Where Did G1 Go Wrong?

[RahiSpeak]

There's no way around it: for all of its high points and our nostalgic fondness, the G1 story line was imperfect at best and a downright mess at worst -- thus is why we all have head-canons. Although I have my own thoughts about where G1 went wrong and ways to improve it, I have recently become very interested to hear what my fellow BZPers have to say about it. So, to you I pose a question probably as old as Bionicle itself: Where do you think G1 went wrong? What would you do to fix it? Would you have liked to see G1 go in a different direction altogether? 

 

Thank you all for your insight!

[Makuta Luroka]

As soon as 2004 hit and they were no longer magic robots but science robots using science that looks like magic was around where the story took a wrong turn. Also decanonizing the flash games struck me as a poor choice, considering they were nothing but lore

[SPIRIT]

Moving to Metru Nui was a bold and controversial move.  While it was originally planned out when they conceived of the line, I think they could've done a much better job of world-building it for the audience.

 

Simple things like "there are other Matoran populations", "there are other sentient species", or "literally everyone is tens of thousands of years old" would've been useful information at the outset.  You don't have to go into details, you don't have to reveal everything, but at least give the audience something to work with at the beginning.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I think the Red Star having the power to bring back beings that died in the MU was a wrong turn for the story. While I do know that there were certain conditions for one to be revived, it still doesn't change the fact that some character that were previously thought to be dead were actually still alive, thus kind of cheapening the moments of their deaths in the story IMO.

 

I'm usually not a huge fan of stories that bring back characters that have 'died,' which is why I never liked this power from the Red Star. I do think that this concept can be done right, though. But it just wasn't executed well enough here, especially since it was introduced just as the last web serials were getting their last chapters. Maybe if it had continued to have been developed, I would've come around to liking it. But as it stands, I'm not a fan of it and think that it cheapened the concept of death in the MU.

[Pohaturon]

That's just, like, your opinion, man.

 

Personally, I don't think the G1 storyline went wrong at any given point - except the very very end, where it got discontinued, and it went wrong because it got discontinued. Sure, there were some aspects I didn't like, but overall I loved the story all the way through. I wasn't fond of 2007 in terms of story, and the whole golden-skinned being thing felt too un-Bionicle to me, however other than this, I had no issues with it.

 

So yeah. Nowhere, the answer to the title question is nowhere.

 

[Sumiki]

The downhill slide started when they failed to make Bara Magna a harder reboot.  It just made the story so much more confusing to new fans.
 
Don't even get me started on the Red Star thing.

[aldero]

One of my most persistent regrets, although somewhat trivial, is the genderlocking of females to the element of water.

 

I know that this theme is primarily directed towards young boys, but that didn't stop Steven Universe from cramming a whole lot of female characters into their franchise. Representation is key here, people!

[evil_jaga_genius]

The transition from Metru Nui to Voya Nui.  I was just following along through the comics at the time and didn't see Web of Shadows.  One comic it was left at the Toa Hordika about to raid the Coliseum, then the next we were on Voya Nui with the Piraka.  What?

 

There were more than a few story transitions like that that could've been handled much better.

[aldero]

The transition from Metru Nui to Voya Nui.  I was just following along through the comics at the time and didn't see Web of Shadows.  One comic it was left at the Toa Hordika about to raid the Coliseum, then the next we were on Voya Nui with the Piraka.  What?

 

There were more than a few story transitions like that that could've been handled much better.

 

The Island of Doom book clears most of this up with the reintroduction of Turaga Dume sending the Toa Nuva on another perilous journey, peppered with some refreshing subversive elements, but I can certainly understand your gripes here. It's more a problem with the comics, than anything.

[SPIRIT]

One of my most persistent regrets, although somewhat trivial, is the genderlocking of females to the element of water.

 

I know that this theme is primarily directed towards young boys, but that didn't stop Steven Universe from cramming a whole lot of female characters into their franchise. Representation is key here, people!

Well originally everyone was going to be male, so at least they managed to fix water before wrecking everything.

 

Unfortunately the marketing stats back up Lego's decision in that many boys feel uncomfortable buying toys that represent female characters.  While Lego could spearhead the charge on this sort of equality, they also have their own bank accounts to think of and aren't really incentivized to make these sorts of changes.

[Banana Gunz]

I don't think Bionicle ever fully went wrong; it made some very crazy artistic choices since LEGO treats stories as a way to sell toys.

 

I think Bionicle got nuts the first time when it completely changed its aesthetic and feel with 2004 and the movement to Metru-Nui from Mata-Nui. Again, it wasn't particularly a bad thing- the variety and different places is part of what makes Bionicle awesome, but it also makes it a bit inconsistent. Since the story was basically improvised the only thing really seriously planned was their universe being the Mata-Nui robot (at least that I know of) and that left a lot of complications thematically. There isn't that one single story element that comes in at the end and showcases the true nature of the matoran, instead it takes clumsy leaps in different directions. It has strengths and weaknesses, but overall it complicates things and leaves a lot of problems with the story structure. It really does feel improvised.

 

The second part was with 2008. That year ended perfectly in a way that served all of the years prior, not just our golden memories of 2001. It recognized what Bionicle was and chose to take the ballsiest and coolest move possible. After that though? The Bara-Magna saga didn't feel satisfying. It felt strange being taken out of the universe we know and love and taken someplace that felt completely different. Bara-Magna didn't feel like the Matoran universe. And that wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good. It wasn't a proper enough reboot but it also wasn't a good enough continuation; it was stuck in between like in limbo.

 

I love Bionicle for all it was though. I don't think one can look at the original trilogy of years and say that's all Bionicle is. It's entirety has created a whole new spirit and identity for the line, and I think it's crazy to disregard all the awesomeness it brought. If we had to do it all over again, there would have to be changes, and a lot of them. The story would have to have a clear plan from the beginning.

 

Perhaps I'm asking too much though. I've sort of accepted LEGO doesn't care about telling stories. I've moved onto other places to get good stories, and on making my own. So long as Bionicle is a toy line first and front-most it won't reach it's full potential story-wise, and I guess that's just the reality to live with.

[Toatapio Nuva]

Alternate universes did nothing but harm to the lore of Bionicle. Come to think of it, Greg's online serials in general failed to develop the lore of Bionicle without introducing some crazy, convoluted, inconsistent and ridiculous plot twists that led nowhere.

 

As for the main story, 2006 marked a change in the atmosphere of Bionicle, though I'm not entirely opposed to it. The story got really dark then, and this continued in 2007, but it was still good for the most part. I wouldn't say Bionicle went wrong there (aside from the serials being introduced). It was in 2009 when it did, in my opinion. They attempted a reboot that had much potential to be cool, but the execution was all over the place, and The Legend Reborn ultimately brought the story down in flames.

[Toa Imrukii]

Moving directly from the old universe to a new one was completely confuzzling. When we've been in this universe for eight whole years, why leave us questioning how the universe wide war is going? What happened, and is happening?! Why didn't Teridax directly go after Mata Nui, clearly he had some other priorities to dealt with, i.e his new body being potentially destroyed from the in side. So clealy much was happening.

 

But honestly I think G1 went wrong all the way back in 2004, it wasn't that we went to Metru Nui, I think that was handled very well, but it's that around that time we started to get sub-stories, and that's fine, but sub-said stories began to become so complex, and finally in 2008 it all came to a climax, and as for me I had no clue of any of it! I only knew the main story, not knowing of Takanuva's Dimensional Ventures, or the Order of Mata Nui, or anything of the sort. Since I was a huge fan, and of the appropriate age range, and I DIDN'T know any if that? It is clear that the story wasn't very well advertised, that there were Novels to read, and though I did know that they exsisted, LEGO really should have put more emphasis on the Novels, which is what I feel made G1 fail in the end.

 

Now, back to the first part for a second, I understand why they went the way they did, they wanted to follow Mata Nui, and left us in the first part of the year with this new world, with minimal info. If they had only shown us everything, the people, cultures, languages, everything all at once that would need to be sifted through at ones own will, if LEGO had just done that I feel like it would have all worked out. Or maybe even keep the old world and theme BIONICLE, and the new a new theme, Bara Magna. All I would have wanted LEGO to do, is to finish what was left in the MU, and also explain Bara Magna and it's culture, people, life, flora, and fauna. But also show us this world through his view and point of view, be given this info, but also show us this world through the eyes of Mata Nui.

[Sir Keksalot]

The downfall of G1 stemmed not from the plot, but the toys. The Inika build undoubtedly harmed the line because it made each wave too similar to the last, and kids who just wanted a cool toy had no real incentive to get many of the new ones because they were very much like the old ones.

[Zidonaro]

Making Gender-specific types of Matoran. The Bohrok-Kal were also a dumb move. Removing the bright colors and swapping them for Dark Colors since 2004 was also dumb. The stagnated Inika build(for the lack of budget I believe) since 2006 was also a big mistake. 

[evil_jaga_genius]

Removing the bright colors and swapping them for Dark Colors since 2004 was also dumb.

I think it fit for Metru Nui, but other than that, yeah they were overused.

[Tahtorak ate my house!]

Featuring battery-powered strobe lights in the Inika sets' Toa Tools. Maybe it's just me, but I have always felt that the charm and beauty of Bionicle sets lie in their maneuverability, visual aesthetics and their "MOC-friendliness". Battery-powered strobe lights are cool/beautiful in a flashy and gimmicky way, and it carries the downside of diverting attention away from the aforementioned "traditional charms of the sets". Later sets don't have those strobe lights, but I imagine quite a lot of kids would feel let down and uninterested by the lack of strobe lights in later sets. So IMO featuring strobe lights in the first place is a mistake.

 

As for the story, I agree with many of the points raised previously in this thread. I think that the transition from 2003 to 2004 needs more foreshadowing and the Bara Magna Saga should be given one more year to develop and flourish before bringing back the MU characters.

 

But from a broader/meta (?) perspective on the storyline, I find that G1 truly went wrong only when I (subconsciously) compare it with other non-toy-based fictional works/series that feature more coherent storytelling. Without such comparisons, I find the Bionicle storyline to be captivating in its unique ways, even for its weirder bits.

[Toa of Ice - 1987]

Well for one thing the web serials were poorly advertised, since they were never advertised in the sets. Not even a small mention of them in the instructions or any tv commercials which i believe is the reason the why story continued to get too complicated for new fans (Depending on what year they bought their first set.)

Removing bright colors on 80% of all sets until finally trying to use brighter colors in the Glatorian era. I'm not surprised about the change in direction with Metru Nui, but i think the generic Piraka and Inika pieces pieces cheapened the line a whole lot by reusing them repeatedly, as in can't get out of their own habit.

Edited January 29, 2017 by necross hordika

[Lyichir]

If I had to pick one single mistake, it'd be Greg's decision to attempt to continue the story after the theme's end rather than focusing on tying up any necessary loose ends beforehand. Plot points were not just left hanging in the theme's final years, but new plot threads were actually introduced even when the decision to draw the theme to a close had already been made and there was little time left to bring them to fruition. In fact, I might even say that the serials in general were not the best decision. Perhaps they helped from a promotion standpoint (especially as the number of books published each year dwindled and certain sets like store exclusives had to be promoted through other channels), but in general I felt that the serials were weaker than the main story and the tangential stories they told would mostly be better off either ignored or folded into the main series.

[aldero]

If I had to pick one single mistake, it'd be Greg's decision to attempt to continue the story after the theme's end rather than focusing on tying up any necessary loose ends beforehand. Plot points were not just left hanging in the theme's final years, but new plot threads were actually introduced even when the decision to draw the theme to a close had already been made and there was little time left to bring them to fruition. 

 

All too true. Another problem that had stemmed from Greg Farshtey's total control of the story is that he didn't exactly have a censor, middle man or representative for rationality. Farshtey could just write his stories in a convoluted, confusing and inconsistent manner without much interference or hesitance on his end because he had no filter whatsoever. 

 

I'm not necessarily saying that Greg Farshtey himself was a poor writer - he's fantastic for the most part - I'm saying that he needs more constructive criticism and external input. Just look at George Lucas during the production of Star Wars, for example. Without people like Gary Kurtz, the movie we have today would have been far more convoluted, overdeveloped, inconsistent and boring. 

[Sir Kohran]

 

The transition from Metru Nui to Voya Nui.  I was just following along through the comics at the time and didn't see Web of Shadows.  One comic it was left at the Toa Hordika about to raid the Coliseum, then the next we were on Voya Nui with the Piraka.  What?

 

There were more than a few story transitions like that that could've been handled much better.

 

The Island of Doom book clears most of this up with the reintroduction of Turaga Dume sending the Toa Nuva on another perilous journey, peppered with some refreshing subversive elements, but I can certainly understand your gripes here. It's more a problem with the comics, than anything.

 

I think it's more a problem with a story that became increasingly unfollowable as it became confined to the books, which I don't think were the best format to rely on as they were only available for a limited period before they were replaced by the next bunch, leaving fans in the lurch if they didn't keep up, and they weren't available outside North America which left fans everywhere else automatically in the lurch.

 

They did try to switch from the books to the serials in the last years, but I think it was a little too late by then.

 

 

 

I'm not necessarily saying that Greg Farshtey himself was a poor writer - he's fantastic for the most part - I'm saying that he needs more constructive criticism and external input. Just look at George Lucas during the production of Star Wars, for example. Without people like Gary Kurtz, the movie we have today would have been far more convoluted, overdeveloped, inconsistent and boring. 

 

Yes, I think Farshtey worked best when only handling parts of the story by handling only some media. When doing it all by himself, I don't think he could carry a whole franchise, which sort of ties into what I said above.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Sir Kohran

[Xboxtravis]

I like a lot of the points mentioned above, and thought of adding my own commentary in that vein of what story mistakes were made; but I think what I could have said has been already said better by others in this thread about the story beats, the serials and the flaws of the Inika build. 

 

Rather I thought back on the moment G1 went wrong just for me. It is something I think highlights how the way the story and sets were done affected the fans, but I also think it explains a lot in why G1 declined so drastically at the end of its run.

 

It was 2007; I was just entering Junior High school as a 13 year old kid, and I was still rather excited for Bionicle. 2006 had been a highlight year for me, and I loved the story and the direction it took. I had followed most of the novel's up to that point, and still read the monthly comics that came out with the Lego Club magazine. I was intrigued by the prospect of the Barraki, excited by how the designers said they made a deliberate effort for each set to have a unique build and feel to it; rather than creating six clone figures in different colors. I was experiencing my first online use of "social media" via my new account on BZPower. 

 

Only a few months later though and I had told my parents I had sworn off Bionicle for good! What happened in those few months? First, when I got my hands on some of the Barraki sets I was let down. The unique designs didn't come together as a whole, and it really felt like I had bought three very bizarre characters. The early comics of the year focusing on the Barraki vs. the Matoran of Mahri-Nui and the first novels also made things feel really bizarre. I felt like the story had disconnected from the heroes I had grown to like, and instead was focusing on some bizarre "Lovecraft-esque" story of scary sea monsters haunting Matoran. This disconnect was further strengthened by the lack of mention of the Toa Inika in that years first few novels, and I felt things had gone off the rails into strange territory. 

 

Lets be honest guys, the Barraki were ugly as sin!

 

Furthermore as a 13 year old kid I wasn't really ready to handle the forums on BZPower. I watched as my outlandish story theories were shot down by site members who knew the story better than I did. I scratched my head at the flame wars and arguments between members; and the rules on how to conduct on this forum. We were far more immature  back then, and I swear there were trolls aplenty on that BZP of old. While all of this seems tame now in retrospect, I think it caught me off guard and I soon quit BZpower because I felt the fanbase was a little bit more obsessed with it all then I ever could be.

 

Meanwhile as my dislike of the Barraki sets grew I began to see what my parents had been saying for years; "Bionicle sets all just look the same." "Bionicle sets have no real building challenge to them." "They are just the same figure in different colors with a different mask released six times." etc... It was clear in my desire to play with Lego I wanted to build something more challenging than the snap together Bionicle. I wanted something bigger, more detailed and unique to own and construct. That was when Lego introduced this in their product catalog around the same time I was feeling that way about Bionicle: 

 

 

OH MY GOSH!    Right at the time I was beginning to have a desire for something more challenging, something that would look unique displayed on a shelf, something that would affirm that my tastes as a Lego builder were maturing and changing, Lego set 10182 Cafe Corner was released. I was in love. It sure lacked the fantastical elements of Bionicle, Star Wars, Harry Potter and the other themes I had collected as a kid. It was realistic, it was metropolitan, and it was decidedly for grown ups. Nothing makes a 13 year old kid feel cool like being a grown up right? I denounced my love for Bionicle early in the year, and it didn't take much to convince my mom that what I wanted under the Christmas tree that year was the Cafe Corner. 

 

Just like that my new taste in bigger more detailed Lego sets became my defining Lego obsession through my teenage years and into adult. Just look at this picture of my Modular Building display I took a few months ago; I might not have them all, but I sure love them a lot!

 http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/xboxtravis/Collection/img_20160103_214429263.jpg

 

I also began getting sets such as the exclusive trains (Emerald Night, Maersk Train, Horizon Express), a big Technic set, and even that giant Volkswagen Camper Van set. That was what had really brought me out of Bionicle, and made G1 lose its magic for me; my tastes and desires had changed. I well, grew up. Bionicle was no longer the cool toy on the block, and I wanted something that reflected my new interests. Sure I still kept tabs on the Bionicle story, and felt a tinge of sadness when I realized 2010 was the end of the line; but it had little impact on me. Besides 2010 was dominated in my Lego loving mind by this: 

Do you catch a pattern yet?

 

So for me it wasn't that Bionicle had changed much, it was that I had changed. So the question remains though, why did I come back to Bionicle in 2015 when G2 was announced and what made me a fan again? One simple thing, nostalgia! Don't underestimate the nostalgia factor in the lives of many fellow Millennials, we sure love our retro nostalgia stuff! 

 

Oh plus CCBS is the best Bionicle building system ever in my opinion. I know, I dared to say it! 

Edited November 18, 2016 by Xboxtravis

[Sir Keksalot]

 

 

I'm not necessarily saying that Greg Farshtey himself was a poor writer - he's fantastic for the most part - I'm saying that he needs more constructive criticism and external input. Just look at George Lucas during the production of Star Wars, for example. Without people like Gary Kurtz, the movie we have today would have been far more convoluted, overdeveloped, inconsistent and boring. 

 

Imagine if he went and made prequels to the classic trilogy like that. Oh, they'd be awful. They'd probably have really bad comic relief, hammy acting, and absolutely cringeworthy CGI. I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but I sure am glad no such movies were ever made. /kappa

Edited November 18, 2016 by Sir Keksalot

[RahiSpeak]

Okay, I think I see some consensus on the errors of G1:

 

- Bionicle is a fantasy theme, not a science fiction theme

- Sudden, total changes in setting are confusing

- The dead ought to remain dead

- A 5/1 male-to-female ratio makes no sense

- A consistent set of themes is essential yet somewhat lacking

- Alternative universes are convoluted and unnecessary

- It ought to have an ending, not a cut-off

- Complex builds are cool (so what's with the Inika?)

 

Does this look right? Is there anything that anyone would like to add?

 

Thank you all again for your valuable insights!

[Sir Kohran]

 

 

Does this look right? Is there anything that anyone would like to add?

 

What about what I said about the story becoming much harder to follow?

[Xboxtravis]

Also, dare I mention it? The System sets from 2005-2007 were poorly done. I still think the idea of recreating Bionicle locations in System bricks is a great idea, but the official sets weird combination of full sized Bionicle parts, with oversized mask models, and strangely juniorized builds never caught my attention. I just think those sets came out at the tail end of Lego's "juniorize everything" period, and they suffered as a result. Its a pity though that G2 never was given the chance to have system sets, I think the current Lego designers working on Ninjago, Elves, Star Wars, Nexo Knights, etc. would have had the talent to probably have made some interesting System sets.

[Toa of Italy]

Basically it went wrong after 2008. Like someone has already said, 2008 had a great ending and could have well closed the storyline. The shift to Bara Magna was just useless and certainly not called for. Of course, one could say the same about 2004, but in that case it was well done, Metru Nui was real world-building. Most of the story elements introduced in 2009 were, on the other hand, confused: they were attempting to justify everything that had come afterwards by telling what happened before Mata Nui was created, but there was no real need for it; plus, many never found their full resolution (Element Lords, Baterra, Great Beings...). It could still have worked, though: the characters introduced in 2009 were well built, as were the initial stories (the first two comics, the Crossing, Empire of the Skrall, Raid on Vulcanus). What truly ruined EVERYTHING was the Legend Reborn, which got those same characters COMPLETELY wrong.

 

After that we had a gap between 2009 and 2010 (which was supposed to be filled by a graphic novel that was never made), then Journey's End, which actually wasn't bad, though the Golden Armor part was rushed, to say the least. The loose ends, though (especially those in Reign of Shadows, which after a promising beginning degenerated rapidly, starting when Tuyet came back with an explanation which was absurd and definitely ruined the concept of alternate universes, which would have worked had it been limited to Takanuva's journey), should have been tied up; had Greg done that, the ending might still have worked. The attempt to continue, on the other hand, was pathetic and doomed from the beginning. I do not criticize Greg for having abandoned the serials for his other work: I criticize him because he should have realized that from the beginning and wrapped the story up in 2010.

 

If I had to say something which didn't work before 2008, it would be the timescales. 100,000 years is TOO LONG, especially when everything is then solved in a single year or so (again, this was aggravated in 2009, when we met characters who were all older than 100,000 and had lived in the exact same way for all that time; inconceivable).

[Kopekemaster]

I don't know if I can say a specific reason why it did so, but I felt the line really started weakening as soon as we hit 2008/Karda Nui (although the way they wrapped it up was fantastic). I guess one part of it could be that I just didn't feel they gave as much of an atmosphere to the locations from that point on.

Edited December 14, 2016 by Kopekemaster

[Alyska]

I always say this, but I really do believe it was more about the choices made in the marketing and the storytelling media rather than the story itself.

 

Bionicle's greatest strength in the early years was all the free story content on bionicle.com. You could spend days browsing the site and still have new things to discover, without having to bug your parents to spend money on you. After 2004, a lot of the online content was taken down, and you now needed to buy the DVDs and books to understand most of the story. 2006 saw a revival of online content, but most of it was non-canon (Save the Band, Piraka rap, etc) and they only picked up that ball again in 2007 with the serials and mini-movie, but it really was too little too late.

 

Being dependent on books is a bad idea for a franchise such as this. Why? Well, books based on a toyline are something a parent will typically buy only if their child is already very invested in the story. Parents of avid readers will look for something more sophisticated looking, and parents of reluctant readers have no reason to buy them if their kid isn't already interested in Bionicle. The fact that I see a 2003 Bionicle book in just about every book sale I visit shows that they were immensely popular and successful at one point, but the Metru books- published just a year or two later- are rare by comparison, because they didn't have all that free online content to back them up and draw new fans into the story. The direct-to-DVD movies are in a similar position: you need to have kids already invested in the story before they'll spend money for more of it, which is partly why TLR flopped.

[Manducus]

The Red Star reviving characters. That totally defeated the purpose of death.

[I Exist]

I don't think G1 went wrong at any point. 

 

I do agree that it was FAR from perfection. However, looking back on it, I think it was a great run. It served it's purpose right at keeping my 7 to 15 years old self entertained.

It was a great sci-fi fanstasy story crowded with mysteries, action, plot-twist and a touch of humour here and there. 

It successfully built a extended universe full of lovable characters and enjoyable adventures.

Was it cheesy at time ? Yes it was. Could it have been better ? Probably. Could they make a better job with it today then how it was done back then ? I don't think so.

It did an unbelievable job considering it was only meant to promote and market a line of toys. I enjoyed every part of it while it lasted even though it may not have been the best storytelling ever. 

Even though my 22 years old self can now see all the flaws Bionicle G1 holds, it doesn't make it any less enjoyable then it was for me back in the days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Noxryn]

Hm, thinking....

 

Bionicle sort of fell out of my interests... probably during the 2006 and 2007 lines. Metru-Nui was also a really sharp departure from what everyone was used to at the time: going from a tropical island, with basic technology and surviving, all the way into a hyper-advanced city was pretty jarring of a change. For fans, it also... I mean, to a degree it came out of the blue? I recall there being some hints to "other Toa" in I think... either one of the old books or the flash game, can't remember right now where. 

 

2006 and 2007 sort of combined all these massive organizations (ie: Order of Mata-Nui, Brotherhood of Makuta, those seven Kingdoms or whatever) into one arc and, as an individual, I never liked what the Makuta overall became (kind of another jarring departure from what the character, Makuta, was presented as at Bionicle's onset). But at this point things were getting a bit too much on the "we need shock value" scale, a lot of people -- fans a lot -- at the time liked it since people seemed to feel it was more "mature" but that's only true in the sense of... rating, really. It was a lot of dark death and destruction, and I never enjoyed that -- now this isn't to say I didn't like Sayger's artwork, because I did like it and while it did fit in the narrative, just the overall narrative of those years felt really... strange? For a Lego kids line, at least. 

 

(( I completely fell out 2008 and further, I absolutely disliked the Mistika/Phantoka designs since they seemed so chunky and clunky and silver, but maybe the story wasn't bad )). 

 

2009 I feel might've been a lot better if they had gone with that to be their hard reboot, rather than a soft reboot that just made an already confusing world all the more confusing (not to mention all the dimension hopping and such in the serials).

 

My favorite years, personally, were 2001 - 2005, 2006 was alright but it kinda went down into the territory I tended to criticize it for a lot around then. 

 

(Oh, and another: When Greg allowed BZP to help canonize things in the world. That pretty much killed a lot of my interest in the series with what as coming out and... yeah). 

[Iruini Nuva]

^ Pretty similar assessment on my end. Loved 01-05, thought Metru Nui was great. 06 was fascinating and still had me engaged, but it felt out of place. 07-09 I was more engaged with community projects than with deep lore. I liked the premise of an expanded universe (Barraki, etc.), but it diluted quickly and became hard to follow (Order, Hand, Brotherhood, etc.). Took a lot of wiki reading over the past few years to sort it out.

 

08 broke too many things. Yes shock value, but the payoff wasn't good enough. Mostly just made things (read: Makuta) awkward.

[Takametru007]

Personally, I don't think BIONICLE went "wrong" at any point. Sure, there are aspect of the story I either ignore or replace with head-canon, but overall I think G1 was a great story. G1 didn't end because of poor sales, I've heard, but rather because sales were stagnating, and LEGO wanted to end on a good note so that they could revive the story in the future...may or may not be true, but it sounds reasonable to me. Had they stuck out, perhaps G1 would still be around, or at least may have been for a few years more.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Takametru007

[Wiriamu]

While there were definitely bumpy moments in G1, I feel like they adjusted pretty well as time went on. How we went from magic robots to absurdly advanced robots, the multiple location changes-while initially a bit jarring, I came to like them all as time went on.

 

Personally, I wasn't thrilled by the Order of Mata Nui being written as an "ends justify the means" type of organization; it's an all too common occurrence in fiction these days.

[Tahu3.0]

I think that where G1 got wrong was creating a lot of diferent characters that you could not build i mean i know its world building but i wish you could at least built them in a "official" way and one example that ive got of this is the Elemental Lords.

[Lyichir]

I think that where G1 got wrong was creating a lot of diferent characters that you could not build i mean i know its world building but i wish you could at least built them in a "official" way and one example that ive got of this is the Elemental Lords.

That was definitely something that frustrated me, starting way back in 2004 with the decidedly organic Morbuzakh vines (or, if you go back even further, to the virus enemies from the Roboriders theme). One of the big appeals of any sort of action figure line is role play, and it's much harder to do that when you're given no way to effectively represent the villains your characters are meant to fight.

[Pohaturon]

 

I think that where G1 got wrong was creating a lot of diferent characters that you could not build i mean i know its world building but i wish you could at least built them in a "official" way and one example that ive got of this is the Elemental Lords.

That was definitely something that frustrated me, starting way back in 2004 with the decidedly organic Morbuzakh vines (or, if you go back even further, to the virus enemies from the Roboriders theme). One of the big appeals of any sort of action figure line is role play, and it's much harder to do that when you're given no way to effectively represent the villains your characters are meant to fight.

 

Of all the years that did get playsets, why 2004 wasn't one of them always saddens me. That way we would have likely seen official representations of the Morbuzahk, albeit in brick-built form as opposed to technic (though they could have been built with technic elements). A great set concept would have been a Ta-Metru area with the mono-rail carrying vats of molten protodermis, with the Morbuzahk trying to break the rail, as seen in Vakama Metru's promotional CD, or in that one FPS flash game. 

 

[Disciple]

 

 

Of all the years that did get playsets, why 2004 wasn't one of them always saddens me. That way we would have likely seen official representations of the Morbuzahk, albeit in brick-built form as opposed to technic (though they could have been built with technic elements). A great set concept would have been a Ta-Metru area with the mono-rail carrying vats of molten protodermis, with the Morbuzahk trying to break the rail, as seen in Vakama Metru's promotional CD, or in that one FPS flash game.

 

Man, that would have been awesome. I'm also picturing a Le-Metru set that would have had chutes like those pump-action tubes from Life on Mars.

 

As to your Morbuzakh point... well, at least there was this sponge.

[Alyska]

That sponge has got to be the weirdest piece of merchandise in Lego's history.

I mean, yes, technically it's not the very worst character in the franchise to make a sponge of, but that's only because Tren Krom exists. Wash your face with the evil tentacle plant, children! Fun!