How did Bionicle’s cancellations affect you?

[Lenny7092]

Hi, guys. You know, it’s been 10 years since Bionicle’s first cancellation. How did the cancelations affect you? For me, I’ll tell you: 

It’s all started when Bionicle: The Legend Reborn came out in 2009, I liked the movie, and one of the reasons was that I waited four years for this since Webs of Shadows in 2005. I was excited to hear that this TLR was going to have a trilogy. I had high hopes for TLR, and I always dreamed that Bionicle would have a theatrical movie or TV show, and a Traveller’s Lego video game (not like Bionicle Heroes, but like Lego Marvel Super Heroes in 2013). However, in late November 2009, Bionicle was announced to be ended in early 2010. I got so devastated that I cried in tears because Bionicle was a vital part of my life and happiness. It wasn’t fair. Bionicle has a big good future, but this ruined everything. I saw you guys being sad, too. 
When 2010 happened, all we got are six puny sets called Stars. I get that they reflect the past storylines, but that was just plain silly. The 2010 storyline felt rushed while TLR’s sequels were cancelled, but the 2010 storyline had a good ending.
Then, we were promised by Greg Farshtey that he would continue the story when Mata Nui wanted to see the Great Beings and there are some unresolved stuff going on. He made three serials, but he didn’t finish two of them in 2011, and it’s been like that for almost 9 years. Plus, two graphic novels are cancelled. It’s getting really ridiculous. 

Since 2010, I lost my hobby of building Bionicle sets. I was sad and bored. My mind always thinks about Bionicle every day, and it’s one of my favorite franchises. 
 

When Hero Factory showed up to replace Bionicle sort of. I was amazed that HF had a TV show. I knew that it’s not the same as Bionicle, but it’s very similar, as it is a action figure line, too, so I became a fan of HF. However, HF was going downhill for some reason. I would like to think that Bionicle and HF share the same universe because of the similarities (you could theorize that the Great Beings had created Mr. Makuro because they want to create stuff and after Spherus Magna was destroyed). 
 

I thought that HF would cheer me up from my depression, but when Ninjago showed up in 2011, it acted like and is famous like Bionicle (not to mention it has a TV show in Cartoon Network that Bionicle should have gotten), so I became a fan of that and have been following it ever since. 
 

There are so many stuff that remind me of Bionicle, and they include the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Transformers, Ben 10, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, Kirby, Kingdom Hearts, DC Comics, The Legend of Korro and Steven Universe. 
 

Greg is kind enough to tell about some things in Bionicle that we are wondering about. It was surprising that Velika is actually a Great Being in disguise. 
 

In 2014, Bionicle G2 was announced. I went to New York Comic Con in 2014 to see it coming back. It was a miracle that Bionicle came back, but I was a bit disappointed that Bionicle got rebooted rather than continuing the G1 story. However, there are sets that uses the CCBS, which was awesome. 
 

When I experienced G2, I thought it was pretty good, aside from some negative stuff, like the unevenness and weirdness of some things, like the sets, some unknown stuff from the story, like the origins of Okoto’s people, using characters that we don’t know despite the Toa Mata and Makuta being there, and the fact that it used the 2015 online animations and The Journey to One to tell the story, which had it felt rushed. G2 didn’t felt much like G1. 
 

And then, Bionicle got cancelled again in 2016. These brutal cancellations are so devastating and unfair that it’s not even funny or cute. I was shocked and extremely sad. You see, Bionicle was doing good so far that these cancellations shouldn’t have happened. 
 

Since the second cancellation, I had the same thing as the first cancellation, but I kept focusing on the franchises that I mentioned above. I also focused on Lego Dimensions, but its Year 3 got cancelled in 2017. However, I continued on to other franchises. I was also devastated that Lego’s action figure line was gone in 2018. 
 

So, let me ask you more questions. Do you think and hope that Bionicle can come back in a much better way, like G1, somehow, the G1 story being continued and an actual ending, and Bionicle could have some awesome that it could have potential for, like a theatrical movie series, TV series (like Ninjago’s, not TJtO), and a TV Lego video game? Would you believe that Faber’s 3IO and Biovival stuff could bring Bionicle and the action figure category back? Would you believe that Bionicle and HF share the same universe, too? Do you think that Lego would somehow celebrate Bionicle’s 20th anniversary next year? Have you tried signing petitions to bring Bionicle back again? Have your tried emailing Lego about bringing Bionicle back again? Do you think that the fan base is strong? For me, I hope so a lot, but I don’t want to get my hopes too high. It’s surprising that when I post topics about Bionicle lately because I am trying to keep fans’ spirits up, you guys never talked much, but when you typed in Bionicle or BZPower, you can see my topics flooding around. Lol. However, judging from how you guys are responding to my topics, I feel that there’s something wrong with the fandom, and BZPower wasn’t talking much nowadays. You guys used to be so enthusiastic when Bionicle was around. No offense. Is Bionicle still memorable or fading away? That worries me. I wish those rotten cancellations shouldn’t have happened in the first place, so Bionicle would have flourished.  Do you guys still have faith in Bionicle? For me, I do as always, even if those cancellations. I am always trying to be a true fan of Bionicle, and I am always a huge fan of it.
 

 

Edited June 7, 2020 by Lenny7092
Forgot some things.

[Xboxtravis]

Ehhhh. G1's cancellation hit when I was not really collecting the theme anymore. In 2010 it had been three years since I had bought my last Bionicle set in 2007. So I heard the theme was wrapping up, I read the final comics that came with Lego Club and was satisfied at the Rock-Em-Sock-Em finale. And... that was about all I thought of it. I had other Lego themes I was focused on at the time, so Bionicle dying didn't really hit me to hard other than a "all things must end someday" type of reaction.

By G2 I was back into collecting Bionicle sets, so it hit me a bit harder. Beginning all the way back in December 2015 or January 2016; there were already rumors about the theme under-performing, not doing well and the fan debates got pretty hot here on BZPower and Eurobricks which I was also frequenting at that time. It started to really show as the 2016 sets were becoming much harder to find on shelves and weren't as widely available as the 2015 ones were. I remember finally hearing the news officially break when the final episodes of Journey to One dropped, and after reading the news I fired up Netflix and sat down and watched those last two episodes. Yeah G2 left me more upset at its cancellation, but I really can't say my reaction was as strong as yours. Was I sad? Yes. But I had seen the theme cancelled once already, and I ultimately was more impressed the line got a second chance at life at all. So I guess if anything, 2016 left me with a sense of gratitude it got that brief second life; no matter how frustratingly cut short it was. 

I mean... plastic lasts a thousand years they say. So its not like the line getting cancelled caused a Thanos snap that destroyed all my sets, so in that regard nothing changed at all either time. 

Edited June 7, 2020 by Xboxtravis

[Taria Pakari]

I shrugged, said "that's a bummer" and continued on with my life.

[The Master of Energy]

It sucked, but I couldn't do anything about it.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I remember being sad when Gen 1 Bionicle came to its end. I had been following its story since it began, so I didn't want it to end. Being on BZP at the time did help ease that pain though. 

For Gen 2, I wasn't as sad to see it end. I didn't want it to end, but it didn't hit me as hard. Though that's because I wasn't as invested in the story of Gen 2 as I was in Gen 1. 

[Danska: Shadow Master]

Honestly, it really sucked. I'd been with it right from the start and for most of G1's 10 years it was one of, if not the, biggest thing I was into. The story, the characters, the lore, the sets, the huge world with all is mysteries, all of it had been a part of my life for a decade, and then suddenly it was over.

Bionicle was (of course) the reason I joined BZPower, and that was my first experience of an online forum or an online community of any kind. I was very active for a number of years getting involved in fan fics, MOCs, theories, RPGs, kits - lots of stuff. As a result, Bionicle was my first real introduction to writing, pixel art and game design. This site was the first place where I got to discuss and share ideas about something I cared about with people outside my usual circle of friends (none of whom were ever into it as much as I was). I made a lot of good friends here, some of which I'm still in contact with today and a huge number of great experiences through my teenage years can be traced back to this site. I'm not sure I can overstate the impact Bionicle had on my life in so many ways, so yeah. Seeing it end was rough. I still poke around at my kits sometimes or come up with (and occasionally write) story ideas, so even now I'm not sure I've really let it go.

Gen 2 got me very excited, but was never a patch on the original. It lacked both the mystery of the early days and the intricate storytelling of the later years and while I can honestly say I like CCBS as a system, I feel the sets could have been better. It was fun and I was sad when it was cancelled, but there's a lot about it I wish had been better. I was nowhere near as invested in it as I was the original line (which I suppose, as a busy adult with many important things to do, I was never going to be even if it had been exceptional).

[That Matoran with a Vahi]

On 6/7/2020 at 10:55 PM, Xboxtravis said:

Bionicle dying didn't really hit me to hard other than a "all things must end someday" type of reaction.

I was in that same boat, truthfully. For me, Bionicle's story had ended with a satisfying *BANG* at the end of 2008; I had then thoroughly failed to get into the Bara Magna years, and my interests had drifted elsewhere... so in a sense I'd really already made peace with the fact that it was 'over', at least from my personal perspective. In light of that, then, the fact of its end being made official a couple of years later didn't rock me at all; it was surprising, but it truly didn't hit me with any impact.

 

As for G2, well.

I kinda

...missed it completely.

Not the ending, literally the whole generation. I saw that G2 was going to happen, a little after the announcement in 2014; but then I just... I had other things going on, and I genuinely forgot all about it. I didn't even remember to keep up here on BZ, until the day I eventually checked in again to find that it was already over. That was certainly a bit more jarring, since I hadn't expected to skip the entire generation by accident; but because of the fact that I inadvertently had done so, I had no personal connection to G2 to feel anything about its cancellation.

[mysteriouspi]

I wasn't really there when Gen 1 ended. Despite being a hardcore fan since 2001, I fell off in 2008; my only purchase that year was Lewa Phantoka. In retrospect that was a bad year to stop paying attention since the big reveal was just around the corner. When I heard the line was cancelled, I caught up on the story I missed and the ending. I thought it was a nice conclusion and moved on. Knowing what I know now, I wish 2009 had struck a stronger chord; that there could have been two or three total years following Mata Nui and Co. before the final battle. At least things still wrapped up decently.

Gen 2's cancellation stung more because I was actively following the franchise (though not as invested as I was in G1). More than I was disappointed, I was frustrated: it seemed like TLG was having trouble leveraging the media giant that Bionicle used to be. Maybe Gen 1 was a lucky shot in the dark that couldn't be replicated, but I feel like more could have been done, or some things done differently. Two years seems an awfully short time for the reboot to have lasted.