Concerning Matoran Pods

[T.B.O.C]

I've been rewatching the last scene of Legends of Metru Nui recently, as it is a favorite of mine (and pretty emotional tbh), and it struck me that I never really understood why the Toa Metru needed to use their powers to awaken the Matoran, or at least that's what it seems to be.

 

I can't remember exactly if they specifically give up their power, which Vakama implies ("Toa Lhikan sacrificed his power for us, now we shall do the same for them"), or if they just turned into Turaga upon awakening the Matoran, as this was their destiny.

 

The other reason I'm pretty sure they give up their power is because I believe we see them open the pods several times, and specifically note the Matoran don't wake up.

 

Forgive me if this is well discussed, it's been quite a long time since I've read deeply into BIONICLE. Thanks!

[Toatapio Nuva]

They basically sacrificed their Toa power to awaken the Matoran from their coma. Due to the sheer number of Matoran that had to be awakened, it took up all of the power and that's why they became Turaga. Toa power has healing properties, so I'm guessing that's what the effect was on the Matoran.

[Pohaturon]

The coma imposed on the Matoran wasn't a function of the pods, nor was it regular "sleep". It was induced by Makuta's powers, and in order to dispel it, the Toa Metru had to use up all of their Toa power, thus diminishing into Turaga.

 

[TuragaNuva]

Toatapio Nuva and Pohaturon pretty much covered it, so I'll just mention that waking up the Matoran didn't use up all of their Toa power, just all that they had left by that point. They'd already used some to heal an Ash Bear, and to create the Toa Stones that summoned the Toa Mata to Mata Nui.

[Toa of Italy]

There isn't much to add to what has already been said. To further substantiate the fact that some form of energy was needed to awaken the Matoran from their sleep, I'd remind you of this passage at the end of Time Trap where Makuta recovers Ahkmou's pod and awakens him.

 

 

An infinitesimal fraction of the Dark One's power brought consciousness back to Ahkmou.

 

Given what is said here, it is likely that, as has been said, the reason the Toa Metru had to give up all their Toa Power to awaken the Matoran was their sheer number. Of course, their destiny might have also played a part; I'm not sure whether they would have turned into Turaga had they used their Toa Power for something else, that wasn't their destiny (though I think they would have, personally).

 

 

The coma imposed on the Matoran wasn't a function of the pods, nor was it regular "sleep". It was induced by Makuta's powers, and in order to dispel it, the Toa Metru had to use up all of their Toa power, thus diminishing into Turaga.

 

 

Has this ever been confirmed? I always thoughts the pods themselves were designed to place their hosts in a coma.

 

Since this topic is about Matoran Pods, I'd like to raise a couple more issues which I think were never fully explained.

In my opinion, the timeframe in which the side effects of the pods manifested themselves. The official story recites that the Matoran lost their memories of Metru Nui and shrank in size after being awakened: it was a gradual process, giving the Turaga the time to realize what was happening and react accordingly.

In a way, this makes sense, because it explains why the Matoran, one thousand years later, did not remember the pods at all and neither did they recall using the parts of the airships brought to Mata Nui by the Toa Metru to build their villages: their memories of the whole period were probably hazy.

However, in Time Trap, when awakened by Makuta, Ahkmou's memories have already been wiped (it isn't said whether he has shrunk as well). There is also the question of Turaga Dume: he stayed in a pod for a very long time, yet his memories remained intact, as did his body; of course, it might that, being a Turaga, some of the functionalities of his Matoran Sphere had no effect on him...

[Toatapio Nuva]

Has this ever been confirmed? I always thoughts the pods themselves were designed to place their hosts in a coma.

 

I agree, I'm pretty sure it was the pods themselves that induced coma.

 

In my opinion, the timeframe in which the side effects of the pods manifested themselves. The official story recites that the Matoran lost their memories of Metru Nui and shrank in size after being awakened: it was a gradual process, giving the Turaga the time to realize what was happening and react accordingly.

In a way, this makes sense, because it explains why the Matoran, one thousand years later, did not remember the pods at all and neither did they recall using the parts of the airships brought to Mata Nui by the Toa Metru to build their villages: their memories of the whole period were probably hazy.

However, in Time Trap, when awakened by Makuta, Ahkmou's memories have already been wiped (it isn't said whether he has shrunk as well).

 

The full explanation is probably a combination of those. The shrinking and memory less may have already started while the Matoran were in the pods, but continued over the next months, or even years. They may have already lost their past memories when they woke up, and as an after-effect their memories gained from the immediate aftermath also disappeared over time. It may have taken them a while to recover from the coma, and permanent memories didn't start to stay until a while later.

 

There is also the question of Turaga Dume: he stayed in a pod for a very long time, yet his memories remained intact, as did his body; of course, it might that, being a Turaga, some of the functionalities of his Matoran Sphere had no effect on him...

 

The canon explanation is that Dume's pod malfunctioned, which is why his memories weren't wiped. It was also the reason he woke up on his own (though I always disliked this deus ex machina explanation...).

[CyclonatorZ]

The canon explanation is that Dume's pod malfunctioned, which is why his memories weren't wiped. It was also the reason he woke up on his own (though I always disliked this deus ex machina explanation...).

 

We might have gotten a better explanation if the planned comic detailing the Toa Hordika's search for Dume hadn't been quietly canceled.

[BioFan95]

I know the memory-wipe aspect of the pods was the intentional outcome desired by Teridax, in order to replace Mata Nui with himself as a savior in the eyes of the Matoran, but I’ve always wondered if the whole “downsizing” aspect was intentional or if that was simply a byproduct.

[ToaTImeLord]

I know the memory-wipe aspect of the pods was the intentional outcome desired by Teridax, in order to replace Mata Nui with himself as a savior in the eyes of the Matoran, but I’ve always wondered if the whole “downsizing” aspect was intentional or if that was simply a byproduct.

I think it was a side effect.

[Master Inika]

I've always assumed part of Makuta's plan was to wipe Dume's memory as well (otherwise, why wouldn't Makuta just kill him?). The malfunction, or Dume's biology as a Turaga, are both viable options to me as to why he kept his memories.

 

Matau identified the pods as "storage containers," but does acknowledge they're odd-looking, so I assume when Vakama and Nokama both open up individual pods it's different from when they reawaken the Matoran. And, as for the Turaga, it's a small portion of their healing power used hundreds of times each.