#Bota Nui

[downtofragglerock]

The production bible's little lore drop of "originally there were going to be six gsrs that crashed landed and Mata Nui was just one of them" has really got me thinking

The text states that they were each going to be in different and varying environments, but Mata Nui alone already had six pretty distinct biomes that covered a lot of varied ground, so what environs would be left to give a distinct feel?

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

"Gee Bionicle, how come your lore allows you to have two fucked-up moons?"

[makutaservaela]

Makuta Servaela is a Makuta who specializes in intelligent Rahi, especially ones who can speak Matoran. It was she who created Keetongu's species, a species who could remove Hordika venom (whom she created for the sole purpose of getting vengeance on Chirox due to Chirox's relentless bullying Servaela).

She was also known for considering herself smarter than her brothers and repeatedly defying orders passive aggressively if she considered them illogical. When the Makuta were called to destroy her Hagah, she decided that ridding herself of guardians was a stupid idea, and instead trapped them in the crystals she wears around her neck, to be awoken at a later time. The other Makuta didn't realise her Hagah were still alive in the crystals, and presumed this was just dark humour on her part of wearing her guardians' corpses as an accessory as a threat to any future servants who dare disobey her. Teridax mostly just put up with her shit because her Rahi were useful enough to him, and because her defiance of him was never direct.

When the Plan was announced, her first course of action began to gain as much information about the Mata Nui from Mutran as she could (a feat not difficult, as he had a soft spot for her). She used this to create a plan of her own, and obeyed Teridax until the Great Cataclysm, in which she carried out her plan: She left the Mata Nui, residing on Aqua Magna as an aquatic creature with plans to wait out Teridax's "immature power-grab".

When the planets were reunited, she migrated to the Bota Magna portion and released her Hagah, who knew nothing except that they had gone to sleep in their Makuta's lab and woken up in a cave somewhere else. They are completely oblivious to even the concept that Makuta had turned evil.

She continues to this day ignoring/avoiding everyone and performing her research.

[ghost-mantis]

Headcanon that Skrall as a species are essentially doomed on Spherus Magna.

Even though they are warriors of the highest caliber, 100,000 years of war, starvation, and the loss of every female of their species leads to a slow, inevitable decline.

Ruthlessly culling any member of their species that wasn't a high-class warrior meant that there was no investment in education or skilled labor. The only way their society functioned was to rely on pillaging and slave labor to obtain food, medicine, and essentially everything that didn't involve stabbing.

Given their very rigid social system, it didn't seem like female Skrall had much say or power in their society. On Bara Manga, the second they did get mental powers they were considered a threat and banished to the wilds. Canonically, the male and female Skrall also separated into two societies on Bota Manga.

After that point, the population replacement rate was 0 and the male Skrall were in an endless war with the Agori for resources. While they never really lost fights, that didn't mean that they weren't losing people to disease, injury, and old age.

And then Mata Nui came along and curb-stomped the only leader-cast member of their species they had left. The remaining male Skrall dispersed into smaller groups led by named Skrall or high-tier casts.

And then Teridax came along.

A huge portion of their remaining population was atomized when Teridax blasted their home in the Black Spike Mountains. The remaining groups decided to join the free-for-all fight between the Agori, Toa, Rahkshi, and Skakdi.

And even as amazing warriors in a normal fight, there's no way the Skrall did anything but get their shit kicked in against armies of beings with ranged supernatural powers. A sword is great, but not much use when all your opponents can do things like suck the oxygen from your lungs, or summon a mountant to crush you without breaking a sweat.

Plus, every Agori and Glatorian hates their guts and wouldn't hesitate to gut any Skrull injured or trapped by the absolute free-for-all that was Bara Magna.

Anyone who survived the bloodbath and subsequent reformation of Spherus Magna, including adding Bota Magna Skrull to their ranks, is still looking at a very grim future.

The Skrall are now outclassed by almost every sentient species (and most wildlife) on the planet in terms of power and resources. Their home and leader cast are gone, and they have no slaves left (all killed or emancipated by Toa) to produce goods or labor. Their species is still split into two societies by gender and getting together long enough to have kids probably isn't in the cards.

A few Skrall are hired on by the Dark Hunters, but given their lack of powers, they would be best as cannon fodder, or as combat trainers to beings with greater powers.

Every other remaining male Skrall group is going to have their shit kicked in by every other group the second they try to cause trouble. And the Baterra are probably still picking off warriors whenever and wherever they find them.

Their population has plummeted over the last 100,000 years and the remaining members of the species are essentially the last generation.

The best hope their species has is that the female Skrall, being less militant and having no mental powers left, join with Agori or Glatorian society. They might be closely related enough that they can have children with the Glatorian or Agori.

If so, any future Skrall are at most 50-50 genetically split with another species. Subsequent generations will have thinner and thinner Skrall genetics, and they'll be extinct as an individual species.

Given that they were absolute bastards as a species and society in-canon, that might be for the best. Banishing every member of your society that can have children, and then going to endless war with every one of your neighbors forever is essentially biological suicide.

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

Random small-scale Bionicle AU ideas; feel free to ask what your blorboes (or canon-set OCs, provided you explain what their Thing™ is) are doing in each:

Golf (Turaga-centric AU where they all play golf; side-stuff features the Toa Mahri working at a Crazy/Mini-Golf place.)

Bowling-alley (I think I already posted about this ages ago, but I'm bringing it up again to add some context; it's set in a pseudo-80s world, but everyone's still a biomechanical thing. The Metru and Hagah are the staff, Helryx is the manager, and everybody else are the regular bowlers.)

Age of Sail (technically-a-morality-swap pirate AU; the Makuta are further towards the "lawful" edge of the morality-grid, the (non-evil) Toa are more like Robin Hood figures, and the Dark Hunters and Piraka are more traditional pirates. The Red Star is a ghost-ship crewed by the dead, and Spherus Magna is basically Atlantis.)

Superhero (Human AU offshoot where all the regions are modern-day cities and everyone wears modern clothing; the Toa, Order Of Mata Nui etc. are superheroes, and the various antagonists are supervillains.)

Battle of the Bands (another Human AU offshoot, where the Toa Teams and other factions are bands in a mundane setting, and all the major conflicts are formatted as the eponymous style of contest; the main story is set contemporarily to the respective story-arc's out-of-universe storyline, with relevant musical genres (e.g the Inika are an indie-rock band in 2006, facing off against the Piraka, who are a rap-metal band), and the Metru Nui flashbacks take place in the mid-1980s (with the Toa Metru being a New wave act).)

Reversal (AU where the Magnans live in the GSR and the MU characters live on Bara Magna.)

Broken Mirror (basically just Transformers: Shattered Glass but Bonkle,)

Steam-Age (Bionicle, but in a world where the Magnan society was in the aesthetic and technological equivalent of the mid-to-late 1800s; Bota Magna is a large industrialised city, and Bara Magna is essentially the Wild West. Metus is a literal snake-oil salesman. Some areas of the Matoran Universe has progressed past this a bit, with Metru Nui being Art Deco and having Dieselpunk technology.)

MMORPG (yet another Human-AU spinoff, this time with the characters playing characters resembling their canon selves in a popular MMORPG.)

YA Dystopia ("what if Bionicle was an early-mid 2010s Young-Adult dystopian novel?")

Detective Takua (Takua but as a Poirot-meets-Columbo detective in an early-mid 20th century-flavoured world that coincidentally happens to be shaped like a jumbled-up version of the Matoran Universe; showing up unannounced/coincidentally happening to be at the Big Isolated Mansion™, Large Isolated Boat® or Vaguely-Mediterranean Island©, being very friendly to literally everyone there while also using his... Takua-ness(?) to disarm potential subjects and try to catch them out. Also Kapura is there sometimes.)

[cometsans67]

oh the stars line. it was an extreme downgrade in every way bc they were on a shoestring budget for the toys. they were smaller and swapped the gradient color pieces for single color pieces. but the lore for it was some omnipotent force changed their look (i dont remember what, prolly mata nui) for tahu, gresh, and takanuva. very confusing for 10 yr old me who only got into it during the bara magna saga

A theme I just noticed in Toa teams; their forms change at least once

Like-

Toa Metru became the Toa Hordika (even if it's not permanent I'm counting it?

Toa Mata became the Toa Nuva

Toa Ignika became the Toa Mahri

Is this a common occurrence for a Toa team or?

(slowly glances at Ackar, Kiina, Gresh (maybe) Berix, Tarix and Vastus to see if this was ever planned for them)

[outofgloom]

POWER

The jungle of Bota Magna was dense and twisted, but that was not a problem for Toa Tuyet. Aided by her Mask of Intangibility, she flickered wraith-like through trees, leaves, and vines. She had already outpaced the fire that had spread from the now-destroyed prison tower. There would be no trace of her passage now, nothing to track. And even if the perpetrator of the ambush intended to hunt them all down…well…

She shifted the Nui Stone in her hand, smiling as she ran. The explosive blast of energy which had dissolved the tower into flaming rubble had not even touched her. Her power over water was greater than ever.

Tuyet emerged into a clearing and paused to get her bearings. The sun was different here–a single sun, rather than two...or more. This did not worry her. In her journey across universes, she had seen many like it.

“Toa Tuyet?”

The voice came from behind, and she whirled. Blade unsheathed, ready for violence.

It was a Matoran. Just a Matoran. She frowned, confused.

“How do you know me?” she demanded after a moment, advancing on the small being. “And what are you doing here? Talk.”

The Matoran shrugged. “I know a lot. In fact, I’ve wanted to speak with you for some time. You’re more formidable in person, I must say.”

Tuyet froze. Recognition. That voice…

“...You.”

“Oh?” The Matoran’s eyes widened slightly. “Now that is an interesting development. This isn’t the first time we’ve met, am I right? In some universe at least.”

Her blade twitched in her hand.

“Well, you were…taller,” she said slowly.

“Fascinating. Did we speak?”

“We had words, yes.”

“And what happened then?”

An immense blast of elemental water ripped through the jungle and tore a wide channel in the earth where the Matoran had stood.

“That,” Tuyet said quietly. 

She turned away, sheathing her sword, but then stopped. The Matoran was still there. The image flickered, then stabilized. A projection?

“Disappointing,” the Matoran clucked, shaking his head.

Tuyet was already running.

======

The jungle melted into a green blur as she raced on, straight through the thick of it. She phased through a massive tree-trunk, vaulted a stream on the other side, kept going. It was dim under the canopy, lit by the occasional beam of light from above. She cleared a root-covered boulder and chanced a look back. Nothing. Turned back to her trail.

The Matoran was right in front of her again, arms wide. She swerved in surprise and momentarily lost focus, went spinning through a stand of bushes and crashed into a tree-trunk, solid once more.

“I wasn’t finished, you know,” the Matoran said. He was already standing over her.

“Die!” she yelled as she rose, and blades of pressurized water eviscerated the surrounding jungle. Trees and branches crashed down on all sides, and the blades formed into a liquid shield around her.

The image of the Matoran wavered beyond the barrier for a moment. Then it stepped forward, unphased, right through the rushing water. Her sword was out and ready again, eyes roving around the newly-created clearing.

“Where are you?!” she hissed, ignoring the projection.

“I’m wherever I need to be,” the Matoran said. “Are you ready to talk?”

“Say what you have to say then.”

“I see that you have my stone.”

“What?”

“In your hand. You seem quite attached to it. I think they call it the Nui Stone now. Very unimaginative.”

Tuyet’s eyes narrowed. “How do you…Is that it? You’re here to take the stone?”

“My stone,” the Matoran smiled. “You couldn’t have known, of course. I designed it so long ago…Anyways–”

Tuyet’s blade whizzed through the air, off to the left, and buried itself through the chest of the figure standing half-hidden behind a tree-root nearby. The projection in front of her winked out. She smirked, dissipating the water-sphere, and walked toward the target.

“No one takes what belongs to me,” she said. The Matoran looked up at her with wide eyes, then down at the blade that pinned his body to the tree-trunk.

“I was,” he said haltingly, “I was going to say…Keep the stone…But…” 

His voice quieted. Tuyet leaned in closer. 

“You should know,” he continued, "that I always have...contingencies.”

The Matoran flickered and vanished. Tuyet cursed and tore her blade from the tree, springing away, whirling to attack again–

Intense pain struck her. Pain in her hand, the one holding the stone. Her arm seized up and she stumbled to her knees, dazed. She tried to drop the stone, but her fingers were locked tight. With a shock, she saw that the normally red crystal had darkened to a deep black. 

The Matoran was right in front of her now, solid and real. Desperate, she summoned another blast of water to wipe away her foe…

Nothing happened.

She tried again, shuddering with pain. The Matoran stepped up to her, eye-level. Not a scratch on him. Her blade rose shakily, but he batted it away. Reaching down, he plucked the Nui Stone out of her hand, easy as anything.

“All our works return to us,” the Matoran said quietly, almost to himself. He tossed the stone from one hand to another.

“What…?” she gasped. The pain began to fade, but something was wrong. Something inside of her.

“Oh, it’s just a saying. About consequences. The Great Beings never thought of it that way, of course. If we had, maybe–”

“No…” she interjected, finding her voice. “What did you do…to me? Tell me what you did.”

“Like I said, it’s my stone,” the Matoran said. “Use it against me, and its power turns on you. Neat trick. The stone has drained you of all your power, Toa, and sealed it away. I’m afraid it’s permanent.”

A wave of nausea washed over Tuyet. She was going to pass out.

“No…You can’t. I was going to…to…”

“To conquer the world? I’m aware of your aspirations, Toa Tuyet. That’s why I wanted to speak with you. I think you can help me.”

“Me…help you?” She spat the words out.

“Yes. To bring order to this world.”

“Why should I? You’ve ended me. Without my powers, I’m…” She trailed off.

“You are nothing. That’s true. Power makes us real, makes us matter. Without it, you are of no consequence. But…”

The Matoran leaned in.

“You know…‘Permanent’ is such a strong word after all, and I’m not one to waste good potential.”

Tuyet looked into the eyes of the Matoran that had taken everything from her. He held out the Nui Stone. She understood.

“What must I do?”

======

Context: This story fragment is set within the unknown landscape of possible futures which branch from the end of the unfinished Bionicle serials; specifically, the serial The Powers That Be, which trails off at a moment when a group of powerful characters (including Toa Tuyet) are being targeted by a mysterious murderer (the Great Being Velika), to be either killed or recruited to his cause.

[rahiwatching]

The Matoran have always been fascinated by the sky above them, and on the Islands of Mata Nui and Voya Nui they had the full beauty of the natural universe to gaze upon.

Strange then, that they didn't seem to notice the desert and jungle worlds that were right next door. Why is that?

In this investigation, we look at the limits of Matoran Astronomy and try to figure out why they seemed to be completely unaware of Bara Magna and Bota Magna's existence.

New Bionicle Science investigations every month. What part of Bionicle lore do you want to see investigated next? If you want to support the Knowledge Tower you can donate on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/theknowledgetower

[fang-feraligatr-blog]

My new Toa Team at long last!

You've all waited so long for these so I'm just gonna jump into it!

First up, Pyrus. Toa Pohalan of Fire!

First and Foremost, I will explain Pohalan later. Pyrus like most of his current team is actually a toa from another group that was brought to the accursed lands of Bota Magna by the whims of fate, and his experience might not be as deep as the other toa, but his Elemental Powers rival that of even the Great Tahu! In fact due to an encounter with a rather aggressive nui-rama, Pyrus burnt out all the organic material in his right arm and now has what we would equate to an entire motorcycle for a right arm, engine and all. His golden blade was a gift given to him from an old friend before he left for Bara Magna, only for the fusion of Bara Magna and Aqua Magna to throw him off completely and land on Bota Magna instead.

His kit features the Mask of Time-stop, which allows him to literally stop everything around him for exactly 30 seconds. He can also focus this power to pause one specific object or individual for 15 seconds. It takes a lot of concentration, or in some cases desperation, to activate it so he's not prone to use it much. He's also got his replacement arm that sports it's own ventilation system so he never burns himself out again, and the gear system in his hand allows him to hold onto anything, and never let go. His Golden Sword of Fire is powered by a stone containing a blue flame that allows him to wield the sword even when exerting an extreme amount of power.

He leads his current team in hopes of finding a way back to his original destination, unaware of what fate has in store not just for him, but for all the universe.

Next up: Moku, Toa Pohalan of Air

Not usually one to be concerned with things like "emotional responses" and preferring to use his head rather than his heart to decide things, Moku is a calculating and ingenious Air Toa that prefers to work alone for the most part. So why he's willingly working with the others is a mystery, until you ask him and he says, "They're the best odds of survival I have". He seems cold, but in reality he only works with his logical side because emotions and feelings are confusing to him. That said, he's a mechanical genius who, using his own methods, basically turned himself into a toa and even augmented his armor into a fashion that he found both practical and stylish. His biggest drawback is that he's rather sarcastic and constantly butts heads with the Toa of Water because of it.

His kit includes the Mask of Mechanisms, which allows him to understand how to use any mechanical object simply by looking at it. This is incredibly useful to him as he likes to tinker from time to time, leading to him being the brains of the team. Despite being a Wind Toa, he's no gust of wind to ignore as his armor is EXTREMELY HEAVY! So heavy that he NEEDS that rocket engine on his back just to get off the ground. His flight is slow at first but it builds up speed fast and eventually gets powerful enough to break at least Mach 9, pushing on ten. This of course would make him hard to steer and slow down normally, but that's where his wind powers impress along with his shield (which he built himself of course). Placing his shield in front of him at top speed and utilizing his wind powers, he creates a massive sonic boom in front of him that stops his speed entirely, and obliterates pretty much anything in front of him, something that took several attempts and many broken armor pieces including his old mask to perfect. His weapon of choice is an energized Axe with a hilt guard and a flail attached. The flail is usually there for show, but if pressed he can use it along with more wind power to turn it into a deadly accurate weapon!

Now onto: Kanaka, Toa Pohalan of Stone

Before you ask, yes his right arm looks like a Visorak, but no it is not a Visorak, it is simply his right arm. And yes he does drag it behind him when tired. Kanaka is what we would know as a Wild Man, being one of two natural residents of Bota Magna, he and the Toa of Earth have been friends and survival partners for a long long time. Slow and lumbering, he makes up for it by practically being invulnerable to anything, unyielding and unstoppable. You really can't stop the rock when Kanaka is is your foe. Not one to say much, he really only speaks when he has something important to say, and even then in as few words as possible. Stalwart and strong as the mountains themselves, Kanaka is also a gentle giant, often listening to the others complaints and offering helpful opinions on the mater, and he absolutly loves rahi of any kind.

His kit includes his Mask of the Wild, granting him the various abilities of any rahi he knows of. This allows him to not only be one of the few toa's of stone that can swim, but possibly the only Toa of Stone that can fly. He can communicate with all rahi and is often seen as the king of the beasts. His weapon is the mighty Gaia Mallet, a hammer that's heavy enough that lifting it feels like moving a mountain, something that another mountain wouldn't have much trouble with so naturally he's the only one who can wield it. He also has a tail which never stops surprising his team, and his right arm has claws that tear through anything. Beyond all that, he does tend to get ferocious in battle and is often seen going into a frenzy against his enemies, not only making him stronger but faster than he should be able to move at all! If you're going to take him out, take him out FAST, otherwise he'll unleash his rage and smash you into oblivion.

Next: Taniwa, Toa Pohalan of Earth

Most people say that in order to be a toa you have to be a matoran first. This is not true, and Toa Taniwa is proof of this. A former Rahi that was imbued with the power of stone and the intelligence of a toa from an accidental interaction with a toa stone. Taniwa is in a constant struggle between his more intelligent Toa half, and his instinctual beastly half, but it's a struggle he's gotten used to now. Possessing the strength of a beast and the intellect of a Toa puts him on par with a Toa Hordika, and like any Toa, he's only as mean as he looks if you're a threat. Sharp claws, gnashing teeth, night vision and toa armor to boot, Taniwa is a monster in battle, but a loyal friend to those he trusts.

He's a good doggy.

The only other thing that really needs mentioning is that he CAN talk...but while his head does most of the head things you think it would do, his tail is how he talks. A small mouth can be found on the end of his tail that only exists to speak and nothing else. Any other mouth function you can think of happens in the mouth in his head, the tail only talks. What's weirdest abut it is that he can talk to someone without facing them thanks to this, but it never stops being weird. Stealthy for sure, but weird.

He is still a toa though, and despite having no mask to speak of, he still has amazing control over his element of Earth. Kanaka and Taniwa have been friends for about as long as they can remember now, and you cannot have one without the other.

Now for: Kali, Toa Pohalan of Water.

Armored in bullet proof metal, and armed to the gills, Kali is not your usual Toa of Water. She has a million ways to kill you, and no mater what she's always planning how she can end as many people in any given room at any given time and get away with it. She's cold, she's calculating, she's meticulous and skilled. She's so talented in fact that it seems like the only thing she doesn't have is a sense of humor or a tolerance for sarcasm. Never without a weapon of some kind, no one is ever quite sure if they're safe around her. Not much is known about her personal life, and that's just how she likes it. In the end though she is a Toa for a reason, and if there's one thing she hates more than anything else, it's Evil. Turns out that deep down she has a heart of solid gold and a will to defend others, but she hides it well.

She's armed with a sniper rifle that fires shots of hyper compressed water that she supplies herself that can penetrate a 10 inch thick steal SLAB and has the precision to snipe a sand scarab from the other side of the desert. A shoulder mounted zamor launcher that fires special zamor spheres that explode on impact and cause a torrent of water to slam opponents into walls, flat onto the ground, or up into the air only to come crashing down hard. She ripped the head off a Vahki unit at one point and now uses it as a special disk launcher. Incredibly accurate and fast, this is a close quarters firing weapon when her enemies are too close for the rifle. Her mask is the Mask of Focus, allowing her to lock on to her enemies both physically and mentally. At range it negates drop off for shots fired and makes those shots unaffected by wind as well, and close up it allows her to single out priority targets and take them out with precision. And you'd better pray she doesn't run out of bullets, or she'll show you her own version of CQC, CQK. Close Quarters Killing. She'll unholster her blades from her ankle sheathes, and then focus a blade of pure water down them to cut and slice her opponents to death.

Now for a shocker: Matoro, Toa Pohalan of Ice

Yes, THAT Matoro, and he's just as confused as you are. After the death of Makuta, Hali found herself lamenting that it almost felt like Matoro's death was for nothing, as the Matoran universe was now essentially gone. These thoughts found they're way into the Mask of life and by it's own will, it spent it's own life to revive Matoro with a few additional gifts. Upon his revival, Matoro discovered he was not on his home planet, and in fact had somehow ended up on Bota Magna. He also soon discovered that his time as a Toa Ignika and a Toa Mahri had somehow been connected through the use of his masks from both times. After an untimely surprise from a Dinosaur Rahi near a cliff face, Matoro fell to his death only to wake up a moment later. He soon discovered his mask powers from the masks on his shoulders and the one on his head came together and he can now revive from deaths like nothing ever happend. A now more skeletal like build and the fact that death itself meant nothing to him as the mask power activated automatically upon death, Matoro started feeling like he shouldn't exist really, and like his very existence was some sort of sin. This lead to giving him a more macabre outlook on things but all in all, he's the same duty bound toa he was before.

His kit includes an enhanced version of his Mask of Astral Projection as well as his mask of Necromancy, both of which get activated at once whenever he dies giving him a combined "Mask" of Immortality. His Ignika sword is now a little weightier than before and he's made use of a recently discovered staff that allows him to share his power of Immortality with others if he needs to. His now bone-like armor makes him very light, but also surprisingly durable. Most long range weapon shots just pass right by him or right through him without causing damage, and despite looking like mostly bones, his powers of ice will chill you directly to the bone before he shatters you like glass with his mace like staff. For now that's all, but there is one more. Another 7th toa to look forward to, but I am exhausted and SPENT. So for now I tease you with the 7th along with the whole Toa Pohalan Team! Bye for now!

But what is a Pohalan??

It's the Matoran word for revival. This is the team fate has decided is going to revive the universe from it's massive collapse and revive the Great Spirit himself. They will soon learn however, that Mata Nui cannot exist without his other half...

[crystaltoa]

If Bionicle continued, I would like them to continue the cancelled eras of G1.

That’s a tough one for me because if we’re talking literal continuation of G1, it seems the story kind of went in a direction that cut off a lot of those branches ( like the bit about Mata Nui being one of six giant robots, the arc of Mata Nui and co visiting Bota Magna, etc.)

A reboot that revisited some of those scrapped concepts could be interesting though.

[fascinatedhelix]

Updating some headcanons about Arra's cat form:

So, the species she got turned into upon arrival to Mata Nui was indeed not an Earth cat. Lybix (lybik in singular form) are a species of semi-domesticated wildcat indigenous to the mountainous regions of Bota Magna.

Though they're smaller than much of the more aggressive wildlife of Spherus Magna, they're no less dangerous than the other beasts of their habitat. With their sharp, metallic claws and fangs, and their great speed and flexibility, they can be a deadly foe if they believe their territory or colony is being threatened. Though they typically hunt alone, they are not solitary animals, and often raise young collectively.

Despite the danger, it's because of these instincts that these creatures were highly prized in the pre-Core Wars era. Among the mountainous tribes, it was common practice for brave young warriors and cunning thieves to steal Lybik cubs from their nest, to be raised as guardians for the home or food stores. The Skrall in particular used them as wedding gifts, as a means of offering protection to the bride and future young in the absence of the husband.

Tamed Lybix are known to be gentle with children and loyal to their household, though the process of training the wildness out of them is a long and arduous one, and they're not exactly known for being friendly to strangers.

On average, they stand at about 56 centimeters in height, from paw to shoulder; roughly the size of a Canadian Lynx. Properly housecat size relative to a Glatorian or Skrall, but freaking huge compared to an Agori. So, her original artwork is maybe a little inaccurate. If she stood up on her back legs, she could easily put her paws on a Matoran's shoulders and touch her nose to their chin.

[northmarch]

I’ve had a thought. So in the Kingdom!AU, the Skrall probably won. Without Mata Nui, even if the Agori tribes had rallied against them it probably wouldn’t have been enough. The Skrall conquer southern Bara Magna and when the Battera make it pasts the mountains, well. This could be really angsty but The Kingdom always had sort of a ‘hopeful tragedy’ vibe to it. Like, no matter how bad things get ‘life finds a way’.

Maybe most of the main Glatorian survived. The Agori are enslaved but the Glatorian and a few others make it to the desert. They manage an alliance with Malum and the Vorox. Enemy of my enemy. And over the next 2000 years build a sizeable resistance. Probably get some discontent Skrall and Rock Agori on their side too.

The Battera may or may not be an issue? Tuma knows how to avoid them now but I don’t think he’d ever order his armies to just disarm themselves.

By the time the MU survivors make it to Bara Magna the two sides have probably been at a stalemate for a while. But it’s obvious that even if the fighting stopped immediately, the planet couldn’t sustain everyone for long.

Thankfully the Matoran are able to refuel their ships and make it to Bota Magna. Or something in the Valley of the Maze transports a team there. But they don’t stay, no.

In canon the Great Beings were supposed to build an additional giant robot to help Mata Nui repair the planet. It never showed so he had to reassemble the Prototype instead. My headcanon is that they did complete the Robit and have it buried somewhere under the Northern Frost. (That’s how I imagine the GBs would end up leaving Spherus Magna at the end of Greg’s GB Civil War arc). They commandeer the Rob3t and pick up all their friends before going off to find a new world to colonise away from the dying world and war mongers.

Sorta bringing the GSR concept back around to the abandoned colony ship idea.

[quantomeno]

this is quite a funny little observation

perhaps it was just an easy way to get names which were legally ok and fitted in with previous names

Bionicle naming is quite interesting as you can see all the sorts of trends that happened:

'01-'03: real-world names/names derived from languages. We start to get more original names with things like the Bohrok and the Rahkshi, but otherwise I think the vast majority of names are just foreign words. There was also the Tohunga/Matoran change (and other similar changes) where you get more made-up names.

'04-'05: excluding carried over names (the great disk matoran, the Toa Metru), these names are pretty much entirely new. The Metru arc really loves its Ks (Bordakh, Tahtorak, Lhikan, Krekka, Nidhiki, Vahki, Sidorak, Keetongu, Norik, Roodaka, Visorak, Kikanalo etc) and that's likely why the 'Kra-' prefix became a favoured way to make new names. Stick a 'kra' on the front of an old name and bam, you have a name that matches this era's style while also fitting in with the old stuff and it takes less effort than an entirely new name. K had always been a common letter though (Kakama, Vakama, Nokama, Pakari, Kaukau, Akaku, Takua, Rahkshi, Bohrok, Gukko, Muaka, Kofu-Jaga, Ahkmou etc), so you could say they chose it just to continue the previous trend. It also remained a common letter, so at least there's consistency.

'06-08: this era more or less continues this trend, though I am not 100% sure which names were decided when. The Piraka have a theme of short, punchy names (again, lots of Ks). But you also have Umbra, Axonn and Brutaka who are all puns in some way, and the same goes for the Barraki (Eehlek, Kalamar), the Av-Matoran (Photok, Solek) and a lot of the Makuta (Chirox, Vamprah, Mutran) so the names are more overt references. The Metru names had meaning derived from sound only (except perhaps Dume, who sounds like 'doom') e.g. Sidorak: the S sounds sneaky, the 'dor' sounds a bit proud, the ak sounds evil. The Voyatorans seem to just be random mixes of sounds, but the Mahritoran are sometimes puns (Gar and Idris being the most obvious). Hydraxon and Hydruka seem to be plays on 'hydro'. We also get a lot of names for big characters around this time (Karzahni, Teridax, Artakha, Tren Krom) and they tend to be just 'sound' names. And we can't forget the Order of Mata Nui names that are largely plays on the names of Bionicle artists etc (Jerbraz, Tobduk etc).

'09-'10: now, while we do have naming trends similar to those of MU characters (Strakk, Skrall, Tarduk), a lot of the Agori/Glatorian/vehicle names sound distinctly pseudo-Roman or are just directly Latin words (Vastus (vast in Latin), Metus (fear in Latin), Stronius, Certavus, Kaxium, Thornatus, Vulcanus (Roman god of fire), Malum (Latin for bad/evil), Perditus (Latin for ruined/lost), Telluris (the genitive case of Tellus, meaning Earth). Even Spherus/Aqua/Bota/Bara Magna are based on Latin words. I expect this was to play into the whole 'gladiator' theme going on. Thus, we seem to have come a full circle and returned to just using foreign words to make names.

It's interesting how it goes real words/names -> totally new names -> some puns and foreign words -> even more foreign words. I suppose after so many names you start to run out of ideas (or get tired of it) and given the whole kra- thing that started this discussion, it seems that happened pretty fast.

Kra

Anyone have any idea what was up with all the "Kra" names in 2004? Like seriously, all the Toa Mata's names get remixed with Kra at the beginning, is that supposed to mean something?

Like seriously

Tahu > Kraahu

Gali > Kralhi

Pohatu > Kraatu

Kopaka > Krahka

Lewa > Kraawa

Onua > Kranua

What is happening here. Both Toa Metru combiners, both Vahki combiners, a dinky little polybag set I'm not sure was actually released, and the 6-Toa combiner model Rahi all share this bizarre pattern. Is this supposed to mean something? It feels important, but it's not like anything comes of this, as far as I know. And like okay, some of these are kind of a stretch, but it's weird this pattern can be made at all, right? And even without it, that's still a lot of Kra names! But why?

And it doesn't even stop there, because look what happened in 2005!

Takua > Krakua

(Honestly I'm mostly just confused about why I didn't notice this earlier)

[siren-darkocean]

Mata Kids AU Time!

The Soul Bounds

When Mata Nui made his children (or rather when he made Gali and Onua first) he had an idea for a soul type of bond for him to keep an eye on his children's well being while he was in his main GRS body and his children could keep an eye on the well being of each other

While this does have its downsides as well as when Mata Nui was on the brink of death the Toa Nuva and Takanuva were able to feel it horribly like their hearthstone mechanics were being manipulated with very painfully almost like a heart attack

This ties with Offering AU as well as Ackar is able to feel that while he is on Bara Magna

Though with this as well the siblings and Mata are able to "pull" their strings of the soul bond to let the others of it know they were alives

Mata Nui uses this while he is the hidden lab underneath Tajun to reassure his children he is alive and somewhat safe to the very much needed relief of his kids and found out that Lewa was on Bota Magna with it

Even while resting inside the Ignika after reforming Spherus Magna and returning life Mata Nui occasionally does so to reassure his children that he was still alive

[sepublic]

Bota Magna Speculation

         Let’s talk about the cancelled Bota Magna arc of Bionicle.

         We know the general synopsis of the Valley of the Maze arc, which would’ve had its own film as a sequel to The Legend Reborn. We can see how 2009 laid the groundwork for what should’ve been 2010; There’s the mention of the Element Lords, as well as Tarduk’s quest. There’s emphasis on the maze and the Skrall, the setup of the Baterra that Tuma is struggling with, as well as the map that alludes to the Great Volcano up north; Later revealed to be artificial and housing a power source used in the Prototype Robot.

         But I’m curious about the Bota Magna arc… The synopsis of the fifth film –which keep in mind was a rough draft- ended with the Great Volcano erupting, unleashing its power source in an arc of energy that would strike the Prototype Robot and power it. By this point, it’s ready for Mata Nui to control, thus setting the stage for the final battle with Makuta. However, Mata Nui is unable to do this, because he, Kiina, and Ackar are diverted to the jungle moon of Bota Magna instead.

         I questioned what was even the point of the Bota Magna arc beyond presumable filler, an attempt to sell Bionicle dinosaurs as toys; We know that’s what Bota Magna would’ve had, hence Reign of Shadows mentioning biomechanical dinosaurs. And I presume Bara Magna’s Rock Steeds were the prelude to these dinosaurs, likely beasts who were left behind on Bara Magna and managed to survive in the desert.

         But there’s an important plot thread set up multiple times in TLR, as well as the previous Bionicle saga; The Great Beings. We never get to see them show up despite all this buildup of finding them, and the Yesterday Quest has our team of protagonists search for the Great Beings… In Bota Magna. And it’s clear that Greg is trying to write in some cancelled concepts from the original years of 2010 and 2011 for Bionicle; The Element Lords being Velika’s generals is likely to make up for how they were robbed of being 2010’s main villains.

         And while a lot of things are just Greg inserting stuff into canon for the heck of it, there’s also the confirmation of at least one Great Being on Bota Magna; The one cursed by the Ignika, which also plays a central role in the Bara Magna arc, despite its soft reboot nature. Thus, aside from pulling in buyers with the allure of dinosaurs, I think the Bota Magna arc would’ve served as the long-awaited introduction of the Great Beings, and likely wrapped up a lot of questions and origins for Mata Nui and the Great Spirit Robot.

         After all, what else is there to do, when the Prototype Robot is fully-powered and ready to go by the end of 2010? What narrative reason is there to divert and delay Mata Nui from his quest, when he should otherwise be ready to fight Makuta… Besides the Great Beings? The Bota Magna arc would’ve brought in the Great Beings, and the dinosaurs would’ve been additional worldbuilding that leads up to their presence; It’s confirmed that the Great Beings modified fauna such as the Skopio or Iron Wolves, after all. So the region where they were located would, presumably, suffer the most from their science.

         Mata Nui’s quest for closure on the Great Beings likely would’ve put him at odds with the Glatorian and Agori who despise technology. Their armor is ‘synthetic’, being a fusion of metal and plantlife, and they wield tools of similar substances, as well as stone. In addition to dinosaurs, we probably would’ve gotten some Glatorian-Agori sets with new armor and weapon pieces that reflect this symbiotic nature, likely dual-molded.

         Thus, while Mata Nui has to grapple with dinosaurs, he inevitably earns the ire of the Bota Magna Glatorian and Agori when he brings up the Great Beings. And the presence of said Great Beings probably means that the Glatorian-Agori were at odds with them for a while, post-Shattering. Mata Nui might’ve eventually called the Great Beings out on their meddling with nature, and how their projects have potentially harmed Bota Magna and given its inhabitants more reason to be distrustful of them.

         Not only that, but we might’ve gotten to see the Skrall homeland, which we know was on Bota Magna. Thus, it’s possible we could’ve gotten a set or two regarding Bota Magna Skrall, or it could just be a brief detail that Greg threw in, that wouldn’t factor into the primary storyline that much. There’s also the Northern Frost, where the Ignika was cooled, also located on Bota Magna; So both locations may have been planned for the cancelled 2011 arc.

         Now I want to get onto the Mask of Life. As I mentioned, it was brought over with Mata Nui as part of the soft reboot nature of the Magna saga, and its deadly powers have been showcased; Imbuing weapons with elemental energy, transforming living things, and so forth. While the Cursed Being was introduced way back in 2006, I think he would’ve been brought back in 2011, as the story was nevertheless still exploring the power of the Mask of Life. So while Bota Magna finally shows us the Great Beings, in doing so this arc explores the origins of Mata Nui… As well as the Mask of Life he’s wearing. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a place vital to Ignika’s creation, as well as a Great Being afflicted by it, is all here.

         And given how verdant Bota Magna is, teeming with all sorts of biodiversity, it probably would’ve been a setting to further explore the Mask of Life’s full potential. It's got plenty of life to work with, as well as a Great Being who could give insight into its creation, with the Northern Frost providing additional lore. This Cursed Being could’ve been an antagonist as well, possibly bearing ill will against the Mask of Life and wanting it destroyed or removed, which would of course put him at odds with Mata Nui.

         Who knows? If the Mask of Life was going to become more relevant and have its origins explored with Mata Nui’s on Bota Magna… Maybe its consciousness, as Ignika the person, would finally return! Given how Mata Nui’s arc is about learning to be a better leader and make up for his neglect, perhaps we would’ve seen Ignika continue his storyline of becoming a proper hero, and owning up to his mistakes; Possibly resolving things with the Cursed Being and freeing him of his curse as apology, setting up parallels with Mata Nui with taking responsibility. They are physically intertwined with one another, after all, to the point where Mata Nui is associated with Ignika, and Ignika has the GSR on its visage too!

         Now, Kabrua and his Vorox. This is possibly just a thing Greg threw in of his own volition, but maybe it’s not! The Vorox did get a hard deal back on Bara Magna, and Mata Nui represents Sand; He’s the closest thing to a Glatorian Legend set for the Vorox that we’d get, his first encounter is against one, and his sword made from its stinger! Mata Nui is thematically tied to the Vorox in that sense.

         They may not have had sets, but perhaps Kabrua and his Vorox would be antagonists, having a grudge on the Glatorian because they… Somehow know how their brethren on Bara Magna have been treated? Okay that’s kinda weak, but maybe there’s communication tech that told them, since Velika had that. Kabrua possibly recognizes Mata Nui’s sword as a Vorox stinger and is made even more hostile as a result.

         As a growing ruler, Mata Nui takes it upon himself to help the Vorox, making peace with Kabrua; The Mask of Life, whose potential is being explored here, is offered as a possible solution. Given how it made Icarax devolve as a Makuta, perhaps Ignika could do the same/reverse, undoing the degeneration of the Vorox. Now it’s possible Kabrua actually tries to take the Ignika away from Mata Nui for this purpose, and this is another reason for conflict, rather than a solution to it; Getting some old Barraki vibes here…

         Finally, there’s one more thing I want to discuss, and that’s the infamous Earth Tribe. Now, it’s possible that this was never planned, and Greg just made it up out of nowhere to throw the fans a bone with new story content, that sort of thing. But based on what we know about the Earth Tribe, as well as the Valley of the Maze film… I think the Earth Tribe was, for the most part, a planned part of the Bota Magna arc.

         The first hint is the presence of Tera, a Glatorian of the Earth Tribe. They would’ve been in the Valley of the Maze film, and I don’t think Greg misremembered Tera’s element, either. The fifth film’s climax would’ve had our protagonists open a door requiring all of the elements, though Iron was unfortunately left out as always. Hence, that’s why the characters of ‘Buckethead’ the Skrall, Oris the Jungle Glatorian, Likus of Ice, would’ve been included; They fulfill elemental quotas. And I don’t think the toy designers and story writers would want to include a redundant protagonist.

         Because Buckethead has so much of a role in the Valley of the Maze film, I doubt Tera was meant to take his place as Rock, and Greg made a mistake; Their name invokes Terra, meaning Earth to begin with! And I don’t think they were meant to be Sand, either- Mata Nui fulfills that role, he’s literally made of Sand and arguably more Element Lord than Glatorian. I think Greg remembered Tera’s element properly, that there was going to be a new tribe, the Earth Tribe, introduced- And Tera would be our setup to this ‘new’ element.

         Their character could’ve also been a potential source of exposition, one foreshadowing and building up to the reveal of the Earth Tribe, for their proper role in the Bota Magna arc. I’m guessing we would’ve learned from Tera how the Earth Tribe didn’t participate in the Core War, with the Earth Lord’s machinations possibly laid outright, or saved to be revealed in 2011. If the Earth Lord’s evil isn’t known by this point, it’s possible Mata Nui and co. would assume the Earth Tribe as good thanks to their experience with Tera. We might’ve seen the Earth Tribe welcome them in with open arms, only for the Earth Lord’s evil to be revealed, as she plans to use Mata Nui for her own nefarious purposes.

         Perhaps she would’ve been after the Great Beings, just want to control Bota Magna, etc. While the other Glatorian-Agori of Bota Magna are shown to be paranoid, it’s possible some deadly foreshadowing would occur, with a few warning Mata Nui and revealing the Earth Tribe’s machinations; Only to be dismissed as ignorant savages. Alas, just because Tera was good, doesn’t mean the rest of their tribe is… They’re introduced in the same year as Buckethead, who is also a good representative of an antagonistic tribe.

         We know from Greg that the Earth Tribe would’ve had brown and black coloration, and their motif is agriculture. Their connection to Earth would’ve been about soil for farming, rather than mining; And in canon, they cited their lack of participation in the Core War as concern for the planet and nature. The Earth Tribe would probably be initially presented as harmless, nature-loving hippies, and the Earth Lord as a ‘good’ Element Lord, a Mother Nature-esque figure… Only for the Earth Tribe’s true colors to be revealed. The Earth Lord would take on the role of a Gaia-esque figure, perhaps a vengeful Mother Earth, though I’m not sure if she’d care about the planet like an actual Mother Earth character would.

         The nature-loving motif of the Earth Tribe also places them well at home on Bota Magna, and in canon, most of their population was stranded on the jungle moon. That makes them an even better fit for Bota Magna, and thus gives more reason to believe they were planned as part of the Bota Magna arc as a whole. Since I speculate we would’ve gotten more lore and information about the origins of the series, the Earth Lord’s machinations in orchestrating the Core War would tie well into this.

         Her control over soil would make the Earth Lord very deadly; Possibly allowing her to pull more weight than an individual Element Lord normally did in the previous year, thanks to suitable terrain. Her element’s connection to nature through the soil it grows in would be weaponized, to make the Earth Lord an antagonist well-suited to the setting; But not as OP as the Jungle Lord. Thus, the Earth Lord is connected enough to nature to be a threat in a verdant world, but not SO connected as to be unstoppable.

         Hence, the Jungle Lord can’t be on Bota Magna because he’d be too powerful there, so we have Earth, an element close enough to elevate the Earth Lord over her brethren and justify herself as a separate threat and not just a rehash of 2010’s antagonists, but again; Not too connected to the environment as to be OP. This narrative balance would help the protagonists, and perhaps we would’ve seen Mata Nui and co. explore the treetops of Bota Magna to get away from the Earth Lord’s reach, thus setting up the introduction for Pterosaurs. In addition to her narrative weight as an orchestrator and connection to Bota Magna, I imagine the Earth Lord would’ve further stood out from her brethren thanks to having an actual army to work with; Her tribe still serves her.

         Who knows, perhaps through the Earth Lord we would’ve learned about the origins of Energized Protodermis, and gotten further lore on this substance that caused it all. We could’ve learned more about Protodermis and its connection to its energized variant, which would be further topical as Protodermis is the literal building block of the Matoran Universe, Mata Nui’s own body. Thus, the conflict with the Earth Tribe gives Mata Nui and the audience more lore regarding Energized Protodermis, its nature, and even its contributions to his own body.

         Going into further speculation, perhaps Mata Nui would’ve needed to address the existence of Energized Protodermis; Is it a necessary evil? It caused this Core War, but perhaps it wouldn’t have happened if not for the Earth Lord. HIS people didn’t start wars over it, so it’s possible the issue really is just in society and its unity, and not in the substance. Perhaps Mata Nui would contemplate what to do with Energized Protodermis, and maybe its consciousness would’ve also been reintroduced, similar to Ignika as the unnoticed mind of a powerful force. Perhaps the Energized Protodermis Entity would be revealed to be a puppetmaster of even the Earth Lord, forcing Mata Nui to defeat it.

         It’s worth noting that in canon, energized protodermis is used to stabilize the GSR’s power source; And we know the Prototype Robot’s power source is unstable itself. This fact is brought up in our canon final battle but ultimately does little other than explain why the Prototype blew up to begin with… But I have to wonder if in addition to closure on the Great Beings, the Bota Magna arc would’ve brought much-needed energized protodermis. Thus, Mata Nui returns to Bara Magna with the substance, allowing him to stabilize his Prototype Robot, so he doesn’t have to worry about it exploding again.

         This would be another contribution to the Prototype Robot’s reassembling, and further justify the Bota Magna arc, when Mata Nui seemingly already has what he needs to fight Makuta. Not that Bionicle has ever concerned itself too much with ‘narrative importance’, but regardless. The Magna saga seems to have been the story team’s attempts at telling a more concise story that’s easier to keep track of, hence the mainline films; So maybe they had this stuff in mind.

So to put in order my speculation on what was planned for the Bota Magna arc;

         Mata Nui and co. land on Bota Magna. They encounter biomechanical dinosaurs, seeing the works of the Great Beings before their very eyes. Their goal is to head back to Bara Magna, but they get into conflict with the Glatorian-Agori who hate technology, whose sets introduce new dual-molded pieces meant to represent metal and plantlife.

         These antagonists would reveal the presence of the Great Beings, thus incentivizing Mata Nui to find them as a way off Bota Magna, and to also get further aid and much-needed closure. We probably would’ve had an arc of Kiina adjusting to Bota Magna, since her whole deal was escaping the planet; Maybe she’d accept it, maybe she’d learn not to take her old home for granted. Perhaps Kiina would come to the conclusion that Bota and Bara Magna suck, leading to despair; Only for Mata Nui to bring hope when he learns from the Great Beings how he can bring new life to Spherus Magna after reforming it.

         He possibly learns this when exploring the Mask of Life’s origins; He finds the Northern Frost where it was cooled. The consciousness of Ignika might return, to take responsibility in parallel to Mata Nui; Either way, these intertwined characters have both of their origins and pasts explored. The Cursed Being shows up, separate from his brethren, and is a likely antagonist and source of lore regarding Ignika, and a neat callback to 2006. To show how he’s a better ruler now, Mata Nui might free the Great Being of his curse; Perhaps he’ll reflect on how he treated Makuta as well, in parallel to Ignika.

         We would’ve explored the Skrall homeland, possibly providing further closure to the Rock Tribe back on Bara Magna; Maybe Buckethead would help the scattered Skrall rehabilitate and learn to coexist with the Agori tribes, and Tuma may join in on this, or continue to be a background threat like in the fifth film. Mata Nui informs the Bota Magna Skrall that there’s peace now, no more reason to fight.

         Kabrua and his tribe might show up, caring about their Vorox brethren back on Bara Magna; Thus, they have reason to be adversarial with our protagonists. They may or may not desire the Mask of Life, which might make or break Mata Nui’s conflict with Kabrua, regardless he’ll cure the Vorox anyway because he’s a good person. Given the Skrall’s penchant for enslaving Vorox, we might see the Bota Magna Skrall and Vorox fight a bit, with Mata Nui caught between and having to navigate this as well, hoping for both factions to make amends after meeting Buckethead.

         Finally, we’d roll around to the Earth Tribe, the hidden tribe from whom Tera’s existence sets up. Not only was Tera a good person, but this Earth Tribe seems to be kind, nature-loving hippies who care for the planet, hence why they never participated in the Core War. Even their Element Lord is good, a benevolent Mother Earth figure, hence why she’s still on good terms with her tribe unlike the rest of her brethren.

         However, something’s amiss about this group… Perhaps the tech-hating Agori/Vorox warn Mata Nui, but their previous antagonism makes the protagonists skeptical. Perhaps we’d see a common trope where all but one of the protagonists buys the act; Maybe Kiina would, wanting to believe in this new world she found, or she’d be suspicious of the Earth Lord, having professed her own wariness of the Water Lord in 2010. This leads to drama between the protagonists over whether or not to trust the Earth Tribe.

         From the Great Beings and Earth Lord, we learn more of the Core War, the Great Spirit Robot’s creation, Ignika’s past, and so forth. The importance of energized protodermis is brought up in all of this, and Mata Nui realizes he needs some if he doesn’t want his Prototype Robot back on Bara Magna to explode when he takes control. The danger of energized protodermis is something Mata Nui struggles with, and its consciousness possibly reveals itself as the final antagonist behind it all.

         The Earth Tribe’s treachery and machinations are revealed; Our protagonists have to evade the Earth Lord, maybe head to the treetops and encounter some pterosaurs. Mata Nui probably exercises his leadership in befriending the Bota Magna Agori, forming an alliance with them against the Earth Tribe, who seek to exploit the Great Beings, Mask of Life, and energized protodermis for themselves; He cites how the Earth Tribe caused this Core War, after all.

         Perhaps the Bota Magna Agori didn’t know the truth of the Earth Tribe, but learning this helps them stop blaming technology for the Core War, but instead the true culprits. Thus, Mata Nui makes peace with the Bota Magna Agori, who are less hostile to technology now. Kabrua and his Vorox might recognize the Earth Lord as the domino effect cause of their brethren’s degeneration, and ally with Mata Nui and the Bota Magna Skrall against a common enemy, just like the Agori Tribes against the Skrall in 2009; And/or, Kabrua’s Vorox ally with the Earth Tribe since they also hate Mata Nui and his friends, only for that to inevitably fall apart.

         Mata Nui learns about how the Earth Tribe has the last source of energized protodermis -with the rest being under Makuta’s control inside the Matoran Universe- thereby setting another goal and victory in defeating the Earth Lord, which he of course does. Mata Nui now has the substance he needs to properly rival his arch-nemesis. The Energized Protodermis Entity, set up as far back as a seemingly inconsequential side story from 2004, probably not even planned to be important like the substance it embodies, is potentially resolved; Revealed as a man behind the man for the Earth Lord. Maybe it even acts as an Element Lord of Protodermis, a final antagonist of that species after two years of fighting them.

         Mata Nui finds closure from the Great Beings, who may or may not ally with him; They probably go off into space as Greg planned for the canon story serials. The Great Beings might leave information and resources to help Mata Nui with, either at the end of the final battle, or they skedaddle right before. Either way, Mata Nui fully understands his mission now, and he has a swanky new spaceship to fly back to Bara Magna; Maybe it’s the Red Star, which the Great Beings call over from Aqua Magna.

         Its importance IS set up in Riddle of the Great Beings, and was tied to the Valley of the Maze; Maybe the Great Volcano was used to launch it into space alongside the GSR? Maybe the Red Star is where the Great Beings have always been, monitoring the Matoran Universe but unable to do anything to help besides create the Toa Inika. On Bota Magna, Mata Nui might activate a signal that calls the Red Star to him, where the Great Beings emerge and explain it all; Fans have speculated the Red Star would’ve contained the Great Beings in early 2001 concepts.  

         Kiina realizes she doesn’t have to choose between Bara and Bota Magna, because all three fragments will be reunited once more; She can still visit her old friends, like Berix and Gresh! The peoples of Bota and Bara Magna reunite, the Skrall reconcile with the Agori with the help of Buckethead, and Mata Nui stays true to his word and uses Ignika to heal the minds of the Vorox. Malum and Kabrua’s interactions are left up in the air, and as for the Earth Tribe…

         Well, given the more positive and kid-friendly direction of the intended ‘Magna Trilogy’ of films, I imagine the Earth Tribe would also learn to make amends; Not everyone is bad, our first introduction to them is Tera! With Tera, we might see members of the Earth Tribe who want to just peacefully coexist, who are sick of the Earth Lord’s scheming. Thus, Skrall and Earth Tribe parallel one another, and join the Agori alliance with the Vorox.

         Thus, the Bota Magna arc ends. This sounds like a lot, so maybe it’d take place across two years, like Bara Magna beforehand. Either way, the ultimate battle is finally set up; Mata Nui’s Prototype Robot is ready for him to control and fight Makuta with. The matter of the Great Beings is settled, and we actually get to explore Bota Magna as a setting. Lore, origins, and backstory are clarified here, instead of being subcontracted to a graphic novel.

         Given how the Agori have been living inside of the Prototype Robot’s pieces, I have to wonder… Would they act as its workers, as a counterpart to the Matoran and other biomechanicals of the GSR? It’d make sense in-universe, perhaps Mata Nui learns from the Great Beings that the Prototype failed because it lacked energized protodermis and workers to maintain it. 

        It’d also be thematically fitting; Mata Nui fails the people of his old body, so he makes up for it and returns in a new body, with a new following of workers with whom he’s properly engaged with and united. This puts him at odds with Makuta, who has the biomechanicals, and contrasts in his tyrannical rule over them, a dark echo to Mata Nui as a terrible god. Mata Nui’s relationship with the Agori reassures the Matoran that their Great Spirit isn’t going to fail them again.

         This does place potential complications in Mata Nui and Makuta’s final battle, of course; Now Mata Nui has to make sure the Agori inside of him aren’t hurt, either! Maybe the final battle would have both robots emptied of its inhabitants; This harms Makuta’s GSR as his workers are gone, giving Mata Nui a much-needed edge. It also allows the smaller inhabitants, the Agori and Matoran, to fight on ground-level against Makuta’s armies, in parallel to the battle of titans above.

        Perhaps we’d see Mata Nui successfully reunite Spherus Magna before he has to fight Makuta; Which of course brings Makuta to him anyway, because now they’re on the same celestial object. Then we have what Bionicle Stars should’ve been, as a proper conclusion that bridges the Matoran Universe and Magna storylines, while also not being rushed.

[kalhiki-art]

The Legend Reborn

(a slightly alternate take on Mata Nui’s arrival to Bara Magna)