Happy 10th anniversary to the 2007 storyline!:)

[Lenny7092]

Hi, guys! I know that Bionicle had ended a year ago sadly, but let’s be happy about Bionicle for something else. You see, this year, 2017, is the 10th anniversary of Bionicle’s 2007 storyline. I know that this year that we got the music album for the movie, Bionicle: Mask of Light’s 14th anniversary, but if you think this isn’t enough for this year, then let’s celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2007 storyline. That would enlighten you more.

 

Let me tell you the 2007 storyline:

The 2007 storyline is about the Toa Inika’s quest to find the Kanohi Ignika, aka the Mask of Life, continuing by going into the sea. It starts off when Matoro successfully got the Kanohi Ignika, aka the Mask of Life, in the 2006 storyline, since the Mask has a mind of its own, doesn’t want to be used in the island of Voya Nui while a hostile Rahi called the Kardas Dragon makes Matoro let go of the Mask. It flies to the sea around Voya Nui while the Toa Inika follow it. However, they can’t get into the water, but their ally, Axonn, shows a way to get there by leading the Toa to the Cord, which is under the island.

The Mask falls onto the sea floor. In the sea, there is an underwater city called Mahri Nui, which is near the Cord, and it is inhabited by Matoran. A Po-Matoran named Dekar notices the Mask. A group of evil and mutated warlords based on sea creatures, called the Barraki, notice the Mask as well, and plans to get it to defeat the Great Spirit Mata Nui and take over the Matoran Universe. Long ago, the Barraki were once normal people who rules some parts of the Matoran Universe, but they later on rebelled against the Great Spirit, but thry were stopped by the Brotherhood of Makuta and were sent to a prison called the Pit. However, when the Great Cataclysm happened, they escaped, but a magical substance called the Pit Mutagen mutated the Barraki into sea-creature-based monsters that only breathe water, so they’re trapped underwater. They think that the Mask can reverse all that, too, so they are going to get their hands on it. They lead armies of various sea creatures that they’re based on. The Barraki also threaten people from Mahri Nui. When Dekar is having the Mask, it uses its incredible powers, which cause Dekar to believe that the Mask is too dangerous for anyone to have, so he wants to destroy it. However, Barraki also notice Dekar having the Mask, so they want to take it from him, but he is defending himself. Also however, the Barraki’s leader, Pridak, successfully gets the Mask, but it is using its powers. When the Toa Inika arrived to the bottom of the Cord that leads them to Mahri Nui, the Mask transforms them into their new underwater forms called the Toa Mahri. The team gets newly transformed weapons and masks, but their elemental powers no longer are mixed with lightning, making them normal, and the team only breathe water.

That’s the winter 2007 part of the story. Here is the summer part: After the transformation, the Toa meet with Mahri Nui’s people and the Toa say that they will protect the people from the Barraki. The Toa find powerful guns called the Cordak Blasters, and they go look for the Mask of Life. When the Mask noticed the Dekar’s life is in danger, it saves his life by transforming him into a duplicate of another being named Hydraxon, who was killed during the Cataclysm. Hydraxon’s memories bury Dekar’s memories, so the duplicate thinks that he’s the real Hydraxon. He is also the jailer of the Pit, so he goes searching and recapturing escaped prisoners. He captures Matoro and puts him in jail. Along the way, the Makuta of Metru Nui, in his Antidermis form and who got out of the Piraka’s damaged Antidermis tank, finds one of Hydraxon’s robots called the Maxilos, which guard the Pit, and possesses it like a ghost, making the robot as his new “body”, his disguise to avoid being noticed by his enemies, and container for his Antidermis. When he finds Matoro, he frees him because he wants to help him, even though that Makuta is evil. He tells Matoro to reanimate a dead Toa named Tuyet, who got killed during the Cataclysm, which Makuta caused, and get a magical stone called the Nui Stone. However, a tyrant named Karzahni, who is looking for the Toa Mahri, who he abused when they were once Matoran, notices the group and destroys Tuyet. Makuta defeats Karzahni and tells Matoro that in order to save Mata Nui from death, he and the Toa Mahri have to destroy the Cord in order to do it. Then, Makuta and Matoro separate. While the Toa Mahri are fighting the Barraki, when Hydraxon notices the Mask, he remembers from Dekar’s memories that he believes that the Mask is dangerous, so Hydraxon tries to destroy it, but he is stopped by Hahli. Along the way, when a tiny Rahi called a Gadunka touches the Mask, it enlarges the creature into the size so big that it can eat a person. The Gadunka believes that the Mask should be its, so he goes to get and keep it to itself. Jaller tries to get the Mask, but is stopped by Hydraxon while Matoro freezes Makuta to stop him from doing planned bad things. Then, Jaller accidentally frees Makuta from his icy prison by using Jaller’s fire powers. Later, Hydraxon and Makuta fight each other, allowing the Toa to get the Mask again. While the Barraki are having a problem with each other about one of them betraying the others, the Toa evacuated Mahri Nui’s people, so they can destroy the Cord. Before they do, they fight against the Gadunka and its two giant allies. The Toa defeat them before Hydraxon shows up to confront the Toa. The Toa convince Hydraxon that they are not criminals and they need the Mask for their good deed, so Hydraxon lets them go. The Toa destroy the Cord by using their Blasters, so the island of Voya Nui, which the Cord connected to Mahri Nui, sinks into the water, destroying Mahri Nui along the way. The Barraki notice Makuta, so they fight and defeat him by destroying the Maxilos robot that he is possessing, but he disappears after that. The Barraki then go after the Toa for the Mask. Matoro tries to find somewhere where he can use the Mask to save Mata Nui’s life, but he notices that Mata Nui is dead. Matoro feels very sad. However, he doesn’t lose hope, so he goes to find a way to revive Mata Nui while the other Toa buy Matoro some time by fighting the Barraki. Matoro goes to a waterfall, which Voya Nui was heading, where the Mask tells him to wear it. When the Mask shows Matoro that his friends are in danger because of the Barraki, Matoro uses its power to transport the other Toa to safety by taking them to Metru Nui and have them breathe both air again and water in order to save their lives from the Barraki. Then, the Mask also tells him that he has to sacrifice his life to use the Mask’s power to revive Mata Nui. Matoro does so, so Mata Nui is revived, and the whole Matoran Universe is saved. Everyone in there is happy, but when Turaga Vakama tells the Toa Mahri about Matoro’s fate, they feel sad about him. The people of Metru Nui commemorate Matoro for his heroic actions and make a statue of him to remember him as a great hero who saved everyone.

Meanwhile, the Toa Nuva meet a guy named Artakha, who gives them new armor and then teleports them to a new place. The end of the 2007 storyline, and that part about the Toa Nuva being in the new place is where the 2008 storyline started.

 

To celebrate, let me ask you this:

What are your fond memories about the storyline and/or what do you like about it?

For me, I like the Barraki. They look very cool, including that the fact that they are based on different sea creatures. It’s interesting that 2007 is where canister sets started to look different from each other from that on rather than having the same body type like in 2001-2006. I like the new pieces that look like the sea creatures’ parts, and I like how the Barraki look like sea creatures much. The eye pieces are neat as you can plug them into the Barraki’s heads. The mandibles are neat as you can open and close them. Their weapons are cool, but their Squid Launcher is hard to use to shoot Sea Squids. I also wish that the Barraki could have mouths that open and close.

The Sea Squids look cool. I like their yellowish-orangish and bluish-greenish colors. Plus, it’s neat that anyone who has Squid Launchers can have clip pieces that store the Squids. One thing about the Squids, though, is that they look more like leeches than squids, so it’s weird to call them Squids, you see.

Kalmah is neat because he is based on a squid, has two giant tentacles, and has three eyes. Takadox has glow-in-the-dark pieces, and he has nice knives that look like a mantis’ claws. I like the red spikes, too. He is quite the tallest of the Barraki. One thing about him, though, is that head is a bit hollow. Ehlek looks very cool because of his green spikes and talons. The talons are like Wolverine’s claws from Marvel. However, he doesn’t have a lower mouth. Carapar looks very cool, too, because of his giant claws and new armor pieces. The use of of the color, yellow, is good. However, Carapar doesn’t have a lower mouth, either, and he doesn’t have another claw. Mantax looks neat because of his claws, red spikes, and his upper body looking like a manta ray, but, again, he doesn’t have a lower mouth, and his arms look uneven. Pridak looks very cool because of his fins, blades, long feet, and the red blotches on his white pieces.

The small sets look neat. I like the Matoran’s blades and launchers. The Hydruka look cool because they sort of look like scorpions with launchers on their tails. Nice teeth on them, too. The blue Hydruka has a nice glow-in-the-dark as well.

The Toa Mahri look awesome, as they look like commandos with giant cannons. I like their breathing tubes, which make the Toa look like that they adapted to water. The blasters look cool, but what’s troubling about them is that you can’t shoot the ammo from them unless you loosen the ammo in the cannons.

Jaller looks cool, and he has a nice sword. It’s neat that he has a Hannah crab to be his animal sidekick that hold his blaster. Hahli looks amazing, and she has a nice mask, wing-like fins on her back, and that giant claw of hers. I am not too fond of the green secondary color, though, because it makes her look like a Toa of the Green rather than a Toa of Water. Kongu looks awesome because he looks like a commando with two blasters. I like his mask because it’s neat that he has a green bulb-like thing attached to the mask. Hewkii looks very cool because of his giant blade in his left hand, blades on his right arm, mask, spikes on his thighs, and chains. However, how he wears his mask in his set is weird, and his arms look uneven. Plus, where’s his right hand? Nuparu looks cool. I like his shield. However, he has some restrictions on his wrists and ankles. Matoro looks cool (Get it, because he’s the Toa of Ice? Lol! ), as he has those big claws and giant black tubes. However, his arms look uneven, again. I like Hahli’s, Nuparu’s, and Matoro’s visors because they are neat. But, why do they have red eyes?

Now, the large sets. Nocturn looks awesome and beautiful! I mean, this dude that four arms, many glow-in-the-dark pieces, spikes, bulky-ness, transparent blue pieces, swords, a Squid Launcher, and a tentacle, man! The Gadunka looks very cool, as its head is so big that its can eat a person and has a lot of pointy teeth. It’s neat that the Gadunka set uses Ehlek spikes for the teeth. I like the claws, glow-in-the-dark head, use of the blue and silver pieces, and it’s cool that it has a Squid Launcher. One thing I find weird about its set is the neck because it’s very thin. Hydraxon looks awesome because of his various weapons. I like his poseable and clawed hands. Maxilos is mighty great because of his mask, Titan-size, big sword, claws, and Cordak Blaster. I like his flexible torso. Spinax looks great because of his spikes. His head would look like that you could use it to make a seventh Barraki. Lesovikk looks cool because of his blade and shoulder pads. His Sea Sled looks cool, too, as it has a Cordak Blaster mounted in it and the landing gear. It’s like Takanuva and Ussalnui set in 2003. Karzahni looks awesome, as he has chains, spikes, those Takadox knive pieces on his torso, clawed and spikes hands, armor, and cape. His head/mask looks cool because of the horns and spikes, but why can’t he have a one-piece plastic version of his mask? I like the shades of green on him. One thing that I find weird about him, though, is how his neck is built. Sarda and Ibris look cool, like the other two Matoran sets in the winter half of 2007. I like their unique blades, claws, and masks. Their underwater trap looks amazing because of the spikes and its function to trap Karzahni.

The playsets, well, look great. It’s cool that some of the Rahi can be used a vehicles for the Toa Mahri to use. They have great weapons and functions. The Barraki have cool-looking mutated sea animals that they have for soldiers. However, not every minfigure, who are based on the Toa Mahri and Barraki, are equal. There is no minifigure for Carapar. All of their heads are messed up. Plus, not all 12 of the characters are in one set, like the one in 2006.

Next, the combo models. The Ehlek-Carapar-Mantax one, aka the Pit War Tortoise, looks very cool, but it has a weird neck and stiff points on its ankles. The Kalmah-Takadox-Pridak one, aka Zyglak, looks amazing! It looks like a lizard well! The Carapar-Mantax-Nuparu-Matoro combo, aka the Manutri, looks very cool because it has both a Squid Launcher and two Cordak Blasters, man! It looks kind of cute, too. Too bad that there are combiners for the other Toa Mahri or the large sets.

As for the story and media, I think the story is very good. It’s been told through comics, novels, and online serials. The Barraki are cool characters, and they have some good character development. I feel bad that they got mutated into monsters after they escaped from prison. It’s interesting that they don’t get along or others, similar to the Piraka. I see that Brutaka was trying to team up with the Barraki, but they betrayed him, just like the Piraka. It’s not like in Marvel where there are the Sinister Six. Plus, Takadox was secretly a traitor to the Barraki as he was a servant to the Brotherhood of Makuta, the very people who stopped the Barraki from trying to conquer the Matoran Universe before they got imprisoned in the Pit. The Barraki have very cool powers, like Carapar with his super-strength and Takadox with his ability to hypnotize people. It’s also cool that some of their armies have some Rahi from 2002. Plus, each of the Barraki is from his own species of people. I wish there is a seventh Barraki, though.

Nocturn is a cool guy. He may be dumb, but he is cool.

Dekar is a troubled guy who didn’t know how to handle the Mask of Life. He could’ve just hide it or give it to the Toa Mahri. I felt bad that he was in danger, so the Mask was trying to the poor guy by turning him into a duplicate of Hydraxon. It’s sad that the original one died. It’s also sad that Dekar is currently trapped in the duplicate’s mind, so the duplicate can’t remember that he was Dekar. Dekar’s friends must be worried about the poor guy. This Hydraxon acted like a stubborn jerk he believed that all strangers are escaped prisoners without letting them prove their innocence. The Toa Mahri has a hard time convincing this guy.

Makuta is a cool dude. He’s like a ghost. I get that he is trying to be nice to Matoro by helping him out with saving Mata Nui’s life, but he does have an evil move in his sleeve about this. Plus, this guy doesn’t want any opponent to mess with him.

The Toa Mahri are great characters with very good character development. Hewkii is grateful that he learned swimming lessons from Hahli. Hahli is a clever hero who knows what to do in order to help her team. Jaller, Kongu, and Nuparu are good characters. They all are good friends to each other. I feel bad they are too are stuck being underwater because they only breathe water.

Now, here came Matoro. This dude too was conflicted, but he knew what is the right thing to do. Although he should’ve not talk to evil strangers, he was still a good guy. This dude never gave up on reviving Mata Nui and saving the Matoran Universe. I feel very sad that he sacrificed his own life to use the Mask of Life’s power to revive Mata Nui. Before he died, he also saved his friends from the Barraki by bring them to Metru Nui and make them able to breathe both air again and water. Matoro was such a very great hero. He saved everybody in the Matoran Universe. Though, it’s sad that he died. (crying in tears)

I feel bad for Lesovikk for the fact that he lost his team and based himself for it. This also makes him want to kill his enemies, which is against the Toa Code.

Sarda and Ibris are good characters. They are good friends to each other and Lesovikk.

Karzahni is a cool villain. He doesn’t want anyone to mess with him, and is ruthless. I felt bad that Karzahni was driven insane by Teridax when his mind was damaged by Teridax.

It’s cool to see the Piraka again for a brief moment. They got mutated into snakes, and fought the Toa Mahri before they get taken away by Axonn.

It’s neat to hear about the Toa Nuva’s adventures during the events of the 2007 storyline. They have been doing some strange and good stuff to get ready for the Great Spirit.

Lesovikk and Karzahni May have their own thing with each other, but they could’ve get more involved with the 2007 storyline. Lesovikk could’ve made new Toa friends with the Toa Mahri, and the Toa would try to help him feel better. The Matoran duo would help the Toa, too. Karzahni would also help the Barraki get the Mask of Life and defeat the Toa Mahri, so Karzahni would have more ruling power and take the Toa Mahri as his prisoners again. Makuta could’ve fought the Toa team as well.

There are a lot of things that make me feel annoyed. That Bionicle Legends about the Toa Inika’s travels in the Cord shouldn’t have cancelled. It would be nice to look at their adventures more. I heard that Nuparu was supposed to have his Aqua Blaster Blade and Carapar with his two claws in their sets, so these should’ve happened. Kongu should’ve kept his melee combat weapon, which is transformed from his Laser Crossbow. Plus, brown ain’t on the “Stone” characters much. Sad. I have no idea how did these happen. It would be cool to see a set for the mutated Brutaka. Plus, there should have been a combined set similar to the Vezon and Kardas set. Too bad there wasn’t. (Though I would imagine that if that could happen, it would be a mix of the Gadunka, Hydraxon, and Maxilos and Spinax set, and this mix would be a powerful and giant Rahi or a warrior). It would also be nice to see the outcome of that fight between Brutaka and Maxilos.

The online serials were introduced in 2007. I thought they are cool as they tell more stuff in the storyline.

I wish there could have been a sequel to Bionicle Heroes in 2006. (Though if it would happen, it would be based on the 2007 storyline)

 

So, guys, what are your fond memories of the storyline, what do you like about it, what’s your favorite 2007 set, favorite character(s) in 2007, favorite moment in the storyline, what things remind you of the 2007 storyline, and/or how would you celebrate it? For me, well, my favorite sets are Kalmah, Ehlek, Nocturn, Jaller, Hahli, Kongu, Gadunka, Hydraxon, Maxilos and Spinax, and Karzahni, and my favorite characters are Jaller, Hahli, Matoro, Kalmah, Takadox, Pridak, Makuta, and Hydraxon. The things that remind me are:

1. Hero Factory’s Breakout storyline and the part in there about Furno fighting and recapturing Jawblade.

2. The Serpentine from Ninjago being released from their prison to terrorize people and do something horrible along the way (the Barraki)

3. The Hypnobrai (Takadox)

4. Lego’s Atlantis theme

5. The Lizard from Marvel (Zyglak)

6. That scene in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1999 where there is this underwater city.

7. That one part in a Star Wars TV series called Star Wars: The Clone Wars in 2008-2014.

Edited December 12, 2017 by Lenny7092

[Master Inika]

2007 is the year I joined BZPower, so that's really the year I joined the BIONICLE fan community proper. (I bought my first set in 2003.) I remember so well the feeling of isolation the Mahri Nui saga created. More than any other year, especially before the Toa arrived, it was just a small village literally surrounded by mindless, hungry Rahi and beings of pure evil. There were no allies to speak of. Not to mention reading Comic 10: The Death of Mata Nui in my dad's apartment and feeling my heart stop when it just ended. When they said "Next issue... Not a joke! Not an illusion! The Death of Mata Nui!" at the end of Comic 9, I thought for sure they would pull some kind of trick. It really was apocalyptic, but it just made reading Matoro's sacrifice in the final issue of the year that much more inspiring. In short, I was psyched for 2008. I hope there's a topic like this next year for it.

 

EDIT: The planet you are thinking of from Star Wars is Dac, home to the Republic-aligned Mon Calamari (Admiral Akbar's race) and Separatist-aligned Quarren. During the Clone Wars, the Separatists assassinated the Mon Calamari king and tried to lead the Quarren against his son, the rightful heir, by feeding on the divide between the two species, with the ultimate goal of winning Dac for the Confederacy. The Republic helped the prince expose the conspiracy and he was coronated, vowing to work for the good of both peoples. On a galactic scale, Dac was a strategically important planet because it was known for creating quality starships. The Separatist Providence-class capital ship (made by the Quarren) and Rebel flagship Home One (made by the Mon Cala) were both designed on Dac.

Edited December 12, 2017 by Master Inika

[Tarix819]

2007 was my favourite year of Bionicle:

 

-It saw a return to the Metru-Hordika style of sets and story

-It ditched the cringey 2006 theme

-It was underwater which was freaking awesome

-Story was on par with that of The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars 

-Commercials were some of the best in Bionicle 

-All sets released in 2007 were awesome, even the playsets which I am not normally a fan of

-Box art for the sets was brilliant

-We got the first Makuta Teridax set in 4 years and the last as well in the form of Maxilos & Spinax

-The Toa Mahri were the same characters fans grew up with back in the 2001-2003 saga

-We got 2 new launchers; Squid Launcher and Cordak Blaster, even if they worked terribly for most people. Normally a year only introduces one new type of launcher

 

I could go on....

[Lenny7092]

2007 was my favourite year of Bionicle:

 

-It saw a return to the Metru-Hordika style of sets and story

-It ditched the cringey 2006 theme

-It was underwater which was freaking awesome

-Story was on par with that of The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars

-Commercials were some of the best in Bionicle

-All sets released in 2007 were awesome, even the playsets which I am not normally a fan of

-Box art for the sets was brilliant

-We got the first Makuta Teridax set in 4 years and the last as well in the form of Maxilos & Spinax

-The Toa Mahri were the same characters fans grew up with back in the 2001-2003 saga

-We got 2 new launchers; Squid Launcher and Cordak Blaster, even if they worked terribly for most people. Normally a year only introduces one new type of launcher

 

I could go on....

 

Well, I’m glad that the 2007 storyline had used some 2004-2005 parts, as well as the Tahu right arm pieces from 2001 and the Bohrok limbs from 2002.

 

Of course, the Toa Mahri are forms of characters that we like and were from our childhood.

I have no idea why the Mask of Life changed them dramatically rather than upgrading them or just make them adapt to underwater, though. Maybe when the first Toa who used the Mask, who had the Toa team, the Mask remembered the team, so the Mask changed the Toa Inika to have the same armor and masks as the first Toa’s team? That’s what I’m always thinking. I also don’t know why the Mask turned Dekar into Hydraxon and make him think that he’s the real Hydraxon. Shouldn’t the mask just heal him. If it would turn Dekar into Hydraxon, should the mask also not make Dekar think that he’s the real Hydraxon?

 

I like the underwater theme in the storyline, anyway, too. Plus, the commercials in 2007 are epic, I love the animation (that’s from Ghost).

Edited December 20, 2017 by Lenny7092