He tries fighting Vegeta briefly in his First Form. It's only after Vegeta goads him into revealing his "true form" that Frieza transforms to Second. It's not a necessary transformation because Frieza's First Form is more than enough to handle Vegeta, but Frieza doesn't know that because he can't sense battle power.
Frieza is overconfident yet also cautious regarding his own battle power. Because he can't sense energy without a Scouter, he has to take a shot in the dark at how much will be necessary for a given foe and prefers to err on the side of too much over too little - but only after he's been unexpectedly challenged.
Frieza's comfort level is a consistent, reliable curbstomp, but he has to make educated guesses at what level that is and prefers to overshoot than under. So even though his First Form is twice as powerful as Vegeta, Vegeta's too close to it for comfort and openly goads him into revealing his true power, so Freiza transforms.
Then Piccolo shows up and he also doesn't hold a candle to Frieza's Second Form but, again, he's too close for Frieza's comfort, so Frieza transforms. In both these cases, his transformation is triggered by an adversary who Frieza does outmatch, but not as much as he wants to be, and he only knows that after he's spent a little time clashing with them.
Third transformation was completely gratuitous because at that point he was just showing off, but with Goku, he powers up to 50% because - again - comfort zone of a reliable curbstomp. And even that proves woefully insufficient on two occasions, forcing him to draw on even more of his power at the last second as an attack more powerful than he was anticipating is about to hit him.
Frieza tries to be cautious and keep a safe gap between his own power and his foe's, but he's undermined by his inability to reliably know how strong his enemy is and also his own narcissistic egotism. Frieza is the most powerful being in the universe and he knows it. His default temperament is "LOL, it's funny that you think you can challenge me. Go ahead and try it."
Thus, in a hypothetical scenario where Goku showed up at 3 million while Frieza was still in his First Form and Goku also didn't have the temperament we know and love from him, it's not hard to imagine a scenario where Goku obliterates Frieza before the latter even has a chance to realize he's outclassed in this form and change up.
...I mean, I'm not arguing that Cooler would know any of this or that it would weigh into his calculations. "Toei is Toei" is the best answer for Cooler. Just saying, the idea of killing Frieza before he transforms isn't an unworkable one.
edited 8th Sep '16 10:19:56 AM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.I wouldn't say Saiga was overthinking things. I mean, he's basically right- that probably was the intention behind that the line, and 'Toei being Toei' is a perfectly logically explanation for any discrepancies.
The question, though, is 'why should we care about that?' Why should we care about Toei's intentions? Why should we care about whether or not Cooler's line is meaningful?
Yeah you can...you can always overdose.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.No i am pretty sure i am always right
And if i am always right, than I am right about being right. Therefore, I am right.
Being a buzzkill is a noble, yet thankless calling.
@Tobias - Freeza didn't need a scouter to see how much Vegeta struggled to hold Freeza off briefly. He knew he outmatched Vegeta.
He assumes right off the bat that he outmatches Vegeta because that's what Frieza does. Vegeta boasts about how he's become a Super Saiyan, Frieza assumes he's blowing smoke, then they clash briefly. When Frieza's scouter explodes, he actually concedes that Vegeta might not have been entirely full of bluster when he was bragging earlier.
Krillin notices that Frieza's still pretty calm, but before anyone has a chance to go anywhere from there, Vegeta starts demanding that Frieza transform and show his "real" power. To which Frieza complies.
Without the Scouter, Frieza doesn't know exactly how powerful Vegeta is, but it's enough for Frieza to agree that Vegeta's bravado might not be as empty as he'd previously assumed. Not enough to worry him, as Krillin notes, but enough for him to raise his level as soon as Vegeta starts in again.
edited 9th Sep '16 9:42:24 AM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Maybe you should consider rejecting that call. I mean, we were all just having a discussion of a theoretical scenario. We know full well Cooler and his claims just can't fit unless some significant changes are made to the overall story (which, considering the anime version of Resurrection F, is possible).
Was this really something that needed to be buzz killed? It's not like anyone was seriously trying to insist it could fit, just trying to come up with ways it could fit.
This is the kind of stuff that gets people de-Poped. Just so you know.
So in short, if you don't stop, I will steal you Pope Hat. And never give it back.
One Strip! One Strip!It was a serious discussion...worth of the president king himself.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.

In my subjective opinion Saiga is overthinking things and the explanations for Cooler's line make sense to me. Obviously it wasn't what was intended by the creators but if it fits that doesn't bother me.