32 replies to this topic

[LordofBionicles]

What´s up fellow BZPer's? LordofBionicles here again!

 

Well, throughout the entire lifespan of BIONICLE we were talked about this "Time before time" period over and over, If I´m not mistaken it refers to the time when the Great Cataclysm struck, although I´m having my doubts, could you please help me? what do you think?

[Vakama-san]

I'm pretty sure it just means 'a long time ago', emphasizing that it was, well, a really long time ago.

[T.B.O.C]

Pretty sure it was pre-MU. "The Great Spirit descended from the heavens..."

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

[Makuta Matata]

It was about the time when the GBs created the Matoran and Mata Nui, I think. 

[Cratak]

I have always presumed that this meant Pre-Mindwipe. Thus, they could say this to the Matoran (and later Toa) without them wondering if the Turaga were telling them the truth.

[The Iron Toa]

Keetongu was described as being hidden since the Time Before Time, when I think it was only a few hundred years. So I think it's just a colloquial term for 'a long time ago' or 'who-knows-how-long ago'.

[The Darkest Hunter]

If one takes it literally, it could be the time period predating the completion of the Vahi. Took place around the same time as the Great Cataclysm, if I'm not wrong, so it could have a double meaning.

[northmarch]

I believe it means before Mata Nui first awoke 100 000 years ago. Though for the purpose keeping the Matoran's origins secret on Mata Nui (island), the turaga used it to reffer to pre great cataclism.

I suppose it could reffer to any time before the current era. E.g.: during the reign of the barraki anything before their rise would be the time before time. Now anything before the melding was in the time before time ( which is almost all of Bionicle).

[Dual Matrix]

Both the time before Mata-Nui and the time before the mind-sweep.

 

eg. the Bohrok wanted to make the island like it was in the time bofore time(before the great cataclysm)

[Master Inika]

I believe Greg once implied it referred to the time before the Great Cataclysm, but that isn't really plausible since Nuju claimed in Web of Shadows that Keetongu has not been since the Time Before Time -- which was, at the time, only a few weeks ago at most.

 

The Bahrag claim to seek to make Mata Nui as it was, in their own words, in the Before-Time. Combined with other hints, it probably means pre-Shattering.

[Toa of Nerds]

Perhaps it was before Mata-Nui was built by the Great Beings.

 

-don't touch my pocket protector

[ZHX]

I just assume it means a really long time these days, especially seeing all the situations it's been used in.

[Katuko]

It seems to me that those who use the expression refer to the time they consider to be "before" the current era. The exact definition can vary.

On Mata Nui, the Turaga seemed to mean pre-Cataclysm. The Bahrag appeared to use this as the baseline as well, since the "before-time" of the island would be when it was still barren, and it was only created right after the Great Cataclysm in the first place. Within the Toa Metru's stories, however, "Time Before Time" is even further back, either back to the point where none of them even existed (as per their telling of the Great Beings) or at least as far back as anyone can remember (Keetongu's disappearance, in one case).

It'd be interesting to know if this particular expression stems from the Great Beings, if they used similar terms to describe their "eras".

[Dual Matrix]

Well, the dutch translation of the time before time is "the time before OUR time" this was used in the three movies and explains a lot about the fact the word just means, before now.

[Lyichir]

A part of me wonders if it could literally mean the time before the creation of the Mask of Time, at which point the status quo in Metru Nui was forever altered, and Makuta's plan to put Mata Nui to sleep was put into action. However, it's more likely to simply mean "the time before what the Matoran of Mata Nui remembered," or in a sense, prehistory.

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

I think it's fairly clear that the "time before time" refers somewhat nebulously to the period before any written historical records, whenever that is for the person speaking. For the Matoran of Mata Nui, the "time before time" was the period before the Great Cataclysm, since as far as they knew (and as far as the Turaga would tell them) the only record of what had transpired before they arrived on the island was the oral tradition of the Legend of Mata Nui. For those living on Metru Nui, it was some time far earlier. So as Lyi says, just a more flowery way of saying "prehistory".

[The Iron Toa]

According to BS01, Keetongu hid on Metru Nui after his people were wiped out by Visorak. That was '1300 years ago', so around 300 BGC. That's definitely not prehistory. But since only rumors were known about him, those rumors could be twisted into legends of him being seen long ago.

[GBV]

I'm pretty sure that the "time before time" was during the Metru Nui period and before that, too.

[Kooler186]

I believed the "Time Before Time" actually means before the reformation of Spherus Magna & Turage Vakama is telling the story of Bionicle to the Glatorian and Agori. This means the Lego Movie Trilogy is not him telling the Matoran and Toa, but those they have decided to live together with on their "Island Paradise."

[Fallen Silence]

I think it initially was used to mean the time before the Great Cataclysm, but later on was used to describe the period before Mata Nui was first awakened. I think (correct me if I'm wrong) in the second film, Vakama once talked about the events of the film as happening in the time before time.

[fishers64]

I always thought it was "time before humans existed." Our time. But since Bionicle has nothing to do with humans as confirmed by Greg, not. 

 

Probably more logically, it means "time before we knew time existed." It would refer to the time before the Matoran attained sapience. 

[Dralcax]

Pre-mindwipe I think it referred to before the MU was created/completed, as Keetongu could very well have been placed there from the very beginning, and there would have been no recorded history prior to that point. Post-mindwipe, on Mata Nui, the Turaga used it to mean pre-mindwipe times to the same effect, as the Matoran had no memory of their lives on Metru Nui. So basically, "The time before time" means "Before any history we know of".

[Strack]

"the time before time" Probably means the time before the great catalclysm, to tell the matoran on mata nui "Okay guys, this is a pretty long time ago" as they didn't have things such as before the Matoran Civil War.

[NuvaTube]

It would probably mean before the MU was activated, but then evolved to mean "A long time ago"

[slifer3000]

Pretty sure it was pre-MU. "The Great Spirit descended from the heavens..."

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

That happened 1,000 years ago, not 100,000. 100,000 is the MU beginning. 

 

But that begs a question too, does that mean the matoran of Voya-Nui were living on the surface of Mata-Nui while they were in space? 

[TNT-Vezon with an Olmak]

The Voya-toran were never in space. Voya Nui shot up from the Southern Continent in the Great Cataclysm and landed in the waters above the Pit.

[Takua Dragonstar7]

Pretty sure it was pre-MU. "The Great Spirit descended from the heavens..."
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

That happened 1,000 years ago, not 100,000. 100,000 is the MU beginning. 
 
But that begs a question too, does that mean the matoran of Voya-Nui were living on the surface of Mata-Nui while they were in space? 

The Great Spirit is the MU. So 100,000 years is correct. And about your question, Voya Nui was not on the surface, it was floating on Aqua Magna, with water between them. And that's not really "in space". Aqua Magna is in space, but technically Spherus Magna and the MU (after it was launched) were always in space.

[slifer3000]

So the MU had its own atmosphere while in space?

Im referring to when Mata-Nui was floating in space before he dropped 

Edited by slifer3000, Mar 06 2013 - 09:41 PM.

[Takua Dragonstar7]

I guess they were referring to the creation of it/him. When he "dropped", the Turaga (Toa Metru at the time), was heading towards the island of Mata Nui (newly created), so they wouldn't really know.

[slifer3000]

I am more willing to believe the descension of Mata-Nui was the time before time though, since that's as far as the matoran knew.

[fishers64]

So the MU had its own atmosphere while in space?

Im referring to when Mata-Nui was floating in space before he dropped 

 

Yes, it did. 

 

I am more willing to believe the descension of Mata-Nui was the time before time though, since that's as far as the matoran knew.

 

Yes, for the Mata Nui Matoran who lost their memories, anyway.