The "Bio" in Bionicle G2

[Logan McOwen]

Got a little theory on G2, hear me out here.

 

So, the composure of the characters has yet to be confirmed, but for all intents and purposes (like with G1 in its beginning) it’s safe to assume that they’re mostly mechanoid. However, it has been mentioned that the translucent bones/shells in the sets are meant to represent components infused with natural, elemental energy - for example, the trans light blue parts on Gali represent components surging with water energy. This, along with the organic nature of Okoto, could be a large factor of what puts the “Bio” in “Bionicle” this time around.

 

Now, if they are mostly mechanoid (which I’m pretty bloody sure they are), but live in a natural environment, are they of this world? I mean, in the animations, we see that carving which alludes to the Toa coming to Okoto from other worlds. Could this be the case with the other mechanoid beings on Okoto? Or do they come from somewhere more industrial on this new planet, like G1’s Metru Nui? And what of the skull warriors - are they the remnants of a failed attempt at automated civilization? 

 

All I’m saying is that Okoto is not what it seems. Robots don’t just come from nowhere, y'know.

(Edit: This here is my first thread!)
 

Mods: If this has already been discussed, please feel free to close this thread.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Logan McOwen

[UngluedBike]

This is certainly a very viable theory. I'd certainly like to see more locations on Okoto's planet, like the G2 Metru-Nui counterpart you mentioned.

[CarumEsSarene]

I always had this off feeling that this is all just a prequel to Gen 1. Which would tie in to your theory.

[Makaru]

 

"Where did I come from?"

[The 1st Shadow]

However, it has been mentioned that the translucent bones/shells in the sets are meant to represent components infused with natural, elemental energy - for example, the trans light blue parts on Gali represent components surging with water energy. 

Um, what? Where has that ever been suggested? I know I've theorized at length that those bits are actually bare skin of the organic beings underneath the armor, but this is the first I've ever seen of this idea.

 

Basically, from what we've seen of the story, the villagers seem to be able to reproduce naturally, which removes the need for robots to be built (if there are no robots, then there's no mystery surrounding their presence ). In a flashback sequence in the first animation, one villager was shown to be fishing, implying that they need to eat.

 

Some have theorized that the Toa are robotic, while the villagers are not. I can almost get behind this, but until further evidence is given from LEGO, I'm gonna stick with the more organic theory.

Edited May 22, 2015 by The~1st~Shadow

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

 

"Where did I come from?"

Well you see li'l billy, let me tell you the old mightsome tale of ages past, of the Gukko and the Nui Rama. It all started at the same time those Theodosian Walls in seas and stars yonder gave way to eastern yolk, only here in our pizza-sliced hood. In the Time before our Time....  ....In-short,

Edited May 22, 2015 by Iaredios Paerkenon

[IcarusBen]

 

 

"Where did I come from?"

Well you see li'l billy, let me tell you the old mightsome tale of ages past, of the Gukko and the Nui Rama. It all started at the same time those Theodosian Walls in seas and stars yonder gave way to eastern yolk, only here in our pizza-sliced hood. In the Time before our Time....  ....In-short,

 

[FallenCor]

 

 

 

"Where did I come from?"

Well you see li'l billy, let me tell you the old mightsome tale of ages past, of the Gukko and the Nui Rama. It all started at the same time those Theodosian Walls in seas and stars yonder gave way to eastern yolk, only here in our pizza-sliced hood. In the Time before our Time....  ....In-short,

 

 

[Fry]

...maybe it just sounded cool...

[CarumEsSarene]

So this is what happens when Bionicle fans don't get sunlight.

~~~~

I actually think the OPs idea is good, and certainly a good headcanon.

Edited May 23, 2015 by bonesiii
One post full of big images is enough, thanks. ;) -bones

[Prowl Nightwolf]

I am sorry I was laughing all the way through this. I just knew something like this was going to happen once the first picture was posted.

Edited May 23, 2015 by bonesiii
One post full of big images is enough, thanks. ;) -bones

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Came here for actual discussion,

 

didn't get it, but I'm satisfied with what I saw

 

-NotS

[Logan McOwen]

...maybe it just sounded cool...

Yeah, honestly wouldn't be surprised if they've just kept the name for nothing more than brand recognition. But hey, it still makes sense that the "bio" refers to the whole element of controlling the forces of nature - at least to me.

 

Oh, and on the "baby" villager; I'm honestly still surprised people are picking his existence in the cartoons apart as if it's some huge biomechanical illuminati conspiracy that proves that the Protectors can cook buns in the oven. It's very likely that his inclusion in the cartoon was just for entertainment value or comic relief, much like the Vahi being spattered everywhere is an Easter Egg, and that Tahu saying he can "FEEL THE POWAAAAAAAA" is a reference to He-Man. 

Edited May 25, 2015 by Logan McOwen

[Makaru]

Maybe I should explain why I included the Protector in this conversation before it became a big dumb meme.

 

So let's pretend reproduction is completely off the table for the sake of it being a toy line for now because it's the least important part of my argument anyway.

 

What we have, for five seconds, is a villager, like the rest but smaller. I think we can assume they are a younger villager because

1. they are smaller
2. they are wide-eyed and full of wonderment gazing at our hero Tahu for the first time. They are implicitly standing in for the target audience of Bionicle, the children. The tiny villager is us.

Wow I'm sure blowing a lot of minds with THAT revelation, eh? Well pay attention, this is where I actually get interesting.

 

SO what we have is a young villager. From this we can assume they will one day become an adult villager. GROUND BREAKING STUFF I KNOW okay but how does that growth happen? Do they just add on parts like a robot?

 

Take a look at that baby villager again. Look at his proportions. Even cartoonishly depicted, the scale of limbs to head to eyes to body are not the same as the adult villager. The eyes are almost the same but the mask itself is quite a bit smaller. The limbs are slender but the armour looks to be similar in size.

 

I posit that the villagers themselves actually "grow" very similar to how children do. The bodies elongate with little expansion in width. The eyes retain size but the head grows in size too. But the mask? I suggest to you that the mask does not. My evidence? Ekimu. He is a mask maker. But since everyone's face is the same, I doubt he's making a lot of spares if his official job title is Mask Maker. Ekimu and Makuta make masks for the villagers because they keep growing out of them and require replacements every so often.

 

So what does this mean? The baby protectors grow. They are clearly somewhat robotic, but they are able to mature from a smaller state. And despite what Ultron McSquishyvibraniumface would have you believe, metal just can't do that alone. It needs the assistance of good ol' fashioned organic material in the mix somewhere.

 

But hey, that's just a theory.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Makaru

[Prowl Nightwolf]

It is a good theory and a sound one. Me personally I am no so blown away by the concept of a young character of a purely mechanical race existing without means of biological reproduction. Remember I am more than just an avid Transformers fan.

 

There they have characters of a variety of shapes and sizes from Goliath Titans like Omega Supreme and the Guardian bots. To Larger characters such as the Gestalt Combiners, to slightly smaller characters that fit a more leadership roll to even smaller scout types to even smaller "baby" transformers known as Mini-cons. There is also something called a sparkling who is actually a baby/child transformer but that is beside the point.

 

Anyway I think I like the idea of the Mask makers having to make new masks as the Protectors grow. Though that does beg the question as to what they did for so many generations with no mask makers to make masks? I guess that is a bit of a hole someone could punch in your theory if they wanted to. Made worse by the quote "I doubt he's making a lot of spares". More than likely it is always good to have spares on hand. So let's patch up that hole and move on.

 

Now onto the who requiring organics to grow... This is fantasy guys/gals, If they say they are fully mechanical but are still able to grow then guess what. Machines can grow. no organics required. Just because we as bumbling carbon based life forms have not figured out in practice how to have actual self replicating machines; an organic based machine if you will, does not mean some other entity hasn't... I give it another 50 years or so and we'll have cracked that code as well.

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

Now onto the who requiring organics to grow... This is fantasy guys/gals, If they say they are fully mechanical but are still able to grow then guess what. Machines can grow. no organics required. Just because we as bumbling carbon based life forms have not figured out in practice how to have actual self replicating machines; an organic based machine if you will, does not mean some other entity hasn't... I give it another 50 years or so and we'll have cracked that code as well.

I and others know that this is fantasy, but it's also science fantasy. It's okay to stretch the bubble of belief to a certain point, but growing metal and waiting for it to peep 'Adventure' like ol' Flapjack is probably going to break that sense of immersion. An essence of balance is needed.

 

All lifeforms are replicating machines, only to decrease the chances of data corruption separate data banks are intermixed to create a fresh one, and this continues forth. I've heard people talk about cloning body parts and keeping them somewhere so that if we need a new heart or lose a limb we could grow them instead of waiting years for an opening, but wouldn't this genetic material wither away after a while?

 

50 years? Really? Around 50+ years ago people thought the 21st Century would have flying cars utilizing anti-gravity, jet packs would be common, and we would have established stable lunar and martian colonies and be in contact with our 'brothers and sisters' in Venus of all places. Such things will be cracked and done in due time if we find them to be possible by preexisting laws in nature, but I give humanity about half a millennium rather then half a century, maybe more.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Iaredios Paerkenon

[Prowl Nightwolf]

Fare enough, maybe I am giving our scientist too much credit. Still the aspect of self replication machines is more than just theoretically possible. You even said so yourself, "All life forms are replicating machines". Also yes as Organics "interface" to mix "data" to create a new "program".

 

I take reference from Transformers again(Yes I know some people hate that but bear with me). They can grow and shrink based on power. An example is Hot Rod / Rodimus from G1. When he has the Matrix his body grows taller and changes form from the sports car to some form of Winnebago truck deal. When the Matrix is removed he reverts back to his smaller sports car form. No organics required. Simply something in his programing that says grow and get bigger. There is also a term known as Mass-shifting thus explaining why a large warrior can turn into a smaller handgun.

 

Anyway on a more Bionicle stand point just look at the Matoran to Toa to Turaga Transformations. While yes technically they have organics them same organics could be replaced by purely mechanical components. Lungs for air and vacuum filtration system; brain for a CPU, muscles can be easily replaced by pistons and hydraulics; so on and so forth. So explain the transformation process... Some form of "magical" Toa Energy does the process? Well "Magic is just Science we just don't understand". Also I know that the transformation from Matoran to Toa is not an action stage in their life cycle as not all Matoran will become Toa.

 

Still I suspect expansion of the body could be simplified as to be something within their core programing as a machine.

 

1) Perhaps the required metal alloy is already within the body however compressed. Over time the metal relaxes and expands thus allowing the Protector in question to appear to grow. While in reality there is no addition to material.

 

2) Or another option is that the body processes nutrition that the children consume into viable body expansion. Over time as more material is consumed the body converts it to building material and again the Protector appears to grow over time.

 

It is not that difficult to perceive how a purely mechanical being could appear to grow in the same manner as an organic. Above are two possible ways and I am sure there are dozens more.

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

 

 

Anyway on a more Bionicle stand point just look at the Matoran to Toa to Turaga Transformations. While yes technically they have organics them same organics could be replaced by purely mechanical components. Lungs for air and vacuum filtration system; brain for a CPU, muscles can be easily replaced by pistons and hydraulics; so on and so forth. So explain the transformation process... Some form of "magical" Toa Energy does the process? Well "Magic is just Science we just don't understand".

Off-topic, but one of my favorite things about Bionicle is that it avoids the word 'magic' and creates other explanations that could very well just be called as such. The day Bionicle blatantly uses magic (runes, spoken spells and whatnot) is the day it is no longer Bionicle.

 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2015 by Iaredios Paerkenon

[Prowl Nightwolf]

Is that really all you got out of my post? That I think the Toa Energy is purely Magic? I really don't think Dungeons and dragons Runic Magic has any place in Bionicle. Though the Toa Stones that turn a Matoran into Toa could be classed as magical. Even if it is not. Thus the quote I made.

[IcarusBen]

Bionicle is (rather soft) scifi, right? So, logically, if soft scifi can successfully suspend disbelief in one franchise, it can also suspend that same disbelief in a different franchise of the same genre?

 

In that case, I give you THIS;

 

 

Silvan, if you're here, you'll recognize this. The rest of you, this is a Replicator (the bugform) from Stargate. Now, this particular one isn't too important; he's rather basic and doesn't demonstrate my point all too well. This one, though;

 

 

Meet Fifth. Say hi, Fifth. Fifth is one of the human-form Replicators. Instead of cells, he has tiny little nanomachines that form a nice, cohesive structure that happens to look like a whiny brat.

 

(FYI, he is a whiny brat, but that's rather unimportant right now.)

 

Now, again, couldn't we apply the suspension of disbelief from Stargate, a soft-scifi series, to Bionicle, an even softer scifi series? If it worked in one that tried to explain it's science, couldn't it work in one that doesn't care about science?