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Toa Metru Storyline Clarification


Mailli

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I was just reading Vakama's BS01 page, trying to find reasoning behind the Toa Metru leaving Metru Nui.

The BS01 page only says

"Vakama and his team, acting on another one of his visions, rescued six Matoran in pods, and the Toa then decided to journey past the Great Barrier to find a refuge for the rest of the Matoran."

I mean, isn't it against the Toa Code to run from Teridax, knowing that he is imprisoning matoran? Why would they want to find a refuge when Metru Nui is the home of the matoran, and all they've got to do is kill Teridax and wake them up? What exactly was in Vakama's vision that persuaded him to break the Toa Code?

 

Any input is welcome.

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Funny you should suggest that they 'kill 'Teridax because the main article in the Toa Code is actually "Toa do not kill". Nothing against running away.

 

Also I don't think there was anything in Vakama's vision that persuaded him per se, it was just that by that point he'd come to trust his visions after several others had come true, and so had his teammates.

Edited by Kumata
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I meant kill as in deal with, capture, or otherwise stop. But yes, it is ironic that I accuse them of breaking the Toa Code and then ask why they didn't.

The Code does say they must not betray Matoran, and abandoning them counts, I believe.

 

I don't know whether he'd trust a vision telling him to leave the matoran to Teridax. The other visions were usually stuff like seeing a matoran trapped, then going to save them in the real world, or seeing Metru Nui overrun by a plant in the vision, and then killing the plant in the real world (they DID actually kill the Morbuzakh).

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They weren't abandoning the Matoran, though. They fully intended to come back and rescue them, it was just that when they made their initial escape to the island of Mata Nui, they didn't have the means to carry 1000 Matoran pods.

 

And they knew that without the Mask of Time there was nothing Teridax could do to the Matoran in the interim.

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The statement that they are going to find a refuge for "the rest of the Matoran" would directly imply that they aren't just leaving and deserting the Matoran, but coming back to get them and get them away from Makuta. At this point, however, they aren't exactly great warriors, and only when it becomes inevitable do they fight Makuta. "Live to fight another day," would be the reasoning here.

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How would they know there would be Matoran to come back and rescue? I don't think they'd trust Teridax baby-sitting them, assuming they didn't know he planned to keep them alive so he'd have something to rule over. He doesn't need a Kanohi Vahi to hurt them, as you stated.

Then again, they were aware that they were being put in spheres, indicating Teridax planned on keeping them alive...

And yes, I guess it was unreasonable of them to take all the matoran without knowing where to go. I didn't think they'd have given up on keeping Metru Nui.

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All of this is practically irrelevant considering the Toa Metru had imprisoned Teridax in protodermis, isn't it? They weren't "running from him", they had already neutralized him as a threat for the time being, and were simply trying to search for a new home for the Matoran while they had the upper hand. They had no way of knowing that the Visorak Horde would see Metru Nui's abandonment as an opportunity to take over, much less that they would be led by someone intent on freeing Makuta.

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Yea he was imprisoned, and the city they so loved was greatly damaged, it was best to move and build their strength. After the matoran were all safe then they can work a plan to retake the city. I mean, a destroyed city with who knows what freed from the Archives running around isnt the best place for matoran, especially only 6 rookie Toa to protect them. 

 

Buuuuut the Visorak was something to keep them further away again.


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Their first duty as Toa is to protect the Matoran. You have to remember, back then the Makuta were still seen as good. SOme were suspicious of their actions and motives, though. So, if you hear that a supposed good guy is up to something nefarious, you would want to protect those he may harm. In this case, finding refuge for the Matoran. They could go and fight Makuta, try and defeat him, but if they lost his reign of terror would continue. At least in this case the Matoran have a chance of surviving away from Makuta.

Not to mention the Great Cataclysm. The Great Cataclysm caused the Mata Nui robot to crash into Aqua Magna. The suns died, and all that were left were dimming stars. If it seems like your land is experiencing the end of the world you try and get out. Not stick through it.

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All of this is practically irrelevant considering the Toa Metru had imprisoned Teridax in protodermis, isn't it?

 

I think that the OP missed the fact that Teridax was imprisoned in a protodermis cage and thus could do nothing to harm the Matoran as far as the Metru knew.   :shrugs:

 

Umm... Pretty sure he wasn't... BS01 implies he is very much able and active...

 

"At the Coliseum, Teridax revealed himself to the Toa, enacting his master plan and inciting the Great Cataclysm. Vakama and his team, acting on another one of his visions, rescued six Matoran in pods, and the Toa then decided to journey past the Great Barrier to find a refuge for the rest of the Matoran. However, Teridax pursued them after absorbing his Rahi Nivawk, the Dark Hunters Nidhiki and Krekka, and the power supply of Metru Nui, increasing his size and his power. During the journey, Vakama took the final Great Disks and continued crafting the Kanohi Vahi."

 

I think you're thinking about when they came back to save the rest of the matoran, where he was very much imprisoned.

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All of this is practically irrelevant considering the Toa Metru had imprisoned Teridax in protodermis, isn't it?

 

I think that the OP missed the fact that Teridax was imprisoned in a protodermis cage and thus could do nothing to harm the Matoran as far as the Metru knew.   :shrugs:

 

Umm... Pretty sure he wasn't... BS01 implies he is very much able and active...

 

"At the Coliseum, Teridax revealed himself to the Toa, enacting his master plan and inciting the Great Cataclysm. Vakama and his team, acting on another one of his visions, rescued six Matoran in pods, and the Toa then decided to journey past the Great Barrier to find a refuge for the rest of the Matoran. However, Teridax pursued them after absorbing his Rahi Nivawk, the Dark Hunters Nidhiki and Krekka, and the power supply of Metru Nui, increasing his size and his power. During the journey, Vakama took the final Great Disks and continued crafting the Kanohi Vahi."

 

I think you're thinking about when they came back to save the rest of the matoran, where he was very much imprisoned.

 

I think I see what you're saying.  Teridax takes over, the Toa Metru gather up the six closest Matoran and basically just run away.  Now what ultimately happens is they imprison Teridax, who pursues them as they try to escape, but for a brief moment they are indeed just running away without attempting to fight the bad guy.

 

Now if you watch the movie, you can probably see that their decision to evacuate the city is largely motivated by the giant black tornado of death engulfing the downtown core.  I'm sure the novice Toa were well aware that under normal circumstances, they had no hope of defeating Teridax on their own (unless they chanced upon a way to play to his arrogance).  Teridax already had the Vahki under his control, not to mention his own natural powers.  My guess is that the Toa Metru decided that if Teridax were going to kill the Matoran, he'd have done it by now.  So they decided to cut their losses take what Matoran they could to safety while the going was good.

 

If you read up on the Toa Code, it doesn't really say much about not running away.  The code itself is scarcely even mentioned in the storyline and is more just something Greg came up with to make the Toa more like conventional superheroes.  And if you think about it, which is more ethical: needlessly killing yourself just to say that you attempted to stop an immoral action or knowing when something is out of your hands and retreating so you can assure victory later?  What's better, saving six Matoran or zero?

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I'll quote a number of passages from the Legends of Metru Nui novelization:

 

 

The transport slid to a stop in the middle of the storage facility. The Toa disembarked to view a horrifying sight. All around them were the silver spheres, stacked as high as the eye could see. Each one contained a Matoran who not so long ago had been laughing, working, playing.

[...]

"Can we save them all?" she [Nokama] asked.

"Time is too short," replied Vakama. "But if we save a few, we save hope for all."

The Toa hurriedly loaded six spheres into the transport, all the while watching for Vahki. They could not know what was happening up above, but in their hearts they knew Makuta would not let them escape without a fight.

"Let's get them to safety," said Vakama.

 

Matau steered the transport across the bridge leading to Ga-Metru. He tried his best to stay focused on the task at hand, and not pay attention to the damage being done to his beloved city.

"I always believed all this would stand forever," Nokama said sadly.

"Sometimes you shouldn't look back," answered Whenua. "Only ahead".

"Ahead does not appear so great either," said Nuju.

The Toa looked ahead to see hundreds of Vahki standing in the middle of the bridge. Twenty abreast, they blocked the way from rail to rail.

"Where to now?" said Matau.

Vakama had gone back to tinkering with the Mask of Power he was crafting. "Our future lies beyond Metru Nui," he said confidently.

Matau nodded. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he knew there was only one safe way to get off this bridge. "I sure hope you're guided by the Great Spirit," he growled, "because this is definitely cross-wired!"

The Toa of Air threw the transport into a hard ninety-degree turn and sped toward the rail. The Toa hung on to whatever they could, hardly able to believe what was about to happen. With a final burst of speed, the transport smashed through the rail and plunged into the storm-tossed waters far below.

 

Vakama was paying no attention to the [Great] barrier though. His mind was lost in another vision...

Bright light. Then darkness, the same kind of darkness that now shrouded all of Metru Nui. He looked around, uncertain, wondering how he would ever escape. Then a sliver of illumination appeared, like a crack in the shadows. It beckoned him to go forward, for on the other side was a place of safety....

Vakama's eyes snapped open. He wasn't certain just what the vision meant, not yet, but he did know it was a sign of hope.

[...]

Vakama pointed up ahead. There was a narrow gap in the Great Barrier through which light shone, just like the image he had seen in his vision. "Keep to the light, Matau. The future is in your care," he commanded.

 

 

[After Makuta's defeat]

Vakama looked down from the cliff to see that all six spheres had been retrieved and lashed once more to the transport. "We'll return for the rest of the Matoran soon," he said. "But first, let us ensure the safety of those we have with us now."

Judging from these scenes, the Toa Metru didn't actually think fully through what they were going to do. They were in a hurry, the Vahki and Makuta could attack them at any moment. They had no choice but to trust Vakama's visions, hoping they were correct and not even fully understanding them. Therefore they gathered what Matoran they could and left the city, following the Toa of Fire's directions. Of course, after Makuta's defeat, they could have gone back for the other Matoran, but clearly Vakama decided to find the way to the place of safety before collecting the other Matoran. If he had done the opposite, the Toa would have found themselves burdened with hundreds of sleeping Matoran without knowing where to take them. This quote from BA5: Voyage of Fear, confirms it:

 

Vakama shook his head. "No. We have nothing to turn back to - only a dark and dead city, filled with sleeping Matoran who are counting on us to find them a haven. If that means crossing these waters, then that is what we will do."

 

Moreover, the Toa Metru often wondered if they should have done things differently, as these quotes show (the first two are from Voyage of Fear, the last two from Web of the Visorak):

 

 

Onewa gestured at the other Toa. "This. All of this! Our city is in danger, the Matoran are imprisoned... and we are running away!"

Nuju shook his head. "Our city is shattered, Onewa, possibly beyond repair. We are doing the only thing we can do - trying to find a place for the Matoran to begin again."

"And that's another thing," grumbled Onewa. "Vakama says, 'Sail through the Great Barrier,' and off we go. We don't even know where we're going!"

 

The Matoran [Mavrah] struggled to break free. "Go with you where?" he said. "If you are telling the truth and Metru Nui is lost, there is nowhere to go. There is nothing beyond the river but death."

Nokama started to speak, then paused. For all she knew, Mavrah was right. They had only Vakama's vision to tell them that the way to safety was through the Great Barrier. What if he had been wrong? What if there was no haven for the Matoran?

 

 

Then, more gently, Onewa continued, "You really didn't want to leave, did you?"

"Of course not. It's our home. Battered, bruised, but still the only place we have ever known. We could have stayed and rebuilt. We still could."

Onewa said nothing. The same thoughts had occured to him many times over the past few days. It had been Vakama's visions that told them they must move on to a new land, beyond the Great Barrier, a place where the Matoran could live in peace. What if the Toa of Fire was wrong?

He pushed the idea out of his mind. True, he had doubted Vakama from the beginning, but each time he had been proven wrong. It was too late to begin regretting the course of action they had all agreen upon.

 

"It could all be repaired," Whenua said quickly. "But Vakama says we have to leave and start fresh on the island."

"The thought of trying to fix all this does not bring happy-cheer," said Matau. "But neither does trying to ride Ussal carts through that swamp in our new home."

"What do you really think of his visions?"

Matau shrugged. "They have been right, so far." He paused, before adding, "Often enough that we might follow one's lead, even if he simply made it up."

 

Now, what in my opinion all this proves is that the Toa never actually had any unquestionable reasons for leaving Metru Nui. Vakama's visions were what decided them and they based themselves upon them not just during the chaos of the Great Cataclysm, but throughout their whole quest, never really being sure whether they were right. In a sense, they just followed Vakama because they didn't know what else to do.

 

We, on the other hand, can use the information we learned later to judge whether the visions were right or wrong. I think they were right. We know that the Brotherhood's original plan to take over the universe was to gain control of Metru Nui, since it was in the City of Legends that the machinery controlling the Great Spirit Robot and therefore the entire universe was located. Therefore, if Makuta Teridax had failed to immediately seize power in Metru Nui, they would have attacked it with their other armies. They actually did, using the Visorak Horde, and they had more troops (Rahkshi and Exo-Toa) that they could, if necessary, send to take over the city. Other organizations, such as the Dark Hunters, also had their eyes set on the city (even if they didn't fully know its significance).

 

However, by taking the Matoran away, the Toa Metru robbed Metru Nui of its value. Without the Matoran to operate the city's machines, these could not perform the functions that made the city so important and therefore so priceless. Now, I have no doubt Vakama knew almost nothing about these "geopolitical" implications of the actions of his team, but the glitch in his AI probably made him subconsciously aware of them and therefore sent him appropriate visions. Let us not forget that Mata Nui himself wanted the Metru to follow this course of actions, as the Karzahni plant, in Time Trap, says:

"The Great Spirit," Karzahni replied. "The Great Spirit who had been struck down by Makuta's treachery and knew that his only hope of recovery was to get the Matoran out of this city before it was too late.

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However, by taking the Matoran away, the Toa Metru robbed Metru Nui of its value. Without the Matoran to operate the city's machines, these could not perform the functions that made the city so important and therefore so priceless. Now, I have no doubt Vakama knew almost nothing about these "geopolitical" implications of the actions of his team, but the glitch in his AI probably made him subconsciously aware of them and therefore sent him appropriate visions. Let us not forget that Mata Nui himself wanted the Metru to follow this course of actions, as the Karzahni plant, in Time Trap, says: ...

Why does everyone interpret it as a glitch?  First, he was fully sentient, not a scripted computer going by Java coding (thanks Velika). He was gaining insight from his creator (who probably only (contemporary-wise) recently realized that his subjects were fully sentient and not mere robotic slaves), literally given visions on what to do from a greater power. Vakama  unknowingly heeded the words of the future, as Tahu put it: "Where wisdom and valor fail, all that remains is faith. And it can overcome all.". The Toa Metru did as such, and succeeded.

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I believe Greg said that it more or less was a glitch, which annoys me to no end and I don't really buy, since that completely ruins the entire point of his whole character development those two years -- possibly the best character growth in the series, IMO.

 

I don't think this ruins it, really. Could you elaborate on that?

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I believe Greg said that it more or less was a glitch, which annoys me to no end and I don't really buy, since that completely ruins the entire point of his whole character development those two years -- possibly the best character growth in the series, IMO.

 

I don't think this ruins it, really. Could you elaborate on that?

 

A glitch means it was not meant to happen, which goes against Bionicle's dominant theme of 'fate'. That why the two of us have a problem with it (and possibly others).

 

EDIT: Really, best character growth of the series? Another reason why I should read Bionicle Adventures...

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I believe Greg said that it more or less was a glitch, which annoys me to no end and I don't really buy, since that completely ruins the entire point of his whole character development those two years -- possibly the best character growth in the series, IMO.

 

I don't think this ruins it, really. Could you elaborate on that?

 

A glitch means it was not meant to happen, which goes against Bionicle's dominant theme of 'fate'. That why the two of us have a problem with it (and possibly others).

 

EDIT: Really, best character growth of the series? Another reason why I should read Bionicle Adventures...

 

For someone who got attached pretty badly to those two years, I feel largely indifferent to the reveal. 

 

I mean, even seeming accidents can be a part of destiny. There's then the fact that he was a cross-wired freak, which is a cool twist of irony. 

 

Always, that was a soft reveal: 

 

1. Did Mata Nui give Vakama the ability to have visions?

 

1) Personally, I think it is a glitch in his AI.

 

It was Greg's personal feelings that the fans sort of rolled with. According to the main story, it was sort of a matter that never got resolved due to the way things went. 

 

But if you never read Bionicle Adventures, you missed out on half the reason to follow Bionicle. But that's my heavily biased opinion - that's where I started.

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1. Did Mata Nui give Vakama the ability to have visions?

 

1) Personally, I think it is a glitch in his AI.

 

It was Greg's personal feelings that the fans sort of rolled with. According to the main story, it was sort of a matter that never got resolved due to the way things went. 

 

But if you never read Bionicle Adventures, you missed out on half the reason to follow Bionicle. But that's my heavily biased opinion - that's where I started.

 

 

Yeah, I really loved that series - and like Fisher, I don't really feel that Vakama's visions being the result of a glitch detract from any of his character development. I mean, does the cause of his visions affect how he developed into a leader? Do they make how he changed from a hesitant mask-maker to someone who could face down Makuta Teridax and The Shadowed One at once without wetting his pants totally null? His growth as a character is independent of the cause of his precognitive powers.

 

And yes, Greg said he "personally" would prefer that it was a glitch. In my opinion, that isn't really Greg saying the visions weren't something Mata Nui granted Vakama.

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I went to the exact article you pointed out in the OP and read through it starting at the phrase you pointed out. Clarification will be found exactly one paragraph after the phrase in the OP

They still attempted to leave, effectively betraying the matoran.

 

 

Now if you watch the movie, you can probably see that their decision to evacuate the city is largely motivated by the giant black tornado of death engulfing the downtown core.  I'm sure the novice Toa were well aware that under normal circumstances, they had no hope of defeating Teridax on their own (unless they chanced upon a way to play to his arrogance).  Teridax already had the Vahki under his control, not to mention his own natural powers.  My guess is that the Toa Metru decided that if Teridax were going to kill the Matoran, he'd have done it by now.  So they decided to cut their losses take what Matoran they could to safety while the going was good.
 
If you read up on the Toa Code, it doesn't really say much about not running away.  The code itself is scarcely even mentioned in the storyline and is more just something Greg came up with to make the Toa more like conventional superheroes.  And if you think about it, which is more ethical: needlessly killing yourself just to say that you attempted to stop an immoral action or knowing when something is out of your hands and retreating so you can assure victory later?  What's better, saving six Matoran or zero?

I was under the impression that all the destruction stuff happened after they tried to leave because of how the paragraph was worded. But yes, it does make more sense that it was what made them try to leave. I think this is what I missed. 

The Toa Code does state that betrayal is unacceptable, and I assumed this includes abandonment. I guess that you can't expect sentient beings to follow the code at all costs. Did Toa follow it like robots before Velika's enlightenment? Or was it created afterwards, which would explain how Helryx was made before the Code.

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Now if you watch the movie, you can probably see that their decision to evacuate the city is largely motivated by the giant black tornado of death engulfing the downtown core.  I'm sure the novice Toa were well aware that under normal circumstances, they had no hope of defeating Teridax on their own (unless they chanced upon a way to play to his arrogance).  Teridax already had the Vahki under his control, not to mention his own natural powers.  My guess is that the Toa Metru decided that if Teridax were going to kill the Matoran, he'd have done it by now.  So they decided to cut their losses take what Matoran they could to safety while the going was good.

 

If you read up on the Toa Code, it doesn't really say much about not running away.  The code itself is scarcely even mentioned in the storyline and is more just something Greg came up with to make the Toa more like conventional superheroes.  And if you think about it, which is more ethical: needlessly killing yourself just to say that you attempted to stop an immoral action or knowing when something is out of your hands and retreating so you can assure victory later?  What's better, saving six Matoran or zero?

I was under the impression that all the destruction stuff happened after they tried to leave because of how the paragraph was worded. But yes, it does make more sense that it was what made them try to leave. I think this is what I missed. 

The Toa Code does state that betrayal is unacceptable, and I assumed this includes abandonment. I guess that you can't expect sentient beings to follow the code at all costs. Did Toa follow it like robots before Velika's enlightenment? Or was it created afterwards, which would explain how Helryx was made before the Code.

 

Well some of the destruction happened after they left. I think there were residual earthquakes and aftershocks of the initial catastrophe, and then all the damaged caused by the malfunctioning Vahki, escaped Rahi, and Visorak.

 

And we don't really know that much about the Toa Code.  The BS01 article suggests that it was developed over time, but I don't think we have a specific time-frame.

 

In any case...

 

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Speaking of storyline clarification, when did Tuyet start murdering matoran and when did Nuparu make the Vahki? I can't remember when each event occured. 

The Vahki were invented by Nuparu to replace the Kralhi circa 12,000 and 13,000 years Before the Great Cataclysm (Krahli were invented in 24,000 BGC).  Tuyet's murdering spree happened in 2,500 BGC.

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There's then the fact that he was a cross-wired freak, which is a cool twist of irony.

 

That's exactly what I didn't like about it. His visions kinda fell to the wayside in the Hordika story, but for the second half of the 04 story, that was a big part of his character. The other Toa, Matau and Onewa in particular, really fed the doubts he already had about himself by calling him nuts and, in Matau's case, cross-wired. His whole character revelation in LoMN revolved around the idea that he wasn't a "cross-wired freak" and that his visions actually meaning something is what caused him to finally act like the Toa leader he was made to be.

 

And it just seems to me that whole development was a waste, because oh, no, they were right, it was just a glitch that happened to be helpful. He really was just wired incorrectly. It probably wasn't completely wasteful, I know, but for me it kinda killed his character story for that year.

 

But anyway, we're getting wildly off topic here lol.

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