The Bionicle Generation Gap

[Iver]

I feel like there's a sort of "generation gap" between Bionicle fans: There's the fans who joined in 2001, and started with the Templar animations and the comics, and the fans who joined in 2003, and started with the movie and novels. The fans in the former camp seem to have a disdain for elements of later lore, especially when Makuta was revealed as a species, and Mata Nui was revealed as a robot. I only became aware of Bionicle having a world beyond the sets in 2003, so I have no attachment to the Templar animations or the comics, and had no problem with accepting Makuta as a species or Mata Nui as a robot. Has anyone else noticed this trend?

Edited May 25, 2020 by Iver

[Alexander123]

I always thought of it as the 2001 crowd the 2006 crowd the small 2009 crowd(me) or the precious few fans introduced in G2.

[Iver]

I don't know of anyone joining the fandom in G2, but I suppose it's possible. One time I was getting a Master set from Toys R Us, and there was a kid, about 9, who said that the new Bionicle sets were way worse than the old ones. This kid was probably 4 years old when Bionicle was ending, and the Masters are amazing sets. I was flabbergasted that the G1 snobbery had infected a generation that hadn't even experienced it.

[Master Inika]

3 hours ago, Iver said:

I don't know of anyone joining the fandom in G2, but I suppose it's possible. One time I was getting a Master set from Toys R Us, and there was a kid, about 9, who said that the new Bionicle sets were way worse than the old ones. This kid was probably 4 years old when Bionicle was ending, and the Masters are amazing sets. I was flabbergasted that the G1 snobbery had infected a generation that hadn't even experienced it.

Never underestimate how elitist G1 fans can be. A thousand years from now, toy history books will talk about how G2 sucked compared to G1.

[Xboxtravis]

I mean, I know it exists. I think there is some evidence to it being more than Bionicle too, early Bionicle would have affected the latter end of the Millennial Generation while the later eras of Bionicle would have landed in Gen-Z. Those of us around for the launch in 2001 fall squarely in the Millennial group, and with it a lot of us in our lives right now are in our careers, finishing school, starting families; so that is inevitably going to cause different opinions than those in the younger generation who are new to College or still in High School. So yeah plenty of external reasons as to why different bases of the fandom would view things in a different light.

If I were to pick my favorite years for the franchise, the original 2001 up through 2006 years come to mind, followed by the brief G2 revival starting in 2015. I dropped out of collecting as a kid in 2007, only following the story loosely to get the main story beats after that. As such I really don't have the same nostalgia for years like 2008 and 2009 as other people in the fandom do. But, I wouldn't disparage anyone who likes those years... and the fact I have MOC revamps of Solek, Gavla, Kirop, Ackar, Kiina and a Skrall warrior all in various states of progress tells me that even then something about those years must resonate me, even if that is not as clear as to why 2001, or 2004 or even 2015 resonated with me. 

I guess, just as long as your not being some elitist "my year was the best year" jerk, there is something enjoyable to find in all 11 years of Bionicle's twice cancelled run. Yes there is bound to be differences of opinion and outlook, but a lot of that can be chalked up to external generational differences and not just Bionicle's own direction.

[Alexander123]

15 hours ago, Iver said:

there was a kid, about 9, who said that the new Bionicle sets were way worse than the old ones.

Perhaps he was talking about Hero Factory? I once had a conversation with young kids one time around the time of G2 and brought up Bionicle and they started saying stuff like " Oh yeah I like Bionicle I really liked the ones where they went underground and fought the giant monsters".

Edited May 26, 2020 by Alexander123

[Iver]

6 hours ago, Alexander123 said:

Perhaps he was talking about Hero Factory? I once had a conversation with young kids one time around the time of G2 and brought up Bionicle and they started saying stuff like " Oh yeah I like Bionicle I really liked the ones where they went underground and fought the giant monsters".

If that were so, he would still be wrong. I'm not a rabid HF hater, but the Masters still blow HF out of the water.

6 hours ago, Xboxtravis said:

I guess, just as long as your not being some elitist "my year was the best year" jerk, there is something enjoyable to find in all 11 years of Bionicle's twice cancelled run. Yes there is bound to be differences of opinion and outlook, but a lot of that can be chalked up to external generational differences and not just Bionicle's own direction.

I agree, "best year discussions" are the worst.