Gen 2 Masks -- Rank Symbols?

[bonesiii]

So, one of the hardest things to swallow about Gen2 so far is apparently every villager (and Protector) wearing the same mask (shape). We could just assume this is purely set-based and we're supposed to interpret them all as just standins for whatever they would show, but this image (plus the kid in the background) makes me wonder. What if it has meaning in-story?

That got me thinking if there was any explanation I could think of that I might like, and I thought of rank symbols. What if only Toa or other such beings are considered of a rank high enough to wear any other mask shape?

From kids to normal villagers to the village leaders (Protectors... or whatever role they have), this shape could mean "below Toa rank".

Still crazy confusing how they tell each other apart... but I think some of the "standins" theory probably applies to images like this; if not for masks, maybe for body color schemes, small decorations they wear that the animators didn't bother to include... etc. It's even possible they have a culture based so strongly on something like military rank that they don't even care about the individual for most purposes, perhaps in response to a long time of need of serious military defense against Skull Spiders?

The Protectors' versions with the two colors could mean "below Toa rank still... but above the others".

A question is whether the Protectors have small elemental power based on the masks (unlike Gen1 Turaga), but we still have that same basic question for the Toa (masks as the source of elemental power versus "in them" plus maybe extra from the masks). Rank symbols could probably work either way, but it would especially help if their small power (as seen with the Fire Protector in episode 2) comes from the mask, to explain why this doesn't warrant the mask having a shape to indicate it's a Mask of (lesser) Fire.

Thoughts?

[Takhamavahu]

I like this theory based only on what we have, but I still think it's too early, at least for me, to be buying into theories when there is so little to go off and the story has only just begun.

 

I bet what will happen i that they'll have these generic masks now, but if in the future new sets of villager characters with unique masks come out, they will act like it's nothing. Like how in MNOG, every ga-matoran seems to wear a kakama except those with names and major roles.

[The 1st Shadow]

I'll admit, when I first saw this topic, I thought it'd be asking what the new spinny should be.

 

Anyway, I think that, due to the fact that they are all identical, the animators just made one model and duplicated it (see every big movie in recent years that had battles between large armies) and used it to show numbers rather than individuals.

 

The whole military vs individual idea is something I thought of months ago, under the impression that the Protector sets were not named due to just being a generic representation of the village defense force. Now I see that the leaders themselves are the individuals with weapons and dual-colored masks, so I don't know what to think.

 

In any case, I'm assuming that the masks are all different in-story. My reason for this is Ekimu and Makuta--island-renowned Mask Makers. Either the villagers don't know good mask-work, or Ekimu and Makuta aren't creative enough to come up with more than one mask design. If those two were really as great as they are made out to be, then I'm going to assume they made more than one design, and this story element was not reflected by the animation. 

[fishers64]

I like to think that Makuta stole all of the unique & cool masks that Ekimu made, leaving them with all the lame ones that look identical. Identity robbing. Trying to preserve some dignity, they gave the coolest mask they had left to their most important individual. 

 

Otherwise, I thought it kind of went without saying that they indicated rank. At least, as an out-of-story reason.

[Regitnui]

I like that idea, combined with the 'oh, they all have customised touches we didn't include'-excuse of Gen1.

[Munty]

What seems strange to me is that this story so far is based ENTIRELY on two brothers who devote their entire lives to creating masks of power... Ekimu and Makuta must have made thousands of masks in their time at the anvils yet it seems the entire island of Okoto Nui wears the same mask in slightly different colours. So what's the point of the masks they're making if noone can wear them anyway? 

 

Another thought on the topic of these masks. It seems pretty likely that these villagers are actually 'born' in their masks in gen2 so doesn't that make the mask makers even MORE redundant? Who are they building them for???

 

Hopefully the story will introduce new information as we go but the whole handling of the protector masks has got to be the worst thing about gen2 so far (IMOAL) There was so much potential and now it seems to actually make the whole story kind of pointless when you think about it...

[Banana Gunz]

Hard to say. It's important to consider that we don't know if they knew what toa were. They usually referred to them as hero's in the prophesy and this could've been their first encounter with toa. Plus they already had the golden masks scattered around the island for them. I personally don't feel it has anything to do with class.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Bonesiii - I would be very surprised if all the Matoran wore the same mask. After all, remember this comic panel?

 

 

Everyone looks like the 2004 Kotoran set. Of course, that's not the way it really is in the Bionicle world. It's more likely the animation team wanted to keep it simple and just give all the Matoran the same mask, rather than distract the viewer and increase production time by giving everyone a unique look.

 

Also - I thought this would be a thread about using 2015 masks as "year" spinnies.

Edited December 22, 2014 by TheSkeletonMan939

[bonesiii]

I like this theory based only on what we have, but I still think it's too early, at least for me, to be buying into theories when there is so little to go off and the story has only just begun.

Buying into, no -- I always advise people not to buy into theories. But before we know the canon answer is exactly when theories happen.

 

 

I bet what will happen i that they'll have these generic masks now, but if in the future new sets of villager characters with unique masks come out, they will act like it's nothing. Like how in MNOG, every ga-matoran seems to wear a kakama except those with names and major roles.

Possibly. Or maybe we'll learn there are other special ranks among the villagers. Just because the image shows the Protector mask shape on their faces doesn't mean there couldn't be in-between ranks with different shapes. Maybe it's something like the named Skrall? And the Protectors could have agreed to use the normal shape, perhaps to show their allegiance to the common people.

 

Ekimu and Makuta--island-renowned Mask Makers. Either the villagers don't know good mask-work, or Ekimu and Makuta aren't creative enough to come up with more than one mask design. If those two were really as great as they are made out to be, then I'm going to assume they made more than one design, and this story element was not reflected by the animation.

I don't think this is relevant -- they're mask-makers; that doesn't comment on which shapes they make for who. If they valued the cultural idea of everybody of a particular rank having the same shape, they'd make a lot in that shape. And do we know that they made all masks anyways? They might have only made powered masks, and most might be unpowered, but who knows.

 

 

Otherwise, I thought it kind of went without saying that they indicated rank. At least, as an out-of-story reason.

Makes sense... signals to the fans from the animators of rank... and just for now? Could be. Could also fit with "a bit of both", in-story.

 

 

So what's the point of the masks they're making if noone can wear them anyway?

Wouldn't Ekimu and Makuta be the ones wearing the powered masks? Masks can be switched, after all; E&M need not wear only their normal masks, and Makuta was shown of course making the MoUP for himself. And likely others; I doubt the story won't have other titans/Toa-height-beings later and such, if it continues.

 

And if E&M made the non-powered masks (assuming Gen2 follows that) for the villagers, then the villagers would wear those.

 

 

Another thought on the topic of these masks. It seems pretty likely that these villagers are actually 'born' in their masks in gen2 so doesn't that make the mask makers even MORE redundant? Who are they building them for???

Based on what do you think that's likely? All we have that I recall is wording that implies there are parents and children (though wording like brother has been nonliteral in Bionicle before), and if that's the case, seems more likely to me they need masks given to them. More interesting to me is how their armor and/or masks grow with them (replacements as they age? a power that adds to their size?), but that's tangential...

 

 

 

Hard to say. It's important to consider that we don't know if they knew what toa were. They usually referred to them as hero's in the prophesy and this could've been their first encounter with toa. Plus they already had the golden masks scattered around the island for them. I personally don't feel it has anything to do with class.

Well, at least in Gen1, Toa means hero, so I'd take that just as translated for the fans' benefit. Whether they'd seen Toa before or not, clearly they're aware of them so could see it as a rank.

 

Bonesiii - I would be very surprised if all the Matoran wore the same mask. After all, remember this comic panel?

 

http://biosector01.com/wiki/images/b/b2/Comic_Ko-Metru_Scene.png

 

Yeah, but it was one obscure panel and it isn't emphasized in the image (and it's after a history of Gen1 sightings of Matoran with different masks, including those very 2004 sets!). This time the animation takes the time to slowly pan over the whole crowd and you can't possibly miss it (and the Protectors at least are confirmed to wear the same mask as seen in the sets too). And then see that even the kid has the same mask.

 

I think this one could go either way at this point.

Edited December 22, 2014 by bonesiii

[The 1st Shadow]

Bonesiii - I would be very surprised if all the Matoran wore the same mask. After all, remember this comic panel?

 

 

 

Everyone looks like the 2004 Kotoran set. Of course, that's not the way it really is in the Bionicle world. It's more likely the animation team wanted to keep it simple and just give all the Matoran the same mask, rather than distract the viewer and increase production time by giving everyone a unique look.

 

Also - I thought this would be a thread about using 2015 masks as "year" spinnies.

You and me, both, dude.

[fishers64]

Bonesiii - I would be very surprised if all the Matoran wore the same mask. After all, remember this comic panel?

 

link

 

Everyone looks like the 2004 Kotoran set. Of course, that's not the way it really is in the Bionicle world. It's more likely the animation team wanted to keep it simple and just give all the Matoran the same mask, rather than distract the viewer and increase production time by giving everyone a unique look.

Yes, but they're not Matoran. We know that all the Matoran have a variety of masks among themselves, for sure. 

 

I still think the "cool" masks being scattered by the MoUP is the best explanation (not to start a war of the explanations). The thing was on Makuta's face for a few minutes and might have picked up enough from the being's mind. This was all about the masks, after all - and obviously Makuta wanted to take all of Ekimu's masks for himself, in order to punish the villagers for esteeming Ekimu more. Earth movement and plants could have moved them/knocked the villagers out to remove the masks off their faces, so it's certainly within the purview of the MoUP. 

 

As for why the villagers didn't hunt for the masks themselves, it's possible that they tried and were beaten back by the Skull Spiders, or maybe they just didn't have time with having to survive and the amount of work that is. Plus it didn't look there were a lot of villagers. Maybe 10? Distingishing such a small group by names and voices could be possible. 

 

It's possible that I'm wrong, so just throwing it out there.

 

Also - I thought this would be a thread about using 2015 masks as "year" spinnies.

Someone needs to make that topic now. But wouldn't the answer to that be obvious? Of course they are going to use the new 2015 masks as the next spinny. Otherwise there will be a riot.

[Munty]

 

So what's the point of the masks they're making if noone can wear them anyway?

Wouldn't Ekimu and Makuta be the ones wearing the powered masks? Masks can be switched, after all; E&M need not wear only their normal masks, and Makuta was shown of course making the MoUP for himself. And likely others; I doubt the story won't have other titans/Toa-height-beings later and such, if it continues.

 

And if E&M made the non-powered masks (assuming Gen2 follows that) for the villagers, then the villagers would wear those.

 

 

Another thought on the topic of these masks. It seems pretty likely that these villagers are actually 'born' in their masks in gen2 so doesn't that make the mask makers even MORE redundant? Who are they building them for???

Based on what do you think that's likely? All we have that I recall is wording that implies there are parents and children (though wording like brother has been nonliteral in Bionicle before), and if that's the case, seems more likely to me they need masks given to them. More interesting to me is how their armor and/or masks grow with them (replacements as they age? a power that adds to their size?), but that's tangential...

 

First point, I guess they could be making masks for their own use, we simply know so little about the story so far it's impossible to know! I think it seems unlikely personally but that may just be because it's such a departure from the way masks worked in Gen1 and I'm not opposed to that changing for gen2 by any means! It wouldn't, however, explain why they made the gold masks for the Toa before they ever arrived, not to mention scattered them across the island in hidden locations which somehow the Toa all found immediately (ala the videos) Regarding the villagers all sharing a mask I agree it's too early to assume that has any relevance. Would have been nice to see at least a little diversity in the crowd though, had completely forgotten about that cell in the comic. Must've been years since I read through them last!

 

As for the 'born in the masks' thing, my assumption is based on your latter comment. I think it seems likely that, given we now have children, the masks must grow WITH the wearer. Otherwise there would be this constant upgrading as they aged (anyone remember the beginning of the movie 'Robots'?!) Of course a counterpoint to this argument would be that we then have a purpose for the mask-makers as the villagers would always be in need of new masks. They essentially become almost like footwear in that they need replacing frequently due to growth and wear, keeping Ekimu and Makuta plenty busy! It would also eplain why Makuta is jealous of his brother who makes the 'best' masks... maybe it's because Ekimu is responsible for the adults and elders while Makuta gets to supply the kiddy table and school-goers!