Unique vs Uniform: How Smokescreen Breaks the Standard Kid-Appeal Character Mold Cheetor Was Trapped In
Worry not, despite the fact that I am not fond of him, this is not me tearing down Cheetor. Rather, it's me explaining how Smokescreen was written better in contrast to the beast-former. I only do this to explain to people how and why Smokescreen works better as a "Kid-Appeal Character" in a fresh and fantastic way, and to (hopefully) guide people onto a more solid path should they wish to add a similar character to their cast.
From the beginning, Smokescreen appears to be the standard issue kid friendly character. He's eager, he looks up to Optimus like the rest of us, and wants to do his part for the mission.
However, his approach to the crew and life in the War makes it clear he's anything but stock.
In his debut, Smokescreen is quick to follow orders without being inflexible. He does what he's told by Optimus before learning of Starscream's appearance with the Apex Armor. Unlike so many others before him, Smokescreen does a quick analysis of the situation, draws on his knowledge of the Iacon relics, and grabs the item he needs to take down Starscream. If you rewatch that episode, it's clear Smokescreen knew from the start what he was doing. He came up with a plan for dealing with the Decepticon second-in-command in less than three minutes and it worked perfectly. This shows us the "rookie" is quite smart despite his eagerness, and it only increases from here.
After these episodes, Smokescreen continues to show his chops for initiative and righteous anger. The whole reason he messes with Vince, as I've covered before, is in Jack's defense and to boost his nonexistent self-confidence; he did not do it for himself, but for the guy who was clearly a target and who he understood was to be protected. After all, even Cybertronian kids have to deal with bullying and jerks like humans do. Furthermore, in the two moments of the episode where he "blows it" by revealing himself to a human and bringing Jack on a mission, they are both the result of Team Prime's lack of attention to their newcomer's inexperience with Earth. As proven, Smokescreen owns up to his mistakes (when it's explained at base for the first goof up) and wouldn't have brought Jack along if they'd actually sat him down and told him all he needed to know about humans and their squishy-ness. And don't forget, Smokescreen actually delayed the Decepticons by at least two hours with his distraction and attack when the whole team was on a wild goose chase and Megatron was seconds away from hauling a mountain out of the Earth and toting it around the globe like the world's deadliest Sword of Damocles.
Smokescreen always goes in with a plan or at least a rough outline of one, as evidenced by the sheer speed and awareness of his initial attack and grab for the Star Saber. He knew what his goal was, knew he couldn't slow down for the rest of the 'Cons, and dispatched them quickly while aiming to snatch the Saber. The only reason it failed was because Alph Trion failed to tell Smokescreen only a Prime could pull out the Star Saber from the "lockdown" mode it initiates (which is a convenient thing to forget to tell your protégé, but that's a separate ball of wax.)
And after he's gotten the first Omega Key and saved Optimus, Smokescreen isn't acting like, "look at me, I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread", or "I'm on the same level as the team now, and I can rub this in their faces". Notably Arcee thinks this is what he's doing, but that's her narrow-minded perspective on it. Rather, Smokescreen is ecstatic that's he's been able to get two (and a half, since he did most of the footwork until Optimus arrived for the Star Saber) relics for the team. Not even a month on Earth, and he's been able to help his hero and his team get an edge on the Decepticons. How is that not a cause for joy? And while he's disappointed that Optimus didn't pick him for the first mission, it's more akin to a child feeling left out of something they want to partake in. And even then, Smokescreen doesn't throw a fit; he accepts it and waits for the next mission.
When he's griping about the hit Arcee took and the loss of the Key, he's not doing it to make himself out to be more. He's understandably upset that she and Bee were taken out, and is only wishing he'd been there to help. Arcee brutishly cuts him off because she's gotten it into her head that he's self-absorbed, but Smokescreen makes it clear in his followup sentence that he only wants them all (himself included, which is made clear by his mature stance toward the War effort) on their A-game. Yes, he adds at the end that he "has a good track record so far", but he's completely justified with that thought. I mean seriously, Smokescreen's been in the series for under 6 episodes at this point and already won the above achievements. Why shouldn't he, at the very end, admit that he specifically might have been able to turn the tide in the lost mission?
Later, when he kicks himself after letting his guard down, it's simply because he wants to bring his best to the team, and he feels that even one mistake - a mistake as critical as losing an Omega Key, showing how seriously he takes the War - is cause for complete failure. It's why he's so hard on himself, why he won't accept Bulkhead's attempt to lift the burden from his shoulders, and why Arcee is the final nail in the coffin. Because the fembot refuses to see him as anything but a brat, she snaps at him to, basically, "grow up and stop acting like it's all about you". Smokescreen knows that's not what it is that's the problem, but when no one, not even Optimus Prime, his hero, stands up for him, it causes him to leave in the hopes that he won't continue to be a failure for his heroes.
Because of this, Smokescreen is soon captured by the Decepticons and gets an Omega Key unceremoniously yanked out of him. However, rather than wait for a rescue, Smokescreen gets Knock Out to let his guard down, tussles with him for the Phase Shifter, and escapes the medical bay. Having quickly realized where he is and what that means, Smokescreen comes up with a plan to get the remaining Omega Keys and executes it as he goes. And when the only means of actual escape proves to be jumping off the ship, Smokescreen does so without a second thought. He manages to kill some Vehicons, radio for a Ground Bridge, and evens survives a fall that would have killed him if not for the Phase Shifter letting him survive a drop from the upper atmosphere.
The second season of TFP wonderfully breaks the mold of "kid appeal" characters with Smokescreen. He's likable but in need of maturing, and he matures on the fly. Because of this, Smokescreen stands apart from every other take on this trope - including his Beast Wars predecessor, Cheetor.
From what I've seen of Cheetor, he was painfully a stock "audience surrogate" character. The moment the crew of the Axalon lands on prehistoric Earth, he wastes no time preening over his new alt-mode, its abilities, and practically shoots out of the ship to run rampant on the world. Then he leaps into a battle with the Predacon leader Megatron and nearly gets himself killed, while obviously disobeying Primal before the large ape has to rescue him.
Not only is this a stark contrast to Smokescreen, it remains Cheetor's staple characterization. He's egotistical, cocky, and his desire to be seen as the equal of his peers causes him to blindly run in and prove himself to the others time and time again. Furthermore, Cheetor, unlike Smokescreen, needs to be rescued by his team so often, it's embarrassing. He jumps in with no plan and gets caught, and when he's not doing that, he's being an immature kid who either goofs off or props himself up, which is when the others rightly give him a reality check for his antics or the episode's moral story does it for them.
Mind you, I do not say this is bad for Cheetor. Rather, it's the usual mold of a "Kid-Appeal Character". As such, he does not do much in the way of standing out, nor does Cheetor undergo as much growth as Smokescreen does. While you could say it was because Smokescreen was fighting in the Great War, Cheetor had an arguably worse war because it was somewhere in space and time that was always on the brink of disaster with one wrong move. Therefore, Cheetor does not have much of an excuse.
This is why I believe Smokescreen's handling was better than Cheetor's, and why I personally feel younger writers - or writers who want to break away from old standbys that run the risk of becoming stale - should look to Transformers: Prime's Smokescreen instead of a cult classic like Beast Wars' Cheetor.
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