Refrence to Mata Nui Robot in MNOG?

[Xboxtravis]

I might not be the first to notice this, but in the MNOG there is a scene of an Onu-Tonghua talking to Whenua about a layer of strata that "extends beneath all of Mata Nui." I just noticed this detail today.

 

Seeing that the whole giant Mata Nui robot was being planned since Bionicle's start: is this a refrence to it? What else could be a giant strata under the island? Even if it is a refrence to the Bohrok caves, we know that those are inside the MU body...

 

Thoughts?

[Onaku]

Yeah, I'm thinking it was kind of obviously a foreshadowing to the whole Mata-Nui robot plot-twist. 

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

I might not be the first to notice this, but in the MNOG there is a scene of an Onu-Tonghua talking to Whenua about a layer of strata that "extends beneath all of Mata Nui." I just noticed this detail today.

 

Seeing that the whole giant Mata Nui robot was being planned since Bionicle's start: is this a refrence to it? What else could be a giant strata under the island? Even if it is a refrence to the Bohrok caves, we know that those are inside the MU body...

 

Thoughts?

Yep, you hit the nail right on the head. No longer were the Onu-Matoran picking away at his beard, but found his skin finally (and then decided to try picking at it).

Edited September 22, 2015 by Iaredios Paerkenon

[TheSkeletonMan939]

I think you can see the robot on the telescope decorations too.

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

I think you can see the robot on the telescope decorations too.

Strangely enough, though, that was supposed to represent The Makuta, before plans for him to overthrow Mata Nui were devised (which was done around 2005 I think).

 

There were different appearances for Mata Nui's physical form before the final form was settled. It is possible that when plans to make Makuta Teridax overthrow his creator were agreed upon, the Bionicle story team went back to MNOG and styled the face after the symbolization for The Makuta that was carved into the side of the Great Telescope, so as to kind of fit in with Bionicle's theme of  fate, destiny and prophecy.

[Toa Chuck]

At one point nokama says, "the sea surrounds mata-nui and covers it. "

Man, that game had all sorts of referances.

[MrSciFiGuy]

So subtle, but cool. I really gotta play both again and catch any references. 

[Lyichir]

The cool thing about that "layer of strata" is that we found out before long what that referred to: Protodermis. The very name of which was a hint at the hidden robot, with dermis obviously coming from the Latin word for "skin". Of course, when every character and object from the Matoran universe was revealed to be created out of Protodermis, the meaning was blurred, but at the time, Protodermis can be assumed to have referred specifically to the hard outer "skin" of the robotic Mata Nui.

[bonesiii]

To the topic starter: That's correct; it was Mata Nui's outer hull.

 

 

The cool thing about that "layer of strata" is that we found out before long what that referred to: Protodermis. The very name of which was a hint at the hidden robot, with dermis obviously coming from the Latin word for "skin". Of course, when every character and object from the Matoran universe was revealed to be created out of Protodermis, the meaning was blurred, but at the time, Protodermis can be assumed to have referred specifically to the hard outer "skin" of the robotic Mata Nui.

Actually, we didn't know that layer was protodermis until that later reveal you mention that "everything" is protodermis. At the time we knew only that they were mining for "protodermis", and that layer got in the way. They didn't know what it was in MNOG, only that it seemed to them similar to the shells of Ussal or something like that. Later from the comic use of protodermis and MNOG2 we thought protodermis was always a liquid, until 2004 cleared it up as multiple types.

 

This misconception has showed up here before -- not sure where it comes from, but maybe a theory based on the name of protodermis. The theory ironically works, but we did not at the time know it.

[Toa Imrukii]

 

I might not be the first to notice this, but in the MNOG there is a scene of an Onu-Tonghua talking to Whenua about a layer of strata that "extends beneath all of Mata Nui." I just noticed this detail today.

 

Seeing that the whole giant Mata Nui robot was being planned since Bionicle's start: is this a refrence to it? What else could be a giant strata under the island? Even if it is a refrence to the Bohrok caves, we know that those are inside the MU body...

 

Thoughts?

Yep, you hit the nail right on the head. no longer were the Onu-Matoran picking away at his beard, but found his skin finally (and then decided to try picking at it).

 

 

A sundial on his beard? I want to make a witty joke about this, but I've got nothing.

[Artimus Maora]

There were so many references to the Mata Nui robot in the MNOG game, it's almost hilarious to go back now and play it again

 

So glad I found the game on the biomediaproject site!

[Iruini Nuva]

There were so many references to the Mata Nui robot in the MNOG game, it's almost hilarious to go back now and play it again

 

So glad I found the game on the biomediaproject site!

 

Do we have a complete list of them somewhere? Want to make sure I don't miss any on my next play-through.

[Xboxtravis]

All this just blows my mind: that Lego could set up the whole Mata Nui=Giant Robot for SEVEN years and we failed to catch the clues, but now it seems so obvious...

 

But what was up with the sundial? Maybe that is a Great Being zit...

 

Sorry to post twice in a row but I just found another one, from the Ta-Matoran wandering in the woods, he states: "Vakama says that in the beginning of time, Mata Nui fell from the sky, and landed here." Mind officially blown!

 

 

 

Edit: Double post merged.

-Wind-

Edited September 22, 2015 by -Windrider-

[Tuuli]

If you read closely in the dialogue, they will at times refer to Mata-nui being a giant robot.

"Mata-nui is very big." Why else would they say that? Unless Mata-nui was "VERY BIG."

Also, in the final cutscenes, you actually have entered the robot.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

If you read closely in the dialogue, they will at times refer to Mata-nui being a giant robot.

"Mata-nui is very big." Why else would they say that? Unless Mata-nui was "VERY BIG."

 

Couldn't they just be referring to the island of Mata Nui being very big?

[Iruini Nuva]

Yeah, I suspect that we're reading too far into some of these (i.e. "Mata Nui is big").

 

Probably reading too much into Vakama mentioning that he "fell from the sky" as well. :/ That's always been the standard mythos that the Turaga told to give the Matoran at least some sort of history (without telling the literal truth). Very few beings inside the GSR actually knew that that's where they were, right?

[bonesiii]

 

If you read closely in the dialogue, they will at times refer to Mata-nui being a giant robot.

"Mata-nui is very big." Why else would they say that? Unless Mata-nui was "VERY BIG."

 

Couldn't they just be referring to the island of Mata Nui being very big?

Yeah, if it's the quote I'm thinking of, I thought it actually mentioned the island right in the quote -- something like "it's a big island" or the like. Could be wrong... I thought it was comic 1, but just checked and not there. Mata Nui the being was portrayed in Matoran culture as possibly titan-sized but no larger prior to the 2008 reveal (due to being said to have walked through Mata or maybe it was Metru Nui, can't recall), and I recall nothing about him being called big. Besides, we know it was kept a secret from them, so how could they mean that?

[Tuuli]

I mean, of course they are talking about the island itself. I was just referring to where some dialogue can be taken other ways, such as what I mentioned earlier.

[Cheesy Mac n Cheese]

I was about to bring it up, but someone already did, so I'll provide a picture:

 

 

 

Keep in mind though, that nobody in MNOG knew that Mata Nui was a giant robot at all (barring maybe Teridax, I'm not sure exactly when he learned this, but it was probably long before the game), so a lot of these were coincidence in-story, but maybe not in a real-world sense, because the creators obviously knew.

 

Also remember: "ihu" is Maori for "nose." "mangai" means "mouth," "mata" can mean "face," "eyes," etc. So, there were references from the very beginning.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Cheesy Mac n Cheese

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

I was about to bring it up, but someone already did, so I'll provide a picture:

 

 

 

Keep in mind though, that nobody in MNOG knew that Mata Nui was a giant robot at all (barring maybe Teridax, I'm not sure exactly when he learned this, but it was probably long before the game), so a lot of these were coincidence in-story, but maybe not in a real-world sense, because the creators obviously knew.

 

Also remember: "ihu" is Maori for "nose." "mangai" means "mouth," "mata" can mean "face," "eyes," etc. So, there were references from the very beginning.

The Makuta figured out the meaning behind Tren Krom's revelations while frozen in that Protodermic Seal. It was in there that he had plenty of time to just stick his thoughts and his mind became a labyrinth of plots all leading towards his goal: no longer just conquering the Matoran Universe, but rather become it and become its god. So he learned of it (or rather figured it out) before MNOG.

 

...I find it funny how the Toa Metru sought to stop evil by sealing away The Makuta, but all they did was make him so much more dangerous and driven. Great job Vakama!

Edited September 28, 2015 by Iaredios Paerkenon

[Xboxtravis]

Great sad Vakama meme.

 

Speaking of Vakama, it is likely that while the Turaga didn't know a hundred percent that Mata Nui was a giant robot they probably had visions and prophecy's which gave them enough of an idea that "Mata Nui fell here," statements carried meaning.

 

Also note that in "The Legend" cutscene at the beginning of MNOG: the little rocks climb on top of the fallen Mata Nui Stone... Another great double meaning.

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

Great sad Vakama meme.

 

Speaking of Vakama, it is likely that while the Turaga didn't know a hundred percent that Mata Nui was a giant robot they probably had visions and prophecy's which gave them enough of an idea that "Mata Nui fell here," statements carried meaning.

 

Also note that in "The Legend" cutscene at the beginning of MNOG: the little rocks climb on top of the fallen Mata Nui Stone... Another great double meaning.

Yeah i love that little bit, what with the pebbles crawling atop.

 

i wouldn't be surprised if Vakama would have random visions of Mata Nui's death, The Makuta's Reign of Shadow and the Battle of Bara Magna. Such nightmares dancing before him in his hologram-style fire pit or in his sleep.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Yep, that's definitely it. When I replayed MNOG, that part stuck out to me. It's crazy how they were able to keep Mata Nui's true form a secret for so long.

 

-NotS