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Transformers Rescue Bots Season 2 Interview with Nicole Dubuc

Thanks to the official Transformers Rescue Bot facebook page who have posted an interview between Heatwave and Boulder who take questions from the fans for script writer Nicole Dubuc. Get the scoop on what is happening behind the scenes for season two. Read the full interview with Nicole Dubuc below for the full details now.

The moment you've been waiting for! The interview me & Boulder did with the great Nicole Dubuc, one of the writers of RB! Please enjoy! She's a great lady! And Season 2 starts tomorrow!
~Heatwave

Heatwave: Areia L. Carroll asks "With Transformers Prime now over, are the writers thinking of any ways to further tie the shows together since they have been said to be in the same universe? Something like Agent Fowler, Unit:E or even Ratchet having cameos?"

Nicole: The writing team is always trying to think of ways to put Easter eggs in Rescue Bots that tie it to the Prime universe -- a lot of people have noticed the "I hope there's no such thing as a Skyquake" line Blades has, or the implication that Morocco was trying to sell off technology to Silas. I can't spoil anything that's coming up, but know that we're still treating the show as existing in Prime continuity and we pay homage/reference that whenever we can. At one point in season 1 there was a chart of where the Rescue Bots episodes happened in the Prime timeline. Now we lag the Prime events by quite a bit, obviously.

Heatwave: I know me & several others have often tried to put the timelines together... like when Morocco got the team fired & the bots couldn't contact Optimus, we often wondered if that was during the Orion Pax events. Gennie Shively asks "Did she grow up watching transformers or have other inspiration/motivation? The show is so intelligently written that I enjoy it as much as my kids."

Nicole: First off, thanks for the compliment! The writers all take this show very seriously (Jeff Kline is a stickler for plot clarity and Brian Hohlfeld is always doing the "is this in-character" check) and we never want to talk down to our audience. I did indeed grow up watching Transformers G1, and playing Transformers (I was always Bumblebee), and I wish I had kept my Grimlock and Ravage toys. How cool were those?! But the biggest inspiration on this show has been the characters themselves - they're so fun to write for, and there's such a depth of mythology to reference and draw from. Also, this show is kinda my love letter to the 80s, as you can probably tell by all the pop-culture references.

Heatwave: Lots of people love all those references! It makes for a fun game! Especially in the Alien Invasion ep! I love that you’re willing to take the time to do this! Boulder appreciates it too whenever he's on, heh.

Boulder: Hi Nicole, Yes, I appreciate you doing this, as Heatwave says. It’s an awesome gift for you to give to the fans, and believe us, they ARE devoted fans! Heatwave: Andy Blair asks "Will we be seeing Hoist, Medix, or any other new bots in future episodes?"

Nicole: Sorry, Andy, can't spoil anything, but I will say you'll meet more of the Burns family...

Heatwave: Ha! Cool! That actually brings me to a question I had... would we ever see any of the moms? The few female characters we have so far have been absolutely great!

Nicole: Can't say either way, sorry about that! BUT I can say you will see more female characters.

Heatwave: Oooo exciting! You guys have done an excellent job with female characters in this series as well as in Prime! How did you come to work on RB? Was it because you were working on Prime already? Did Hasbro ask you or did you want to do it to begin with?

Nicole: As we were wrapping up season 1 of Prime, Jeff Kline asked me to develop Rescue Bots with Brian Hohlfeld and himself. While we were in development (writing the bible and the pilot for the show), I kept writing for Prime season 2, but when we got our pickup, I started full-time on Rescue Bots as a co-story editor with Greg Johnson (who was just finishing on GI Joe Renegades).

Heatwave: Krysta Osborn asks "Which Bot is Nicole's favorite to write and why?"

Nicole: I love writing for all the Bots for different reasons -- cranky pants Heatwave is fun 'cause I can hear Steve Blum's snark in my head. Blades is hilarious and Parv always plusses the lines with his reads. Boulder is sweet and the emotional core of the Bots, and Imari brings such warmth to him. But I have to say, writing for Chase is my favorite. His dead-pan reads make for some really great stuff, and the "that's what she said" line (in fact, that whole episode where he's learning about Earth humor) still crack me up -- D.C. knows how to deliver! Stay tuned for some more great Chase episodes this season.

Boulder: Thanks Nicole. I've met DC at a con and he does deliver, it’s very true! See, Heatwave, I'm sweet! Nicole says so!

Heatwave: Phssh... you can be the huggable one... I don't need hugs! When I first started watching, I was kinda meh about Chase, but I've really come to like him, DC does a great job & you write some great lines for him! One of the new promos made laugh! "There are times I wish gravity wasn't a law!"

Nicole: I shoulda said stay tuned for great episodes for each Bot, as we try to feature them each at least twice per season!

Heatwave: I always look forward to my eps.

Nicole: Yeah, the Heatwave ep I wrote for s2 might be my favorite this season.

Heatwave: Ooooo! Now I'm excited! What about the human characters? Do you have any favorites you like to write for there? I'm a pretty big fan of Chief myself, love him!

Nicole: My favorite part of the humans in Rescue Bots is that we get to write them as families who work together, who are smart, and caring…Still-quirky, but ultimately people you want to spend time with. Yes, even Kade. It's probably easiest to write a line for him, and again, I have to give huge credit to Jason Marsden for his hilarious Kade deliveries. Maurice LaMarche delivers Chief as the dad everyone on the crew wishes they had -- he's so reassuring, caring and capable, with a sense of humor. Lacey Chabert brings a fun feistiness to Dani, and Shannon McKain handles all the techno-speak we throw at him with a lovable, nerdy quality (yes, Graham is the guy I would date). Writing for Tim Curry was a dream come true. Doc Greene has a fun way of speaking where he reverses what he's saying mid-sentence -- it could be this, or it could be that -- and we like to come up with fun science sayings for him: "boiling chips" is a throwback to my organic chem lab days. LeVar is amazing. And the kids are always so prepared with their lines. Elan Garfias plays Cody, and the emotion, range and sweetness he brings to the role makes the character real and the heart of the show. Diamond White has a sassy brightness that made Frankie appear in way more episodes than we originally planned. Oh, and who can forget Jeff Bennet, our love-to-hate Mayor Luskey and Huxley Prescott! (I think I got all the humans in there -- whew, probably more than you wanted to know!)

Boulder: I like the Chief myself....and Doc Greene cracks me up! Speaking of casting, were there any changes made to the characters after the voice actors were cast to accommodate great ideas they came up with? Also, any fun stories to share about the casting process?

Nicole: After the characters were cast, our amazing actors began to "plus" their roles -- sometimes with a reaction or ad lib. As writers, we love hearing this stuff, and we pick it up and run with it. The actors, by the way, are the closest-knit voice acting cast I've ever known -- we all hang out for fun after work and on weekends. We definitely write to them, and sometimes a story idea will come out of a joke one of them makes. Parv's dancing in the recording booth is evident in Blades in 201, for example. Fun casting stories -- well, Elan was Cody from the moment we heard him. It was a very easy show to cast; everyone just seemed to click!

Heatwave: I bet having Tim Curry was a ball! Everyone was so excited he was announced! So that's where the boiling chips came from... had several people wondering! & good on Diamond! I really like Frankie! & I remember Jeff from so many older cartoons like Gargoyles & such. You guys do a great job with the humans. I rarely like them in TF series, but in RB & Prime I've liked them all! Especially Fowler in Prime! Kudos!

Boulder: Great cast and we can tell they have so much fun! Our next question is from ABates. They ask: “Were there any scenes from season 1 that had to be cut during production that she wished could have been included?”

Nicole: I am sure there are scenes that have been cut, and certainly we're always losing jokes because of time constraints. Specifically in the pilot, there were a lot more scenes/gags where Cody shows the Bots around Griffin Rock for the first time. Our scripts start out at 35 pages and we usually have to get them down to 31 for production, so a lot of stuff gets trimmed. We try to keep the bits in our minds that get cut, and find a place for them in future episodes.

Heatwave: Pravus Prime asks "Rescue Bots has a lot of non-essential character development (such as the bots preferences in movies they like to watch), has this always been intentional from the start or is it something that has come about as the series progressed?"

Nicole: The writing staff takes great delight in the character moments -- sometimes whole stories will arise from them, like "what if Blades was a pirate fanatic?" It's very intentional and a lot of fun. We want to really get to know our characters and their quirks and we try to put that in as much as possible. To me, that's what helps make a character real.

Heatwave: I love character quirks! They really make them seem more alive! Partly why I find this show so endearing. Moreprimeland asks "Where did Dr. Morocco get his anti-aging machine? And WHAT does it run on? He mentions it was the best technology he stole... from who?"

Nicole: All of your questions will be answered… In time! Stay tuned.

Heatwave: And our last question would be...Is there anything in season 2 that you could tease us with?

Nicole: In season 2, expect our characters to meet with even greater challenges… And undergo some serious changes. Also, this isn't off a particular question, but I want to put in a shout-out for our amazing artists, directors and crew who make the show as good as it is. They put their heart and soul into Rescue Bots and really believe in creating a great story. Frank Molieri and Brian Hohlfeld are two halves of an awesome executive-producing coin. Nathan Chew has been our director for all three seasons, and the passion and joy he brings to the board is incredible. Props to Jerry (the driver among other things), Matt, Austin, Bess, Zac, Judge, Patrick, Tim… Our composers and international artists... We've had tremendous support from our executives at Hasbro and the Hub (they give very helpful notes - you should have heard our time travel discussion!). And of course, major thanks to Jeff Kline for making this all possible. (If I forgot to mention anyone, it's my own lack of coffee, not their lack of talent!)

Heatwave: It takes a lot of people to make a great show! The music has been topnotch & often gets stuck in my head, especially the tune often played when they're out in the water (that whistling tune). There's so many great little moments in the show that make me go "Cool!" like in ep 2 when Chase did that flip transform. Ah coffee... hot brown water in a spherical container...

Nicole: LOL about the coffee comment, Heatwave. Thanks for the opportunity to do this, it was a lot of fun!

Boulder: Actually, thank you, Nicole!!! Taking the time to chat with us is a wonderful gift to the fans, and much appreciated!

Heatwave: Yes, thank you again! This was absolutely wonderful and gave us some great insight into the workings of the show! You have been absolutely great!

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