I was rewatching the first couple of episodes of Beast Wars episodes last night to get me out of a mood and I actually paid attention to how Optimus Primal holds his swords for the first time.
He holds them straight edge out. A very interesting choice (though I believe he also holds them the other way as well). While I could probably say I know more about swords than the average layperson, my knowledge of swords is in no way comprehensive so anyone who knows more can pop in. The way is swords look remind me most of the Khopesh, though I have only seen examples of people using it curved side out unless they're using it to hook a shield or something so they can attack an enemy. However, Primal's swords can't do that because there isn't a little hook or anything to catch a shield on. Instead, they're more similar to a sickle or axe than typical swords.
Or, since Primal is also a xenobiologist, he could also be using them like large kukri knives (I have seen some that are closer to the length of short swords, but I don't know how common/typical that size is).
It's a fascinating little detail that I makes me want to see Optimus Primal as a swordsman explored (especially if Dinobot already knew of his reputation 👀👀👀). Only if the writer remembers that, like Rhinox, Primal may be fully capable of handing out a beating but he prefers studying alien plants. People have been forgetting he was a skilled enough xenobiologist that he was chosen to lead a deep space exploration team since 1999 and I don't think Primal is as interesting when people leave it out.
