Goodbye Mata Nui, Meet Okoto

[Toa Smoke Monster]

Once again, Lego fails to keep a secret about Bionicle 2015.

 

But anyway, I like that the island for New Bionicle's story will be a new one. A new location will definitely help to get new fans and keep those already in it interested at the same time.

 

As for the name itself, Okoto has a nice ring to it. It's simple, yet still sounds really cool. I wonder what new locations will be on it.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Toa Smoke Monster

[Ford]

When the news first came, I thought it would be a reboot. I believe that this would justify my stance on the matter in that it's probably a reboot.

 

Also, Lego is pretty bad at keeping secrets, as we always get photos of the next year's sets before November, which is usually when they are officially announced. Just a thought. Please don't bash me, Lego, I love you. <3

Edited October 5, 2014 by Fordianl

[Wrinkledlion X]

 

And before anyone asks, yes, the word "Okoto" does have significance.

 

Noun.

 

1. the thing one cannot live without. 

2. a state of mind one achieves while actively fulfilling his or her passion.

 

Adjective.

 

Perfect balance, usually found between financial obligations (work) and recreational activites (play).

 

"I need a little okoto in my life."

"Surfing is my okoto."

 

 

Where are you sourcing this from?

 

ALSO: Lord Okkoto

 

Edited October 5, 2014 by Wrinkledlion X

[Ballom Nom Nom]

Okoto has a nice ring to it that evokes the feel of the original years of Bionicle well. I'm looking forward to hearing more!

 

~B~

[Thau Nvua]

Sounds like a hard reboot, But in a sense that the story will be new enough for the old fans to keep following it.

[Zeddy]

I like it, but apparently it means "man" in Japanese? This may be a reach, but is it possible it's just a placeholder name till they finalize on the story details?

[Voltex]

Very interesting - I like the name of the island a lot, which is nice. Also, collecting masks returns, which is beautiful. If LEGO were to release mask packs to go along with this theme, I would be extremely happy.

[dotcom]

I like it, but apparently it means "man" in Japanese? This may be a reach, but is it possible it's just a placeholder name till they finalize on the story details?

That's "otoko," not okoto, but it's just a syllable switch around, so you never know. Bionicle is no stranger to only slightly manipulating foreign words and using them as names.

[Lenny7092]

Okoto, that's a new word. Reminds of Oroku Saki a.k.a. the Shredder from the TMNT franchise to come to think of it. Anyway, I hope that it is the name of a new island in Spherus Magna because there are some unresolved things in the original story, so I am hoping for a continuation. The last time we heard the island of Mata Nui, it was destroyed in 2008. If the name, "Okoto," replaces Mata Nui, then it is a reboot, and we, including me, may feel sad about it.

[Zidonaro]

I think this basically confirms a reboot, in combination with other things that we can't discuss here yet.

[Ragnar Lothbrok]

Queen Okoth confirmed?

 

This best happen

[~Xemnas~]

Okoto... Japanese-influenced Bionicle confirmed?

Well, regardless of a possible Japanese influence or not, Okoto really sounds like something from Bionicle's early years, so this really excites me (although I wish it had "Nui" after it, but oh well )

[Torran]

Bionicle news just flying off the shelves these days! Nothing nothing nothing - wham! - BIONICLE everything! Let the hunt for information continue.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Torran

[J46 Nui]

So this has me thinking that it might be a continuation. That, or they changed the island of Mata Nui's name because to make things less complicated by not having everything named the same.

[Aanchir]

So this has me thinking that it might be a continuation. That, or they changed the island of Mata Nui's name because to make things less complicated by not having everything named the same.

Or it could just be a reboot with an entirely new island. "Reboot" doesn't mean the story has to follow the exact same path that it did originally. If the designers want to, they can completely re-imagine the storyline from the ground up.

[Wazdakka]

That's a mindbogglingly rubbish replacement for Mata Nui. Yeah, Otoko has a nice ring and sounds tropical and tribal, but it does not cultivate any of the same uniqueness of Mata Nui. I could say Kohlipo, or Ungaya, or Moheli, or Raroton, or whatever... it's too generic, is what I'm getting at. 

[believe victims]

That's a mindbogglingly rubbish replacement for Mata Nui. Yeah, Otoko has a nice ring and sounds tropical and tribal, but it does not cultivate any of the same uniqueness of Mata Nui. I could say Kohlipo, or Ungaya, or Moheli, or Raroton, or whatever... it's too generic, is what I'm getting at. 

 

The only reason Mata Nui doesn't seem generic is that you went into it with a definition and a clear image of what it looked like. Nobody ever just saw the name; it was always accompanied by an image of the island, whether physically or in your head. Mata Nui didn't have meaning until it was given meaning (ignoring that it was stolen from Maori)

 

All we have is a name for Okoto. That's why it seems like it's just a generic name; for now, it is. We don't have any imagery to associate it with or anything, and I guarantee if the same had happened with Mata Nui, where we had seen a name and nothing more, it would seem just as generic.

 

Let Okoto build its identity before you discard it.

[CeeCee]

 

 

I wonder if Okoto is a location on Spherus Magna.

 That'd be pretty neat, but since the only part of SM that contains oceans is Aqua Magna (as far as I know), and we've explored all of that, I doubt that the island of Okoto is on the same planet. It's looking more like they'll be throwing ten years of story out the window, which is a shame IMO as I grew up with and enjoyed it.

Right, because when two planets merge there's no chance the geography could change and a new island could pop up.Stranger things have happened!

True. It's just I don't think a continuation could work in the long run.

[Tamarutoe]

I have a theory. The words Spherus Magna are not from the Matoran language (Dwellers in Darkness chapter five), but Spherus Magna existed in Matoran language, where it was referred to as "the heavens". Okoto sounds enough like a Matoran word, perhaps it means Spherus Magna. Maybe their word for the planet could also be a word for its largest island.

 

I'm really just trying to convince myself this isn't a reboot.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Tamarutoe

[Wrinkledlion X]

Don't bother convincing yourself of anything. Whether it's a reboot has nothing to do with what you believe, so you might as well roll with the punches instead of getting your hopes up. 

[DLVasco]

Okoto makes me think Ninjago has gotten to their heads. Either way, an "island" suggests a reboot, which is increasingly nerfing my enthusiams.

[believe victims]

I have a theory. The words Spherus Magna are not from the Matoran language (Dwellers in Darkness chapter five), but Spherus Magna existed in Matoran language, where it was referred to as "the heavens". Okoto sounds enough like a Matoran word, perhaps it means Spherus Magna. Maybe their word for the planet could also be a word for its largest island.

 

I'm really just trying to convince myself this isn't a reboot.

 

On a planet the size of Spherus Magna, its "largest island" would be called a continent. It would also be impossibly large for a single setting.

 

Even if it isn't a reboot (it is) your logic is highly flawed. It could be as simple as just being an island on Spherus Magna named Okoto; there doesn't need to be a complicated reason for it to be named that for it to still be on SM.

 

But again, it's almost definitely a reboot.

[Boidoh]

Maybe Okoto is a safe house location where the MU residents began to reside after the Marendar attacks. Maybe Marendar can't swim or something. So they isolated them selves from everyone else. Okoto could be where the MU residents keep an EYE out for any other MU residents on the mainland, and the current location of Marendar. This island will be in PERFECT BALANCE because they have isolated them self from the world to be free of the outside evil. Or something. 

 

Just an idea for how this may still be a continuation. 

[believe victims]

The Marendar only ever appeared in the twisted, mangled knot of web serials. Even on the miserably tiny chance this will be a continuation, I can guarantee it will not appear, or at least not in the first year.

[Click]

Or what if this was a mixed reboot-continuum where the Mata wake up on Okoto with no memory of who they are or how they got there and have to learn how to work together all over again?
 

Then again, that would be really frustrating for old fans.

[believe victims]

Or what if this was a mixed reboot-continuum where the Mata wake up on Okoto with no memory of who they are or how they got there and have to learn how to work together all over again?

 

Then again, that would be really frustrating for old fans.

 

Yes, but at this point, old fans have made it clear anything will frustrate them if new Bionicle doesn't pick up EXACTLY where old Bionicle left off, so I'd say LEGO is better off not concerning themselves with what frustrates old fans.

[Boidoh]

The Marendar only ever appeared in the twisted, mangled knot of web serials. Even on the miserably tiny chance this will be a continuation, I can guarantee it will not appear, or at least not in the first year.

 

What was twisted about them? I thought they were splendid. 

[Aanchir]

I don't get why people are still treating a reboot almost like a worst-case-scenario. Neither a reboot or a continuation would offer any guarantees on whether the quality of the story would be good or bad. There are good reboots and bad reboots, just as there are good continuations or bad continuations. But it seems like for some reason a lot of older fans have convinced themselves that only a continuation could ever do BIONICLE justice or tell a story they'd be interested in hearing.

 

I've never been of the mindset that there's only one right way to tell a story or only one correct version of any story to be told. I like L. Frank Baum's Oz books a great deal, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, or The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, or the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Tin Man which re-imagines the original series as cyberpunk science-fantasy, or the Wicked series which reimagines the original series as dystopian fantasy. Nor do these series feel boring or repetitive. In fact, I often find "reboots" like these more appealing than the various "continuations" that were written by various authors after L. Frank Baum's death. They have the same characters as the original stories, or new characters analogous to them, but they tell brand-new stories inspired by the timelessness of the originals and told from the fresh perspectives of new authors.

 

I have no problem seeing BIONICLE re-invented in this fashion. The old BIONICLE had ten years to earn our admiration, and it would be unfair to assume the worst about the new BIONICLE before it's even gotten one.

 

Yes, but at this point, old fans have made it clear anything will frustrate them if new Bionicle doesn't pick up EXACTLY where old Bionicle left off, so I'd say LEGO is better off not concerning themselves with what frustrates old fans.

Agreed. Something to keep in mind is that most of us who enjoyed the old BIONICLE are already trivial as far as potential sales are concerned. Making stubborn, single-minded demands will only help further convince the LEGO Group of our growing irrelevancy.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Aanchir

[believe victims]

 

The Marendar only ever appeared in the twisted, mangled knot of web serials. Even on the miserably tiny chance this will be a continuation, I can guarantee it will not appear, or at least not in the first year.

 

What was twisted about them? I thought they were splendid. 

 

 

They added needless bloat to an already bloated story. Plus, Greg wrote them by making them up as he went along, so they didn't even have any actual direction to where they were going. They only existed because fans wanted the story to continue after its main storyline had already wrapped up.

 

I guarantee you, if it comes to a continuation and things are retconned to make it more accessible to new fans, the final serials are first to go.

 

Of course, all that is irrelevant, because a continuation is a terrible business decision anyway.

[Boidoh]

 

 

The Marendar only ever appeared in the twisted, mangled knot of web serials. Even on the miserably tiny chance this will be a continuation, I can guarantee it will not appear, or at least not in the first year.

 

What was twisted about them? I thought they were splendid. 

 

 

They added needless bloat to an already bloated story. Plus, Greg wrote them by making them up as he went along, so they didn't even have any actual direction to where they were going. They only existed because fans wanted the story to continue after its main storyline had already wrapped up.

 

I guarantee you, if it comes to a continuation and things are retconned to make it more accessible to new fans, the final serials are first to go.

 

Of course, all that is irrelevant, because a continuation is a terrible business decision anyway.

 

 

So what? I loved the serials. No one complains about the novels, so might as well Greg had compiled them all and sold them for money, then no one would have complained about FREE online story. Plus, didn't Greg write EVERYTHING as he went along?

 

The only guarantees I around here is from Greg. I'm sure you can't give a guarantee, even if it ISN'T likely AT ALL I don't see how your guarantees can worth much at all.

 

That is your opinion. 

[believe victims]

So what? I loved the serials. No one complains about the novels, so might as well Greg had compiled them all and sold them for money, then no one would have complained about FREE online story. Plus, didn't Greg write EVERYTHING as he went along?

 

The only guarantees I around here is from Greg. I'm sure you can't give a guarantee, even if it ISN'T likely AT ALL I don't see how your guarantees can worth much at all.

 

That is your opinion. 

 

 

I have all sorts of complaints about Greg, but this is not the place for them. The novels are less chaotic than the serials because the novels were still bound by the overarching story bible that, in the end, the story had to follow. The serials, however, could run around like a headless chicken, because there was nothing controlling them but Greg himself. And thus Vezon appeared everywhere. Also, I don't see how the story being free means I cannot complain about the quality. If I gave you a free cookie and it contained arsenic, would you not still complain?

 

It took me a while to decode what you're saying here, but basically what you seem to be saying is you trust Greg's word over mine? Greg's heavily implying a reboot, too, so I don't know what you're suggesting. Also, I have bad habit of being right about these sorts of things.

 

My opinion is based in facts. Much stronger than opinions based solely in emotions and desires.

[Click]

I don't get why people are still treating a reboot almost like a worst-case-scenario. Neither a reboot or a continuation would offer any guarantees on whether the quality of the story would be good or bad. There are good reboots and bad reboots, just as there are good continuations or bad continuations. But it seems like for some reason a lot of older fans have convinced themselves that only a continuation could ever do BIONICLE justice or tell a story they'd be interested in hearing.

 

I've never been of the mindset that there's only one right way to tell a story or only one correct version of any story to be told. I like L. Frank Baum's Oz books a great deal, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, or The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, or the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Tin Man which re-imagines the original series as cyberpunk science-fantasy, or the Wicked series which reimagines the original series as dystopian fantasy. Nor do these series feel boring or repetitive. In fact, I often find "reboots" like these more appealing than the various "continuations" that were written by various authors after L. Frank Baum's death. They have the same characters as the original stories, or new characters analogous to them, but they tell brand-new stories inspired by the timelessness of the originals and told from the fresh perspectives of new authors.

 

I have no problem seeing BIONICLE re-invented in this fashion. The old BIONICLE had ten years to earn our admiration, and it would be unfair to assume the worst about the new BIONICLE before it's even gotten one.

 

 

I think it's the anticipation that's really killing all of us. I'm really trying to be patient and let Bionicle prove itself all over again, but I've had ideas about the rerelease for months and all we've had to go on are leaked images. There's been very few storyline leaks, and we're all trying to sort out what we know and resolve it into something more cohesive. There are those that see the new line as a chance to sort out all those little inconsistencies and knots in the story and bring a new story to Bionicle, whether it's with old characters or new. There are also those that look back at the disappointments (to some) of the storylines of the end of Bionicle and HF and fear for the worst for their beloved line. I guess the hopeful ones are a bit less outspoken. I just can't wait until we have a bit more to go on than the Mask of Creation, a quest for masks, and the island of Okoth (plus a few other bits we get if we Google). Give us some enemies, some background, some indication that this won't be something completely different with Bionicle stuck on it, and I'll be much more content.

[jakest123]

Well, at least I can pretend it's called Okoto Nui.

[Boidoh]

Well, at least I can pretend it's called Okoto Nui.

 

Great Perfect Balance

Great Skeleton

Great Eye

Great Man

 

I can dig that.

[Hitoshura]

I like how this is pointing to a reboot, but I have to say I really miss all the Nui and magna endings. It just doesn't feel like the same.

[Bionicle Guru]

I dunno, sounds a little too close to Japanese. I guess the Maori-sounding words that dominated BIONICLE up until its final years have biased me, but it will be a little harder to reconcile statements like, "Tahu, Gali, and Pohatu searched the shores of Okoto for the Kanohi" (for example). One of these things is not like the others! 

 

I suppose time and more information from Lego will tell.

[Shadow Destroyer]

I dunno, sounds a little too close to Japanese. I guess the Maori-sounding words that dominated BIONICLE up until its final years have biased me, but it will be a little harder to reconcile statements like, "Tahu, Gali, and Pohatu searched the shores of Okoto for the Kanohi" (for example). One of these things is not like the others!

 

I suppose time and more information from Lego will tell.

They sound pretty similar to me to be honest... Edited October 6, 2014 by Shadow Destroyer

[Aanchir]

I dunno, sounds a little too close to Japanese. I guess the Maori-sounding words that dominated BIONICLE up until its final years have biased me, but it will be a little harder to reconcile statements like, "Tahu, Gali, and Pohatu searched the shores of Okoto for the Kanohi" (for example). One of these things is not like the others! 

 

I suppose time and more information from Lego will tell.

I'm not sure what you're talking about (and it sounds like you don't know what you're talking about either). Okoto is WAY more Maori-sounding than most post-2003 BIONICLE place names. And for that matter, many post-2001 character names. Every single vowel and consonant sound in the name is present in the Maori language, and it follows all the rules of Maori phonology. The same can't be said for geographic terms like "Karzahni" or "Metru", both terms introduced in 2004. The Maori language has no Z sound, syllables in the Maori language never begin with two consonant sounds, and syllables in the Maori language never end in a consonant. Edited October 6, 2014 by Aanchir

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

I do not believe in any of the post-2008 serials. I consider them non-canon. Reboot with Okoto for the win!

[ECHO1493]

Wow, all these passive aggressive fans arguing about the Maori language. I'm pretty sure that some of you all might remember that things didn't go so well when that language was used so excessively. Okoto sounds "Bionicleish" enough for me.