Discovering new planets

[Van Hohenheim]

so a question for anyone who can answer it. how did Mata Nui discover new planets without the planet's inhabitants knowing? Bonesiii said in another topic that it was Camouflage, but how do you conceal something that massive? you could say that Mata Nui (island) did it, but it only covered his face. it's been bugging me how he did it. and i'm fairly certain that the inhabitants didn't know, otherwise at least one of the planet inhabitants would have surely started to attack it.

[Taipu1]

There is a concept image of Mata-Nui rolling into a ball shape. One assumes he then activates his camouflage, and appears to be another planet, or an asteroid or moon. I don't think this is canon, but it certainly seems like this was what was planned.

[Van Hohenheim]

but to examine it in full, you would have to get on the planet itself, correct?

[Hitoshura]

Well, the robot has a lot of powerful sensors, like for hearing and Makuta was able to find the Ignika using the sensors when he was all th way on Aqua Magna.

[Van Hohenheim]

true. but to actually get physical stuff for examination, which I think was the whole point, he would have to be on the planet.

[Hitoshura]

Alright, here it is:

During these occasions, Mata Nui would be required to land on a planet, submerging himself underwater and activating an automatic camouflage system which cloaked the robot's head with an island.

or here.

[bonesiii]

What I've said in past topics is that in addition to the camouflage island, he almost certainly has several others of the known protodermis powers like Concealment (Huna) -- a cloaking effect. He also probably absorbs water as he steps in and stores it as water elemental energy until he leaves, so there are no tsunamis to destroy other lands.

 

And note that this only works under the theory that all these other worlds are megaplanets too like Spherus Magna, so likely they have the same kind of supercore, probably all with energized protodermis inside (maybe exsidian, etc.), so his studies of the geology help him learn how to reform his own world of origin. Thus, the planets can be large enough to have at least one sea where he could do this. He would pick the spot to lay down on based on what submerges most of his body and what leaves part of his head poking above it, so he can deploy the Kini-Nui sensor. Then he activates the camouflage island.

 

Much of this isn't confirmed but it would seem to be common sense.

[Constructelf]

But wouldn't the inhabitants of the planet notice a random island appearing in the middle of nowhere? Wouldn't they have tried to explore Mata Nui's face?

[fishers64]

But wouldn't the inhabitants of the planet notice a random island appearing in the middle of nowhere? Wouldn't they have tried to explore Mata Nui's face?

 

They would probably end up killed by the Bohrok, I think. I think I had this debate before and that idea was shot down, but I think the Bohrok cleanup operation probably would scare off any adventurous natives.

 

It also depends on where the island is at in the ocean.

[bonesiii]

He was only there for a short time, but this is probably why Krana can control minds. In case of contamination, if there's no other option, they could force the discoverers to become part of the swarm, the way Lewa and others have been. It would be unfortunate for them but at least they wouldn't need killed. The others on the planet would be left with just another routine disappearance at sea and likely attribute it to a freak storm or leak in the boat, etc.

 

In case of more persistent and powerful enemies the Bohrok could be commanded to use their powers to kill.

 

In general, we've seen Mata Nui be able to track where individual humanoids on Bara Magna were during the final battle, so he must have incredible vision and brainpower to calculate it, so he should be able to simply factor all sighted paths (maybe using other EM sensors to cut through clouds, etc.) and land where he calcs that nobody is going to travel for a while. He could avoid landing too in case of a world so advanced there would be little safety.

 

If worst came to worst, he could just leave, chagrined, but that would only be one world "contaminated" of knowledge of a strange mysterious island that disappeared. It wouldn't affect the next alien world he goes to, etc. (Unless... there are others with the power to travel to other worlds.... )

[Meta-Mind]

He was only there for a short time, but this is probably why Krana can control minds. In case of contamination, if there's no other option, they could force the discoverers to become part of the swarm, the way Lewa and others have been. It would be unfortunate for them but at least they wouldn't need killed. The others on the planet would be left with just another routine disappearance at sea and likely attribute it to a freak storm or leak in the boat, etc. In case of more persistent and powerful enemies the Bohrok could be commanded to use their powers to kill.

If I remember correctly, this was actually the entire purpose of the Levahk - their acid was designed to take out beings in a hurry.Not to mention: on the off-chance that the Bohrok queens were somehow overwhelmed and the island conquered, the Bohrok-Kal could attempt to revive or free the queens and clear the island. Err, that is, assuming the Great Beings made the Kal themselves. I don't recall who actually made them - could someone check on that, please?

In general, we've seen Mata Nui be able to track where individual humanoids on Bara Magna were during the final battle, so he must have incredible vision and brainpower to calculate it, so he should be able to simply factor all sighted paths (maybe using other EM sensors to cut through clouds, etc.) and land where he calcs that nobody is going to travel for a while. He could avoid landing too in case of a world so advanced there would be little safety. If worst came to worst, he could just leave, chagrined, but that would only be one world "contaminated" of knowledge of a strange mysterious island that disappeared. It wouldn't affect the next alien world he goes to, etc. (Unless... there are others with the power to travel to other worlds.... )

Yeah, it seems like the biggest issue here would be landing and flying away stealthily - though this would be made significantly easier with Concealment and Stealth powers active. The island camoflauge itself is pretty well-covered. (Mata Nui encounters a conquering race of aliens, who pilot their own humongous mecha to fight him. Suddenly the craziest fanfics seem a bit less crazy. )

[bonesiii]

Yeah, the Bahrag made the Kal, not the GBs, but the GBs also programmed a destiny for Teridax while Mata Nui did the making of the Makuta later, so it could have been a "destiny to be made later" kind of thing.

 

And I dunno about "entire" purpose of the Lehvak, but glad you said that 'cuz somehow I missed that little factoid. I'd say the whole Lehvak section about this is worth quoting here now that I see it (and here I just thought it was to clean better than air lol):

The Lehvak were clever tacticians, never striking in one place for long and making it hard to predict where they would turn up next. They could work in swarms, but their optimal choice was to work in a smaller group. They practiced hit and run tactics and were probably the most individually motivated of all the Bohrok, more than capable of thinking and operating alone. The only real way to stop them was to corner a group and surprise each one individually.

 

Lehvak were the most dangerous of Bohrok because of their powerful Acid, which can dissolve any substance. They were also the only Bohrok designed for combat, intended to fight any who tried to interfere with the swarm's mission.

[Dralcax]

It might be a bit difficult. You said that Water EE is used to prevent massive water displacement. But, when Mata Nui gets up to leave, that might cause some... interesting tides if Mata Nui gets up faster or slower than the rate of the water returning to the ocean. And how would Mata Nui land on a planet where the oceans are composed of a non-aqueous fluid incompatible with the Water element, such as, say, ammonia or something?

[Toatapio Nuva]

I think it is presumed even in the Bionicle universe that life is always based on water. That would exclude ammonia and other substances that would form seas.

[bonesiii]

It might be a bit difficult. You said that Water EE is used to prevent massive water displacement. But, when Mata Nui gets up to leave, that might cause some... interesting tides if Mata Nui gets up faster or slower than the rate of the water returning to the ocean. And how would Mata Nui land on a planet where the oceans are composed of a non-aqueous fluid incompatible with the Water element, such as, say, ammonia or something?

Well even if he was off by a little it's better than just allowing normal displacement to occur (or even a tsunami would be enough to be really bad).

 

I just think that his first rule would always be something like the Prime Directive of Star Trek. If he detects that he can safely land, by whatever means he does have, he'll do so, and if he can't, then he simply won't land. But I'd think the GBs would be smart enough to accomodate just about any such thing.

 

On the other hand, the planet he is trying to reform has a water sea, not an ammonia sea, and that undoubtedly has a profound effect on the geology, so it's possible Mata Nui actually wouldn't need to study such a world so closely.

 

I think it is presumed even in the Bionicle universe that life is always based on water. That would exclude ammonia and other substances that would form seas.

That's by no means a safe assumption since that same Bionicle universe has life based in energized protodermis, living rocks, fire creatures, etc.

[Toatapio Nuva]

Good point, lol. Perhaps it's more about life based on the six main elements? Which form EP together?

[Hitoshura]

The six elements don't make EP. Pretty much nothing does. And we should get back on topic.

[Toatapio Nuva]

Not EP, sorry, but Protodermis in general. Rather, the synthesized Protodermis, which is connected to the EP. And I don't think this if off-topic, since it concerns Mata Nui's ability to control conditions on other planets.

[bonesiii]

It's on-topic, yes.

 

I'd say life is based on life, and leave it at that. Well, sort of. Because I think we have strong evidence that it could take nearly any form imagineable. Keep in mind these planets he's landing on also have to be megaplanets for him to fit, which requires (at least in my mind) some explanation of how they absorb gravity over Earth-limit amount so they don't collapse from their own weight. This alone makes it likely, according to my theories, that their cores also have Energized Protodermis, and whatever rock or metal or whatnot absorbs the gravity (exsidian?).

 

And another evidence for that is the reason he's studying them in the first place, to help him learn how to reform SM, which had that kind of core (at least the EP part).

 

Now EP can turn just about anything that touches it alive if that's its destiny (and not to be destroyed), so a falling piece of leaf might become alive. A light ray might become alive (though maybe that's going too far ). Who knows what kind of scenarios could have occurred on these planets? So, I'd say there's no way to limit a definition of what the life on them could be like. Or at least, anything solid could be turned alive. (And maybe EP's transforming of stuff to be alive, in the cases when it does that, could even result in beings made of different materials than what they started with, since it's transformation we're talking about. So a bit of rock might fall in and out comes an alien made of ammonia. )

[fishers64]

But whatever gravity-canceling mechanism that was present on SM when it Shattered is obviously still there even though the EP is gone.

 

I don't think that the possibility that the gravity-canceling thing has nothing to do with the EP has been ruled out. Because even when SM was Shattered, the gravity was Earth-style, and I remember from another topic that AM and Bota Magna were still bigger than Earth. That would rule out Mata Nui fixing the gravity mechanism when he fixed the core of the planet (if he did).

 

So I think, as a result, that Mata Nui could study a planet that has that gravity absorbing mechanism and not have an EP core. The two aren't necessarily connected. The only thing that we know is that that SM had both.

 

In fact, Mata Nui probably did study planets that didn't have EP cores to find out how SM could work without one. He might have studied planets with EP cores, or he might not have. (SM could be the only planet with EP in it, although I find this unlikely because the GBs thought Mata Nui could learn something from other planets.)

[bonesiii]

I don't think that the possibility that the gravity-canceling thing has nothing to do with the EP has been ruled out.

No, but as a theory I only see the EP as an option. Since it's confirmed it's made out of normal matter. (At least the surface.) And it's a simpler explanation (ye olde Occam's Razor). That is, the EP modifying the rock around it (so the rock remains after the Shattering, and also some is on both moon fragments).

 

So I think, as a result, that Mata Nui could study a planet that has that gravity absorbing mechanism and not have an EP core.

Who knows. There's also a third possibility -- that he could study a planet that got gravity absorption from EP but the EP was later exploded, without Shattering the planet.

 

Not sure how likely that is. But it's a possibility, as far as I know. It could have had a situation like SM's and been fused. Or, whatever Mata Nui did to the core to make it stable when he fused it could have happened to be the case naturally (though I doubt this one is needed because of reasoning in the third option...). Or most likely, apparently all the EP in the Core could possibly have been drained and only tapped into (for energy) once it was on the surface (exploding there with deadly effects but no Shattering), or never tapped into in that way or in large enough amounts, thus no damage to the core.

 

Perhaps.

 

 

In fact, Mata Nui probably did study planets that didn't have EP cores to find out how SM could work without one.

Hey... excellent point, and one I could use in that canon-fit story... >_>