Sir Kohran

Considering the step from 40k to 50k took almost seven years I doubt it's happening anytime soon. That slowdown was surely due to Bionicle being absent for most of those years.

Many Native American peoples were and are not nomadic. The Alonquin Indians who invented the tomahawk lived a variety of lifestyles depending on their geography. The different climates and food sources where people lived affected their habits. Those who lived in warmer areas could farm and create more permanent settlements, while those up in the cold North of Canada had to live off the land and move according to seasonal food sources like spawning fish. True, though the 'stereotypical' Indians of popular culture live in movable teepees on open plains.

I have no problem with 'Protector' as a title, but I think each character bearing that title should have an individual name too.

You know, it actually took me years to realise/work out that Mukau was a pun and not just another name.

I think in all likelihood this is just a small continuity error.

Is there a particularly big difference? Well, if you feel it shouldn't be done, why would you want or need to know whether it can be done? This could've been avoided had PrismWind avoided using the potentially inflammatory word. It's special to the Maori because it belongs to their language which they wish to preserve. 'Priest' is a slightly faulty example because it doesn't belong to one particular culture or religion. A word like 'rabbi' or 'imam' is more what you're getting at, and I think the cultures/religions they belong to probably would see it a mockery. They wonder why their language needs 'saving from extinction'? Maybe because not only do they not teach it in schools but they punish the mere use of it with beatings! What did they expect to happen? The quote claims, correctly or not, that punishment of the speaking of Maori was inflicted by non-Maori people, not by the Maori themselves. (Why would they want to stamp out their own language?) That's an inaccurate portrayal, because the killing of the firstborn was intended to make the population dwindle.

Why on earth should 'Tohunga' be censored? There's nothing inherently offensive about the word. Its only distinctive feature is that it belongs to a non-European language. As for TLG's stance, that is simply to not use 'Tohunga' in official media. BZPower don't make or release official media, therefore I don't see why anyone on here shouldn't use the word.

If it wasn't for Bionicle, my only knowledge of the Maori, or its culture, is, "Oh, you mean those island dwelling people who I think were mentioned on Planet Earth? Yeah, I know them." But, thanks in no small part to Bionicle, I am actually aware of them, their modern cultural position, and, to some extent (certainly moreso than most of my peer group), their spirituality. That may be the case for you, but is it for others? Does the average 2000s kid associate the word 'Toa' with a Maori warrior or a Bionicle product manufactured by Lego?

Activity unsurprisingly declined in the years that Bionicle was away for, and attempts to maintain it through coverage of Hero Factory and System lines didn't do much to affect that, but with the crucial line now on its way back things are definitely picking up again - many new members are joining and topics are getting far more posts. I'd say the signs are good.

It was only six months. April to October in 2011, IIRC.

I miss a lot of the early-mid 90s Castle sets - Wolfpack, Dragon Masters, Royal Knights, and Dark Forest. (Fright Knights still looks pretty dire, though.) There was something 'wild' about their aesthetic that later Castle sets haven't recreated. Whilst I've never been a big Space fan, themes like Ice Planet and the original Space Police were also bright and otherworldly, as were the Aquazone and Divers sets. Paradisa sets had a lovely fun in the sun feel.

I don't think the Kal themselves were terrible sets, it was just disappointing that they were rehashes of the Bohrok. Imagine if the Bohrok were never released and we only got the Kal, then people would praise them the way we praise the Bohrok. Even when judged alone, I do think they use far too much silver, something that also exacerbates their cloneness.For what it's worth, I think they use silver better than the Toa Nuva. How? The silver looks appropriate on the Nuva because it's used specifically to highlight new armour and weaponry. The Kal on the other hand are basically just drenched in it.

I don't think the Kal themselves were terrible sets, it was just disappointing that they were rehashes of the Bohrok. Imagine if the Bohrok were never released and we only got the Kal, then people would praise them the way we praise the Bohrok. Even when judged alone, I do think they use far too much silver, something that also exacerbates their cloneness.

One problem is that almost any word originating from a European language is going to be recognisable to a considerably large number of people in one part or another of the West, because European words remain in contemporary usage due to the huge influence of Europe on global history. Maori words are a different matter, because the language is no longer used much contemporarily and was never spoken by a very large number of people across a very large area anyway, so nearly all Westerners have no familiarity with it. The consequence is that words that (to Westerners) have no recognisable real-world origin are likely going to be mistaken for made-up names for made-up characters and things. That's obviously not a good thing for those who want to keep their language's words and original meanings intact.

Perhaps not exclusively, but 'priest' does seem to be the most common meaning: 'Once there was a tohunga, an old priest taught in the ways of the old whare wānanga. His house sat amongst the native bush which blanketed the hills rising high above a small sea side village. The tohunga had had a long life, filled with magic and knowledge of the universe, of constellations, sea navigation, natural phenomena, trees, plants, and medicines. These were the special gifts handed down to him through a long line of tohunga schooled in the same way.' Source

I couldn't win them at normal speed.

The return of Matoran sets, that actually have roles in the story rather than just being the year's six small sets.

I still feel it's not a great choice for an introduction to the whole franchise, because it has almost nothing to do with anything that was released after 2003.

Oh yeah. Upon reading your post and giving it more thought I probably would have gone with 2010. The Legend Reborn ended with a cliffhanger - obviously the sequel would not have been Journey's End if the franchise had not been cancelled prior, but I think it would have made an effective climactic finale. Robot battle in CG, return of fan-favourites and just an epic battle all around - even if it wasn't a very competent movie, it would have been memorable and offered closure to a lot of more "casual" fans. I think it would've been great to have had a second movie that covered the events of Journey's End (perhaps using that as its title) released in early 2010 alongside the Stars (who would of course feature in the movie). That would've been a great ending to the line, I think.

I think they should have names if they're playing important or recurring roles in the storyline.

Well, as the first (and currently only) Bionicle movie since the rather underwhelming Web of Shadows in 2005, expectations for it were pretty high.

I think pretty much all of them would work fairly well, apart from 2002 due to a lack of character drama and development, and 2006 due to an excessively large cast.

It's no particularly great deal to me, but I do think a character's actor should at least reflect what gender they are. Why does it matter? Edit because this is truly the crux of the matter and the source of your bigotry. Do I really need to explain why a female character should be played by a female actor? Was it 'bigotry' that Gali, Hahli, Nokama and Roodaka were all played by female actors?

Aanchir's quotes don't say much about 2001 and 2002, but we do know that Bionicle was the best-selling line in 2002 and that was also its most profitable year of all. So it almost certainly played a big part then as well. Which invalidates your argument that she shouldn't need a female voice on the grounds that she's transgender. It's no particularly great deal to me, but I do think a character's actor should at least reflect what gender they are.

The first one, in a heartbeat. I wouldn't recommend playing the second one unless you have a lot of patience and don't mind a severe lack of action, cutscenes or story development. I think you should make it clear that '1.5' is unofficial.