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So I was doing some thinking, and I had a crazy idea. What if lego made a Bionicle TV show? I thought about it, and realized that a TV show based on the mainstream storyline would be difficult because it would clash with the movies. Then I thought what if there was a TV show about the Toa Mangai? It could be called "Defenders of Metru Nui", the protagonists would be the 11 Toa Mangai (Lhikan, Nidhiki, Tuyet, Naho, 4 unnamed toa of ice, and 3 unknown toa) the antagonists could be the Dark Hunters. The plot would be the Toa Mangai foiling various Dark Hunter attempts to take over the city. There could be a pilot arc about the founding of the team and the defeat of the Kanohi Dragon, a Tuyet betrayal arc, and the finale could be a Toa/Dark Hunter war arc. These big arcs could be seperated by shorter episode arcs that would allow some creative license to the writers, for example: various untold Dark Hunter plots, an archives breakout, possibly an origin to the metru nui tahtorak, etc. You could watch Lhikan and Nidhiki progress from being best friends to Nidhiki's betrayal attempt. There is a lot of room here for storytelling and character development, you could even have the team have some adventures on other islands like xia. There could be an episode where Nidhiki encounters Krekka and has to fight him as a toa.

 

Do you guys think a Bionicle TV show would've been cool? Do you have any ideas of your own for a Bionicle TV show (a toa hagah show, an order of mata nui show, etc.). Any opinions on my idea for a show? Let me know what you think.

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That actually sounds really neat! Kinda like a cop procedural show, but with robots and superpowers and evil organizations instead. That sounds like it would be very fun and easy to jump in to, and the story arcs you mentioned would be great fun to watch serialized, I agree. The first season or first set of episodes or whatever could focus on a couple Toa at a time to fully flesh out their personalities and how they work together before jumping into the more juicy stuff. At first I was gonna say that a television serial wouldn't be a good idea, but then you hooked me with the Toa Mangai/Dark Hunters in early Metru Nui deal. There's a lot to work with there, it sounds wonderful. Does that timeline intersect with that Metru Nui Civil War? Or is that too far before/after this stuff? I forgot that kind of stuff by now. If it fits in with the timeline, the series could end on Lhikan escaping the Dark Hunters to go deliver the Toa Stones, and the preceding episodes can show us a bit more what the Toa Metru were like as Matoran?

There's a lot of potential for what you're describing, I like the sound of it :D

I would love the animation to be in the style of the first three Bionicle movies, it has a quality that's so unique and familiar and I'd love to see it come back. The higher quality of the models and textures and stuff like in the Bara Magna movie, forgot what it was called, and the Hero Factory tv show could be integrated into that old style just to make everything looks a bit more professional and nicer. Perhaps a nice blend of the two? I suppose the old Toa and Matoran designs could do with a little bit more set accuracy, although I don't think that's really necessary 'cause it's not like they need to sell the sets anymore, and on the other hand the armor and stuff was really neat.

I would definitely watch that show no matter how it was animated, that's for sure. It's something I'd love to animate for, too ^^

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What you seem to be suggesting is, on a certain level, the Bionicle equivalent of the Clone Wars. A series set in a largely unexplored time period that deals with grittier but less epic events as well as political intrigue and the like. More, "How do we keep everyone safe day-by-day?" as opposed to "How do we stop an extraordinary and far-reachhng threat?" but with a bit of the latter thrown in occasionally.

I can certainly see the dramatic potential for your idea. For it to actually become a reality, I suspect that a network would have to approach LEGO about collaborating on the project (I believe this is what happened with the Mixels.) The Toa Maingai period would be one undeveloped enough to not overwhelm new-comers whilst being familiar and interesting enough to longtime fans of the Bionicle franchise.

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Does that timeline intersect with that Metru Nui Civil War? Or is that too far before/after this stuff? I forgot that kind of stuff by now. ^^

I believe the civil war happened 60,000 years befor the great cataclysm, whereas the kanohi dragon to the toa/dark hunter war ranged from 2,000 to 1,000 years before the great cataclysm. The civil war would be before Lhikan's time, he makes his first appearance in the story as a rookie toa 6,000 years before the great cataclysm. If you read bionicle legend 4: legacy of evil, it gives a brief introduction to Lhikan.

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Does that timeline intersect with that Metru Nui Civil War? Or is that too far before/after this stuff? I forgot that kind of stuff by now. ^^

I believe the civil war happened 60,000 years befor the great cataclysm, whereas the kanohi dragon to the toa/dark hunter war ranged from 2,000 to 1,000 years before the great cataclysm. The civil war would be before Lhikan's time, he makes his first appearance in the story as a rookie toa 6,000 years before the great cataclysm. If you read bionicle legend 4: legacy of evil, it gives a brief introduction to Lhikan.

 

Thanks! I'll be sure to reread it ASAP 'cause I'm blanking on that.

 

I'd say that comparing it to the Clone Wars would be a bit excessive, as a big galactic war would be a danger on a way bigger scale than Dark Hunters trying to seize Metru Nui all the time. It would prolly be more like a police procedural, or actually like Hero Factory stories, with the Dark Hunters doing a thing and the Toa deploying to stop the thing and the Matoran population largely isn't even aware what's happening until the news of the event goes around after the Toa already stopped it.

 

Also to add on to what I was saying, I thought about this a bit more and remembered that the members of his team got killed off bit by bit over time, and as far as I recall it was never specified which Toa were killed except for their element, so that would keep the viewers in the dark and not knowing how everything would work out in advance, and there would be a lot of suspense knowing that someone in a particular set of Toa could die at any time. (correct me if I'm mis-remembering something?)

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Unfortunately I think that if LEGO made this it would be geared for young children, cheesy, and would damage the canon so bad it would have us sleepless at night.

 

It's a nice idea, and it would especially work in the design of the first three films, but it would be in noone's best interests to produce a serious Bionicle series for a mature audience.

 

Then again, the Bohrok online animations were cool... It could be cartoony...

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I did does kinda sound like some aspects of the clone wars when you put it that way. You could even have your own version of order 66 for a season 2 when Dume/Teridax comes to power and begins working secretly to eliminate the toa. You could have the 9 remaining toa struggle to stay united in the face of 2 betrayals and an unknown enemy. More toa would get eliminated as the series goes on, until just Lhikhan and Naho are left. The finale could follow Naho as she completes Teridax/Dume's last mission sealing off metru nui, and Lhikan as he dodges Dark Hunters and delivers the toa stones. I would not want this show dumbed down too much for younger viewers. Maybe if they did something like with the clone wars show, where they made it more acceptable for children, but kept a lot of the darker aspects that gave older viewers something to enjoy as well

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Also to add on to what I was saying, I thought about this a bit more and remembered that the members of his team got killed off bit by bit over time, and as far as I recall it was never specified which Toa were killed except for their element, so that would keep the viewers in the dark and not knowing how everything would work out in advance, and there would be a lot of suspense knowing that someone in a particular set of Toa could die at any time. (correct me if I'm mis-remembering something?)

Actually Makuta disguised as Turaga Dume sent all of the Toa Mangai to their deaths at the hands of Eliminator, if I remember correctly.

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Also to add on to what I was saying, I thought about this a bit more and remembered that the members of his team got killed off bit by bit over time, and as far as I recall it was never specified which Toa were killed except for their element, so that would keep the viewers in the dark and not knowing how everything would work out in advance, and there would be a lot of suspense knowing that someone in a particular set of Toa could die at any time. (correct me if I'm mis-remembering something?)

 

Actually Makuta disguised as Turaga Dume sent all of the Toa Mangai to their deaths at the hands of Eliminator, if I remember correctly.

I believe the only Toa Mangai killed by eliminator was Naho, the other toa were sent off on missions by teridax over time, but none ever returned, no actual cause of death or disappearance was given for the rest of the team. For all we know some members could still be alive, they could have been imprisoned by teridax on a brotherhood base, gone into hiding, relocated to another island to serve as toa, joined the order of mata nui, etc. No real fate has been given for any of the unnamed members of the team.

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Also to add on to what I was saying, I thought about this a bit more and remembered that the members of his team got killed off bit by bit over time, and as far as I recall it was never specified which Toa were killed except for their element, so that would keep the viewers in the dark and not knowing how everything would work out in advance, and there would be a lot of suspense knowing that someone in a particular set of Toa could die at any time. (correct me if I'm mis-remembering something?)

Actually Makuta disguised as Turaga Dume sent all of the Toa Mangai to their deaths at the hands of Eliminator, if I remember correctly.

 

I believe the only Toa Mangai killed by eliminator was Naho, the other toa were sent off on missions by teridax over time, but none ever returned, no actual cause of death or disappearance was given for the rest of the team. For all we know some members could still be alive, they could have been imprisoned by teridax on a brotherhood base, gone into hiding, relocated to another island to serve as toa, joined the order of mata nui, etc. No real fate has been given for any of the unnamed members of the team.

 

 

One thousand one hundred years ago, Makuta Teridax hired Eliminator, Nidhiki, and Krekka to serve him in Metru Nui. Under the disguise of Turaga Dume, Teridax sent members of the Toa Mangai out on missions outside of the island metropolis, where Eliminator could kill them. One of these false missions included two Toa Mangai and former Chronicler, Kodan, to close the coastal gates. Eliminator killed these three and left one of the Toa's Kanohi Kakama behind. In the end, Eliminator killed Naho, seven of the other Toa, and Kodan.

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So I was doing some thinking, and I had a crazy idea. What if lego made a Bionicle TV show? I thought about it, and realized that a TV show based on the mainstream storyline would be difficult because it would clash with the movies. Then I thought what if there was a TV show about the Toa Mangai? It could be called "Defenders of Metru Nui", the protagonists would be the 11 Toa Mangai (Lhikan, Nidhiki, Tuyet, Naho, 4 unnamed toa of ice, and 3 unknown toa) the antagonists could be the Dark Hunters. The plot would be the Toa Mangai foiling various Dark Hunter attempts to take over the city. There could be a pilot arc about the founding of the team and the defeat of the Kanohi Dragon, a Tuyet betrayal arc, and the finale could be a Toa/Dark Hunter war arc. These big arcs could be seperated by shorter episode arcs that would allow some creative license to the writers, for example: various untold Dark Hunter plots, an archives breakout, possibly an origin to the metru nui tahtorak, etc. You could watch Lhikan and Nidhiki progress from being best friends to Nidhiki's betrayal attempt. There is a lot of room here for storytelling and character development, you could even have the team have some adventures on other islands like xia. There could be an episode where Nidhiki encounters Krekka and has to fight him as a toa.

 

Do you guys think a Bionicle TV show would've been cool? Do you have any ideas of your own for a Bionicle TV show (a toa hagah show, an order of mata nui show, etc.). Any opinions on my idea for a show? Let me know what you think.

 

I don't think such a show would be all that effective, especially now that the Metru Nui arc of Bionicle is long in the past. A show now could only happen in the event of a Bionicle revival, and if that happened it'd likely either start at the beginning with the Toa Mata (a reboot, in other words), or start after the end, with completely new characters. Now, with those scenarios I do think a Bionicle TV show could work, although I disagree with some other commenters in that it should be super-serious—while it shouldn't shy away from dark themes when the story necessitates it, I think a lot of Bionicle's early charm came from its relative innocence, with childlike villagers holding out against an evil foe and heroes just learning what their role requires of them. That's a kind of story that can resonate with all ages, and I think Bionicle losing that in later years did not help the theme's sales at all.

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A BIONICLE TV show would need to take itself somewhat seriously. I imagine something like the tone of the original comics and animations, with a mix of mystery, some action events and some dramatic talk.

 

Otherwise, if it is a full-on children's show, it needs to be like Power Rangers: Reveling in its own cheesy awesomeness.

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It bothers me how much fans seem to think a child audience would hurt a BIONICLE TV show. The Mata Nui Online Game was one of the absolute best methods of story delivery in the entire course of the theme, and I don't think there's anything in that theme that would push its rating above TV-Y7. It had some extremely energetic fight scenes (Onua vs. Lewa, or Kopaka vs. the Muaka), some really dark and foreboding moments (the entire Po-Koro chapter), and even some really powerful philosophical concepts (various monologues from the Matoran and Turaga, or Makuta's monologue before the final battle). It also had a fair share of humor (Taipu's slow-wittedness, Hafu's boastfulness, Macku's endearing relationship with Hewkii, various background gags, and the very concept of a "Taxi Crab").

 

I take issue with the idea that darker and edgier storylines are somehow "better" or more legitimate than more lighthearted fare. Most superhero cartoons are rated TV-Y7, but a lot of them still have complex storylines and characterization that really help to make the characters relatable and the stories memorable. Some storylines even deal with very serious issues, like Avatar: The Last Airbender's themes regarding terrorism and genocide or Static Shock's frequent focus on societal issues like gang violence.

 

Keep in mind that BIONICLE was primarily for kids from the very beginning. Even the more violent moments in the books were no different: it's just that young kids and adult censors alike have a stronger stomach for violence in written form than in animated visual form. Thus, any BIONICLE media that seeks to shut out that child audience is forsaking the true spirit of the BIONICLE theme to instead embrace some distorted vision of what the theme should have been.

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It bothers me how much fans seem to think a child audience would hurt a BIONICLE TV show. The Mata Nui Online Game was one of the absolute best methods of story delivery in the entire course of the theme, and I don't think there's anything in that theme that would push its rating above TV-Y7. It had some extremely energetic fight scenes (Onua vs. Lewa, or Kopaka vs. the Muaka), some really dark and foreboding moments (the entire Po-Koro chapter), and even some really powerful philosophical concepts (various monologues from the Matoran and Turaga, or Makuta's monologue before the final battle). It also had a fair share of humor (Taipu's slow-wittedness, Hafu's boastfulness, Macku's endearing relationship with Hewkii, various background gags, and the very concept of a "Taxi Crab").

 

I take issue with the idea that darker and edgier storylines are somehow "better" or more legitimate than more lighthearted fare. Most superhero cartoons are rated TV-Y7, but a lot of them still have complex storylines and characterization that really help to make the characters relatable and the stories memorable. Some storylines even deal with very serious issues, like Avatar: The Last Airbender's themes regarding terrorism and genocide or Static Shock's frequent focus on societal issues like gang violence.

 

Keep in mind that BIONICLE was primarily for kids from the very beginning. Even the more violent moments in the books were no different: it's just that young kids and adult censors alike have a stronger stomach for violence in written form than in animated visual form. Thus, any BIONICLE media that seeks to shut out that child audience is forsaking the true spirit of the BIONICLE theme to instead embrace some distorted vision of what the theme should have been.

There isn't any reason to avoid an audience of children by artifically creating or modifying the content to be more mature. The majority of us seem to enjoy the tone of Bionicle the way it is, with it's fair share of corny jokes, ridiculous names, and weak plotlines. It has moderate amounts of each of those things; however, little enough that it could probably pass for a sci-fi story targeted at adults. It could gain quite a bit by allowing itself to be classified as one; mass media which is primarily aimed at adults typically receives more funding and better advertising. Talented and well-known actors are more willing to give their talents to the work, and even the books, films, and episodes themselves tend to be longer in length. Though there are definitely exceptions for works which are known to be famous or of high quality, Bionicle no longer qualifies for either of those categories.

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It bothers me how much fans seem to think a child audience would hurt a BIONICLE TV show. The Mata Nui Online Game was one of the absolute best methods of story delivery in the entire course of the theme, and I don't think there's anything in that theme that would push its rating above TV-Y7. It had some extremely energetic fight scenes (Onua vs. Lewa, or Kopaka vs. the Muaka), some really dark and foreboding moments (the entire Po-Koro chapter), and even some really powerful philosophical concepts (various monologues from the Matoran and Turaga, or Makuta's monologue before the final battle). It also had a fair share of humor (Taipu's slow-wittedness, Hafu's boastfulness, Macku's endearing relationship with Hewkii, various background gags, and the very concept of a "Taxi Crab").I take issue with the idea that darker and edgier storylines are somehow "better" or more legitimate than more lighthearted fare. Most superhero cartoons are rated TV-Y7, but a lot of them still have complex storylines and characterization that really help to make the characters relatable and the stories memorable. Some storylines even deal with very serious issues, like Avatar: The Last Airbender's themes regarding terrorism and genocide or Static Shock's frequent focus on societal issues like gang violence.Keep in mind that BIONICLE was primarily for kids from the very beginning. Even the more violent moments in the books were no different: it's just that young kids and adult censors alike have a stronger stomach for violence in written form than in animated visual form. Thus, any BIONICLE media that seeks to shut out that child audience is forsaking the true spirit of the BIONICLE theme to instead embrace some distorted vision of what the theme should have been.

Like I said earlier I like what writers have done with shows like the clone wars and young justice. If a Bionicle show were to be created I would want something like that. The writers gave the shows appeal to both a younger and older demographic. There is a difference between a show being geared for kids, and a show that is dumbed down and made super corny. My issue with bionicle media in the past has always been the fact that the movies had a hard time staying true to the spirit of the current story. The reason the WoS is my favorite of the movies (even though it was one of my least favorite storylines) is because the writers managed to take the story and not make everything super happy cheerful fun time. The other movies didn't really seem to capture the essence of the story because they were too light hearted and corny. If the Shadowed One and the Dark hunter would be included in said TV show, its not gonna be super light-hearted like the Ninjago show, or the Hero factory and bionicle movies. We're talking about dark hunters here, the story would be guaranteed to be somewhat dark. The shadowed one and the dark hunters hobbies are finding interesting ways to kill people. You want a show that isn't dark, then you're gonna have to pick a different subject. I can't think of a way to make the dark hunters a bit more light-hearted without ruining the story and making everything super corny.

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There is a difference between a show being geared for kids, and a show that is dumbed down and made super corny.

This is part of what I was going for in my previous post.

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Please check out Project AFTERMAN on Tumblr and Facebook; I'm proud to have worked as their PR Manager and as a writer.

 

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It bothers me how much fans seem to think a child audience would hurt a BIONICLE TV show. The Mata Nui Online Game was one of the absolute best methods of story delivery in the entire course of the theme, and I don't think there's anything in that theme that would push its rating above TV-Y7. It had some extremely energetic fight scenes (Onua vs. Lewa, or Kopaka vs. the Muaka), some really dark and foreboding moments (the entire Po-Koro chapter), and even some really powerful philosophical concepts (various monologues from the Matoran and Turaga, or Makuta's monologue before the final battle). It also had a fair share of humor (Taipu's slow-wittedness, Hafu's boastfulness, Macku's endearing relationship with Hewkii, various background gags, and the very concept of a "Taxi Crab").

 

I take issue with the idea that darker and edgier storylines are somehow "better" or more legitimate than more lighthearted fare. Most superhero cartoons are rated TV-Y7, but a lot of them still have complex storylines and characterization that really help to make the characters relatable and the stories memorable. Some storylines even deal with very serious issues, like Avatar: The Last Airbender's themes regarding terrorism and genocide or Static Shock's frequent focus on societal issues like gang violence.

 

Keep in mind that BIONICLE was primarily for kids from the very beginning. Even the more violent moments in the books were no different: it's just that young kids and adult censors alike have a stronger stomach for violence in written form than in animated visual form. Thus, any BIONICLE media that seeks to shut out that child audience is forsaking the true spirit of the BIONICLE theme to instead embrace some distorted vision of what the theme should have been.

Like I said earlier I like what writers have done with shows like the clone wars and young justice. If a Bionicle show were to be created I would want something like that. The writers gave the shows appeal to both a younger and older demographic. There is a difference between a show being geared for kids, and a show that is dumbed down and made super corny. My issue with bionicle media in the past has always been the fact that the movies had a hard time staying true to the spirit of the current story. The reason the WoS is my favorite of the movies (even though it was one of my least favorite storylines) is because the writers managed to take the story and not make everything super happy cheerful fun time. The other movies didn't really seem to capture the essence of the story because they were too light hearted and corny. If the Shadowed One and the Dark hunter would be included in said TV show, its not gonna be super light-hearted like the Ninjago show, or the Hero factory and bionicle movies. We're talking about dark hunters here, the story would be guaranteed to be somewhat dark. The shadowed one and the dark hunters hobbies are finding interesting ways to kill people. You want a show that isn't dark, then you're gonna have to pick a different subject. I can't think of a way to make the dark hunters a bit more light-hearted without ruining the story and making everything super corny.

 

Well, perhaps that's just a sign that a story focusing on the Shadowed One would not be appropriate for this kind of TV show. Then again, "coming up with creative ways to kill people" is also the Joker's schtick, but there have been some very well-loved portrayals of him in various Batman cartoons. Granted, Batman: The Animated Series was rated TV-PG, but to a certain extent, standards for what is or isn't acceptable on television have shifted since the early 90s when that aired. Subsequent superhero cartoons with a TV-Y7 rating such as Teen Titans and Static Shock have managed to feature foes just as dark and ruthless on occasion, including the Joker himself.

 

Static Shock, for what it's worth, was based on Static, which was not an extremely well-known comic book franchise before making the leap to television. So I don't think there's any rule that only already wildly popular franchises can maintain a high standard of quality storytelling with a TV-Y7 rating. It's just a matter of who's in charge and how effectively they can keep the franchise kid-friendly without taking the easy route and dumbing it down for younger audiences.

 

Here's something else to keep in mind. Even in the official storyline, The Shadowed One was rarely shown killing a character. He threatened or tried to kill characters plenty of times (e.g. Makuta Teridax and Zaktan). But his only kills that were actually shown within the present story were an unnamed Vortixx and his ally Ancient in one of the serials, pretty late in the story's run. That didn't stop him from being a fascinating, compelling, and ruthless character long before then. The same for the Dark Hunters in general. Most of their kills were only ever mentioned or implied, not properly shown. A skilled television writer could probably achieve the same feat in a kids' cartoon as long as they are careful in their choice of words.

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Subsequent superhero cartoons with a TV-Y7 rating such as Teen Titans and Static Shock have managed to feature foes just as dark and ruthless on occasion, including the Joker himself.

Static Shock also explored themes of gang violence and drug abuse, which I think deserves a mention since we're talking about the TV-Y7 rating and what can be done in that. The very first episode features the protagonist get handed a gun to participate in a clash between two gangs, and part of the reason he refuses to use it is 'cause his mother was killed during a gang-related shootout. That's some preeetty serious stuff for a cartoon about a teen with electric powers and quips like "I put a shock to your system" :P

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I think a better idea for a TV Show (:shrugs:) is the "Mata Nui explores other planets" story. You could do this post-2010 story: All you would need is a couple of GBs to rebuild the Core Processor and a really evil villain to motivate the Matoran to reassemble their bot. Then you could have the robot, with all the characters we know and like, chase this mysterious new villain across the universe to different planets and foil his evil plots. Sets could be made of the inhabitants of the planets they visit, which would be new characters.

 

The only problem with that would be that it would take a few episodes and maybe a whole season to really get it going, and it might be hard to keep it mysterious through all that, especially since all the old fans will know about the giant robot.

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I think a better idea for a TV Show ( :shrugs:) is the "Mata Nui explores other planets" story. You could do this post-2010 story: All you would need is a couple of GBs to rebuild the Core Processor and a really evil villain to motivate the Matoran to reassemble their bot. Then you could have the robot, with all the characters we know and like, chase this mysterious new villain across the universe to different planets and foil his evil plots. Sets could be made of the inhabitants of the planets they visit, which would be new characters.

 

The only problem with that would be that it would take a few episodes and maybe a whole season to really get it going, and it might be hard to keep it mysterious through all that, especially since all the old fans will know about the giant robot.

At first I thought this sounded like it was way too grand an idea to have a tv show about, but then you mentioned that it might take a season or half a season to start up, and it reminded me of the original plan for Star Trek Enterprise where the first season or at least its first half would be about the ship being built and the crew getting ready (And the first season would've been way better if they ended up doing that) , and exploring the stars and new civilizations in a nice big spaceship isn't that far off from robots doing the same in an even bigger robot, so I do agree that that would definitely work. Seems like an interesting idea to me ^^

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I think a better idea for a TV Show ( :shrugs:) is the "Mata Nui explores other planets" story. You could do this post-2010 story: All you would need is a couple of GBs to rebuild the Core Processor and a really evil villain to motivate the Matoran to reassemble their bot. Then you could have the robot, with all the characters we know and like, chase this mysterious new villain across the universe to different planets and foil his evil plots. Sets could be made of the inhabitants of the planets they visit, which would be new characters.

 

The only problem with that would be that it would take a few episodes and maybe a whole season to really get it going, and it might be hard to keep it mysterious through all that, especially since all the old fans will know about the giant robot.

At first I thought this sounded like it was way too grand an idea to have a tv show about, but then you mentioned that it might take a season or half a season to start up, and it reminded me of the original plan for Star Trek Enterprise where the first season or at least its first half would be about the ship being built and the crew getting ready (And the first season would've been way better if they ended up doing that) , and exploring the stars and new civilizations in a nice big spaceship isn't that far off from robots doing the same in an even bigger robot, so I do agree that that would definitely work. Seems like an interesting idea to me ^^

 

This would've been an interesting undertaking for Lego… the possibilities for tie-ins would be virtually endless as well. Another question could be raised about how the animation would be done… would the more "cartoon approach" like in Young Justice work well with the universe/characters , or would the animation style seen in the Bionicle Movies be more appealing? (I personally would go for movie style, but that's probably just my post-"Mask of Light" nostalgia ^_^ )

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I would opt for the movie animation, or maybe an improved version of that like the Ninjago/Chima series. Some sort of 3-D -ish CGI. *insert ploy to finally get good animation of the Mata Nui robot*

 

No TLR animation with spinning pins though.

Edited by fishers64
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I like Hero Factory show's animation style, even if the story is garbage. If a bionicle show were to be made it should be made in that animation style. The characters are easier to recognize than in the animation for the first 3 bionicle movies, but it doesn't have the distracting spinning pins from TLR.

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If its a TV show, it probably would work better as something that is not set in any kind of set time or place in Bionicle, but a completely new story based of the general ideas but with new stories and character.

 

The only which I can see this working is by not making the Toa as the heroes. In fact, Toa should be kept as far away from the main cast as you can possibly do with a hero-god like them.

Focus on Matorans. The story should completely and utterly be about the Matorans. Say, a format of an adventure serial starring this company of heroes exploring the strange mystical lands.

 

That way, we both have can identify with the characters, and offers a good audience proxy. We learn of the world as they do.

 

And of course, since action has been done before and Bionicle has legendarily bad experience with doing action scenes, the characters will solve their problems through smarts, through plans and through well, teamwork. Basic 101 right there, but its a formula that works.

I would almost say make it like Doctor Who, where each story can be doing its own thing. Think of scifi with detective story in the cities, western in Zakaz, corporate espionage in Xia, or straight-up psychedelic horror with the Makuta, all treated with appropriate amounts of mythical and mysticism. MNOG, in TV form, essentially.

 

Also, obviously, keep whoever people are working on TLR and Hero Factory as far away from this as possible. Away with that banal junk-food with its equally dull visual style.

This is something that needs imagination! Evoke the same level of mythology as the pre-2005 era.

Now Miramax movie trilogy isn't perfect visually, it lays a good basis on what this TV show should look like (albeit, the matoran designs could do with a little rework. Those legless orangutan armed freaks...), by being loyal to the base ideas but taking enough liberties to make the characters organic and lively.

 

Not like those 1:1 visual boredom of TLR and Hero Factory that only further drives home how lame the sets its marketing are and thinks Matorans look like Agori clones.

Edited by SarracenianKaijin
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hereheis.gif

 

--------------

 

Reach Heaven by Violence.

 

And while you are at it, see Bionicle characters as Magical Girls.

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If Lego had decided to make a TV, a story revolving around the 2001 story would be awesome. Say bionicle had started now, a tv show would be very realistic. I could see it involving 36 episodes, in which at the end a mask is found, and a few episodes to wrap it up.

36 episodes is a whole lot for a single story arc. I think if they wanted to make a BIONICLE TV series, the 2001 story shouldn't take up more than a single season. Of course, it wouldn't be impossible to fit the Quest for the Masks into a single 26-episode season. Just have more than one mask discovered in each episode, like the second BIONICLE comic from 2001 did (with Lewa finding his Kanohi Kakama and Gali finding her Kanohi Miru). That way the mask quest could be completed in 18 episodes, if you ignore the noble masks or have the Toa get those directly from the Turaga.

 

That wouldn't solve every problem, of course, because you'd have to take great strides to keep those 18 episodes from feeling repetitive. This was easy for the original 2001 BIONICLE storyline because it didn't show every single part of the Quest for the Masks. If you set out to show them all, then having 18 episodes with more or less the same objective could start to feel quite boring. Shows that do have an emphasis on collecting important items, like Pokémon with its eight gym badges, Ninjago with its four Fang Blades, or Jackie Chan Adventures with its twelve magical talismans, tend to keep the number of items to collect much lower.

 

Throw in the Makoki stones and there are even more magical artifacts to collect... though of course, the quests to obtain the Makoki Stones never actually appeared in any actual 2001 media. That was probably an objective devised for the sake of the cancelled computer game, much like many "collect-a-thon" action-adventure games from the 90s would require you to obtain a certain number of the collectible items to access the final part of the game.

 

You'd also run into the problem of keeping the spotlight on all of the characters. The Toa didn't do a lot of things as a team of six until their mask quest was finished. And you don't necessarily want characters to disappear from the show for several episodes in a row. At the same time, if you did keep the objective of obtaining all 36 masks in 18 episodes, there is a quite convenient way to handle things. Perhaps only three of the episodes (six masks' worth) could focus on the Toa trying to obtain the masks individually, and afterwards, you could have them obtain their remaining masks as teams of two.

 

There are thirty possible two-Toa pairs in the 2001 storyline — exactly as many as you might need to collect the remaining masks. By telling stories this way, with a different pair of Toa teaming up for each individual mask after the first six, you would not only prevent the Toa from disappearing for multiple episodes in a row, you would have time to explore each and every two-Toa character dynamic, which is fantastic from a storytelling perspective!

 

What to do with the remaining eight episodes in a 26-episode season, though? Two episodes are probably all you'd need for the series premiere and all the exposition it entails. The finale, focusing on the adventure in the Mangaia, wouldn't be likely to take more than two episodes either. Even the BIONICLE comics managed to integrate most of the essential exposition AND the first part of the mask quest in a single issue. Takua's adventures are obviously an important part of the 2001 storyline, but there's a strong chance focusing on a character whose adventures only occasionally overlap with the adventures of the Toa would upset the narrative structure of the series. The quests for the Makoki stones might be an easier way to fill this remaining space.

 

This is all just hypothetical of course. There are any number of ways the 2001 Quest for the Masks could be adapted into a TV series. It could possibly even be crammed into a shorter 13-episode season like Ninjago tends to use, provided you only focus on certain parts of the mask quest and let other masks be obtained in montages or off-camera between episodes. And that might be preferable in order to keep the quest from being too long and repetitive for people to keep track of without growing impatient.

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I'm surprised nobody has suggested the Toa Mata's pre-Mata Nui adventures! It's a pretty big time frame, it's widely open for interpretation by the creators, it involves highly recognizable characters, and fans won't know what's coming in advance!

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( The bunny slippers hiss and slither into the shadows. ) -Takuaka: Toa of Time

What if the Toa you know best were not destined to be? Interchange: The epic begins

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I'm surprised nobody has suggested the Toa Mata's pre-Mata Nui adventures! It's a pretty big time frame, it's widely open for interpretation by the creators, it involves highly recognizable characters, and fans won't know what's coming in advance!

 

Those were covered in the story (I can't remember if it was in the books or the serials). The toa mata's "adventures" consisted of being trained by the order of mata nui, and saving mata nui from one relatively minor threat. If you wanted to add the toa mata's first mission to a tv show, I would put it as a story arc in a tv show about the order of mata nui.

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If a TV show was done well, without voices that are intended to sound like heroes (Just take Mata Nui's voice from The Legend Reborn for example), set accuracy, and NO FLIRTING (Again, take Jaller and Hahli from Mask of Light or Sidorak and Roodaka from Web of Shadows for example), then it could actually be really good. And also if they pronounce names and stuff properly (ie. In the style of the Retrospective video from 2008, by saying Loowa instead of Leewa).

Edited by Makuta Miras

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If a TV show was done well, without voices that are intended to sound like heroes (Just take Matat Nui's voice from The Legend Reborn for example), set accuracy, and NO FLIRTING (Again, take Jaller and Hahli from Mask of Light or Sidorak and Roodaka from Web of Shadows for example), then it could actually be really good. And also if they pronounce names and stuff properly (ie. In the style of the Retrospective video from 2008, by saying Loowa instead of Leewa).

 

What was wrong with Mata Nui's voice from Legend Reborn? I thought it was fitting, at least for Mata Nui himself. Obviously, the characters in a TV show would do best with a wide range of voices, some more "heroic" than others.

 

Set accuracy could be nice but it would only work if sets accompanied the show—it'd be ridiculous for the showrunners to limit themselves to 10-year-old sets with wonky proportions and often limited poseability if they had to depict older characters.

 

Personally, I think Bionicle had too little flirting. I missed the classic romances in Bionicle like Macku and Hewkii, which got rarer and rarer as the years went on, all for a dull rule that seemed to exist solely to keep Greg from having to arbitrate shipping wars.

 

And finally, is it not Lee-wa (or rather, Lay-wa)? That's how the actual word the name comes from is pronounced. Bionicle's early pronunciation rules were one of the things I missed as the theme went on and character names became more diverse.

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Formerly Lyichir: Rachira of Influence

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I think Makuta Miras was holding up Mata Nui's voice as an example of a voice that DID sound heroic, but obviously you wouldn't want all characters to sound like that. One thing Greg tried to evoke in writing the comics was the idea that the characters would speak differently (you can debate all you like how effective that was). Lewa, for example, was always meant to be more youthful in spirit than the other Toa Mata, so his voice should obviously reflect that. Gali was supposed to be calm and wise, Tahu hotheaded and aggressive, Kopaka cold and distant, and Pohatu friendly and reliable. The only voice in BIONICLE: Mask of Light that really didn't suit the character's earlier portrayal was Onua's — he was officially supposed to be quiet and thoughtful, but instead his voice was deep and boisterous, though of course the context of his initial appearance in Mask of Light perhaps merited that kind of portrayal.

 

And finally, is it not Lee-wa (or rather, Lay-wa)? That's how the actual word the name comes from is pronounced. Bionicle's early pronunciation rules were one of the things I missed as the theme went on and character names became more diverse.

Yeah, officially, it was Lay-Wa, and the movies went with the slightly less accurate Lee-Wa. "Loo-wa" was NEVER correct.
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