the main stumbling block is they keep having to be like 'Starscream that's a really good idea but can you maybe tone down the murder' and then he has a temper tantrum bcos he already toned down the murder like 3 times and they can't reasonably expect him to come up with any plan that involves less than 10 murders that's absurd
its a permanent redemption arc bcos the Autobots opt to deploy the cunning strategy of 'maybe if we're nice enough to Starscream he'll decide he likes it better with us than with Megatron (who is a dick to him like all the time)'.
they don't really want Starscream on the team (annoying) but they want Megatron not to have him anymore.
eventually Megatron realises this isn't going to end, as he initially assumed, with Starscream crawling back to him begging for forgiveness within the week so he starts proactively trying to get him back on side before he tells the Autobots literally all their secrets
this ends w Megatron & Optimus pss pssing Starscream from opposite sides of the battlefield
Megatron is saying stuff like 'what kind of weakling wants to work for Prime are you a weakling starscream' and Optimus is using positive affirmations and once Megatron realises the positive affirmations seem to be working better he starts like, trying to be nice (bad at it)
