Well it kinda does have something to do with the opener in so far as
you could never (at least in G1 and apart from the TF movie) take the cartoon's events over the comics as they were so contradictory to not only the comic, but themselves too. The comics, while admittedly not being perfect offered some continuity. Most that saw both comic and cartoon preffered the comic's substance over animation and that is why it is cited so readily. 🙂
Well I like 'em both (Less so towards mid season 3, in the cartoon's case- I didnt like the 'getting out into space and meeting the poorly concieved alien life out there' thing.. But loved the end like 5 eps of that season.), but tend to take the comics as lore.
The whole space circus thing with Sky Lynx and the kids in the comics annoyed me in a similar way though... I think they may have been running a bit thin on new ideas in both Sunbow and Marvel U.S at that time. Even Budiansky was slated by fans around that period.
Marvel UK were still going strong thanks to Furman's writing though.