Questions about the Protectors

[Xboxtravis]

So with 2016 now in full swing, I can't help but look back and wonder what we have learned about last year's companion sets, the Protectors. I feel like a lot of info I know about them is vague, and I still have a few questions:

 

1. Inheriting the title: We know the title of Protector is passed "Father to Son." We also know there are exceptions to the rule, as Korgot inherited the title. Was this due to Korgot's father not having any male sons, or did she have brothers who couldn't inherit the title (dead, unworthy, banished, ect.)? Why is this title a bloodline thing? I really want to know more about Korgot's back story.

 

2. Weapons: Only Protectors and Toa are shown with weapons, and last I checked BS01 implied only Protectors carried weapons. Why? Was there a ceremonial or legal reason baring villagers from being armed, or is our info just incomplete?

 

3. Masks: What do Protector masks do? Do they grant elemental powers? Why were they passed down through generations?

 

4. Age: I don't think all the Protectors are old. For example Narmoto is shown with a young son. In a human a person with a son that young, would normally be a younger father. I know human biology doesn't apply to Bionicle, but I wonder how old the Protectors are.

 

Any help on this?

Edited January 20, 2016 by Xboxtravis

[Lyichir]

So with 2016 now in full swing, I can't help but look back and wonder what we have learned about last year's companion sets, the Protectors. I feel like a lot of info I know about them is vague, and I still have a few questions:

 

1. Inheriting the title: We know the title of Protector is passed "Father to Son." We also know there are exceptions to the rule, as Korgot inherited the title. Was this due to Korgot's father not having any male sons, or did she have brothers who couldn't inherit the title (dead, unworthy, banished, ect.)? Why is this title a bloodline thing? I really want to know more about Korgot's back story.

 

2. Weapons: Only Protectors and Toa are shown with weapons, and last I checked BS01 implied only Protectors carried weapons. Why? Was there a ceremonial or legal reason baring villagers from being armed, or is our info just incomplete?

 

3. Masks: What do Protector masks do? Do they grant elemental powers? Why were they passed down through generations?

 

4. Age: I don't think all the Protectors are old. For example Narmoto is shown with a young son. In a human a person with a son that young, would normally be a younger father. I know human biology doesn't apply to Bionicle, but I wonder how old the Protectors are.

 

Any help on this?

1. I don't know if anything has stated it, but personally I like to think that "father to son" was just a generic description copied between all the figures (like early descriptions that referred to ALL of them as male) and that it's mostly just meant as a fanciful way to refer to a bloodline (rather than actually meaning to exclude daughters). Sure, it's possible that Korgot was a rare exception, but I think it's nicer if she just happened to be the only female protector currently and that the people of Okoto don't discriminate based on gender.

 

2. Again, we haven't seen anything one way or the other... but then, we've barely gotten to see villagers at all in the limited number of animations we've gotten. Personally, I think that while the fancy, elemental weaponry of the Protectors may be exclusive to them, there's nothing to indicate that villagers don't use non-elemental weaponry (sort of like the forked staves the Ta-Koro guard used, compared to Vakama's elemental firestaff).

 

3. I don't remember where it comes from but I'm pretty sure the website or something confirmed that the Protector masks do have weaker elemental powers than the Toa masks, and that they used those masks over the generations to shape the regions of Okoto to their respective tribes' needs.

 

4. Age in Bionicle has never made sense. I doubt the new story will ever explicitly state what the lifespan or reproductive cycles of Okoto villagers is, and frankly I wouldn't really want it to. I would point out that we have no reason to expect that the Protectors are even close to the same age as each other—it's a highly dangerous job, and I would not be surprised if the current generation of Protectors came into the role at very different points in their lives.

[The 1st Shadow]

So with 2016 now in full swing, I can't help but look back and wonder what we have learned about last year's companion sets, the Protectors. I feel like a lot of info I know about them is vague, and I still have a few questions:

 

1. Inheriting the title: We know the title of Protector is passed "Father to Son." We also know there are exceptions to the rule, as Korgot inherited the title. Was this due to Korgot's father not having any male sons, or did she have brothers who couldn't inherit the title (dead, unworthy, banished, ect.)? Why is this title a bloodline thing? I really want to know more about Korgot's back story.

 

2. Weapons: Only Protectors and Toa are shown with weapons, and last I checked BS01 implied only Protectors carried weapons. Why? Was there a ceremonial or legal reason baring villagers from being armed, or is our info just incomplete?

 

3. Masks: What do Protector masks do? Do they grant elemental powers? Why were they passed down through generations?

 

4. Age: I don't think all the Protectors are old. For example Narmoto is shown with a young son. In a human a person with a son that young, would normally be a younger father. I know human biology doesn't apply to Bionicle, but I wonder how old the Protectors are.

 

Any help on this?

1. The phrase "father to son" doesn't have to literally mean "a male has to give the item to his male child." It's one of those general terms that just means "parent gives it to child." We assume for the Protectors that this means their firstborn or whichever child is most fit to rule (or alive) at the time of their parent's retirement.

 

2. Contrary to Lyichir's answer, we actually do see the Stone village defense force wielding weapons in the beginning of the first book. The Stone tribe's fortress scene on page 11 (in my copy), the village defense force is gathered against a Skull Spider attack, and they are stated to be "armed with short swords and spears." So, the villagers use weapons, for sure. Pretty clear that they are not unarmed.

 

3. Uh, this was the first bit of info we ever got on the Protectors from their bio pages on Bionicle.com. The masks grant elemental abilities and were indeed passed down through the generations.

 

4. Actually, if you look at the design of that figure, his armor does not match Narmoto's. It could be him, yes, but that would mean he has a second set of armor just lying around. Ekimu and Makuta seem to be special cases, as they have lived for centuries where the other villagers' age limits are unknown. This is the only question we still don't have a decent answer to.

 

Hope this helps.

[Aanchir]

2. Contrary to Lyichir's answer, we actually do see the Stone village defense force wielding weapons in the beginning of the first book. The Stone tribe's fortress scene on page 11 (in my copy), the village defense force is gathered against a Skull Spider attack, and they are stated to be "armed with short swords and spears." So, the villagers use weapons, for sure. Pretty clear that they are not unarmed.

This actually seems to back up Lyi's theory that the villagers might use non-elemental weapons. Perhaps the reason the Protectors' weapons seem so much more advanced than the other villagers' weapons is because they have been passed down from generation to generation since before the Great Cataclysm, when Okoto society was more advanced and less scattered.

 

4. Actually, if you look at the design of that figure, his armor does not match Narmoto's. It could be him, yes, but that would mean he has a second set of armor just lying around. Ekimu and Makuta seem to be special cases, as they have lived for centuries where the other villagers' age limits are unknown. This is the only question we still don't have a decent answer to.

The villager narrating "The Prophecy of Heroes" and addressing the child villager as "my son" does not appear to be Narmoto. However, the child's armor (specifically the armor on his forearms and lower legs) DOES closer resemble Narmoto's armor than the armor of any of the other villagers, including the parent shown in that episode. So it seems most likely to me that the child is Narmoto's son, and that the parent shown in "The Prophecy of Heroes" is Narmoto's spouse.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Aanchir

[The 1st Shadow]

Fair points. and it's possible that elemental masks were once more plentiful, but over time they were damaged or drained, and the villagers could no longer use the masks to power the weapons (based on my understanding of their working).

[Xboxtravis]

The villager narrating "The Prophecy of Heroes" and addressing the child villager as "my son" does not appear to be Narmoto. However, the child's armor (specifically the armor on his forearms and lower legs) DOES closer resemble Narmoto's armor than the armor of any of the other villagers, including the parent shown in that episode. So it seems most likely to me that the child is Narmoto's son, and that the parent shown in "The Prophecy of Heroes" is Narmoto's spouse.

I know that's a possibility that the villager was Narmoto's spouse, but for now BS01 is calling the kid Narmoto's son. I wish Lego would clarify this a bit.

 

Makes since that "Po-Okoto" has defense force with non-elemental weapons.

[Regitnui]

The villager narrating "The Prophecy of Heroes" and addressing the child villager as "my son" does not appear to be Narmoto. However, the child's armor (specifically the armor on his forearms and lower legs) DOES closer resemble Narmoto's armor than the armor of any of the other villagers, including the parent shown in that episode. So it seems most likely to me that the child is Narmoto's son, and that the parent shown in "The Prophecy of Heroes" is Narmoto's spouse.

That would be the first family we've seen in bionicle. Even if it's not a biological family, it certainly shares the structure. Here's something else; the narration leaves the gender of Narmoto's spouse up to debate. Who else sees space for a bit of gender diversity in the fictional biomechanical children's toyline robots?

Edited January 20, 2016 by Regitnui

[fishers64]

 

The villager narrating "The Prophecy of Heroes" and addressing the child villager as "my son" does not appear to be Narmoto. However, the child's armor (specifically the armor on his forearms and lower legs) DOES closer resemble Narmoto's armor than the armor of any of the other villagers, including the parent shown in that episode. So it seems most likely to me that the child is Narmoto's son, and that the parent shown in "The Prophecy of Heroes" is Narmoto's spouse.

That would be the first family we've seen in bionicle. Even if it's not a biological family, it certainly shares the structure. Here's something else; the narration leaves the gender of Narmoto's spouse up to debate. Who else sees space for a bit of gender diversity in the fictional biomechanical children's toyline robots?

 

Considering Lego's traditional values, I'd say that's pretty unlikely. 

 

We also haven't considered all of the family relation options (I know this is funky to include this in the same post), but it could be the child's uncle or older brother, or even his grandparent. The last seemed the most likely to me when I listened to it for the first time - he handed down the Protector job to his son and then retired, and then became a friend to the little kid as grandparents tend to do. 

[Xboxtravis]

^Well that opens up more questions, do Protectors assume their title at the death of their parent, or at the moment their parent retires? Can a Protector retire?

 

Because if that unknown is a retired Protector and Grandfather of the child; I hereby name him Grandpa Vakama!

[The 1st Shadow]

^Well that opens up more questions, do Protectors assume their title at the death of their parent, or at the moment their parent retires? Can a Protector retire?

 

Because if that unknown is a retired Protector and Grandfather of the child; I hereby name him Grandpa Vakama!

I would assume that retirement is an option. If a leader is badly injured or otherwise incapacitated while still in office, it would be in the best interests of the society to have a leader fully capable of leading them on all fronts. If the former Protector has just grown weary of the job in their old age, I see no reason they can't pass on the mask and title to their successor before their death.

[Alyska]

Onua's conversation with Korgot in the first book makes it pretty clear that the lineage is literally father to son under normal circumstances. Korgot doesn't seem particularly old herself given that Onua refers to talking with her "elders"- presumably referring to older members of the Earth villages. It's also implies that these elders might not approve of having a female protector, since they talked about the father-son thing without even bothering to mention that their current protector was a woman, leaving poor Onua very confused.

 

It kind of reminds me of how female pharoahs would have to wear beards and were referred to in male terms. Maybe it's not quite that extreme, but the fact that the elders seemed to either be ignoring Korgot entirely or simply ignoring her gender suggests that Korgot's taking the role of protector must have rocked the boat a bit.

 

Grandpa Vakama? Yes please. It'd be nice to see him take a break from his stern, grumpy elder persona to go and spoil his grandkids. (*Imagines Vakama sitting patiently with a rowdy toddler on his lap, trying to tell the the boy the stories of heroes past, often having to stop to prise his favourite storytelling stones out of the kid's mouth and dissuade curious little fingers from yanking his eyebrows*)

[Regitnui]

Grandpa Vakama? Yes please. It'd be nice to see him take a break from his stern, grumpy elder persona to go and spoil his grandkids. (*Imagines Vakama sitting patiently with a rowdy toddler on his lap, trying to tell the the boy the stories of heroes past, often having to stop to prise his favourite storytelling stones out of the kid's mouth and dissuade curious little fingers from yanking his eyebrows*)

I can just see the young villagers pulling the end of his Huna-beard.

[bonesiii]

I think the "fathers to sons" thing may have an even simpler explanation -- it was the Fire Elder Protector saying it to his own son, so he just means "for example". I hope.

I presume the normal villagers have blades of some sort and you just don't see them shown in the animations because that wasn't the point.

No idea about the rest.