How Should BIONICLE Be Brought Back?

[Manducus]

Bring them back in polybags then gradually increase it to the Zip-Ploc baggies that Hero Factory has.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Kaiser Manducus

[Azani]

I would be in favor of changing the way in which Teridax is killed in the canon. I don't think that his death by a rapid-moving chunk of Aqua Magna really did justice to how impressive of a villain he was. I read at one point that the story team had considered killing Teridax by having Mata Nui rip open his chest; now that would be a fitting end for Makuta.

[fishers64]

I don't know if Lego would be interested in ret-conning stuff for a return - that might annoy some people. *raises hand*

[JAG18]

I don't know if Lego would be interested in ret-conning stuff for a return - that might annoy some people. *raises hand*

While I agree you, they could always act like some makers of movie prequels and "fudge" what happened in the original a bit for the sake of telling a new story (I'm looking at you George Lucas).

 

Of course, I've never liked that approach to story telling too much so *raises picket sign saying "Say no to ret-cons"*.

[Aanchir]

I would be in favor of changing the way in which Teridax is killed in the canon. I don't think that his death by a rapid-moving chunk of Aqua Magna really did justice to how impressive of a villain he was. I read at one point that the story team had considered killing Teridax by having Mata Nui rip open his chest; now that would be a fitting end for Makuta.

And it would be a horrible perversion of the values that make Mata Nui and his followers the good guys. I can't help but shake my head at this and other suggestions that what BIONICLE needed was more gratuitous violence. It's a bitter reminder that a lot of BIONICLE's popularity came from appealing not to mature audiences but to audiences with pretensions of maturity: kids who thought themselves too grown-up for regular LEGO.

 

The most fitting end for a villain like Makuta is generally for them to bring about their own downfall. His end in the official storyline WAS that in a sense, though it wasn't necessarily the most poetic way to carry it out.

 

There's a reason I love more recent themes like Ninjago or The LEGO Movie that are unapologetic about being LEGO, or being toys, or being for kids. It proves the LEGO Group's brand strength that they no longer have to try and hide their involvement in a theme by pushing their logo to the bottom of a package. More importantly, it doesn't encourage the sort of pretensions and arrogance in fans that BIONICLE did. I feel like fans of these themes tend to recognize that they are high quality BECAUSE they are created by LEGO, not in spite of it.

 

Perhaps this sums up my feelings: If BIONICLE comes back, I want it to come back as "LEGO BIONICLE".

Edited March 21, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

[Jakura Nuva]

Here's my opinion.

 

To start off, two things are quite obvious. Firstly, if Bionicle were to return, the sets would not be the same. And secondly, the story could be different. Let me explain, starting with sets.

 

 

There have been numerous rumors about where the molds for the original Bionicle parts have ended up, but bottom line is they will never be used again in sets - even the Kanohi will probably be remolded for new heads if Bionicle returns. So, where does Lego go with this? What I can see is two options.

 

First option is the Hero Factory molds. This has already been used with Hero Factory, Legends of Chima and the Superhero constraction figures. It's a good bet that it would be used for Bionicle's return, too. Obviously, some new armor/mask pieces would be created to differentiate it from the others - just like the different pieces used for the three (well, two) currently running constraction lines. Bottom line, though, is that the same style will most likely be used.

 

Second option, this one less likely, is a completely new mold for Bionicle pieces. This means new limbs, new body piece, etc. TBH, it'd be nice to see limb/torso pieces that could be used with both HF and Bionicle armor pieces. But despite the beneifts of new pieces, this is quite unlikely to happen, though not impossible.

 

So, over all, set design would be different, no question. Old masks may be used, but this seems unlikely. But, who would get featured in the sets may be the question on people's minds. Here's what I see.

 

Again, there are two most likely options. We could get the best of the best from the previous Bionicle line - Tahu, Takanuva, etc., redesigned and revamped in a way that screams modern tech. Villains would most likely be new characters, and Titans may include giant reptilian creatures (from what we saw in the last stories of Bionicle). The problem with this is the same problem that will be explained further in the story section: old characters, new line directed (largely) towards new fans. These people wouldn't know who these characters are.

Or, we could get (this one more ideal) new characters, from new Toa/Glatorian to new Matoran/Agori, the most likely would be the introduction of a new cast. Heck, the name of Bionicle may remain, with heroes, villagers, and villains that aren't what we're used to. Who knows?

 

So, in the end, sets will be undeniably different. No question. Now, is this bad? No, not at all; not for me at least. A good reimagining of Bionicle parts could be - interesting.

 

Let's move on to story. I see three things in this future.

 

 

Let's start with this.

We need to be honest with ourselves, folks - if Lego were to create a new Bionicle line, it wouldn't be (entirely) to please the old fans; it would be to draw in new fans, and get the same popular reception from before. And so, new toyline, continues with old story, but not as tied. Does this mean no ties to the old stroyline? No, not necessarily. But it would most likely be a new setting, a new introduction, etc. But this is only one option.

 

Now, the second. This is much more unlikely; this what people want, but probably won't get. A continued storyline.

This would be where the old line was completely brought back. All story elements kept, all plot the same. But there is a problem (here it comes)... new toys, old story. And it's extremely hard for new fans to draw into an old storyline. So, Lego's biggest hope may be to start with a completely new story. I know it sounds horrendous, but it's probably the best chance for Lego. And onto three.

 

So, perhaps the greatest chance for Lego - the terrifying remake. A Bionicle that is and isn't Bionicle at the same time. This is great for new fans, but perhaps not for old fans. That's why I think Lego will probably go with the first option I stated - both a continuation and something new. That way, it will appeal to both older and newer fans, and draw in more money. This is our best chance.

 

 

Now, for the last statement which fits into both categories - what will it be like?

And here's my answer:

 

Take Ninjago and Chima, put them together, and give them biomechanical bodies. There's the new Bionicle.

 

To be frank, Bionicle's darkness will be eliminated and replaced with a kid-appealing light feeling to it.

See what Lego has done recently. All of it's "custom" themes have been light and cheery (mostly), and what are the odds that something dark is going to be thrown in? Not very high.

 

 

Okay, final summary.

If Bionicle were to return, the story will most likely be a new story, but with ties to the old one. Will new characters be seen? Only time could tell...

It would be lighter than before - maybe not Lego Friends light, but lighter. The sets are a point of controversy - it's really Lego's decision as to what are made, and it depends on the current story.

 

Now, what would I like to see? I'd like sets totally revamped and rethought, new versions of Takanuva and Tahu, a totally dark theme aimed at collectors and die-hard fans... but hey, those chances aren't great, are they ?

 

 

Also, I'd recommend watching the amazing videos by TTV in the category Bionicle: Autopsy. They are wonderful in-depth examinations of Bionicle's past and future. For this specific subject,

one is obviously the one to watch; but I would advise you to watch all of them.

 

 

P.S. My basic answer to the question posted by Dorkpool is that I would want everything to return - sets, serials, and story. Also, a TV show would be epic

Edited July 19, 2014 by Jakuura

[Azani]

Lego couldn't start Bionicle with an entirely new story, though, unless their entirely new storyline was reconnected to the original Bionicle storyline later. They're free to make as many original stories for new properties as they want to, but they wouldn't attach the name Bionicle to it if it were an entirely original story, would they?

[Aanchir]

Bioni-Man, your hopes for the theme being totally dark are probably not going to happen (it was not terribly dark to begin with), but otherwise your hopes are pretty realistic.

 

A revamped building system? Chances are the sets would be pretty different if BIONICLE returned today, and frankly that would probably be true of today's BIONICLE sets even if the theme had never ended. The sets changed profoundly throughout the theme's entire run, and at the end of this year it will have been gone for what amounts to half of its total lifespan. It only took one year for the pitiful 18-piece Hero Factory heroes of 2010 to be replaced with 30-piece heroes based on a reinvented building system.

 

And new versions of characters like Tahu and Takanuva? Frankly, that's WAY more realistic than what I often hear. A lot of people want sets of characters like the "gold-skinned being", Marendar, the Sisters of the Skrall, etcetera. Or Toa versions of Matoran characters who played, at best, a secondary role in the main story for one or two story years. In other words, characters who even the average fan from BIONICLE's original run probably don't know really well, let alone care about.

 

Mata Nui, Tahu, and Takanuva are different. These are central characters from the core story who played a starring role in the story at various times, and who were central to some of the theme's most successful years. There's a reason why Tahu and Takanuva were both included among the BIONICLE Stars. They were important characters that many fans were incredibly familiar with, both from their set and story appearances. And for new fans, these characters offer iconic designs and personalities that could be just as relevant to kids today as they were to kids a decade ago.

 

It's possible, maybe even easier, for the sets and story to focus on entirely new characters. But if any characters were to appear as sets in a revived BIONICLE, these are the sorts of characters who would be both plausible and deserving.

 

Artakha's Nephew, technically, the LEGO Group COULD bring BIONICLE back with an entirely new storyline. That's standard procedure for many reboots of other franchises. Take My Little Pony, for instance. Each new My Little Pony cartoon has been independent of all previous ones. Naturally, some of the fundamentals are the same. The characters are still talking ponies with decorative "cutie marks" on their flanks and colorful coat and mane colors. But the iterations have been radically different in other ways such as the nature of the universe they are set in. The earliest cartoon was set in the magical Ponyland, focused on adventure stories, and was the only generation with a human protagonist. Later generations had new settings, a focus on slice-of-life storytelling, no human characters, and pony characters who acted more human-like. The third generation was the first to implement a stable (no pun intended) cast of characters. The latest generation has an incredibly in-depth mythology and a balance of adventure and slice-of-life storytelling.

 

Both BIONICLE and My Little Pony have always been media-driven franchises, but in both cases the toy is the foundation of the brand. It can be redesigned, but as long as the fundamental features of the toys and story remain consistent, the parent company could take it any direction they want. Of course, LEGO has less incentive to bring BIONICLE back without a connected story than Hasbro had with My Little Pony. LEGO is an iconic and versatile enough brand name that they could create a similar theme with a new name if they wanted to introduce a brand-new storyline. And they've done so at various times, including with Hero Factory. Even so, there are some brand names like Space Police that they keep going back to every decade or two, reinvented slightly each time.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

[NickonAquaMagna]

>see sig below<

 

Sorry if my posts are starting to seem a bit spammy, guys, but... the continuation of Bionicle you're looking for may not be that far away.

[johnny_s]

For a while, I've thought that a reboot would be the best way to go. While it would be great to see the storyline finally be finished off, I think that doing a reboot would be a great way to introduce newcomers to the franchise. And call me crazy, but doing a reboot would also be a good excuse to finally make a BIONICLE TV show (BIONICLE really deserved a TV show, in my opinion).

[Jakura Nuva]

Bioni-Man, your hopes for the theme being totally dark are probably not going to happen (it was not terribly dark to begin with), but otherwise your hopes are pretty realistic.

 

A revamped building system? Chances are the sets would be pretty different if BIONICLE returned today, and frankly that would probably be true of today's BIONICLE sets even if the theme had never ended. The sets changed profoundly throughout the theme's entire run, and at the end of this year it will have been gone for what amounts to half of its total lifespan. It only took one year for the pitiful 18-piece Hero Factory heroes of 2010 to be replaced with 30-piece heroes based on a reinvented building system.

 

And new versions of characters like Tahu and Takanuva? Frankly, that's WAY more realistic than what I often hear. A lot of people want sets of characters like the "gold-skinned being", Marendar, the Sisters of the Skrall, etcetera. Or Toa versions of Matoran characters who played, at best, a secondary role in the main story for one or two story years. In other words, characters who even the average fan from BIONICLE's original run probably don't know really well, let alone care about.

 

Mata Nui, Tahu, and Takanuva are different. These are central characters from the core story who played a starring role in the story at various times, and who were central to some of the theme's most successful years. There's a reason why Tahu and Takanuva were both included among the BIONICLE Stars. They were important characters that many fans were incredibly familiar with, both from their set and story appearances. And for new fans, these characters offer iconic designs and personalities that could be just as relevant to kids today as they were to kids a decade ago.

 

It's possible, maybe even easier, for the sets and story to focus on entirely new characters. But if any characters were to appear as sets in a revived BIONICLE, these are the sorts of characters who would be both plausible and deserving.

 

Artakha's Nephew, technically, the LEGO Group COULD bring BIONICLE back with an entirely new storyline. That's standard procedure for many reboots of other franchises. Take My Little Pony, for instance. Each new My Little Pony cartoon has been independent of all previous ones. Naturally, some of the fundamentals are the same. The characters are still talking ponies with decorative "cutie marks" on their flanks and colorful coat and mane colors. But the iterations have been radically different in other ways such as the nature of the universe they are set in. The earliest cartoon was set in the magical Ponyland, focused on adventure stories, and was the only generation with a human protagonist. Later generations had new settings, a focus on slice-of-life storytelling, no human characters, and pony characters who acted more human-like. The third generation was the first to implement a stable (no pun intended) cast of characters. The latest generation has an incredibly in-depth mythology and a balance of adventure and slice-of-life storytelling.

 

Both BIONICLE and My Little Pony have always been media-driven franchises, but in both cases the toy is the foundation of the brand. It can be redesigned, but as long as the fundamental features of the toys and story remain consistent, the parent company could take it any direction they want. Of course, LEGO has less incentive to bring BIONICLE back without a connected story than Hasbro had with My Little Pony. LEGO is an iconic and versatile enough brand name that they could create a similar theme with a new name if they wanted to introduce a brand-new storyline. And they've done so at various times, including with Hero Factory. Even so, there are some brand names like Space Police that they keep going back to every decade or two, reinvented slightly each time.

First off, thank you for addressing my hopes ! As a note, though, if they were to give us the famous characters (Tahu, Takanuva, etc.), I'd hope it wouldn't be in Stars-like form - blech!

 

Secondly, I didn't mean like "blood and gore, murder in the night" dark when I said totally dark. I was sort of referring back to the 06-07 years, where the settings were shadowy and the villains scary - like Thor: The Dark World dark.

For a while, I've thought that a reboot would be the best way to go. While it would be great to see the storyline finally be finished off, I think that doing a reboot would be a great way to introduce newcomers to the franchise. And call me crazy, but doing a reboot would also be a good excuse to finally make a BIONICLE TV show (BIONICLE really deserved a TV show, in my opinion).

A reboot - hmm, not sure about that...

 

But a TV show would be splendid - and a TV show worth watching would be even better!

Edited March 22, 2014 by Bioni-Man

[Zestanor]

Hmm... DON'T continue anything from what we have now. The story of Bionicle is resolved, and we can choose to disregard the unfinished extra stuff. If they have to bring it back, they should reboot it completely. They can keep Mata Nui + 6 Toa vs. Makuta, but keep the names only; it should not be connected to the "first" Bionicle. Any setting is fine except the city setting (it's boring!).

[J46 Nui]

I don't really care if sets come back or not, but that would be a nice bonus. I would like to see the story return in one of two ways:

 

1. I would like to see a completely new story set in the Bionicle universe. Maybe it can take place far enough in the future after the reformation of Spherus Magna that there will be new characters or cultures to explore. Or maybe it can be set on an entirely new world that has some ties to the ones in the original story, like having the Great Beings have a presence there or something.

 

2. A reboot or retelling of the original story with a television series to go along with it. It might be worth revisiting the original story to smooth out some of the rougher edges like Web of Shadows and have the ending that we were going to get if the story didn't get truncated back in '10. I have always wanted to see this story be given the TV treatment, and Lego seems to like having shows for its themes now. Though one problem is that the tone of Bionicle does not match the tone of those series. Hopefully it would retain the tone from the comics and books in the television series. Another is that some of the old fans may not like having any changes be made to the existing story, but I personally would not mind.

[Noxryn]

I don't know if Lego would be interested in ret-conning stuff for a return - that might annoy some people. *raises hand*

 

i'd be happy if they retconned everything BZP made canon.

[ShadowBionics]

How could you like the Amazing Spider-Man?! That was HORRIBLE.

 

Hooray, I'm getting scruff for expressing my opinions, just like the good old days.

 

(For the record, I never stated I liked the movie, I'm just saying one thing that I feel it did right by severing ties with the Raimi trilogy. That movie feels like an overdrawn afterschool special. And that's good, I'd never want to connect that movie with those three, so case in point. I don't have to watch this movie and those movies together like that, because they are each their own thing in their own continuity.)

 

 

...if they were to reboot it, and I mean REBOOT it, make a completely different story. NO ties to the old story. You can keep old characters (so long as you keep their more prominent qualities), or have new ones in their place.

One thing that I think is problematic about this sort of strategy is that a lot of what made BIONICLE so magical and appealing was its mysteries, the greatest of those being the true nature of the Great Spirit and the Matoran Universe. That's the kind of thing that really loses some of its impact if you know it from the beginning — that's part of why it was such a closely-guarded secret for eight years.

 

You maintain that mystery, and maintain the same answer to that mystery, and it will be obvious to pretty much anyone familiar with the old storyline (or able to learn the basics of it over the Internet). And then it's not really a mystery at all. If you change that mystery, or change the outcome to that mystery, then suddenly you've abandoned one of the biggest factors in what made BIONICLE what it was. This is part of why I don't like the idea of this sort of reboot for BIONICLE.

 

While it's good to be innovative, I think certain things and designs ought to be used sparingly, or else you'll have people call "OVERUSED!" on it, much like what happened to the Inika design that was used up through the Glatorian designs. And it's almost what's happening to the Hero Factroy sets. The 2.0 designs were very innovated and I was impressed with them, but I can see why it'd bother people, as it'd feel repetitive and boring after so long. Like building all 12 canister Bohrok, which I have done. but on a larger scale. I'm not saying it's bad (although the hollow back would need some fixing up), but it does have some tweaks that could be made, but at the moment I can't think of any ways to fix said flaws. Maybe try to vary things up now and again. For example, the Toa Mata had different body builds than say the Bohrok and Rahkshi versus like the Heroes who share a similar build to some of the villains they've gone up against. And I think the same can be said for the Piraka and Toa Inika, because they were so similar, as well as a majority of the sets that came after them. So all in all, keep what made the story good, include what you know worked and what we liked, and don't be afraid to vary it up now and again. Don't come up with these bizarre builds that either look ugly or don't even work in an attempt to make some variations of an already existing build, like with the canister Makuta. They did some things right, but then they did some weird things with the design, like using Matoran limbs on them, eg Krika and Gorast, which inhibited them greatly. One reason why I took some Bionicle and HF parts to modify Krika, and I plan to do the same for Gorast down the line.

The problem I have with this is that in many cases, the way new series of sets introduced "different builds" was to introduce highly specialized new parts, and that really runs counter to the spirit of LEGO design. What would LEGO City be like if every two years they retired the car roof and windscreens from the previous year and introduced new ones that performed the same function but just looked different?

 

In my opinion, the way to keep builds from becoming repetitive isn't to introduce new parts year after year. It's to use existing parts differently. You can see this even in Hero Factory. There are a number of sets that use more or less the same build, but there are also many that are incredibly imaginative and offer a new and unique building experience, yet they don't rely on new torso pieces to do so. Toxic Reapa, Jawblade, Thornraxx, Bruizer, Frost Beast, Furno Jet Machine, and Breez Flea Machine are all built differently, but none of them relies on a new torso piece to do so. Even the handful of new torso pieces like the one in XT4 don't replace existing parts — they complement them.

 

Even BIONICLE proved the potential of this strategy. No two Barraki had the exact same torso build, but every part used to construct their torso skeletons was one that had existed previously. Other sets also demonstrated this kind of creativity. Strakk and Skrall are good examples. So is Kiina. All three had brand-new builds, but none of them relied on brand-new torso pieces to do so (in fact, only one of the three, Skrall, even needed a new armor piece). The Mahri Nui Matoran were another example: they were clones of each other, but they still had a brand-new build, and the only new parts they used were their weapons.

 

Of course, some of the sets like Ackar and Gelu WERE generic Inika clones. And many Hero Factory heroes have used more or less the same build. The reason? Because they could. As standard humanoid characters, they didn't need a new build when there was already a build tailor-made for those sorts of characters. As I said before, introducing brand-new parts that perform the same function as existing ones, purely for variety's sake, is counter to the spirit of LEGO design. The typical goal when designing new parts is to design them so that they will be useful in the long term, not just for a handful of sets. If you have to retire them after just being used in two waves of six sets, that usually means they weren't designed with as much versatility as they should have had in the first place. And hopefully in that case, whatever part comes in to replace them will be able to be used year after year without interruption.

 

I felt — and still feel — that the Toa Inika upper torso beam was the most useful torso piece ever used in the entire BIONICLE theme. As such, I feel like it earned its year-after-year appearances. And it bothered me how many people would embrace the possibility of getting anything "different" whether or not it was actually better.

 

Finally, you have to keep in mind that most people will only be interested in any LEGO theme for a few years, after which they'll grow out of the theme or even out of toys in general. We who stuck it out from the beginning are few in number compared to the people who stuck around for a few years and then lost interest. So by the time a person has been around long enough to grow tired of a certain piece, they've usually been around long enough to grow tired of the theme in general, and there's no longer much sense in trying to court them as a buyer.

 

There's a reason the constraction category has remained successful even after three years of using the same basic parts palette. Why shouldn't it? LEGO City has relied on the same basic parts palette for years, but has remained one of the top two LEGO themes for that entire time. It's a winning formula.

 

 

 

I didn't mean it as to make an exact clone of the original story. I mean, say you were to have something like the Toa Mata on some location, but instead of the Bohrok or the Rahi, what if it was something different? All I was saying in that first part was you could keep the main idea there, but maybe handle it differently. How differently, I don't know, but I could imagine a story team could logically think of something.

 

For the second part, I was mostly responding to comments I've seen in the past about certain "clone" sets or "overused" pieces/designs. The Piraka and Inika in their time were pretty great sets, and I think they still are, even more than their so-called clones. However, in some cases I can agree with some people about how things could've gotten repetitive. Granted, they did try to alter some designs like the Skrall and Strakk sets, but then some didn't turn out great. Vastus is one example who had a very nice premise, but the design didn't work so great. I remember someone said he had a "potbelly," and the back of the figure was kind of thin. And while no two Barraki looked the same, I've seen comparison and generalizations between them as a whole and later sets of different series. One example would be how Kalmah and Carapar have a similar "humanoid" build, akin to the Piraka and Inika, but that's not to say they are the exact same. Aside from torso, the only other similar thing is you snap the limbs together and put the leg armor with a pin on the shin pieces. It's possible some people just got tired of seeing and putting together those torso parts and cried out for a new one. I'm not saying the parts didn't totally work, but maybe some variety now and then could have quieted and calmed people who were sick of seeing those parts.

 

Hero Factory as I mentioned is also getting some of this scruff as well, mostly with some sets sharing the same humanoid kind of design. Granted there are those that don't and alter this look a bit. Some of these work really well, but others don't, in my opinion. You mentioned Toxic Reapa as an example, and while I do like how he was something different, there were just things about the torso I didn't totally like and I even ended up modifying him to my liking. That is one solution for people who might not like how a set looks, but then there are those who don't like to MOC and probably don't want to have to try and find a way to make a set look better or anything. Some like Jaw Blade and even Dragon Bolt do well to use the HF building system and stray away from the humanoid look (Although Dragon Bolt is quite the shelfwarmer where I live), but I don't know if it's me, but it seems that actually the more humanoid look "sells" a lot better. Before the Brain Attack came around, Jaw Blade and Thronraxx were of the sets still left over. The Heroes were gone, as were Splitface and Toxic Reapa. Voltixx was still around for a while, though, so that might prove me wrong.

 

I do see what you are getting at, and yes, that is true, and yet I just can't help but remember to the old days of BZPower when I'd see posts from people talking about why the Hordika were awful or how boring and repetitive so and so's build is compared to an Inika build. At least from what I always heard, Lego listened to BZP member criticism a lot and even drew from it. I don't know if that was entirely true or not, but I wouldn't doubt it just like that. But seeing as Lego is making products aimed for younger kids from like 6-12, they do need to keep that in mind most definitely over fans who are say 14 and over. Although looking at it, they did try to please everyone in a sense, but it most likely didn't work that way. Lastly, I recall a post from Greg long time back essentially saying things in regards to the 2010 story in that Lego didn't have to really do any of the things it did for it, like having the narrated Mata Nui saga or any kind addition story material, but they did so anyway for the fans. They also promised to keep the story going for 2011 (which happened... just after that is when things got screwy), which they didn't have to do. So Lego does keep the older fans in mind, so they do try to listen to us. So while it is a kids' toy at the end of the day, Lego still tries to please everyone, kids, teens, adults, or whoever is into the line. And that's why, at least with my theory as expressed somewhere on page 1, I think if they try it, they ought to at least try and keep in what made the original story great as something for older fans while in the mean time "updating" it as to appeal to new fans. As for the sets, that will be something of debate, even now seeing as opinions might be all over the place on them. It will just have to be a matter of time.

[skratchR]

If they brought back BIONICLE, they should aim it for an older audience, because most of the people who will follow it will be people who grew up with BIONICLE. That means they should make a new story, but based on the old one and with a more complex approach.

I think it would be good to get a story from the time of the league of six kingdoms, and other pre-great cataclysm times. It would be really good to have the toa mangaia, or the barraki in their original forms, or even lesovikk's team.

[Aanchir]

If they brought back BIONICLE, they should aim it for an older audience, because most of the people who will follow it will be people who grew up with BIONICLE.

What makes you say that? When BIONICLE was brand-new, most fans were just kids who had never heard of it before, but they ended up loving it anyway. There's no reason to think that an old theme can't attract new fans, particularly when the concept behind the theme is more or less timeless. Space Police is a good example — anyone who hears the theme name will have a pretty good sense of what it's about and will probably understand the appeal without even knowing that there have already been three themes by that name. My Little Pony and Transformers are two other highly media-driven toy lines aimed mainly at kids. There are some products and media for these franchises that are geared towards adult collectors, including ones who were fans of these franchises back in the 80s when they had their start, but the majority of their continued relevance comes from their ongoing efforts to appeal to new fans.

 

Aiming a BIONICLE continuation primarily at an older audience would not be a really good formula for success, because by now most people who loved it back in the day will already have "grown out of it". For that matter, many fans "grew out of it" well before it ended. Bear in mind that we're talking about a franchise which reached peak sales in its second year and steadily declined in popularity in the eight years that followed. It held onto its older fans for as long as it could, but you can't stop kids from growing up, and for a lot of kids, part of growing up is letting go of the things that you tend to strongly associate with your childhood. It's sad but it's true — teen and adult fans were a minority of BIONICLE fans for its entire run, and that wouldn't change one bit if you hoped to bring it back with the strength it once had.

 

Furthermore, older fans' perception can be clouded by nostalgia. I feel like it would be a losing battle to create a BIONICLE revival that could measure up to the theme's original run in the eyes of most older fans. Even if you were able to remain entirely faithful to the spirit of BIONICLE, chances are it would not be as good as how people remember it from "the good old days".

[Jam Pot Studios]

I would be in favor of changing the way in which Teridax is killed in the canon. I don't think that his death by a rapid-moving chunk of Aqua Magna really did justice to how impressive of a villain he was. I read at one point that the story team had considered killing Teridax by having Mata Nui rip open his chest; now that would be a fitting end for Makuta.

 

I agree. As cool as getting literally mooned was, it wasn't very fitting. All through my childhood, I saw Makuta as the ultimate Big Bad, because he was written so well, especially in MNOG. Even when they revealed him to be one of a species, they kind of kept the sense of mystery and otherworldlyness around him first by disembodying him (as a cloud of antidermis) and then by making him the universe itself. Even now, I rate him higher than villains like the First Evil (in Buffy) and, dare I say it, more popular supervillains like Loki and the Joker. So it was a bit disappointing that Makuta's end was something so raw and physical, rather than being poetic and out-there. The Energy Storms in '08 and the trapping of Makuta in '04 were brilliant. Makuta's final death was not.

 

So if BIONICLE ever came back, I'd want Makuta to be the villain. I honestly don't care whether he'd be a clone, or whether he'd somehow turned back into antidermis and escaped the crash, or even if he's from an alternate timeline, because Teridax is the kind of villain where you can write those things and they actually make sense. He's that sort of Big Bad. Even if his influence is super-subtle at first, he should make a return. He's BIONICLE's only villain.

 

As for format, sets would be the only way to go, and the story would follow. I won't go into it, as most people have said my points several times over, so I'd just like to add one thing.

 

Bananaman is getting a movie next year. As in the British cartoon about a kid called Eric who eats a banana to turn into a banana-powered superhero.

 

With material as rich and soulfull as BIONICLE is, is it possible that the thoughts of someone at WB or Paramount might one day turn to LEGO's line of robot action figures that his/her son/daughter used to like? And with the success of The LEGO Movie, is there any chance of BIONICLE making a return in the confirmed sequel (it was mentioned in the first, after all)?

[NickonAquaMagna]

Eh... I honestly think bringing Makuta back after he's already done what he set out to do, after he's accomplished his goal of possessing Mata Nui's body, and he's essentially peaked in how cool he can possibly be... would be a TERRIBLE idea. Seriously, that's just be BAD writing. I mean... what is there for him to do, now? We already got a glimpse of what he might be like then in "The Kingdom." He was an empty shell of his former self because he lost. "The plan" was his life. It consumed him and became all he was. Without his plan's fruition to look forward to, could that kind of Makuta really be so compelling, now?

 

I personally have to give Greg kudos for trying to prop Velika up as the new main villain for a time. Hey, it's something fresh and different. Something interesting that isn't just another, less compelling version of Makuta.

Edited March 23, 2014 by NickonAquaMagna

[Jam Pot Studios]

Eh... I honestly think bringing Makuta back after he's already done what he set out to do, after he's accomplished his goal of possessing Mata Nui's body, and he's essentially peaked in how cool he can possibly be... would be a TERRIBLE idea. Seriously, that's just be BAD writing. I mean... what is there for him to do, now? We already got a glimpse of what he might be like then in "The Kingdom." He was an empty shell of his former self because he lost. "The plan" was his life. It consumed him and became all he was. Without his plan's fruition to look forward to, could that kind of Makuta really be so compelling, now?

 

I'd love to see Makuta on the run. New body, no plan, but not defeated like he was in The Kingdom. A Makuta who still has a lot to gain. Like all the Matoran and Agori, he'd have a lot to learn about Spherus Magna and the new power dynamics, which could be quite interesting. It's difficult putting the ideas I had into words, but basically a Makuta who's mid-plotting - neither victorious nor defeated. I still think he has a lot of potential, but you make a valid point.

I personally have to give Greg kudos for trying to prop Velika up as the new main villain for a time. Hey, it's something fresh and different. Something interesting that isn't just another, less compelling version of Makuta.

 

That too. It was a great twist, but a shame it never came to fruition. Also a shame it got wasted in the story serials, which never really took off in the same way as the main storyline.

[Chronicler of the Ages]

Honestly, I think Bionicle should be brought back exactly the same way it was introduced. And I would prefer it come back later, like, in 10 years or so. That way, my children can relive the whole experience, and I'd be there to relive the journey all the way. The excitment, the disappointment, the games (even the ones I missed right in the beginning). That's one of my many dreams.

Just my 2 cents.

[fasggbfrfesv]

Waiting another ten years or so for the new Bionicle would give LEGO breathing space to make absolutely sure only hardcore fans remember the old series.

 

I have next to no doubt it will come back when Lego starts getting desperate for money again, it's a no brainer.

I'd like to see new releases, based on Mata Nui's storyline, but with new matoran, new builds, new rahi, etcetera.

[TBK]

In terms of story for a return, I agree with the general consensus in that it should take place many, many years from where the current story ended, either before or after. If after, that leaves endless possibilities and allows for classic characters to make reappearances.

 

What I think would be another interesting idea, however, is that if the story started before the current one, this new arc could lead up to how the Great Beings came to fruition and what became of them since their disappearance.

Edited March 26, 2014 by TBK

[Azani]

Waiting another ten years or so for the new Bionicle would give LEGO breathing space to make absolutely sure only hardcore fans remember the old series.

Why would this be necessary or desired? Bionicle doesn't at all have a negative reputation among the general public.

[Rausaro]

I think that it would be awesome for Bionicle to return. I do like the idea of a sequel series, as opposed to a direct continuation because it would allow for perhaps more freedom in design. If anything, I would hope a new series would try to recapture that mystical/feudal feel of the first few years in art and design.

[Ragnar Lothbrok]

If it is brought back, I would like to see something completely separate from the Spherus Magna saga. I don't want to see my favourite toy line ever tarnished for the sake of nostalgia.

 

In terms of sets, I don't mind the HF build using ball joints. There would be plenty of new, Bionicle-looking parts if it did come back. Less stream-lined, more Metru-Inika-looking. Something, you know, Bionicle

[Toa Zaz]

I think the reason people want a dark(er) reboot isn't necessarily because they're pretentious, ostensibly "mature" Lego fans or that they really love gore or whatever. I think it's because darkness tends to lead to a more compelling story, because that way there are actual stakes and intimidating villains. Which, I guess doesn't necessarily mean it has to be that dark, rather better written (and some of the later, woefully meandering Bionicle serials showed that darkness alone doesn't necessarily equal better). But, if we don't have any reason to feel that the heroes are in danger or if the conflict in unengaging, then I don't care.

 

I feel like Hero Factory is a bad example to use because it has such an abundance of problems on every level including being overly light-hearted and pandering to kids, so I'm going to use Legend of Korra. Which again, has a whole bunch of other problems along with it (which is why I stopped watching after the first season), but one of those problems was the lack of stakes. If Amon took away everyone's bending powers, then nothing of consequence would change and thus the story is boring (it also suffers the problem of pitting the heroes against weaker villains, and having too-sympathetic villains against unsympathetic heroes). Maybe if there were some actual danger to the protagonists, then the show would be more interesting, but if all that's going to happen to them is something trivial, then I'm not concerned. Which, of course, is because Legend of Korra is a show for kids and they can't have much in the way of violence or anything (the shocking but uninteresting murder suicide notwithstanding).

 

The same applies to Bionicle and other Lego themes (I thought the Lego movie handled the tone, etc great of course). If all that happens is the Toa or whatever get "hit by shadow" and then are immediately fine, then it is uninteresting. The other direction is the horrific genocide of an entire species by the protagonists at the end of the new Hero Factory episode. The problem then, isn't that it is "too dark" (I think it was @#$%&*# dark enough), it is that the subject matter was approached in the ENTIRELY WRONG WAY. I don't mind having a terrible atrocity happening in fiction, that unfornutately happens/has happened in real life. But if you're going to have something like that then the deliberate perpetrators should be portrayed as irredeemably horrific monsters who are utterly without value. And it definitely shouldn't be casually forgotten like nothing happened (all this applies to Man of Steel). That was just awful, lazy writing on Lego's part because it was a blatant toy commercial with an ending they slapped together in a matter of hours. If they had made any storyboards/concept art/maybe animation of the original "good" ending then I'd really like to see it.

 

But anyway, if you're gonna go dark, and you don't have to but it tends to add interest to the story, then you have to approach it in the right way.itit

[Sumiki]

Is it going to come back? No, probably not. Never say never, but everyone affiliated or previously affiliated with LEGO - GregF, Binkmeister, Kevin Hinkle - have all said that there aren't any plans to bring it back. The same could be set for Clikits or Jack Stone.

If it did, they'd have to set it in the same universe but reboot the story and cast of characters to make it much less confusing. They tried this with the story in '09 but that really didn't work out as most people had suspected - what became a semi-reboot to keep the line going ended up mired in a mess of serials and convoluted backstory that contributed to the problem. They'd have to consciously avoid a lot of what they did in the later years and, ideally, try to recapture some of the mystical magic of the first three.

[Toa Zaz]

The difference is the immense popularity Bionicle achieved, which Clickits and Jack Stone never did, making it more likely than those other themes that Lego would try to rekindle that popularity.

[Pomegranate]

I don't really know about bringing it back, they're unlikely to do that, but I can sure dream. What I can expect is something like a limited release of another all-stars line, like in 2010. Whether it's new molds or the same old setts (that would truly be wonderful) it would be nice to see 'em on the shelves again, and I think if those really sell and I'm sure they will, they might actually start to seriously consider bringing it back. It's all about the sales, really. Anywho, this commemorative line of Bionicle sets would certainly be the bomb if they were old 2001 sets or something, maybe one set from each year or something like that. It would be really neat, I think, and perhaps based on which of the varied sets sells best they could gather data on what kind of constraction sets to keep pumping out, or what consumers would like best in a theoretical Bionicle release with new sets and stuff.

Sooo if we imagine this works or they just go right ahead and bring it back, whatever the case may be, I'd like a nice continuation of the story, or perhaps a nice skip into the future, basically a clean slate with little things all over the place for the old folks like us, but nothing to hold back the story or intimidate newcomers. Sort of like Star Trek TNG, I suppose. Maybe not quite so drastic a change? Something like that.

Alterrrrnatively, if someone at TLG decides, "you know what would be awesome? Constraction dinosaurs would be awesome," they could definitely bring Bionicle back for that line, with the whole Bota Magna thing (I hope Im remembering the name right?). It would easily be its own stand-alone thing, probably taking place before the grand finale of Bionicle. That would certainly be nice and an easy way for them to bring back certain construction elements and a brand name. I would not hold it against them to rewrite a little "canon" (not like there's anything concrete about it in official media besides a single early movie script or something) and dump some Toa on that planetoid just to give it that extra dash of Bionicle goodness. Sure it would probably be a bit silly by our standards, but it would be fun and pretty awesome and a nice little nod that Bionicle is still a thing that exists and that LEGO is willing to look into it now and again and tease at bringing it back. Also, lush jungles full of dangerous creatures sounds a lot like the basic setup of Mata Nui's environment to me, at least Le-Koro anyways

[fishers64]

Alterrrrnatively, if someone at TLG decides, "you know what would be awesome? Constraction dinosaurs would be awesome," they could definitely bring Bionicle back for that line, with the whole Bota Magna thing (I hope Im remembering the name right?). It would easily be its own stand-alone thing, probably taking place before the grand finale of Bionicle. That would certainly be nice and an easy way for them to bring back certain construction elements and a brand name. I would not hold it against them to rewrite a little "canon" (not like there's anything concrete about it in official media besides a single early movie script or something) and dump some Toa on that planetoid just to give it that extra dash of Bionicle goodness. Sure it would probably be a bit silly by our standards, but it would be fun and pretty awesome and a nice little nod that Bionicle is still a thing that exists and that LEGO is willing to look into it now and again and tease at bringing it back. Also, lush jungles full of dangerous creatures sounds a lot like the basic setup of Mata Nui's environment to me, at least Le-Koro anyways

Couldn't they do the constraction dinos after the end of Bionicle? Why does it have to be before...they could avoid the retcon thing going on and having to repeat the 2010 finale again. That might be boring.

[Pomegranate]

I was under the impression that that planetoid became a part of Spherus Magna too? Or is it still up in the sky? ._. Dang I seem to have forgotten eeevverything.

I just meant that it would probably be a short line, or even if it weren't, they wouldn't really need to even give it much of a story or an ending to that story, at least not one that tied into the rest of Bionicle. Spherus Magna was split up for a looooooong time, the dinosaurs could fight Toa or whatever waaaaay before the ending of 2010 for as long as LEGO wanted without the time coming for two giant robots to duke it out on a nearby planet and then (I'm pretty sure) smush the dinosaurs into Bara Magna.

Like, pretty much what 2009 was all about. Up until Mata Nui arrived, it was basically just, "MEANWHILE ON THAT OTHER PLANET," and it was just Glatorians doing Glatorian things with a hint of MU sprinkled in. This imaginary Bota Magna story could be just like that, except it never gets tied in, or there are only hints, or side stories for the rest of us as some little serial on BionicleDinos.com about some Toa finding remains of a third giant robot (oooo spoooky when does it end? The Great Beings actually built like 7 of them what a twist) or something minor like that... at least, not until Bionicle returned properly, perhaps ^^

I was just thinking it would be a chance for TLG to kind of revisit the theme without having to drag in all this story with them, and have a nice themed niche of jungle planet dinosaurs fighting biomechanical heroes with powers. Sounds pretty simple without, like, everything else tacked on They can have like their own culture and their own set of Virtues, it would be like the 2001-03 arc, nice and simple and straight forward. Fight the Dinos, collect the Dino Eggs of Power, defeat the Dino Queens, transform, fight the Flying Dinos, collect the Flying Dino Eggs of Power, defeat the...

[fishers64]

I was under the impression that that planetoid became a part of Spherus Magna too? Or is it still up in the sky? ._. Dang I seem to have forgotten eeevverything.

Bota Magna, Bara Magna, and Aqua Magna were rejoined together to become Spherus Magna, yes.

 

I just meant that it would probably be a short line, or even if it weren't, they wouldn't really need to even give it much of a story or an ending to that story, at least not one that tied into the rest of Bionicle. Spherus Magna was split up for a looooooong time, the dinosaurs could fight Toa or whatever waaaaay before the ending of 2010 for as long as LEGO wanted without the time coming for two giant robots to duke it out on a nearby planet and then (I'm pretty sure) smush the dinosaurs into Bara Magna.

In the first place, the dinos would likely be on the side of Bota Magna that wouldn't get smashed into Bara Magna. The plantlife, vegitation, etc that they would eat would be on that side, so no reason for them to go over to the barren side to get smashed on the reforming.

 

Um, how would the Toa get to Bara Magna before Teridax the Giant Robot got there? Maybe Teridax could teleport them, etc, but why would he? Teridax thought a big black hole would take care of all three planets, so why send Toa to fight dinosaurs? It makes no sense.

 

Like, pretty much what 2009 was all about. Up until Mata Nui arrived, it was basically just, "MEANWHILE ON THAT OTHER PLANET," and it was just Glatorians doing Glatorian things with a hint of MU sprinkled in. This imaginary Bota Magna story could be just like that, except it never gets tied in, or there are only hints, or side stories for the rest of us as some little serial on BionicleDinos.com about some Toa finding remains of a third giant robot (oooo spoooky when does it end? The Great Beings actually built like 7 of them what a twist) or something minor like that... at least, not until Bionicle returned properly, perhaps ^^

 

I was just thinking it would be a chance for TLG to kind of revisit the theme without having to drag in all this story with them, and have a nice themed niche of jungle planet dinosaurs fighting biomechanical heroes with powers. Sounds pretty simple without, like, everything else tacked on They can have like their own culture and their own set of Virtues, it would be like the 2001-03 arc, nice and simple and straight forward. Fight the Dinos, collect the Dino Eggs of Power, defeat the Dino Queens, transform, fight the Flying Dinos, collect the Flying Dino Eggs of Power, defeat the...

Well, okay, that would be fine, I guess. I'm not opposed, but I still don't see why it can't happen after the giant robot fight, thus avoiding logic problems mentioned above.

[Pomegranate]

Well it wouldn't be any of our Toa, just, like, some kind of Toa. The Great Beings coulda sent them there, they could've been prototypes or something I dunno don't overthink it, I certainly haven't thought about it much Folks get teleported all over the place all the time, I'm sure some of 'em may have accidentally ended up across a vast expanse of space

Ooooh but I do see what you mean now, yes. I just figured if it involved characters that never had or potentially never would interact with our Bionicle characters, it would be easier to call it its own thing. But dinos attacking on Spherus Magna works too, yeah! Okay, sorry about the misunderstanding

[fishers64]

Well it wouldn't be any of our Toa, just, like, some kind of Toa. The Great Beings coulda sent them there, they could've been prototypes or something I dunno don't overthink it, I certainly haven't thought about it much Folks get teleported all over the place all the time, I'm sure some of 'em may have accidentally ended up across a vast expanse of space

 

Ooooh but I do see what you mean now, yes. I just figured if it involved characters that never had or potentially never would interact with our Bionicle characters, it would be easier to call it its own thing. But dinos attacking on Spherus Magna works too, yeah! Okay, sorry about the misunderstanding

Sure - in fact, that could actually be a pretty cool story, with all these prototype/randomly teleported Toa with mysterious backstories and memories ending up on Bota Magna or SM, fighting the dinos. I thought you meant, like, Toa from the MU.

 

And having it its own thing is perfectly legit. Eventually though you would have the "dino line" catch up with the Reforming chronologically, through, so you would either have to tie it in somehow (totally possible with the character backstory thing) or end it before it caught up. (unless there's another solution...)

 

Sorry if this counts as overthinking. It's kind of what I do.

[Indigogeek]

Now, one idea i've rarely heard seems like a pretty good one. It seems a complete re-boot is a bad idea, and just rebranding some story that doesn't seem to link in to the original is bad too. Starting where we left off or in x amount of years is bad IMO, as newcomers wouldn't have any idea what's going on, no attatchment to characters/lore, etc (and people have said bionicle was way to complex for a toy line anyway)

 

My idea is this: http://bionicle.wikia.com/wiki/Matoran_Universe take a look at the MU. Sure, we've covered the top half of the robot, but look at the bottom half! Completely undiscovered, not even labelled! IIRC tahu and kopaka (i think?) did something with active volcanoes around these islands, but other than that NOTHING. What if bionicle came back, but as a parallel to our current story? You could introduce new species, characters, etc! New foes could be introduced, an entire story could be built, that would tie in to the regular story!

 

There seem to be several islands, heck, you could even have a rival tribe that owns each island, keep that tribal/chima feel! This seems like a pretty good idea, and a better option for bionicle's return

[Aanchir]

Now, one idea i've rarely heard seems like a pretty good one. It seems a complete re-boot is a bad idea, and just rebranding some story that doesn't seem to link in to the original is bad too. Starting where we left off or in x amount of years is bad IMO, as newcomers wouldn't have any idea what's going on, no attatchment to characters/lore, etc (and people have said bionicle was way to complex for a toy line anyway)

 

My idea is this: http://bionicle.wikia.com/wiki/Matoran_Universe take a look at the MU. Sure, we've covered the top half of the robot, but look at the bottom half! Completely undiscovered, not even labelled! IIRC tahu and kopaka (i think?) did something with active volcanoes around these islands, but other than that NOTHING. What if bionicle came back, but as a parallel to our current story? You could introduce new species, characters, etc! New foes could be introduced, an entire story could be built, that would tie in to the regular story!

 

There seem to be several islands, heck, you could even have a rival tribe that owns each island, keep that tribal/chima feel! This seems like a pretty good idea, and a better option for bionicle's return

The real problem with that is that a secondary, parallel story would probably not be nearly as impressive as the original story, considering that if you continue to treat the Mata Nui robot as a biological analogue, none of the Great Spirit's vital organs would be down there in the legs and feet, unlike Metru Nui (his brain) and Karda Nui (his heart). The Toa down in those regions could still fight to protect the Matoran down there (who for a few years at least would struggle with a lack of essential resources being delivered from up north) and maybe repair damage sustained when the Great Spirit entered his coma, but nothing they do down there would have remotely as great an impact on the health of the Great Spirit as what was going on in the robot's torso and head, especially since any damage down there would be repaired when the Staff of Artakha was used in 2007, immediately prior to Matoro's sacrifice that restored the Great Spirit to life.

[Toa of Ice - 1987]

Hmm... DON'T continue anything from what we have now. The story of Bionicle is resolved, and we can choose to disregard the unfinished extra stuff. If they have to bring it back, they should reboot it completely. They can keep Mata Nui + 6 Toa vs. Makuta, but keep the names only; it should not be connected to the "first" Bionicle. Any setting is fine except the city setting (it's boring!).

 

Yeah its was annoying that the the serials ended in a unfinished state but the worst offenses were the fact that lewa, the toa mahri and team kopaka & pohatu were stranded in far away locations in unresolved cliffhanger situations.

 

But if the reboot was to include a less complex story, uses original 6 toa with their names + helmet/mask with a familiar design the i would be absolutely fine if without any qualms about it. (the old plot was great but it's so long and and complex, meaning that if you try to explain everything (while using all bionicle storyline sources) to a newcomer it'll take so long that it take at least 20 long minutes to explain, that's the reason why i usually resort to use less complex speculations to fill any filled in gaps or plot holes between serials movies and comics and books)

Edited April 28, 2014 by ---Kopaka Nuva---

[Jam Pot Studios]

I had to explain the Core War, Shattering, Mata Nui's mission, The Legend Reborn and the Battle of Bara Magna to someone who stopped BIONICLEing back in '05, and suddenly realised how overly complex it was. A reboot would have to be fresh, capture the original enigmatic spirit from '01, and would have to be far less complex than BIONICLE became.

[Toa of Ice - 1987]

I had to explain the Core War, Shattering, Mata Nui's mission, The Legend Reborn and the Battle of Bara Magna to someone who stopped BIONICLEing back in '05, and suddenly realised how overly complex it was. A reboot would have to be fresh, capture the original enigmatic spirit from '01, and would have to be far less complex than BIONICLE became.

Yep thats what happens if a huge flashback is important part how the rest happened when that particular year is trying to move forward. The story can get quite messy.