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Why Do Matoran Wear Masks?


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So, there's a lot of mask-wearing in BIONICLE: matoran, toa, and turaga all wear them. But why do matoran have to wear them? Why is it that when they don't wear a mask they pass out? Was there ever any canon explanation given? (Actually, I'd be perfectly happy with someone's personal head-canon on the subject as well)

 

Thanks in advance!

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Well, you kinda answered your own question there. Why do Matoran wear masks? Because they pass out without them.

 

Why do they pass out? Well, that's how they work, I guess. 

 

I never really delved into the over-explained info on how kanohi work (their powers aren't based on shape? They only amplify the power already in the user? Some convoluted stuff like that. As far as I'm concerned they're still just cool magic masks), but I guess they're something like a circuit breaker in the Matoran. They just don't function without one.

 

:kakama:

:kakama: Stone rocks :kakama:

Model Designer at The LEGO Group. Former contributor at New Elementary. My MOCs can be found on Flickr and Instagram

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One of the GBs' more reliable failsafes. If the Matoran turned out nasty, they could just remove the mask and the Matoran would be rendered inoperable. Remember, the Matoran were built before the GSR and maybe even before the Shattering. Many were built within the GSR and built to make the GSR, but Takua was built before. The GB who designed the First Matoran, AKA Takua was likely more practical than a lot of his comrades, so his failsafe was simple, effective, and didn't pose a danger to anyone else. *cough*Marendar*cough*Ignika*.

 

My personal headcanon is the Matoran were made as helpers for the Agori/Great Beings, until they learned the Shattering was about to happen and repurposed them as worker drones for the GSR. So if the Shattering had never happened, the Agori would have been living happily side-by-side with servant Matoran. Whether Toa or Turaga would have existed is a different question.

:r: :e: :g: :i: :t: :n: :u: :i:

Elemental Rahi in Gen2, anyone? A write-up for an initial video for a G2 plot

 

I really wish everyone would stop trying to play join the dots with Gen 1 and Gen 2 though,it seems there's a couple new threads everyday and often they're duplicates of already existing conversations! Or simply parallel them with a slightly new 'twist'! Gen 2 is NEW, it is NOT Gen 1 and it is NOT a continuation. Outside of the characters we already have I personally don't want to see ANY old characters return. I think it will cheapen the whole experience to those of us familiar with the original line...

 

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I suppose I should be more specific in that I meant, "Why were matoran designed to cease functioning when not wearing a mask?"

 

Why were the Makuta designed to be gaseous and reliant on inanimate suits of armor? Why are Toa designed to be larger than Matoran? 

I mean, the great beings were clearly technologically advanced, so they could have easily made Matoran able to function without masks (like countless other species in the MU). 

This is one of those things which, even in-universe, boils down to "just because".

 

Other than that, the reason they don't work without masks is because TLG wanted a proper reason for the sets including masks but the characters not being able to use the powers. I guess?

 

Anyway, I doubt there is a real answer for this. It could be a failsafe, you know? Those masks are really easy to knock off, so if a Matoran malfunctions and harms either the GSR or other Matoran, you literally just punch them in the face and voila, problem solved.

 

Makes you wonder why it was so hard for Mazeka to beat Vultraz. I'm pretty sure the difference between stud and axle mask connections don't exist in canon, and all masks are attached the same way, ergo just as easy to knock off.

 

EDIT: Beaten to the punch by Regitnui by mere seconds  :P

 

:kakama:

Edited by Pohaturon

:kakama: Stone rocks :kakama:

Model Designer at The LEGO Group. Former contributor at New Elementary. My MOCs can be found on Flickr and Instagram

:smilepohatunu: :smilehuki:

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The masks are like batteries.  Sure, they can get energy from other sources (food, etc.), but think of the mask as a rechargeable battery.  No mask, no power.
 
Toa and Turaga seem to be able to absorb their elemental energy ambiently, and presumably other non-mask wearing species can do the same.
 

Why were the Makuta designed to be gaseous and reliant on inanimate suits of armor?

Well, they weren't. They evolved into that. Apparently one of the properties of Antidermis is that when you turn the liquid form into solid biomechanical life, it eventually sublimates. The suits of armour were the Makuta's attempt to retain their old lifestyle.

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*Insert obvious comment on how it was to advertise the action feature of the 2001 sets here*

 

I see the failsafe option as the best possible explanation to the function of the masks. Powers could have just been an afterthought.

 

The Glatorian and Agori were seen to have masks, but they were mostly organic beings. Maybe their masks were also a cultural and functional thing, kind of like how we humans wear clothes that have designs on them, rather than still using hides for warmth, and the Great Beings simply wanted their creations to reflect their culture. It would make sense to me, as many artists and creative minds have given clothes to their robotic characters in their works before. Take, well, Megaman's Roll and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Data for example. 

 

I don't know, it's just an idea.

t5pQDlO.jpg


:i:   :n:  :a:   :r:   :y:


                                                                                                                                                                       

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Maybe the Great Beings realized that Matoran faces were generally hideous and, with the deadline fast approaching, decided masks were the easiest patch for the issue. :P

really?

 

bion008.jpg

 

You're obviously just jealous. q:

Its beautiful.
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Hey I got a Flickr because I like making LEGO stuff.

https://www.flickr.com/people/toatimelord/
 

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Like everyone else here has said, it's a fail-safe. It was particularly important that the matoran had a huge weakness because they were to become the most populous species in the MU.

 

It's my headcanon that masks act as power sources for matoran, which is why they shortly pass out after losing their mask. Toa also draw upon the power source of a mask (as well as gaining access to mask powers), but also have their own internal power sources, which is why they can function at reduced power without a mask.

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It's my headcanon that masks act as power sources for matoran, which is why they shortly pass out after losing their mask. Toa also draw upon the power source of a mask (as well as gaining access to mask powers), but also have their own internal power sources, which is why they can function at reduced power without a mask.

Bigger battery; Toa and Turaga have larger amounts of elemental energy running through them, which I imagine can keep them going.

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:r: :e: :g: :i: :t: :n: :u: :i:

Elemental Rahi in Gen2, anyone? A write-up for an initial video for a G2 plot

 

I really wish everyone would stop trying to play join the dots with Gen 1 and Gen 2 though,it seems there's a couple new threads everyday and often they're duplicates of already existing conversations! Or simply parallel them with a slightly new 'twist'! Gen 2 is NEW, it is NOT Gen 1 and it is NOT a continuation. Outside of the characters we already have I personally don't want to see ANY old characters return. I think it will cheapen the whole experience to those of us familiar with the original line...

 

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Because without their masks, they would all have the same face! LOL.

 

But seriously, its because the mask funtions like a life-support system (why you would put such an important system in such an obvious and precarious place is beyond me), keeping the Matoran conscious and active. Part of it may even be a cultural thing, perhaps its taboo to be seen without your mask on?  

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