Usefulness of Rahi

[Toa Zaz]

So, the whole thing with the Makuta is that they were jealous that the Matoran held greater respect for Mata Nui than for them, even though they made all these Rahi that were supposedly beneficial to their lives. What beneficial Rahi? I mean, I guess Ussal crabs are useful for pulling carts or riding or whatever... even though Matoran are technologically advanced enough to build robots and airships, so vehicles without the need of Rahi to pull them don't seem like a far-off concept. And on Mata Nui, some of the Matoran rode Rahi as part of their militias, but the Matoran weren't even supposed to leave the technologically advanced Metru Nui, anyway. Most of the other Rahi are all some kind of dangerous monsters. Even on Metru Nui, whenever there's a Rahi chances are it's something dangerous, so it gets taken by the Vahki and frozen in the archives. So then what purpose do Rahi serve, anyway? And why were the Makuta assigned the task of creating them? It seems like a poorly thought-out plot point to me.

[Dralcax]

(BS01 is down, so pardon my stupidity)

 

Wasn't it mentioned that the Kikalano helped recycle protodermis in Po-Metru? Most Rahi have a niche, even if it wasn't directly established. It probably works similarly to our ecosystem, especially in the undersea biome. For example, the Hydruka. They feed on Airweed. This releases bubbles of air. The bubbles probably float up to the surface to provide oxygen to the MU atmosphere. Another example might be the Tahtorak. It might have been some kind of steed or guard animal to protect the Matoran. Even the Tarakava functions as a predator in order to keep other Rahi populations low so that they do not crowd out the Matoran by competing for things such as food or territory.

[Omega12]

Well, Matoran could "eat" rahi like fish. Also Kketongu was good with reversing poisens. You could say the same about animals, why are they here? You have to take into account the bigger picture.

Edited June 27, 2013 by Omega12

[Hexann]

Well, Matoran could "eat" rahi like fish.Also Kketongu was good with reversing poisens.You could say the same about animals, why are they here? You have to take into account the bigger picture.

Exactly what I was going to say.

[bonesiii]

So, the whole thing with the Makuta is that they were jealous that the Matoran held greater respect for Mata Nui than for them, even though they made all these Rahi that were supposedly beneficial to their lives. What beneficial Rahi?

Keep in mind that the primary meaning of "beneficial" was "scare them away from places they shouldn't go, lest they mess up the giant robot that is their universe." It doesn't just mean "unicorns and butterflies" (more like rhinos and horseflies).

 

And all animals, in real life or not, can become problems. We love our pet dogs but you wouldn't want to run into a pack of wild and starving wolves. Plus later on the Makuta made many Rahi to serve as war beasts (including some ordered by the League), intentionally tested dangerous Rahi in Metru Nui (by Mutran during the civil war), and probably made many just out of spite after they had become jealous and later evil.

 

That said, Ussal, Gukko (and the similar large birds), countless mostly unnamed small birds, Ruki and many other small fish, Hoi turtles, Husi, Mahi, and a few more obscure ones come to mind. These may have been made very early in the universe, so the Makuta may have expected the Matoran to appreciate them more than they did.

 

Other seem less dangerous, like maybe Fikou or a lone Gafna.

 

I mean, I guess Ussal crabs are useful for pulling carts or riding or whatever... even though Matoran are technologically advanced enough to build robots and airships, so vehicles without the need of Rahi to pull them don't seem like a far-off concept.

Well, does it really matter? If you have a robot advanced enough to be dependable and even friendly, why not have an Ussal instead? Probably easier to feed an animal than power a robot too. But they did have many robots too, so it seems that at least sometimes they agreed with this thinking. (Of course, the Kralhi and Vahki weren't that great, but there were fire drones and robotic carts and the like.)

 

Most of the other Rahi are all some kind of dangerous monsters. Even on Metru Nui, whenever there's a Rahi chances are it's something dangerous, so it gets taken by the Vahki and frozen in the archives.

But keep in mind that the math here should not work like "count the total number of species and draw a percentage of species that are beneficial". The vast majority could hypothetically be dangerous, etc. yet exist in small numbers, while some beneficial ones could exist in huge numbers and be all over. (Like many portrayals of Hoi for example, when not infected of course.) So everything here in this paragraph could be true, if you count by species types, but by individual numbers under the wider category of Rahi in general, it isn't as true. Countless Rahi were living free in Metru Nui and played various important roles in its ecotechnosystem.

 

On Mata Nui, keep in mind that the Great Cataclysm released many dangerous Archives ones, and these were some percentage of the ones that made their way up there. So that's not a good indicator of the types of Rahi that were normally wandering around Metru Nui.

 

So then what purpose do Rahi serve, anyway? And why were the Makuta assigned the task of creating them? It seems like a poorly thought-out plot point to me.

I find this a strange perspective considering we all live in a world dependent on other forms of life as an ecosystem to function, and the Matoran weren't supposed to know they weren't in that kind of world. I agree with Omega12 on that point. Plus, there's the idea that it's just a more interesting world with creatures inhabiting it, with a "nature" versus all just tech.

 

Keep in mind too that the GBs themselves created many of the most dangerous ones themselves, so clearly they did not merely have in mind unicorns and butterflies.

 

 

 

(BS01 is down, so pardon my stupidity)

 

Wasn't it mentioned that the Kikalano helped recycle protodermis in Po-Metru?

Something like that. They cause buried bits of scrap metal to get up to the surface (how or why is unclear), and Catapult Scorpions eat it. So, for that particular goal, both species are "beneficial", but you still wouldn't want to find yourself in the path of a stampede or the target of some magma being flung.

 

Another example might be the Tahtorak. It might have been some kind of steed or guard animal to protect the Matoran.

It was a steed for Keetongu's species. Not sure they would work well around Matoran though. Keetonguans are incredibly powerful titans.

 

 

If BS01 was up, I'd link you to the Rahi page and recommend you just read through the list one by one, considering the factors I've mentioned above, and judge for yourself. But ultimately, given that the Matoran weren't as appreciative as the Makuta wanted, I don't think the canon means to be saying that the vast majority were wonderful anyways from their perspective, just that that's what the (by contrast incredibly powerful) Makuta (who probably didn't relate well to the very vulnerable Matoran) wished for and didn't get.

Edited June 27, 2013 by bonesiii

[fishers64]

This be a Rahi list: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:yNLCf3oNcPYJ:biosector01.com/wiki/index.php/Rahi+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

*is undeterred by Bs01 being down*

 

Also, not sure that the Rahi creation was the whole story. Beating the Barraki kind of overshadows that they might have done more than we saw. "We got those tyrannical warlords off your backs, now will you please give us some respect?" There might have been more threats to Matoran work than we saw in story; after all, the Makuta had been evil for quite a while then. We saw some shadows of the Frostelus and Zyglak, which could have been a lot worse previously. And there's that little trade deal negotiated with the Vortixx at the beginning of Mutran Chronicles. We never see Matoran thanking the Makuta for negotiating and lowering the prices.

[Makuta Matata]

They basically serve the same purpose as animals do in our world. They're important to the ecosystem. Well most of them, anyway.

[Master Inika]

While Rahi creation was their initial purpose, they started doing more important things pretty early on, like settling trade disputes and protecting the Matoran from other threats. Since the Toa did that, too, and most Toa were once Matoran, the Matoran naturally idolized the Toa as something to aspire to. The Brothrhood felt overshadowed by another, less formal organization, and, well, the Makuta are just obsessed with being appreciated.

[25K Now!]

Rahi could have been created simply because the Great Beings wanted to replicate Spherus Magna and add animals.

[weaselcookie321]

Weren't they created to "fill the motaron universe"?

[fishers64]

Weren't they created to "fill the motaron universe"?

 

The robot was too big, so the Makuta made extra creatures to fill it?