Toatapio Nuva

This prototype image of the Coliseum should give some insight into what's up with the different Coliseum art.

It appears that the main tower of the Coliseum was initially planned to be surrounded by six other towers, and the official Metru Nui skyline art is based on that concept. However, in other media the other towers weren't used, leading to this inconsistency in the design.

 

 

16 hours ago, Sir Kohran said:

Let's assume the LOMN script was written by December 2003, then the filmmaking finished by June 2004 for its late 2004 release. The decision to do another Metru Nui year was made around April 2004, giving them about eight months to prepare the stuff for it, but it was a little too late for the film to be majorly changed.

I don't know if that's exactly how it happened, but I think it was something like that.

Us talking about the dates is just speculating, but Greg said that each story year was planned about 2 years in advance. For example, the decision to cancel Bionicle was made in November 2008, but we still got a whole year's worth of content, just because it had already been planned. Greg has also confirmed that at that point he was working on the screen treatment for the planned 2010 movie, meaning that the process had at least been started by then.

Therefore I'm quite convinced the LoMN script would need to have been finished by summer 2003 at the latest, to allow the animators time to actually work on the movie. By December 2003, I'd say most stuff for 2004 would have already been set in stone.

And following the same logic, the script for Web of Shadows would've been finished around summer 2004, with work for it having begun in late 2003. That leaves a relatively large timeframe for when the decision to add 2005 would've been made, since the original plans (which didn't include the Hordika story) were made in early 2002 (or late 2001, whatever the case may be).

On 4/26/2020 at 7:34 PM, Sir Kohran said:

Okay, I actually remember Greg being asked about the film ending and him answering that the second Metru Nui year wasn't planned in advance, then by the time it was, the second film was too far into production to have the ending completely rewritten and reanimated. There was also a topic around 2010 where he made clear that most of Bionicle was 'planned from the beginning' but added that 2005 wasn't, "which is why it always felt a bit forced" or something like that.

I'm sorry I can't prove this with the old board long gone, but I'm pretty sure that's what was said.

What you said is true. 2005 wasn't originally planned. My point was that they would've started to work on 2005 content way before the end of 2004, since that's how they prepare all their releases. They couldn't have prepared an entire year's worth of sets, a movie and everything in a few months.

Bob Thompson planned the "7 books of Bionicle" around 2002, maybe late 2001, and the 2005 story wasn't in those plans. So if the 2005 story was thought of in 2003, as I presume, it still would've been a later addition compared to the rest of the story, and thus not originally planned. The sets and the movie script would then have been prepared during 2003-2004.

10 hours ago, Sir Kohran said:

So why does the end of the 2004 film wrap up the Metru Nui story? Why doesn't it lead into the 2005 story in any way?

Because 2004 was planned even earlier, and changing the script of the movie wouldn't really be feasible when animators are already working on the basis of what the script says.

9 hours ago, Xboxtravis said:

I think there was some contract agreement that was making it iffy if there was going to be a third film or not. So they chose to wrap up with the happy ending instead of a dark cliffhanger instead. 

And this. This is the more important reason, actually.

On 4/20/2020 at 4:50 PM, Sir Kohran said:

It wasn't actually, a second Metru Nui year was only decided on some way into 2004, which is why the 2004 film doesn't lead into the 2005 story and simply ends with the Toa Metru becoming Turaga on Mata Nui instead.

I doubt 2005 was planned that late, Lego always planned their story years well in advance. 2005 would've had to be planned in 2003 at the latest.

The versions on Biomedia are glitch-free and playable in their entirety. The game was fixed by the community way back when Biomedia was still being created.

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My thoughts on the concept of "canon," specifically as it relates to BIONICLE, are... complicated. Basically, though, I thought only including a handful of cards, the ones that only sort of contradict other story materials (which already contradict each other constantly), would be the best option for the recommended reading order. A few other people have told me they thought it was a good idea to include them, but if more people end up feeling otherwise, I'll take them out.

Well, I mean, there is a pretty clearly defined canon. 2001 is really the only story year with lots of contradictions - with the rest, the number is significantly lower.

Aside from that though, I do think the cards are very nice, but I would definitely exclude those cards that contradict other story material. Such as the golden mask ones, for example.

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I want the guidebook integrations to be spoiler-free, so there would probably be a new link the first time something is mentioned in each of the twelve chapters. For example, Tahu's first mention in Makuta's Revenge would give you information from The Official Guide to BIONICLE, while his first mention in Shadows in the Sky would give you his Encyclopedia Updated entry.

I like this idea. It does require work to figure out the ideal placements, but it would definitely make for a nifty addition.

Wow. There's a lot to cover here.

First of all, congrats for finishing the update! It looks really slick, and some of the new features you added really impress me. The ability to rearrange the order of the content yourself, in particular, is something I wasn't expecting to see, and solves the disputes some of us have had with the ordering of the content.

Regarding the customization though, I see that there are still story sources that cannot be checked or unchecked, like the story cards for example. It's certainly not a big problem, as you can simply uncheck everything and then check the main content again, but I thought I'd mention it nevertheless.

Speaking of the cards... though it's nifty that you've added them, they are non-canon, so they do stick out akwardly. They also contradict the canon story and mention strange things like "the golden master mask of power" (at a time when the Toa don't even know about the golden masks yet). At the very least, I would indicate somehow that these things are non-canon, or semi-canon at best.

Also, is there a way to return the default order after you've customized it? And is there a way to share your ordering with other people (as in, linking to a version of the site that uses your customized order)?

There is one feature you removed, which I already miss - the original contents page, where you had each story year divided into its, own separate page. It made it so much easier to navigate the site, and I really think it should be brought back.

I really like your idea of guidebook inclusion (even if the example you mentioned doesn't actually use any of the guidebooks, but other sources). I think a system where the info is linked the first time a certain name of concept is mentioned would be good, but I would not provide a link every single time. This also calls for a bit of tactical timing though... for example, I think including a bio for Onua would be much more organic in the book chapter where Onua is introduced, rather than in the introduction, where he's just mentioned by name. Similarly, throughout the website, I think consideration would need to be given to where exactly this info is linked to. But in general, I think the idea is a good one.

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During Q2 and Q3 2020, I will attempt to make all the Game Boy Advance BIONICLE games playable on the site, using a JavaScript-based emulator.

Ok, now THIS took me completely off guard. You can actually do that? That sounds really, really awesome!

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From Q3 2020 onwards, I will be working on Wall of History’s most ambitious project yet: converting Mata Nui: The Online Game from a Flash game to an HTML5 game, so future generations of BIONICLE fans can experience it the way it was meant to be.

Should the aforementioned project prove successful, I would like to do the same with MNOG II: The Final Chronicle, probably around Q4 2020.

And this even more so! This would be a great service to the Bionicle community, if you can pull it off.

These are just my thoughts at a first glance. I'll have to take a more in-depth look at the site when I have the time. But it's looking good!

On 2/14/2020 at 6:57 AM, Master Inika said:

Not sure how relevant this is, but the white Kanohi Hau seems rarer and more expensive than normal on Bricklink compared to other masks.

Could it be due to the fact that white pieces are easier to paint? I think the transparent white Kaukau became more valuable because of that, at least.

I love it! I'm also really fond of the movie-style, so it's nice to see more art in that style.

Sometime ago, I began to record Bionicle audiobooks for my Youtube channel, in order to make the Bionicle novels accessible in the audiobook format. However, while I completed both Tale of the Toa and Beware the Bohrok on my own, I was also thinking of a new idea for continuing the project in the future: Bionicle audiobooks as a cooperation project among the fandom.

My idea is this: Gather together Bionicle fans who would be interested in recording individual chapters of the Bionicle novels, resulting in a relatively fast and easy way to create audiobooks for each novel. In my mind, this idea is both achievable and relatively low effort for everyone involved, yet way easier and faster to accomplish with the help of the fandom, rather than just doing it alone (which does take time).

Therefore, the purpose of this topic is to gauge interest among fellow Bzpower members. Would you be interested in helping out with such a project? I will pitch this idea and hopefully gather interested people on other platforms as well, but thought I should start here.

Here’s an example of what I’ve been doing with the audiobooks so far. My idea is based on what loyalbooks

has done with its own audiobooks, making the books via volunteers recording one chapter or more to contribute to the larger whole.

18 hours ago, HeartOfMetruNui said:

I would commit all 7 deadly sins for actual HD verions of the Miramax trilogy.

No need for that, the trilogy is available in HD already.

Considering that I've been a full-time Bionicle fan since 2001, it's hard to pinpoint a time when it became nostalgic for me. The early years were certainly nostalgic long before G1 even ended. I don't really feel strong nostalgia for the years past 2006 though, as I stopped collecting the sets around that time and found the story to be on a decline.

I recommend watching this playlist to get the main story of Bionicle. For a much more thorough take, I also recommend reading the Biological Chronicle compilation, which has all story material in the ideal reading order. These two are great ways to get into the lore.

To answer the questions themselves:

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Was this voice narration by Dorn some kind of deleted content that was never actually used in the series? Where did it come from?

After The Legend Reborn came out, Bionicle was cancelled. As part of a last wave, they released these Dorn narration bits to provide a bit of exposition regarding the overall story, and its (hasty) ending. But it's canon.

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Is all of this extra stuff about the "Great Beings" and "Spherus Magna" fan fiction, or is it official to the series? And when did this happen in relation to the Bionicle series ending? Are there / were there any lego sets of these so-called "Great Beings" ever sold?

It's official, and it happened right at the end. No Great Being sets were sold, though they're officially the same species as the Glatorian, so they might as well have been.

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This also makes me wonder things like: was this part of the story line created from the beginning, and hidden from the viewers until like 2009? When they mentioned Makuta casting Mata Nui into a "deep slumber" in first generation Bionicle media, did they actually have this storyline in mind the whole time, or was this some last-minute expansion of the story? Is this something anyone could guess?

As previously mentioned, it was all planned from the beginning. It's one of the biggest reasons most of us hold Bionicle to such a high regard, as it was a mind-blowing plot twist that was built up for 8 years, and wonderfully executed. Again, I recommend watching the playlist I linked and reading Biological Chronicle to get an idea on the build-up.

Very interesting discovery. Not a big fan of the content of the chapter itself, but just to see this after it being lost for so long is exciting in itself.

To be honest, I don't think it should be featured on the Wall of History alongside other story material though. It sticks out really badly, considering that the plot it sets up doesn't reach any kind of resolution. Very confusing, especially for new readers.

Just a few quick points that came up:

1. Onua's introductory book chapter has an odd error in it. Where the original text uses "you don't seem too certain about our success", the website says "you don't seem too certain about your sources".

2. There are several style guide excerpts missing from the website, even though you've used some of them. Is that intentional?

Just as an idea for the website, I think an easier way to navigate it would be nice. Adding links to previous chapters rather than just the next ones would already do wonders, but I think some kind of a table of contents would also be very useful and make the website more user-friendly. A page where you can see all the chapters of a given book and select them separately.

Speaking of that, how have your plans to include tables of content in the PDF's themselves? I think it might be useful to have the page numbers for each chapter, perhaps alongside info on what story sources are used for them?

With regards to the media links, I know I already messaged you personally about it, but I'll present it here as well so others can comment: I think it might be a good idea to have media links to specific sections of the movies, according to the events the chapters depict. There are also videos like the MNOG II cutscenes that I think should still be added.

Wait, the arc actually ended?

Well, I said I'd wait for the next arc before rejoining the game, and I suppose that's actually happening now.

Can't wait to see what the third arc is like!

So, I went through Toa of Italy's changes and made a Google doc with comments and remarks. I commented extensively on 2001-2007, but from that on I have fewer remarks, because the ordering of the serials is much more up to one's interpretation, and I didn't really have the time to go searching for an ideal order for all of those serials...

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Could you explain why? Making that change would necessitate moving Triumph of the Toa (and, by extension, the other two comics) to much earlier in the chapter, or moving the Ga-Koro chapter of MNOG (and, by extension, the rest of MNOG) to much later — and I feel like both of these options would mess with the overall flow a lot.

Ah, sorry, I actually mixed things up here. The Ga-Koro chapter of MNOG actually takes place in the middle of the second comic, so I suppose those two should be placed next to each other, one way or another.

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Someone else gave me the same suggestion, and I'm planning on moving them — I just haven't decided where they should go yet.

I would recommend either moving them all after the Morbuzakh saga, since that's when the sets were introduced, or placing each animation after the chapter where they were first used. For example, the Keerakh video would go after the chapter where Nuju and Whenua encounter them while searching for the Ko-Metru Great Disk.

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Yeah, I'm not really fond of where they are either... The thing is, though, they kinda contradict the rest of the canon wherever they go — they both clearly take place during the events of Legends of Metru Nui, but there isn't really a perfect place where they fit into that story. If you have any suggestions for where they should go, let me know.

Actually, there's a place where they fit quite nicely: right after the chapter where Vakama, Nokama and Matau escape the Coliseum and hop into a chute. It seems to be the place where all the comics are meant to go. They should definitely also be back-to-back, since they represent a continuous story.

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The chapter divisions on Wall of History are the same ones that were on BIONICLEstory.com. I think dividing the 2008 story into three chapters is a little strange as well, but it's the only official way the story was ever divided, so it's what I'm going with.

Fair enough. I don't know if I really agree with the reasoning, but it's not a big problem to have them separated.

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I wouldn't say it spoils it, per se — no more than Legacy of Evil or Dwellers in Darkness did. I put that first diary entry where it is because I think it serves as some nice, ominous foreshadowing there. If there's a consensus that it should definitely be moved, though, I'll do it.

Well, it spoils the fact that Makuta wins in the end by taking control of the universe. I think it's much more effective to allow the reader to think that the Toa will actually win, rather than letting them know right away that Makuta wins. I mean, the books keep hinting at Makuta's victory, but doesn't outright state that "Makuta wins". It's just foreshadowing without giving any plot details.

I would move all of Makuta's Diary entries after the epilogue, honestly. But if you're really keen on dispersing the chapters, I would at least place all of them in the Mata Nui Rising section.

I kept my eyes on the site during Bzpower's downtime, and I really like its new presentation and style. It's easy to navigate and looks nice. However, I noticed numerous oddities with the order of the different entries.

Here's just a few examples I noted on the fly:

• The Ga-Koro chapter of MNOG should come after comic #3: Triumph of the Toa.
• The Vahki animations are in very strange places. I feel like it would be better to include them later on.
• The last two comics of the 2004 story are in very puzzling places, where they contradict the canon massively.
• Why are the Phantoka, Mistika and Mata Nui Rising parts divided? They're parts of the same arc, and are quite short on their own.
• The way Makuta's Diary is dispersed across the 2008 story spoils the ending of that arc right at the beginning.
• The last chapter of Brothers in Arms should be earlier, not because of the canon, but because it makes for a bad conclusion to the story as a whole.

By the way, in case it's helpful to you, I have a collection of many of the guides here, including transcriptions of some of them.

A very interesting read. I was asking around for sources of Lhii's origin a few years ago, and I see that the whole Pakari thing is still a mystery. I'm baffled as to where that could've come from...

 

For future posts, it would be interesting to see the original intent behind the Red Star talked about. It was such a fascinating concept before Greg retconned it into a revival machine.

 

 

I, too, love the Miramax style. They went beyond just animated toys, they showed us the characters how they would look in real life. They could've made the movies completely set accurate for the sake of selling toys, but they decided to dedicate themselves to providing an authentic, realistic portrayal that respects the internal rules of the Bionicle universe. I have a huge amount of appreciation for that decision alone.

That's not to say I don't like set accurate portrayals. The old CGI promo videos in particular look stunning, and the MNOG style is very classic and endearing.

 

I think ge’s said more recently (maybe on the LMB) that the silver Kanohi from the mask packs represent unworn masks (weren’t those a little on the grey side anyway? They were darker than the typical silver color, as I recall).

 

Well, he might've changed his view on them. About time, really.

From the Greg Q&A Nov 15, 2003:

 

 

Q: What are the powers of the Golden and Silver Kanohi? I have
    heard many different answers. I know that the silver Kanohi are
    masks that are powerless or not being worn, but do they have any
    additional powers? And does a Golden Kanohi allow to use multiple
    powers (say, shielding and levitation) at the same time? Some people
    have said that a Golden Kanohi also has the power of Valor, but that
    is Aki.

A: My belief is that the golden Kanohi has three powers and the silver
    has the other three.

Note how Greg seemed to think that the golden Kanohi also only had three powers... that's a weird one.

 

 

Q: Can you clear up the silver / gray debate? All of the pictures
    show un-worn Kanohi as silver, and the depleted Kanohi Nuva are
    always silver. We know that unworn Kanohi Nuva are silver, so why
    wouldn’t other masks be too? Where did the “gray” idea come from?

A: I have never thought of unworn Kanohi as silver .. because there
    already are silver Kanohi which are not inactive. I have always seen
    them as gray, myself.

 

And much later, in Mar 10, 2007:

 

1. Did the silver Kanohi ever appear in the story-line?
A. No

 

In summary, Greg never saw the silver Kanohi as representing unworn Kanohi. However, from very early on fans have interpreted them as such, because it makes sense. Just another example of a situation where it's simply better to ignore Greg. But canonically, the silver Kanohi are combinations of three mask powers.