It’s 2 am here…