The name Megatron was originally rejected by Hasbro for being too scary. Bob Budiansky, the writer tasked with naming the characters, argued that, as a villain, his name should be scary.
Optimus Prime was never intended to return to the series after the movie, but a public outcry (which surprised the producers) resulted in him returning
In season one, Frank Welker voiced 6 of the 13 original Decepticons. He provided the voices of Megatron, Soundwave, Skywarp, Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage (growls). The exceptions were Starcream (Christopher Collins), Thundercracker (John Stephenson), Shockwave (Corey Burton), and Reflector (three identical robots with Collins' voice). Welker was also long believed to have been the voice of Laserbeak's screeches, but audio unearthed in 2017 revealed it was actually Collins.
At Frank Welker's request, Megatron's lines were always saved for the end of each recording session, since the character's raspy voice put a strain on Welker's throat and affected his ability to perform any of the other roles he had in the series.
The president of the fictional country Carbombya, Abdul Fakkadi, in Five Faces of Darkness: Part 1 (1986) and Thief in the Night (1986) was meant to be a parody of Middle East tensions at the time. His name is an anagram of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, and the name of Fakkadi's country, Carbombya, also contains an in-joke (Car Bomb Ya). Reportedly, voice actor Casey Kasem, who is of Lebanese descent, objected to this, and quit the Transformers series as a result. Story editor Flint Dille said that Kasem tried to get him fired by complaining to creative director Jay Bacal.