What's In A Cybertronian, Pre-Earth Name?

[TwinTwistR]

Okay, so I get up at 4am this morning, get a drink and go back to bed. As I'm laying down the thought struck me, "where the heck did Bumble-Bee get his name?" He was called BB on cybertron before the TF's ever came to earth. So how would a cybertronian come up with the concept of naming a little yellow/black bot after a little yellow/black bug that they have never seen?

Most names might be able to be explained as simply being a earth translation of whatever their cybertronian names were. For example: Hotspot, starscream, sideswipe and thrust are all names that are based on concepts or actions, so it makes sense that their cybertronian names described the same concept or action and just got translated. But there are some things that are distinctly earth concepts, so if the names existed prior to earth it just doesn't seem logical:

1) Bumble-Bee
2) Jazz

Note: before everyone points out the obvious (that these names were given for marketing reasons) I get it. I'm just looking at it from a purely storyline point of view.

Who else has a name that should not have existed before earth contact?

[Dragon Knight]

If you watch the bootcamp episode in Animated, we saw that some TFs are named after certain traits or abilities they had....so maybe something like that?

[Magnimus]

You could look at it this way: each bot's name is only a rough English approximation to the general feeling or object being signified in the Autobot language.

"Jazz" could be a human approximation to Autobot concepts of "exaggerated talk" or "pep and enthusiam" or "coolness". If we accept (as in the movies) that the Autobots and Decepticons do not speak English on Cybertorn but seem able to assimilate any language almost instantly, Jazz could have chosen that name for himself based on A.) how the English definition fits with is identity or B.) it being the closest thing to his name in the Autobot language.

The same could be said for Bumblebee. Perhaps he chose the name based on some kind of affinity to the animal in his size and colour

[TwinTwistR]

Originally Posted by Magnimus

You could look at it this way: each bot's name is only a rough English approximation to the general feeling or object being signified in the Autobot language.

"Jazz" could be a human approximation to Autobot concepts of "exaggerated talk" or "pep and enthusiam" or "coolness". If we accept (as in the movies) that the Autobots and Decepticons do not speak English on Cybertorn but seem able to assimilate any language almost instantly, Jazz could have chosen that name for himself based on A.) how the English definition fits with is identity or B.) it being the closest thing to his name in the Autobot language.

The same could be said for Bumblebee. Perhaps he chose the name based on some kind of affinity to the animal in his size and colour

That's a pretty resonable explantion, never thought of it that way. At 4am the modern movieverse never entered my mind. Being a 70's child my mind was pondering the original storyline where they are fighting on cybertron and ratchet and BB are getting hammered by seekers shortly before they crash on earth; at that point before humans ever met them they're calling the little yellow guy BB.

I guess in the end the issue that is really scarry isn't how a cybertronian had an earth name, but how it took over 25 years for me to come to the realization...

[racerguy76]

Originally Posted by TwinTwistR

Who else has a name that should not have existed before earth contact?

Dirt Boss?

[S.A.A.M.]

Bonecrusher.

[jackwacko]

Beachcomber.. Seaspray?

[Bruticus82]

Dinobot?

Waspinator?

Scorponok?

Cheetor?

Rattrap?

In fact, let's just go for most of the beast wars cast...

[venksta]

Originally Posted by Bruticus82

Dinobot?

Waspinator?

Scorponok?

Cheetor?

Rattrap?

In fact, let's just go for most of the beast wars cast...

Didn't the BW characters rename themselves, after crashing on earth and picking up their new beast modes? Its what I remember from the original pilot. But its been years since I last saw it.

[jackwacko]

Originally Posted by venksta

Didn't the BW characters rename themselves, after crashing on earth and picking up their new beast modes? Its what I remember from the original pilot. But its been years since I last saw it.

Ya that's what I recalled as well..

Though one could still questions G1 Scorponok's name choice...