Questions about Bohrok

[Tahu92]

I have a few questions regarding Bohrok that I never really got the answer to.

 

I know the Bohrok, the actual machines, were built from the bodies of dead Av-Matoran who underwent a metamorphosis into Bohrok upon their death.

 

That explains the origin of the machines.

 

As goes the Bohrok Va, I have no idea if it's the same story with them or if they're something different completely. I don't think it was ever explained how the swarm's little maintenance workers were built.

 

So, question one:

 

Where do Bohrok Va come from? Needless to say that, over time, they'd be damaged or destroyed and would need repair or replacement. A way to make more more Bohrok exists, so there should also, theoretically, be a way to make more Bohrok Va, and it'd be necessary for the swarm to do so as Bohrok Va are the ones who maintained and repaired the standard Bohrok and replaced damaged or lost Krana should a Bohrok be struck down, or launch its Krana towards a target, miss or not.

 

Next up, The Bahrag make Krana, but from what and how?

 

Question 2:

 

How do Bahrag make Krana?

 

Originally I thought they might have laid them in eggs and then they'd hatch (I always though that Krana were similar to face-huggers from the "Alien" movie franchise, and the Bahrag similar in function, but not appearance, to a Queen Xenomorph), afterward they'd be carried away by Bohrok Va to awaiting Bohrok, but I'm not entirely sure.

 

Another thought I had was that they were made from the brains of dead Av-Matoran; their bodies became Bohrok, and their brains became Krana.

 

After that, I read on the Bionicle wiki that they make Krana by dipping something (which I don't think was ever specified) into vats of energized protodermis, but I don't think this was expanded upon. I went back to speculating that it was indeed the brain of a dead Av-Matoran, but I still found no clarification.

 

Question 3:

 

Back to the Bohrok Va again, I know they're not controlled by a Krana. That said, are they alive in any respect? Are they merely robots like the Vahki, or are they alive in a rudimentary sense and have an instinct-based intelligence, like most Rahi?

 

Question 4:

 

And this is more speculation but it always struck me as, "Oh no; if they found out about this, they're gonna feel horrible over it."

 

What would happen, if it didn't already, what did the Matoran who used Boxor power armor units against the Bohrok, especially Nuparu who designed and built the Boxor units from destroyed Bohrok, think when they found out all Bohrok, and thus all their Boxor units, are made from dead Matoran?

 

This is one of those "fridge horror" moments that didn't strike me as something to ponder over at first until I remembered that the Boxor units were made from Bohrok...

 

...which are made from dead Av-Matoran.

 

Effectively imagine this; alien robots show up and try to destroy your home town. Then you destroy a few and make weapons out of their broken wrecks. Then you find out that ALL OF THESE alien machines used to be people who were turned into these things after they died; perhaps some of them used to be people that you personally knew.

 

Imagine if you had built something like a lightstone rifle out of one of these broken alien robots to fight against the rest...

 

...only to find out that said weapon you built used to be part of your best friend's arm.

 

That's all the questions I have for now regarding Bohrok. If someone can help me answer these, I'd appreciate it.

Edited November 25, 2017 by Tahu92

[Pohaturon]

The short answer to all of your questions is that we ain't got no clue. The reason you didn't find any info is because these details, for some reason, were never expanded upon. For all we know the Krana were made by dipping Av-Matoran brains into the magic goop, though I'd say dipping their masks may make more sense since the Krana are mask-like. 

 

I'd assume that logically the creation of Bohrok-Va would be identical to the creation of Bohrok, and that they are entirely non-sentient automatons. Why use dead Matoran instead of just making robots like in so many other cases is beyond me, but the same can be asked about the Bokrok themselves. (Also, why give them such an obvious weak-point with the Krana? Other robots in the Bionicle lore can do without such gimmicks.)

 

Finally, I kinda doubt that the Bohrok being dead Matoran was established when the Boxors were designed and thought up to be made of dead Bohrok, but either way, it was likely a case of the designers sneaking past a bit of dark body-horror the Lego censors who wouldn't dig into the lore deep enough to make the terrifying connection that the Matoran fought dead Matoran with double dead Matoran. 

 

[Tahu92]

The short answer to all of your questions is that we ain't got no clue. The reason you didn't find any info is because these details, for some reason, were never expanded upon. For all we know the Krana were made by dipping Av-Matoran brains into the magic goop, though I'd say dipping their masks may make more sense since the Krana are mask-like. 

 

I'd assume that logically the creation of Bohrok-Va would be identical to the creation of Bohrok, and that they are entirely non-sentient automatons. Why use dead Matoran instead of just making robots like in so many other cases is beyond me, but the same can be asked about the Bokrok themselves. (Also, why give them such an obvious weak-point with the Krana? Other robots in the Bionicle lore can do without such gimmicks.)

 

Finally, I kinda doubt that the Bohrok being dead Matoran was established when the Boxors were designed and thought up to be made of dead Bohrok, but either way, it was likely a case of the designers sneaking past a bit of dark body-horror the Lego censors who wouldn't dig into the lore deep enough to make the terrifying connection that the Matoran fought dead Matoran with double dead Matoran. 

 

 

One would think though that they'd eventually find out, after perhaps the reunification of Spherus Magna, the destruction of the Matoran Universe, and the dismantlement of its wreckage to build new villages and new machinery to make new Matoran and so on.

 

It's more like one of those things I speculate they found out far in the future. My speculation is that if/when the Onu-Matoran who built and piloted Boxors found out what Bohrok really are would react with horror and disgust that they used the body parts of those of their own kind to build weapons to fight mutant versions of their own kind.

 

As goes the Bohrok Va, my thought is that they might also be Av-Matoran who were mutated post-mortum into a different kind of Bohrok meant to act as a repair/servitor unit to the rest of the swarm to maintain the robotic shells of the Bohrok and carry/replace the Krana that controlled them (which gives me a rather amusing fanfic idea about two matoran trying to take in an accidentally awakened Bohrok Va as pet, post-Matoran Universe, with hilarious consequences as it runs about, confused, trying to slap Krana on the faces of anyone it can find).

 

Also, side note here: Bohrok Va; "Va" is "Av" backwards, as in "Av-Matoran", and Av-Matoran become Bohrok.

 

Probably a fluke but I can't help but notice.

 

On another note, and another bit of credit for my "Krana-are-Av-Matoran-brains" hypothesis; when Av-Matoran are alive as Av-Matoran, they can link themselves to Toa or Makuta (possibly more species as well), and give them access to new knowledge and their own powers, which come from from within their mind, spirit, and inner abilities. Krana can latch onto the face of a Toa or anyone who wears a mask and can mind-control them whilst giving said host a new set of powers based around what Krana is stuck to their head. Krana also hold the consciousness guiding each Bohrok. This makes me think, again, that Krana are the mutated brains of dead Av-Matoran that have been exposed to energized protodermis.

Edited November 25, 2017 by Tahu92

[Toatapio Nuva]

There is one tidbit about the creation of Krana that wasn't mentioned here yet. The Zyglak were apparently a byproduct of the Krana creation process. The way BS01 puts it:

 

 

The Great Beings were seeking to create intelligent organisms called Krana, but found that some of the material they exposed to Energized Protodermis turned into Rahi-like Zyglak rather than Krana.

 

That seriously makes me doubt that the Krana were made from brains, or even masks. I mean, sure, EP can cause very bizarre changes, but I don't think it would turn a brain or mask into an entirely new being like that. Of course, we have no confirmation about that.

 

 

Finally, I kinda doubt that the Bohrok being dead Matoran was established when the Boxors were designed and thought up to be made of dead Bohrok, but either way, it was likely a case of the designers sneaking past a bit of dark body-horror the Lego censors who wouldn't dig into the lore deep enough to make the terrifying connection that the Matoran fought dead Matoran with double dead Matoran.

 

This is true, and it was confirmed by Greg years ago that the origins of the Bohrok weren't actually planned yet in 2002. This is kinda strange, considering that the 2002 promotional material had a heavy emphasis on the Bohrok being "similar" to the Toa, but I suppose that could have just been a reference to them being on the same side as the Toa. Still, lots of hints were dropped about Matoran and the Bohrok having similar origins. In the end though, it was Greg who came up with the idea that Av-Matoran transformed into Bohrok.

[Planetperson]

I can take a stab at these, hopefully not repeating too much of what has already been said:

 

1. The short answer is: we've never been told. My own thought is that since they do not require krana to function like the Bohrok do, they were probably created in a different way. I would assume that they were simply constructed by the Great Beings/Bahrag, rather than metamorphosed from Matoran.

 

2. The Updated Encyclopedia has some of these answers. In the earliest days of the MU, the Great Beings used some unspecified process to bring the first Matoran into being. This process resulted in "leavings" which the Great Beings hoped they could use to create the first krana. They exposed these "leavings" to energized protodermis, and although some of it did turn into krana, the rest of it turned into Zyglak. Then the Great Beings created the Bahrag to take over the job of creating krana forever after. It's never been said if the Bahrag used the same exact materials and process as the Great Beings to create krana, although it would explain why there was so much energized protodermis in the Bohrok nests (the same EP that transformed the Toa Nuva).

 

3. Bohrok Va are not alive -- at least as far as the Matoran know. The Updated Encyclopedia actually says this explicitly, mentioning that when the Ta-Matoran realized that Tahnok Va were not living creatures, they diverted a lava stream to melt some of them.

 

4. Never been explored, but all of those are good points. I'm sure people have asked Greg about this multiple times, but I don't remember what he said ATM.

[Tahu92]

I can take a stab at these, hopefully not repeating too much of what has already been said:

 

1. The short answer is: we've never been told. My own thought is that since they do not require krana to function like the Bohrok do, they were probably created in a different way. I would assume that they were simply constructed by the Great Beings/Bahrag, rather than metamorphosed from Matoran.

 

2. The Updated Encyclopedia has some of these answers. In the earliest days of the MU, the Great Beings used some unspecified process to bring the first Matoran into being. This process resulted in "leavings" which the Great Beings hoped they could use to create the first krana. They exposed these "leavings" to energized protodermis, and although some of it did turn into krana, the rest of it turned into Zyglak. Then the Great Beings created the Bahrag to take over the job of creating krana forever after. It's never been said if the Bahrag used the same exact materials and process as the Great Beings to create krana, although it would explain why there was so much energized protodermis in the Bohrok nests (the same EP that transformed the Toa Nuva).

 

3. Bohrok Va are not alive -- at least as far as the Matoran know. The Updated Encyclopedia actually says this explicitly, mentioning that when the Ta-Matoran realized that Tahnok Va were not living creatures, they diverted a lava stream to melt some of them.

 

4. Never been explored, but all of those are good points. I'm sure people have asked Greg about this multiple times, but I don't remember what he said ATM.

 

In response to point 1 and 2 though, it could very well be that the Bohrok Va were made from other dead Av-Matoran, as it was never specified how or what they were made out of. Also, the primary Bohrok are not alive (anymore) either; they too are completely mechanical despite being made from dead Av-Matoran remains. Despite their origins, the body of a Bohrok, sans Krana, is just an unintelligent automaton with no onboard AI, save for a rudimentary command function for if the Krana is removed.

 

Bohrok Va... I still don't know.

 

As goes how Krana are made, well, it could be that when an Av-Matoran dies, the rest of them (the fleshy bits) are what become these "leavings" that are then mutated into Krana.

 

This part of the story is so old though and the people who wrote it aren't even thinking about it anymore, let alone answering questions about it. I guess we just have to try to fill in the blanks as best as possible.

[Tarix819]

[Toa of Italy]

Regarding the creation fo the Bohrok Va, I've always thought that they were nothing more than robots, much like the Vahki or the Exo-Toa (though with different functions and characteristics, of course). As a result, they could be assembled in much the same way.

 

Who assembled them? The very first, perhaps, were made by the Great Beings; from there on, I'd guess the existing Bohrok Va could easily build more copies of themselves if instructed to do so by the Bahrag. They would have needed materials, of course, but I don't see that as a problem: either there were caches of Bohrok Va pieces in the nests left behind by the Great Beings or else the Va simply recycled pieces of destroyed Bohrok.

[TERIDAX941]

They would have needed materials, of course, but I don't see that as a problem: either there were caches of Bohrok Va pieces in the nests left behind by the Great Beings or else the Va simply recycled pieces of destroyed Bohrok.

This could be the case, I'm sure it's no coincidence that the faceplate of each Bohrok Va is the hand shield of their respective Bohrok    

 

Honestly I am perfectly okay with not knowing everything about the Bohrok. It's what made them so cool when they first emerged, the aura of mystery, etc. 

[Toatapio Nuva]

Overall, I would assume that far fewer Bohrok Va than Bohrok were actually damaged or destroyed. In several of the bio's of the Bohrok Va it was stated how they relied on the protection of their respective Bohrok during the mission. The Bohrok Va also mainly did scouting and worked in the background, meaning that it was the Bohrok who received most of the opposition. Fewer Bohrok Va would therefore need to be "rebuilt", which would explain why they don't have the same origins Bohrok do, and could be simply assembled through different means.