Should The Focus Of The Story Ever Have Switched From The Toa Nuva...., ....to the Toa Metru to the Toa Inika? Options

[bonesiii]

Put simply -- no, but it wasn't about "should." It didn't really matter either way, as long as there were cool sets with cool story for the fans to enjoy.

[HAZMAT]

Put simply -- no, but it wasn't about "should." It didn't really matter either way, as long as there were cool sets with cool story for the fans to enjoy.

They could have released the same sets with the Mata's/Nuva's names, though. I'm glad we got new characters, instead of the Mata/Nuva/whatever-else-they'd-transform-into doing everything.

|-|\/|

[Nowhere Man]

I personally am glad that they shifted the focus of the story. You can only go so far with the same set of characters. They will eventually become boring unless you mix it up a bit. The "prequel" feeling of '04-'05 was very nice, as it set up for the present story. I originally wasn't thrilled with the Inika/Mahri, but now that all is said and done I'm glad that the Nuva were out of the spotlight for a couple of years. I enjoyed having them in the web serials so they could still do their duty while letting another team have the spotlight. Their long-awaited return is oh so much better.

[Takua95]

Well, 2004-2005 revealed so much history -- the past; explanations to so many mysteries, all the while generating tons more. 2006-2007; well, it's possible that it could be skipped. But they brought the Mask of Life into the story, which is still here in '08 and will probably play an important role. (Seeing how much power he has.)

So, I think that switching the focus was beneficiary enough to earn it's necessity.

[Brickthing]

If BIONICLE continued to use the same Toa team each year, it would get boring, repetitive and confusing as to why the same guys keep coming back, but looking completely different. As Greg said so himself, if it were up to the set designers, the Nuva wouldn't be back in 2008 - it's obviously easier and better to switch the Toa teams. The only reason Greg brought the Nuva back is so that he didn't break the established canon.

[Carakki]

I'm glad that the Bionicle storyline switched to the Metru (and, later, other Toa teams). The direction that tangent took Bionicle made the plot much thicker and more interesting.

Also, if Lego had not created the Toa teams between 2003 and 2008, they would have been lacking five solid years of material - or, in other words, five solid yers of cash.

[Binary Code]

I think that it was a good idea, introducing new toa to the storyline.

I think we might have gotten bored with the Toa Nuva after a while.



10110 BC 001011

[Emperor Kraggh]

How can people be sure that we would have become bored? The concept of there being many Toa teams in the Bionicle universe wasn't even introduced until you-know-when, so we wouldn't know what to thirst for. Besides, you can have an interesting story with the focus always being on the main characters. Harry Potter, for example, never switched from Harry's status as the main character to some hero from the past, and that turned out all right. I might be comparing apples to oranges, so long as the story was still captivating through them, then who would have wished for someone different?

Your Honor,
Emperor Kraggh

This post has been edited by Emperor Kraggh: Aug 21 2008, 06:55 AM

[romansoldierdude]

How can people be sure that we would have become bored? The concept of there being many Toa teams in the Bionicle universe wasn't even introduced until you-know-when, so we wouldn't know what to thirst for. Besides, you can have an interesting story with the focus always being on the main characters. Harry Potter, for example, never switched from Harry's status as the main character to some hero from the past, and that turned out all right. I might be comparing apples to oranges, so long as the story was still captivating through them, then who would have wished for someone different?

Your Honor,
Emperor Kraggh

Harry Potter never switched, but Harry Potter is not primarily a toy. Trust me, if we had 4 more versions of the toa nuva, we'd be bored by now.

I liked the Toa Metru sets (not the Hordika), but plot-wise they seemed useless. Especially 05. The BIONICLE storyline could've been the same without toa metru.

But the Toa Inika were probably the best toa team. Not set-wise, but storywise. I liked their personalities the best. And I think it was good that the Toa Nuva haven't been doing all of the work. That WOULD be boring.

[The One And Only...]

We would've become bored, Kraggh. That's the way the world turns in Bionicle.
Without the Metru and Inika years, the storyline would be like a cliche plothole taking all of it's existence:
"A sole island on a large planet and nothing else exists there except a giant badguy and a large race and six heroes who defeat the badguy". Thus, the story would've never even had a CHANCE of progressing.
The Metru and Inika years in storyline allowed the Nuva story to progress, thus they never really switched - they just were branches of the same legendary storyline.
-TD

This post has been edited by Toa Dovydas: Aug 21 2008, 08:07 AM

[bonesiii]

We would've become bored, Kraggh. That's the way the world turns in Bionicle.

Not if they were cool sets with cool storyline attached, as I said. Sure, there would have been a few more transformation complaints, but that doesn't equate to being bored overall -- that's just a small part of a year.

And it could have been mostly solved with a simple explanation -- make transformation a key part of the Bionicle universe -- of the lives of its inhabitants. Make a storyline reason that constant transformation makes sense, and people would have been more accepting of it.

Point is, you're assuming that, without really applying your imagination to consider that maybe it could have been done well. Kraggh's point stands -- you simply cannot predict whether you would have been bored or not, because you don't know how it would have been done.

To be clear, I'm not saying the Nuva should have been focused on -- I'm saying it didn't really matter either way.



For example, a hypothetical alternate history:

2003 -- Get rid of the "no more Nuva transformations" rule. Don't have Tahu say "from now on" they're the Nuva -- instead, say the Toa have discovered that transformation is a necessary part of adapting to new threats in the Bionicle universe for heroes.

2004 -- We find out that the Toa Mata were active just a thousand years earlier in Metru Nui. The Toa Metru sets are their original forms, but they were mutated by the canisters into their 2001 forms. (That last bit we actually thought was true at the time, remember, and it wouldn't even have broken the "No transformation after Nuva rule because it's a flashback) Tell the same basic story, except without Matoran transforming into Toa. Also, they might have been very different people back then, less experienced, etc., so their personal conflicts could have been quite different, so as not to be repetitive in the character development department.

2005 -- The Visorak explanation used on the Toa Mata. The Toa Hagah could have become the Turaga. The Rahaga could have been different creatures entirely, or been connected, etc. Tahu could have turned evil -- perhaps the lesson he subconsciously remembered from this would explain how he was able to pull off a krana later (instead of the current explanation that it simply wasn't on long enough), and why he was so tempermental at first on Mata Nui.

2006 -- The Toa Nuva are struck by lightning to become the Toa Inika, possibly getting new mask powers through this, or better yet through passing through Karzahni. Same basic storyline, except without Jaller and company's side of it. The Nuva struggle in new ways. Tahu could have demonstrated that he really has learned to control his temper and be a good team leader, acting much like Jaller. Others could have had new doubts awakened by the stories the Turaga told of the Nuva's ancient adventures, or by facing threats more intelligent than any previous villain other than Makuta, or even by frustration that they were failing Mata Nui so much he is now dying.

2007 -- The Ignika transforms them into the Mahri, and that whole storyline goes through. I suppose we do hit a snag here in that Matoro's death wouldn't work very well. But perhaps Lesovikk could have been the one to do it and could have had a more central role in the storyline. He could have been an old character, such as Kongu, in fact.

2008 -- Same basic storyline as we have, but the Nuva are transformed back from Mahri to Nuva by Lesovikk/Kongu while he used the Ignika at end of 2007, then given adaptive armor. End Nuva chapter, focus on new heroes in 2009.




See? It could have been done.

There would be pros and cons to every approach, but I strongly dispute that something like this would have bored us horribly or the like. Most storyline boredom in 2003 came from the same location and story formula being recycled. The above alternate history would have still solved those two problems, and also would have solved the most common complaint against transformations, which was that they seemed unlikely -- this way, Bionicle physics would simply make them likely. In time, that would be accepted just as every major rule in Bionicle has become with time, because it makes sense.

This post has been edited by bonesiii: Aug 21 2008, 11:09 AM

[Rahiking]

Variety is the spice of life!! So, yes...

[Ferhago]

I think it's good. The Metru really opened our eyes to how the world really was, and the Inika let our old Matoran friends be Toa, so I'm fine with both of them.

[Toa_Velox]

I'm glad mostly. I actually like what LEGO pretty much did. The Nuva were always the main Toa, and they were mentioned every year [I'm not sure if they were in the Metru-Nui sega, but they should have been], but new Toa also come each year.

[Jrllnd]

Ya I think so cuz they would get boring after a while and What about the sets I mean Hey bill I have tahu 7 that would be weird like all those sets for just one figure.

[Lhilertoro]

I really like Bones' idea but I don't like the same characters all over again.

[Sfadowlion]

Not changing the main characters allows for more development in personality and experiences, which can make more people relate better. However, it does get boring after a while, so there is the need for a change in characters. I think what they did with brining back the Nuva was great, it's like an unexpected twist at the end of the book, and brings back memories for older fans. But I think they made the switch too quickly, they only gave the Inika two years of screen time, so no one really bonded with them.