Flaws In Teridax's Plan For Metru Nui

[Death of the Endless]

Why Teridax Isn’t As Brilliant As One Might ThinkI have been thinking about Teridax’s plan for the Brotherhood seizure of Metru Nui and discovered a multitude of flaws within it. These go beyond the simple fact that he, well, lost, although that is hardly surprising given how foolish he was. Nonetheless, failure of a villain’s plan is not always a mark of incompetency in fiction—heroes tend to have luck and deus ex machina on their side (especially in BIONICLE http://www.bzpower.com/board/public/style_emoticons/default/tounge2.gif). A plan can be ingenious and very well executed and still fail. Sadly for Teridax, his plan for Metru Nui had incompetence to rival Voldemort’s plan in Goblet of Fire.Here’s what Teridax did:He hired Nidhiki, Krekka, and Eliminator, a trio of highly dangerous beings belonging to one of the few organizations with power to rival his own. Given, Teridax could have crushed each of them with ease if they had decided to turn on him, but he still must have had to pay the Dark Hunters a prodigious sum for their services. This is doesn’t seem very smart. After all, there were countless Makuta who would have done the Hunters’ jobs without question.He impersonated Turaga Dume. This isn’t harmful to his plan so much as simply unnecessary. he could have issued orders to the Dark Hunters (or, as he should have, other Makuta) without using Turaga Dume’s appearance. It is true that Vakama would be more likely to unquestioningly obey Duma than Teridax, but given the Matoran’s fear of their Makuta I doubt it would have made much difference. Besides, Teridax didn’t really need the Vahi, as I’ll explain next.He attempted the whole “Vahi and Matoran Spheres” thing. His plan was to imprison the Matoran inside spheres which would make them lose their memories and hail him as their king and savior when he released them. The Vahi would be used to speed time up so that Teridax wouldn’t have to wait for the years that it would take for that to happen. Yet, a few years are nothing to a Makuta, or even to a Matoran. This means that the Vahi served little purpose than to satisfy Teridax’s impatience. Given the immense power of the Brotherhood of Makuta, Teridax could have easily usurped the frail Dume once the Toa were eliminated, and the Matoran would have been powerless to stop him.He killed Krekka and Nidhiki, thereby starting a war with the Dark Hunters. This was an extremely rash act which made a very powerful enemy for Teridax.So, there you have it. Please understand that this isn’t meant to be a “rant” against BIONICLE or Teridax; rather, it is a collection of observations by an avid BIONICLE fan. I still love the storyline, even if it has a few flaws every now and then. (Oh, and the comment about Harry Potter is also meant as affectionately as possible).

[Zarohum]

You have some valid points here, but I don't see why where he could have gone wrong matters, because his plan worked just fine. Until he assumed Mata Nui was trapped in the Ignika.

[Toa of Nerds]

Here’s what Teridax did:He hired Nidhiki, Krekka, and Eliminator, a trio of highly dangerous beings belonging to one of the few organizations with power to rival his own. Given, Teridax could have crushed each of them with ease if they had decided to turn on him, but he still must have had to pay the Dark Hunters a prodigious sum for their services. This is doesn’t seem very smart. After all, there were countless Makuta who would have done the Hunters’ jobs without question.

I don't think he wanted the other Makuta to know that he was making a power-grab. The Makuta are pretty trecherous, and I don't think he wanted somebody nearly as intelligent as himself to do the menial tasks for him.

He impersonated Turaga Dume. This isn’t harmful to his plan so much as simply unnecessary. he could have issued orders to the Dark Hunters (or, as he should have, other Makuta) without using Turaga Dume’s appearance. It is true that Vakama would be more likely to unquestioningly obey Duma than Teridax, but given the Matoran’s fear of their Makuta I doubt it would have made much difference. Besides, Teridax didn’t really need the Vahi, as I’ll explain next.

If he did it himself, it would ruin the entire plan. For one thing, impersonating Dume was the prefect way to manipulate Lhikan and the other toa formerly stationed on Metru-Nui. Remember that he, in the guise of Dume, sent each of the original Metru-Nui toa on dangerous quests that they never returned from. Eventually, only Lhikan was left. He needed to impersonate Dume to eliminate the toa.Also, he wanted to set up himself as the savior to the matoran. It would have ruined the effect if he was also the one who imprisioned all of them.

He attempted the whole “Vahi and Matoran Spheres” thing. His plan was to imprison the Matoran inside spheres which would make them lose their memories and hail him as their king and savior when he released them. The Vahi would be used to speed time up so that Teridax wouldn’t have to wait for the years that it would take for that to happen. Yet, a few years are nothing to a Makuta, or even to a Matoran. This means that the Vahi served little purpose than to satisfy Teridax’s impatience. Given the immense power of the Brotherhood of Makuta, Teridax could have easily usurped the frail Dume once the Toa were eliminated, and the Matoran would have been powerless to stop him.

Yes, but waiting for several years just twiddling your thumbs when you could be conquering stuff isn't exactly a prime use of time. I think such a proposition would try anyone's patience.

He killed Krekka and Nidhiki, thereby starting a war with the Dark Hunters. This was an extremely rash act which made a very powerful enemy for Teridax.

He used them to give himself more power. Yes, it was rash, but Makuta was always a bit of a power-hungry egomaniac.

So, there you have it. Please understand that this isn’t meant to be a “rant” against BIONICLE or Teridax; rather, it is a collection of observations by an avid BIONICLE fan. I still love the storyline, even if it has a few flaws every now and then. (Oh, and the comment about Harry Potter is also meant as affectionately as possible).

Absolutely not. The stuff you love the most is also the stuff that you rip to shreds and nit-pick out all the little plot holes the most .-don't touch my pocket protector

[Tahkuta]

Was that a Deus Ex: Human Revolution reference I see there?

[Taipu1]

At last, a topic about Teridax's plan!

He killed Krekka and Nidhiki, thereby starting a war with the Dark Hunters. This was an extremely rash act which made a very powerful enemy for Teridax.

I'm not sure the extent of his intent on this aspect. It says on BS01 that Makuta don't have much control over their shadow hand.I also have a question on this topic, if Teridax hadn't failed at this point on Metru Nui, how would he have carried out the rest of his plan? The Toa Mata have to awaken Mata Nui, I assume as it was their purpose, no one else could. So if he had succeeded in Metru-Nui, the Toa Mata would never have turned up, left drifting in the Endless Ocean. And Matoro was destined to sacrafice himself, yet if Teridax controlled all the Matoran of Metru-Nui, I doubt he would have let 6 of them go off to Voya Nui and become Toa. Would he even know that was their destiny? Logically, for his total plan to work, it must have been planned for him to fail in Metru-Nui

[Toa of Nerds]

At last, a topic about Teridax's plan!

He killed Krekka and Nidhiki, thereby starting a war with the Dark Hunters. This was an extremely rash act which made a very powerful enemy for Teridax.

I'm not sure the extent of his intent on this aspect. It says on BS01 that Makuta don't have much control over their shadow hand.I also have a question on this topic, if Teridax hadn't failed at this point on Metru Nui, how would he have carried out the rest of his plan? The Toa Mata have to awaken Mata Nui, I assume as it was their purpose, no one else could. So if he had succeeded in Metru-Nui, the Toa Mata would never have turned up, left drifting in the Endless Ocean. And Matoro was destined to sacrafice himself, yet if Teridax controlled all the Matoran of Metru-Nui, I doubt he would have let 6 of them go off to Voya Nui and become Toa. Would he even know that was their destiny? Logically, for his total plan to work, it must have been planned for him to fail in Metru-Nui

Well, you could roll around in "if's" forever. "What if the Shattering never happened? Then the Great Beings never would have made Mata-Nui and Bionicle never would have happened " It's these kinds of things that make the whole concept of "Destiny" a difficult theme to handle in fiction. However, this destiny of the Toa Nuva's and Matoro's was somewhat conditional. If Mata-Nui were ever to be endangered and go comatose (heaven forbid!) then it was the Toa Nuva's destiny to awaken him. If Mata-Nui should ever die and need to be revived by the mask of life, then it was Matoro's destiny to do so. So if Makuta won and never put Mata-Nui to sleep, then the Toa Nuva probably would still be floating endlessly in the ocean.And I don't think he planned to fail in Metru-Nui. I think at that time, all he wanted was control over the matoran. It was only after he failed and had time to brood that he came up with the much grander idea of taking over all of Mata-Nui. If he had prevailed on Metru-Nui, then I bet he wouldn't stop there. Power is an addictive thing. I'm sure he probably wouldn't have been content with just control over the matoran and would probably gun for something similar to what he ended up pulling off.-don't touch my pocket protector

[Erebus]

Makuta Mutran did suggest that their plans to control Metru Nui after Mata Nui fell asleep "proved to be a complete fiasco." He also went on to state what all went wrong, like inadvertently starting the Dark Hunter/Brotherhood of Makuta War, Sidorak being killed with the Visorak scattered, etc.I think Teridax is brilliant, but he just didn't account for all the problems that may rise and did rise. It's nearly impossible to do that.

[a goose]

At last, a topic about Teridax's plan!

He killed Krekka and Nidhiki, thereby starting a war with the Dark Hunters. This was an extremely rash act which made a very powerful enemy for Teridax.

I'm not sure the extent of his intent on this aspect. It says on BS01 that Makuta don't have much control over their shadow hand.I also have a question on this topic, if Teridax hadn't failed at this point on Metru Nui, how would he have carried out the rest of his plan? The Toa Mata have to awaken Mata Nui, I assume as it was their purpose, no one else could. So if he had succeeded in Metru-Nui, the Toa Mata would never have turned up, left drifting in the Endless Ocean. And Matoro was destined to sacrafice himself, yet if Teridax controlled all the Matoran of Metru-Nui, I doubt he would have let 6 of them go off to Voya Nui and become Toa. Would he even know that was their destiny? Logically, for his total plan to work, it must have been planned for him to fail in Metru-Nui

Actually, (AFAIK) he changed his plan after he was defeated, so that he could take over the Universe outside the MU. His original plan was just the MU, once he'd taken over Metru-Nui. And he didn't know Mata-Nui was going to die, so he wouldn't have worried about sending those Matoran to Voya-Nui. At least, not until it was too late...

[Erebus]

Well, the Toa Mata were going to reach the island of Mata Nui at some point, and then make their way to Metru Nui.

[Dralcax]

It was a plan within a plan (OK, fine, Planception, lets just get it over with), to deceive the Toa and keep them from his real Plan, which succeded.

[a goose]

Well, the Toa Mata were going to reach the island of Mata Nui at some point, and then make their way to Metru Nui.

No, there was a glitch. They should've gone directly to Mata-Nui, but, as we all well know, the Great Beings weren't the best programmers.

It was a plan within a plan (OK, fine, Planception, lets just get it over with), to deceive the Toa and keep them from his real Plan, which succeded.

AFAIK, The Plan as we know it was a replacement for the failed Metru-Nui plan. He knew it might fail, and had a back-up. Edited November 27, 2011 by Pirok the Va-Matoran

[Erebus]

Right, the canisters malfunctioned, but I was referring to what should have happened, as you said. Looks like I was unclear. Sorry about that.

[The First Speaker]

He attempted the whole “Vahi and Matoran Spheres” thing. His plan was to imprison the Matoran inside spheres which would make them lose their memories and hail him as their king and savior when he released them. The Vahi would be used to speed time up so that Teridax wouldn’t have to wait for the years that it would take for that to happen. Yet, a few years are nothing to a Makuta, or even to a Matoran. This means that the Vahi served little purpose than to satisfy Teridax’s impatience. Given the immense power of the Brotherhood of Makuta, Teridax could have easily usurped the frail Dume once the Toa were eliminated, and the Matoran would have been powerless to stop him.

You're forgetting something- if there was absolutley no work being made in Metru Nui, Mata Nui would perish. That's why he needed the Matoran to be awakened fast with the Vahi so they could get back to work as soon as possible. Remember that 1,000 years after the Great Cataclysm Mata Nui died because his health had been slowly draining (as only Dume, the Rahaga and Keetongu had been working during that time in Metru Nui). But we know that the process can be much faster, like in the Great Disruption.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

The Dark Hunters aren't that powerful, are they? Apparently the BoM only saw them as a small distraction, and hardly worth the effort.

[Toa of Nerds]

The Dark Hunters aren't that powerful, are they? Apparently the BoM only saw them as a small distraction, and hardly worth the effort.

Oh, they were powerful. Powerful enough to wage open warfare against all of Metru-Nui. However, Makuta probably underestimated them. He was a narcissist, and underestimating his enemies was one of his most famous vices.-don't touch my pocket protector

[Erebus]

They were so powerful that they initiated the Dark Hunters/Brotherhood of Makuta War. The Shadowed One certainly held out against Makuta Teridax.

[Takatu]

Forgive me if this was mentioned, I'm in somewhat of a hurry so I power skimmed most of the posts. You're forgetting one very key thing: Up until his reveal at the end of Legends of Metru Nui, no one outside of the Brotherhood except the Rahaga knew about the Brotherhood's betrayal. Sure, there was evidence of suspicion, like the Toa tower fortress keeping the Makoki Stone, but Teridax's plan in Metru Nui was what outed the whole organization as traitors to the Great Spirit.Hence the Dark Hunters. They were widely known as criminals and mercenaries, so seeing two of them cause trouble in the city wouldn't have been anything new to the Matoran. Since the Makuta kept their betrayal under wraps for quite a while, having a few members or even known minions running around the city would have confirmed any suspicions that may have still been around. It also seemed to imply that Teridax didn't really specify what exactly he needed the Dark Hunters for, and the Hunters in general seem to follow the "don't ask, don't tell" principle.As for the Dume phase, there were implications that Teridax didn't really directly involve himself in Metru Nui unless there was a major emergency, like the civil war. It would have been seen as very odd for the Matoran if he decided one day to start communicating with them directly. He clearly didn't bother doing anything to affect the outcome of the Toa/Dark Hunter War. As seen in Birth of a Dark Hunter, Dume was largely in charge of the war on the Toa's side. By impersonating Dume, Teridax gave himself direct governing power over the city, and at the same time avoided raising any suspicion of a Makuta that barely talks to the Matoran suddenly making demands of them, like a Mask of Time.You are correct, though, that the Vahi was largely a flaw. For someone who had patience enough to carry out a plan to take over Mata Nui's body, he seemed awfully impatient with the Matoran spheres. I suppose he just didn't have anything else to do while waiting for the spheres on their own, but his arrogance has always been one of his biggest flaws.And I just spent way more time than I intended here lol.

[Taipu1]

You are correct, though, that the Vahi was largely a flaw. For someone who had patience enough to carry out a plan to take over Mata Nui's body, he seemed awfully impatient with the Matoran spheres. I suppose he just didn't have anything else to do while waiting for the spheres on their own, but his arrogance has always been one of his biggest flaws.

I reckon Teridax is patient, he just isn't a time waster. If he could take advantage of his position as impersonating Dume, he might as well use it to commission the masks production. Things went wrong, and he didn't need it anyway. Without the extra time he wouldn't have been able to rework his plan to take over the whole of Mata-Nui.

[Makuta Matata]

It's not like the Dark Hunters wiped them off.And besides, what's an evil villain without a little killing that starts a war?

[Exo-Kahgarak]

Actually, given that Metru Nui isn't the only powerful island out there, Teridax probably did need some method of speed-converting Matoran into his pawns; once the non-BoM islands got word of his takeover, they would probably object. Violently. Also, don't forget that Teridax was severely weakened after his fight with the Toa Hagah; he desperately wanted energy, and Nidhiki and Krekka were available sources. And other Makuta are hardly the most trustworthy fellows; Dark Hunters are extremely trustworthy as long as you pay them enough. And Dume surely would have caught on to his plan at some point, or at least objected to Teridax usurping some of his power; he needed to be removed, but the Matoran would panic if he simply vanished. As a shapeshifter, Teridax could easily take on Dume's role.

[P962]

Forgive me if this was mentioned, I'm in somewhat of a hurry so I power skimmed most of the posts. You're forgetting one very key thing: Up until his reveal at the end of Legends of Metru Nui, no one outside of the Brotherhood except the Rahaga knew about the Brotherhood's betrayal. Sure, there was evidence of suspicion, like the Toa tower fortress keeping the Makoki Stone, but Teridax's plan in Metru Nui was what outed the whole organization as traitors to the Great Spirit.Hence the Dark Hunters. They were widely known as criminals and mercenaries, so seeing two of them cause trouble in the city wouldn't have been anything new to the Matoran. Since the Makuta kept their betrayal under wraps for quite a while, having a few members or even known minions running around the city would have confirmed any suspicions that may have still been around. It also seemed to imply that Teridax didn't really specify what exactly he needed the Dark Hunters for, and the Hunters in general seem to follow the "don't ask, don't tell" principle.As for the Dume phase, there were implications that Teridax didn't really directly involve himself in Metru Nui unless there was a major emergency, like the civil war. It would have been seen as very odd for the Matoran if he decided one day to start communicating with them directly. He clearly didn't bother doing anything to affect the outcome of the Toa/Dark Hunter War. As seen in Birth of a Dark Hunter, Dume was largely in charge of the war on the Toa's side. By impersonating Dume, Teridax gave himself direct governing power over the city, and at the same time avoided raising any suspicion of a Makuta that barely talks to the Matoran suddenly making demands of them, like a Mask of Time.You are correct, though, that the Vahi was largely a flaw. For someone who had patience enough to carry out a plan to take over Mata Nui's body, he seemed awfully impatient with the Matoran spheres. I suppose he just didn't have anything else to do while waiting for the spheres on their own, but his arrogance has always been one of his biggest flaws.And I just spent way more time than I intended here lol.

Speaking of the Rahaga, where were they during Teridax's impersonation of Dume?

[Takatu]

If I recall, Norik mentioned in one of the books that they hid in the Archives, not wanting to bring Teridax's attention to themselves.

Actually, given that Metru Nui isn't the only powerful island out there, Teridax probably did need some method of speed-converting Matoran into his pawns

Actually that's a good point. It's been made clear that Metru Nui's an important trade port and power supply for lots of other places, maybe he wanted to speed things up with the Vahi because he knew that if the Matoran were out of commission too long, it would start affecting other places negatively. As a Makuta in charge of overseeing the city, he of all people would know how important it was.

[The 1st Shadow]

Can I point out something about the whole "killing Nidhiki and Krekka/stating the war" thing?Teridax clearly didn't plan on The Shadowed one finding out about their death, or at least his killing of them. Remember, Vakama pointed out the features of the two Dark Hunters on Teridax's body. So, technically, if not for Vakama revealing the truth, there would be no war. Teridax clearly didn't plan on that becoming an issue. (Read Time Trap)And I can see what you mean about the plan, but if you've been reading all the serials and books, and pieced everything together, you'd see that Teridax planned for everything, except for a giant space rock hitting his head by chance.As for the Vahi, Teridax needed a way to speed things up for:

• [*]to make sure that the Matoran could begin working soon so they could keep Mata Nui alive, even if still asleep.[*](theory of mine) in case someone (maybe another Makuta) came to investigate Metru Nui and bring with them a possible threat that could hinder his Plan, so he needed to have a way to get it done quickly without interruption, you know?[*]He wanted it to be over with quickly, because that was the next stage of his Plan, and having to wait for even longer was a prospect even he couldn't stand.

So, Teridax is not without his flaws, we know this, but remember "Even his setbacks were planned for." How do we know they were flaws at all? Maybe he wanted all of those things to happen, to help further the Plan. Is that not a possibility?Still, good observations!

Edited November 29, 2011 by The 1st Shadow

[Death of the Endless]

Wow, you guys came up with so many great points.

Can I point out something about the whole "killing Nidhiki and Krekka/stating the war" thing?Teridax clearly didn't plan on The Shadowed one finding out about their death, or at least his killing of them. Remember, Vakama pointed out the features of the two Dark Hunters on Teridax's body. So, technically, if not for Vakama revealing the truth, there would be no war. Teridax clearly didn't plan on that becoming an issue. (Read Time Trap)And I can see what you mean about the plan, but if you've been reading all the serials and books, and pieced everything together, you'd see that Teridax planned for everything, except for a giant space rock hitting his head by chance.

Oops. Despite having read many of the novels and serials, I haven't read Time Trap. Which means that my argument with "Killing the Hunters/Starting the war" is invalid. :unsure:As for the failure of the Metru Nui plan being intentional on Teridax's part, Makuta's Guide to the Universe says that "the Plan" for possessing Mata Nui didn't begin until after the Toa Metru defeated the plan for taking over Metru Nui. So the failure at Metru Nui was unintended.

Here’s what Teridax did:He hired Nidhiki, Krekka, and Eliminator, a trio of highly dangerous beings belonging to one of the few organizations with power to rival his own. Given, Teridax could have crushed each of them with ease if they had decided to turn on him, but he still must have had to pay the Dark Hunters a prodigious sum for their services. This is doesn’t seem very smart. After all, there were countless Makuta who would have done the Hunters’ jobs without question.

I don't think he wanted the other Makuta to know that he was making a power-grab. The Makuta are pretty trecherous, and I don't think he wanted somebody nearly as intelligent as himself to do the menial tasks for him.

It's true that many other Makuta (Icarax, for example) were barely under control during Teridax's reign. You're right. Teridax probably wouldn't want to give them such crucial knowledge or put so much trust in them.

[Lewa0111 Nuva]

Wow, interesting insights from everyone here. It's been a while since I thought much about the Metru Nui plan, and it's really interesting to think about. When watching LoMN, I always got the impression that Teridax had his original plan, then kept revising it every time a new development arose...though using other Makuta instead of Dark Hunters is a really good idea, but if he'd done that the whole '04 story would have ended right there. Six inexperienced Toa Metru vs. two full-powered Makuta would have been a curbstomp. :mirunu: Lewa0111 Nuva

[Visaru]

I'm also surprised no one's brought up another point: If Teridax hadn't impersonated Dume, the matoran hadn't have been willing to head to the coliseum to get put into a coma. Sure he could have forced them, but there would still be a few who would hide or leave or resist, and maybe even break the matron spheres or do something else to really screw up his plan. Impersonating Dume was a slicker way to get the matoran into the coliseum.

...using other Makuta instead of Dark Hunters is a really good idea, but if he'd done that the whole '04 story would have ended right there. Six inexperienced Toa Metru vs. two full-powered Makuta would have been a curbstomp.

Yeah, and, storywise, Teridax wouldn't wan't another Makuta as a minion- other Makuta would be too powerful and too willful. Dark hunters were good enough (he thought) to deal with matoran resistance groups and/or toa. Edited December 2, 2011 by Visaru

[Toa of Nerds]

Forgive me if this was mentioned, I'm in somewhat of a hurry so I power skimmed most of the posts. You're forgetting one very key thing: Up until his reveal at the end of Legends of Metru Nui, no one outside of the Brotherhood except the Rahaga knew about the Brotherhood's betrayal. Sure, there was evidence of suspicion, like the Toa tower fortress keeping the Makoki Stone, but Teridax's plan in Metru Nui was what outed the whole organization as traitors to the Great Spirit.

Never thought of that, though looking back it seems to be the best reason to keep everything under the radar. One thing that a lot of times is overlooked is that up until Teridax imprisioned all the matoran, the Maktua were supposed to be good guys. A lot of that is kind of ruined, though, because in LoMN (when they're supposed to be "good") everybody already knows that the Makuta turn out bad, and so it ruins all the effects of deception. Keep in mind that the Brotherhood of Makuta pulled off the ultimate betrayel against Mata-Nui.

Oops. Despite having read many of the novels and serials, I haven't read Time Trap. Which means that my argument with "Killing the Hunters/Starting the war" is invalid. :unsure:As for the failure of the Metru Nui plan being intentional on Teridax's part, Makuta's Guide to the Universe says that "the Plan" for possessing Mata Nui didn't begin until after the Toa Metru defeated the plan for taking over Metru Nui. So the failure at Metru Nui was unintended.

If you haven't read Time Trap then you seriously missed out. Time Trap was probably the best bionicle book. You should read it.-don't touch my pocket protector

[BZCoolness]

He hired Nidhiki, Krekka, and Eliminator, a trio of highly dangerous beings belonging to one of the few organizations with power to rival his own. Given, Teridax could have crushed each of them with ease if they had decided to turn on him, but he still must have had to pay the Dark Hunters a prodigious sum for their services. This is doesn’t seem very smart. After all, there were countless Makuta who would have done the Hunters’ jobs without question.

At that point, the Makuta were all allies, more or less. Why would you want to send your own friends to do your work if you know they'll probably wind up dead? Besides, the Makuta were pretty well known (after all, they did create the Rahi, and did rule over the islands kind of), so it would have tipped the Matoran off if a bunch of Makuta suddenly show up. Besides, there's a reason they are called Dark Hunters; they weren't well known, and they were trained to do the job without drawing too much attention. Teridax wanted Dark Hunters because no one knew who they were and wouldn't suspect a lot, especially if they were by his side as Turaga Dume.

He impersonated Turaga Dume. This isn’t harmful to his plan so much as simply unnecessary. he could have issued orders to the Dark Hunters (or, as he should have, other Makuta) without using Turaga Dume’s appearance. It is true that Vakama would be more likely to unquestioningly obey Duma than Teridax, but given the Matoran’s fear of their Makuta I doubt it would have made much difference. Besides, Teridax didn’t really need the Vahi, as I’ll explain next.

If Teridax was just standing there giving orders to the Dark Hunters, wouldn't you think it a bit suspicious, at least kind of odd? If the Dark Hunters were by his side, Matoran would be tipped off, but if Turaga Dume had the Dark Hunters by his side, no one wouldn't suspect a thing, and would probably associate them with special forces or something like that. Besides, no Matoran would question Dume's judgement.Another reason he disguised himself is so he could get the Matoran into the spheres. If he just showed up, Mask of Shadows and all, and told the Matoran to get in the spheres, would they? Doubtful. But again, no Matoran would question Dume's judgement. That kind of blind loyalty was just what Teridax needed. It was going to be a lot more effective if "Dume" told them to.

He attempted the whole “Vahi and Matoran Spheres” thing. His plan was to imprison the Matoran inside spheres which would make them lose their memories and hail him as their king and savior when he released them. The Vahi would be used to speed time up so that Teridax wouldn’t have to wait for the years that it would take for that to happen. Yet, a few years are nothing to a Makuta, or even to a Matoran. This means that the Vahi served little purpose than to satisfy Teridax’s impatience. Given the immense power of the Brotherhood of Makuta, Teridax could have easily usurped the frail Dume once the Toa were eliminated, and the Matoran would have been powerless to stop him.

You're absolutely right, Teridax could have just let them sit there for a few years, but you've also got to remember that Matoran are biomechanical. If they just sat around (literally) in spheres for a couple years, doing nothing, the organic tissue could at least start to decay, if not decay completely. But if the Vahi was used, in terms of time a few years would pass in a few minutes, but life processes, aging, etc., wouldn't happen, or at least be pronounced (now, if Voporak was holding all the spheres for Teridax, that'd be a different story ). He wanted people to serve him, and to do that, you need living subjects, not piles of Protodermis. Besides, if the Toa were eliminated and Dume was overthrown in a greatcoup d'état, it's not likely that the Matoran would be very willing to follow him, wouldn't you say?

He killed Krekka and Nidhiki, thereby starting a war with the Dark Hunters. This was an extremely rash act which made a very powerful enemy for Teridax.

This part was probably unavoidable. If Teridax took over the universe, or at least Metru Nui, wouldn't the Dark Hunters get a bit jealous? But Teridax needed to get stronger, and to tie up some loose ends, namely Nidhiki and Krekka, and the best way to get rid of them was to absorb them. He gets armor, they die, and they can't go back and report this to the Shadowed One, who would have probably sent all the Dark Hunters available to Metru Nui to take down Teridax, who had grown too big of a threat. Ya, I'm probably extremely off my rocker here, but I saw this and couldn't resist speaking my mind. Excellent theory, extremely well executed, good sir!