BIONICLE Retrospective: Bara Magna (2009-2010)

[@Lavapasta]

ITS GENERATION 2 TIME - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKeXqWWthLV9j9k

[@edwardgrijalba744]

Dude thanks for making this video, it was so perfect, beautiful and epic. The story, the lore it was fantastic. Bionicle will always be a great childhood memories.

[@Lavapasta]

@@edwardgrijalba744 the bara magna video or the generation 2 video?

[@edwardgrijalba744]

@@Lavapasta G1 Bionicle from 2001 and 2010. So much history with this series.

[@Lavapasta]

​@@edwardgrijalba744 cool, i was just a little confused because the above comment is promoting my gen 2 video so i wasnt sure if you were talking about my new video or this bara magna one

[@edwardgrijalba744]

@@Lavapasta it's all good man, I just hope for the future that one day a cartoon series will be focusing only the original G1 Bionicle story and lore.

[@gorthauer2679]

Actually there was a reason for the Skrall to want to take over, it's just not mentioned in the movie. What initially destroyed Spherus Magna was the finding of energized protodermis in the deep layers of the planet, which led to war to control and harvest it, the Great Beings tried to stop thw war by constructing the Battera: shapeshifting robots that would attack and kill anyone holding a weapon. The Great beings only started experimenting with giant robots after the Battera failed and the planet's destruction was unavoidable. After Spherus Magna fell apart a certain amount of Batteras remained on the planet, particularly in the mountainous regions where the Skrall lived. Because the Skrall had a warrior culture they would never let go of their weapons and essentially be murdered indiscriminately by the Battera, because of that the Skrall had to leave the mountains which led them to the territories controlled by the other tribes which, in a way, ofrced them to conquer and subjugate. After seeing the length of this explanation I can see why it wasn't mentioned in the video.

[@TN05-pg6qc]

The crazy thing is the novels do EXACTLY what The Legend Reborn fails at. Tuma is a smart, intelligent leader, the Rock Tribe only invade because they are being driven from their homeland, and the Agori have genuine conflict (Raid on Vulcanus, where the Glatorian have to work together to beat back the Bone Hunters).

[@Existential_Tempest]

BIONICLE's setting is the first complex fictional world that I've ever had the privilege of entering and, to this day, from the Xenoblade series to the books of Brandon Sanderson, it is still depth, breadth and interconnectedness of lore that draw me most to works. For that, BIONICLE, I thank you. Your legend lives on.

[@Unkle_Genny]

Hey hey, Bionicle was the first complex fictional world I was introduced to as well!

[@jacoba6747]

If you think about it, Xenoblade and Bionicle are super similar

[@f00lish_commentator8]

@@jacoba6747 Yeah. Giant robots with people living in them. A being created from an ancient artefact that's integral to the universe in some way. A guy with a sword (Which can really be anyone) fights the bad guy

[@AxelonIV]

"It also inspired a generation of artists, character designers and storytellers" that's why I'm studying game design and programming to make a videogame with heavy Bionicle inspiration, trying to evoke the beautiful sense of mystery ongoing especially in the first three years it's gonna be a challenge for me.

[@hammerhorn5212]

That was beautiful 😢😭 I’ll miss you bionicle 🥺🤚

[@schlionardo6524]

I'll too. My favorite sets are the glatorian. They was so cool. 😣

[@markusnavergard2387]

gone, but never forgoten

[@Luka1180]

Yes, G1's story universe deserves to be brought back. Korra did it for Avatar, Transformers G1 comics did it for TF G1 but made it actually non-goofy and serious (producing the best TF stories that exist, nay, *could* exist), Star Trek has done it multiple times, Star Wars did it (though I mostly like the side story movies). And more has done it. And they do it without being totally bogged down by past stories, although I am sad that Star Wars ignored almost ALL the EU. BIONICLE G1 could get the same treatment. I am sure it would be successful too!

[@popsteliana8169]

Same here...same here....😔🙁😭

[@Matoro0902_The_Wise]

@@popsteliana8169 we all have one more chance to revive it

[@JJAG3]

*Lego produces fragile action figure* *toys sell poorly because of it most likely* Lego: “well the fans must be uninterested time to cancel it”

[@DoomguyIsGrinningAtYou.]

Ikr. The DAMN JOINTS KEEP BREAKING!

[@popsteliana8169]

...

[@popsteliana8169]

Well i will have them all on shelf wishing lego will boeing back bionicle..

[@plushiesdx]

Didn't even the ones that sold well break?

[@nikajinpusno9563]

@@plushiesdx They did, but very rarely. You'd have to disassemble them about 100 times before the socket joints could brake, compared to only a few times before they cracked from 2008 onwards. Although there was the mystery of the easily cracked Hahli Mahri joints in 2007, but I assume that was just a manufacturing error, because all the other sets were just fine.

[@commando6683]

I’m not going to lie, the Bara Magna era was my introduction to Bionicle. I will miss Bionicle

[@neilpatrickmoya9729]

@Commando 66 we all will miss bionicle

[@cookiesontoast9981]

My introduction was Mistika, then I looked back and got into Mata and Nuva then continued through the years. To me Mistika, Mata and Inika/Piraka are my most nostalgic, the Inika are ones I ALWAYS!! wanted but didn't get until I was much older, I watched their content and played Bionicle Heroes all the time though so even though I didn't have the sets I still spent a lot of my childhood loving the Inika and Piraka. I've only just recently picked up the book series and reading through them currently, having a blast seeing the story that I always wanted to know more about, as kid I desperately wanted to know more and more about the Bionicle world, characters and stories but I actually wasn't aware that there were books or comics on the series, I just watched the trailers a fuck ton and also fan animations and the online interactive games and stuff, and of course I saw the movies but the first movie is the only one I ever owned on DVD so it's the only one I ever rewatched.

[@kanewarburton8088]

See I tagged along in 2008 when I was 5 years old on holiday in Spain, I saw a few Lego sets that looked really cool and upon request, my mum got me the orange and white matoran, along with the corrupt red one. And that's where it kicked off!

[@bionicleocculusstudio2515]

Me too, Ackar was my first and favorite bionicle character/set. I loved him so much I made a revamp of him.

[@maverickthefallen4673]

It was mine as well! I watched The Legend Reborn on TV on a Friday, and I was enthralled by it! Best introduction ever!

[@MarioAtheonio]

I was always unsure of how 2009 was handled, but considering what they had to work with (including the budget), the Mata Nui Saga was a very effective way to end the story.

[@SpacklerStudios]

I actually really liked Bara Magna. 2009, specifically the summer half, got me into the franchise. Mata Nui was the first set I got firsthand, and is still my favorite set. I'll admit, the Legend Reborn has many flaws, but I still find it enjoyable in certain places and bland in others and it was the movie that I wanted to see the most as a kid for 2009 but never got it until 2011-12. Seeing the ending still makes me wish 2010 had a movie to cap off the story of Bionicle and I have LEGO to thank for creating this theme and getting me and many other people to create our own stories and characters with the system and some managed to weave theirs almost seamlessly into the main canon of the story

[@TheCartoonCatastrophe]

As someone who grew up loving Bionicle and the lore this video means a lot to me

[@dashroyer7249]

*Mata Nui gets up to address the Agori about the real villainous threat* "So basically, we live in a society"

[@August18-24]

i hope that lego sees how much we love bionicle and brings the series back but if that wont happen then atleast we can make our own stories of bionicle

[@gaigzean]

Yeah but G2 sucked ass, i would like it to come back but not like G2 lol

[@RiggedDynamo]

This video made me realize how well Halo, my favorite game franchise of all time, music fits with Bionicle. Thank you for that.

[@NeilReviews]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I remember it being very satisfying to see this series come to an end (even if they did bring it back a few years later).

[@andreworders7305]

6:17 so how did everyone avoid dying when the robot that made up all the islands stood up?

[@legodavid9260]

Glad to finally see someone present Bionicle to people who aren't familiar with it. Thanks a lot for making this video!

[@neilpatrickmoya9729]

As someone who was born in 2009 you just made me sad because i was born in one of the last years of bionicle and also remember gen 1 bionicle will live forever in our hearts ❤❤❤

[@KIO_moe]

Appreciate the Gundam IBO Sandy Desert OST.

[@김주연-v8o]

Thank you for your great, so useful, knowledgable movie. I’ve also missed the bionicle.

[@joshuamccue2062]

THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME! I feel your love for everything Bionicle, and it is infectious!

[@HighLordOfHouseIX]

Thank you for this. So so much. ❤️ a great reflection on what made my childhood

[@RiderAerix]

Nice use of the Gundam IBO OST in the beginning

Great video. May the Unity, Duty and Destiny be with you.

[@TheSynthPunk]

I'm still a bit sad that Greg didn't continue with the story updates, but the man wasn't even paid and did this out of his own enthusiasm. Even though he took the story in a weird direction sometimes, he still has my respect. So, should we expect to see your stance on G2?

[@Lavapasta]

I really like the 2015 winter wave so yes, someday when I have time for it. Before then I want to also make an HD remaster of my first Bionicle retrospective.

[@TheSynthPunk]

@@Lavapasta Great! Keep it up, doing Mata Nui's work here.

[@tobiaskofod5435]

I still a bit disapointed that we didn't get a movie about the last battle between Mata Nui and Makuta

[@omegasauce6172]

Mad respect for using the Halo OST

[@TenKromDTX]

10:28 I tought you were going to say "Each set sold separately" xd

[@OverlyPositiveFanboy]

Now here was my serious collecting days. I have everyone except the titans and the '09 Skrall. However, this collecting habit only started in the summer, probably motivated by the Mata Nui set.

[@marcelb2788]

That Halo soundtrack in the background tho. It definitely fits

[@drewkomodo243]

They are living elemental robotic souls

[@popsteliana8169]

Who my bad btw this was..This was beautifull i cryed

[@roccotherayquaza2468]

If I remember correctly there was supposed to be another wave where Mata Nui and some of the other Glatorian head to the jungle moon of Bara Magna and encounter giant prehistoric like animals (I don’t think they called them rahi) but I think that would have been interesting to see.

[@Awakeningspirit20]

Love your analysis. I think that the effects of Bionicle, Avatar, and other lines from the 2000s are going to have a profound effect on the future through the minds of the millennials that grew up with them. It's amazing how almost all the most popular animes/shows, toy lines, etc. in the 2000s involved heavy topics, elements, spirituality, mysticism; this has shaped perhaps one of the most thoughtful and spiritual generations seen since the 1960s. I wouldn't be surprised if Bionicle ends up getting rebooted a third time, and in its former glory, ten or twenty years in the future. 2009 and 2010 probably shouldn't have happened, since 2008 was allegedly the Final Battle and I was ready for the grand finale at that point. It pains me to say that though, because 2009 gave us the best builds of all time in my opinion and certainly some badass vehicles. 2006-2008 were the most in-depth and dark years of Bionicle, in true Bionicle fashion. Good vs. evil, shadow vs. light, etc. But 2009 felt oddly NOT Bionicle if you read the novels. The novels might as well have been set on Earth in ancient Mesopotamia; tribesmen armed only with weapons, fighting in the arena, going to war over resources, and the plot of the story being strung around the trade water and goods was very, very human. The Legend Reborn was almost like a parody version of previous Bionicle movies, with the shitty plotline, the good vs. evil tropes, the constant buzzword of "toa" being thrown around out of context, and the bizarre use of a 'cute' bug to appeal to really little kids. It dragged on and on and then was rushed, when Mata Nui and Ackar somehow manage to convince a 100,000-year-old society built on war and gladiator fighting to instantly give up their system and unite in just one speech. How do they beat the army? Mata Nui yells "UNITY!" and everyone throws their weapons together, as the super-friends, and blast the entire army into the dirt. There were a ton of holes in the plot of The Legend Reborn and not much was clear about that ending; I really didn't see a robot and didn't even know there was a second robot until I read the story serials. Then 2010, which should have been the best year by far, needing to top 2008 if that was even possible, was rushed and only lasted a few months, mostly through story serials and the Mata Nui Saga. But, you're right, it's good it happened and we didn't end up like Samurai Jack fans and have to wait a generation (or not) to get a conclusion. Now I have a theory about 2010 and how it actually was not a bad approach or plot, but could have obviously been executed better. I get it though, Lego rushed it just like Nick rushed Korra season 4. But 2010 should have first off have been in two waves, not one, like any other year. The Stars were not actually a bad idea; adding new characters at this point wouldn't be necessary when you have 9 years to work with. But instead of being chibi versions of our heroes and villains, they should have actually been upgraded masterpieces. The pieces from Hero Factory and Bionicle G2 could have been pioneered then, which would have made Hero Factory much more successful coming out of the gate as well once it inherited the builds. Gears could have been paired with articulation like in G2. The joints could have been fixed (basically the Hero Factory blocky hands would have replaced the skinny ones). You could even keep the same characters in the first wave, but in the second wave balance out the elemental/color representation on both sides, hero and villain. A while ago I listed my pick for the second wave, 'Star Legends,' as Bone Hunter, Vorox, and Barraki (Kalmah) as the villains while Hahli, Matau, and Vezon could have been the heroes (in the story serials, Vezon by no means became 'good,' but was being employed BY the good guys, so Vezon would have been a wild card in the story and likely would have joined whichever side was winning in the moment). Then, we would have some of the best battle vehicles yet! They all would have been designed by the Great Beings, but one is based on Bara Magna and the other three in the Matoran Universe. They would be based around some of the legendary Kanohi (time and creation) and also light. Bara Magna's would have been a giant land-cannon on treads, while the other three would have been flight vehicles like 2008 ones. Finally, both the Great Spirit Robot (Makuta) and the prototype robot (Mata Nui) should have been released as the largest, most expensive titan sets ever released! The Golden Armor could have even been kept (just give it a better name than 'golden armor'), just contextualized and serialized better. With that, I would have been, as in 2008, satisfied and ready to put Bionicle to rest. But the abrupt and shitty ending to the story that helped define my childhood really messed me up. It's one of many things in my life that went horribly wrong for me in 2009-2010.

[@Atriox2004]

Love the Halo 3 soundtrack. Quite fitting background music.

[@augusthasani6588]

I was just happy to have new recolored parts

[@xXSonyKilerXx]

Glatorian was one of the best in my opinion, got super hyped when i got Mata Nui, too bad i threw away all my lego when i was 13

[@WakoDoodle]

If bionicle ever returned I honestly hope it's not a reboot or an exact sequel; but a new narrative in the same world. It would allow more creativity while not limiting them to what was already made. I say this because many want it back. To not live in it's past shadow or to ruin it's history; but to tell it's own in a world yet to be expanded. Who knows what other planets are out there?

[@crontelly2112]

I like how this guy tries to stay mostly positive

[@quinmatthew1]

The mahri release was when I first got into it, I bought at least one set from each subsequent season after that

[@emenefer]

I still don't know why the teaser for Glatorian had Matoro in it. What a tease.

[@johncreator3212]

Bionicle will be missed

[@Sir_knight_trooper]

Dead it may be to all outside its grasp but in our hearts it is more than alive more than plastic parts more than what some can ever imagine

[@sewisinc.4545]

Oh, boy! I didn't notice this one was out too!! Awesome!!

[@sewisinc.4545]

Really really nice last lines for the last video in this retrospective series. Great job summarizing Bionicle. It wasn't an easy task. PS: thanks for mentioning the brittleness of the socket joint pieces. The new mold has been one heck of a problem ever since its debut.

[@Lavapasta]

@@sewisinc.4545 RIP to all my glatorian hands, but thank god for the CCBS versions that have stronger joints. Also, don't speak too soon on this being the last vid... I still have yet to talk about 2015-2016. :)

[@sewisinc.4545]

@@Lavapasta I have been suffering the broken pieces since I got my Hahli Mahri in 2007 so it's an long illness, haha. I am not too fond of the CCBS but I have to admit that the joints are stronger, yeah. True. I forgot about that. I am so unattached to the G2 lore and it's so much simpler than I sometimes forget it even had.

[@Lavapasta]

@@sewisinc.4545 Yeah, CCBS might be a little too removed from the Technic pin connections of Bionicle G1, but I do like the introduction of smaller shoulder & arm pieces, and how the focus on ball joints give the figures more articulation. If anything, I consider it to be the best thing that came out of Hero Factory.

[@sewisinc.4545]

@@Lavapasta Yeah, I think it's the best thing HF had to offer, mainly because since there's so much focus on the ball joints, they should, in theory, be stronger. On the other hand, I still prefer the more technic-like design, even if there was more of the Inika build than anything else in the later years (I had no problem with that though). Call me old school, haha.

[@apachegaming255]

True fact the socket joints in the hands, arms, & ankle joints were far to brittle and not so durable where as the socket joints in the previous sets were very durable. I had a Zaktan upper arm piece break after a matter of months. And the Hero Factory limb pieces use from the Ordeal of Fire series to the Brain attack series were very durable only one broke I think after a couple of years. Bionicle will never be forgotten in my heart it’s inspired me to make my own storylines with the creations my brother and I made and with the actual sets that were released.

[@ianbrennan9635]

BIONICLE: 2001 - Forever.

[@ColdGoldLazarus]

I loved these retrospective videos! I definitely understand if you want to stop here, but I would be interested in seeing your thoughts on G2...

[@Lavapasta]

I too am interested in seeing my thoughts on G2 put into video form for this series as well. I'm thinking of titling it something like "Bionicle Retrospective: Rebirth (2015-2016)" when I find the time to make it a reality.

[@ColdGoldLazarus]

@@Lavapasta Sweet! Looking forward to it ^_^

[@Lavapasta]

IT'S TIME kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKeXqWWthLV9j9k

[@ColdGoldLazarus]

@@Lavapasta Sweet, thank you!

[@freddoesvox9033]

It does sadden me how lego dont acknowledge just how much bionicle helped them out. Its like they just kicked it to the curb and forgot about it

[@klipsfilmsmelbourne]

Hand pieces that were based on the movies and bionicle heroes video game

[@itamarstaroselski4094]

I’m old

[@reyestwilight1600]

Thats funny the only parts ive had brake are the skulls! Arms legs and some of the ankle parts.

[@bjanes4766]

Is that Gundam music I hear?

[@Lavapasta]

yes

[@thorthanpill3504]

This video is great.

[@Tron89000]

this is when i was given my first bionicle

[@Ghost-ql3hl]

Honestly I liked the movie because they actually had a bit of sword fighting. I always hated in the first three movies how they never really fought. Idk I’m just a sucker for a bit of hood action

[@catpin]

I love Bioncle toys

[@Luka1180]

The Miramax movie designs are closer to canon than the actual sets are. Though should've looked more like the sets still. They canonically have the heartlights and muscle parts, for instance.

[@theicon0168]

Is that gundam iron blooded orphans ost & halo ost

[@Lavapasta]

yes

[@benfostersworldofwonder8226]

Bionicle The Legend Reborn was supposed to be the start of a second Bionicle film trilogy that got cancelled when the franchise got axed. I think that's the reason for the movie's lack of urgency and tension other than it being ''made for kids''.

[@theadmiralyt1574]

4:32 is that a proto surge on the left!?!?

[@Mr.HeisenbergTheCook]

Would be epic if there had been an endgame like ending with all the Toa teams uniting with the Matoran, Agori, Glatorians and Rahi to fight off Makuta's army of evil one last time. End it on some Lord of the Rings scale clash once and for all 😁

[@spikeshepard1897]

I never understood why Tahu returned to his original mata form?

[@endertoa248]

Are you also going to review Bionicle's 2015 reboot??

[@legoawcstopmotioner9435]

If you like it, that's fine. But I personally don't consider that Bionicle. But that's just my opinion.

[@Lavapasta]

Yes I am, here's the link to it kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKeXqWWthLV9j9k

[@legoawcstopmotioner9435]

Come my friends. New and old. It is time to begin.

[@Yemshauno]

I had all these

[@DCUniverse816]

I think that Miramax meant to keep the Bionicles in their movies from looking like Legos because they aren’t toys in those movies (like how Buzz isn't a toy in Lightyear)

[@RandomGiProduction]

Are you gonna go into the Gen 2 reboot in 2015??

[@Lavapasta]

Here you go- kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKeXqWWthLV9j9k

[@RandomGiProduction]

Lavapasta HELL YEAH

[@catpin]

And don't forget limb joints.

[@bionic-tale4313]

Its been awhile since you upload a video about Bionicle. Nice video though😊.

[@magma41158]

The Glatorians are organic beings. I think about this alot

[@keolatakamori6132]

anyone else notice the halo theme at the end ?

[@dygooder]

Maybe LEGO should make a completely new universe,new characters ect it might stay around for a bit longer? I don’t know it could happen

[@sdFreerey]

Ninjago?

[@dygooder]

Freerey noooo Bionicle

[@nidnoms3622]

yeah the main problem with 2006-2010 was the fragile parts, like when i first got Kina one of her limb pieces broke literally hours after completing her, very anoying

[@shum8104]

like most people you are absolutely wrong about TLR. Possibly the best of the bionicle movies.

[@Lavapasta]

that's a funny way to spell BIONICLE: Mask of Light

[@willie2688]

snif you will be remember bionicle

[@schlionardo6524]

On the Lego page lego ideas is a vote of bionicle. If we smash 10000 subs. Bionicle will get a third generation. 8800 subs

[@deetay59]

Do the reboot next

[@kanewarburton8088]

No one: Me during this video: "BYE BYE!!!! BABYLON!!!!! 🎵🎶🎵🎶"

[@paraierchestevmnsiem522]

8:55 ,Cought Cought *Marendar unit* Cought Cought

[@selemanstudios6991]

Was ist denn überhaupt mit Lego Bionicle jetzt endlich passiert die Figuren gibt's ja nicht mehr

[@benfostersworldofwonder8226]

Fun fact: The Skakdi's name is Nektann

[@kasztan1546]

8:58 Halo theme :D

[@nikajinpusno9563]

Does anyone actually know why Lego started making these thinner socket joints from 2008? Coz to me it just seems like a really crappy way to save money on manufacturing cost. Either that or a way of making more money out of more spare parts due to fragile joints.

[@nikajinpusno9563]

@Katie Lewis That could be a reason

[@Jaxophone1337]

dude why do you have like the exact same taste in music as me

[@guardiansparky1766]

This was an arc....that's all I have to say about it

[@RaptorofRex07]

Fun fact the great beings are Glatorian

[@catalinaalbu1756]

SIA LAITER BINOCLE😭😭😭😔😢

[@pinbox5814]

Oh, Mata nui a real one, fr fr.

[@toalesovikk7168]

The Legend Reborn was not direct to video.

[@dashroyer7249]

So basically, they threw Mata Nui into a society... sounds like Joker to me

[@gabemarkwald]

I miss bionicles, also first

[@alyxburton3245]

Ok this was my favorite part of the bionicles. Pretty sure I have the full set, although now dismantled

[@ToaGelu23]

To this day I feel sad about NO action taking place on Bota Magna.... The original Bionicle finished soooo quickly and rapidly and the last wave of Bionicle G1 was soooooo dissapointing :(

[@Luka1180]

I'd say it is Avatar combined with Transformers and Power Rangers, and yet its very own thing still.

[@popsteliana8169]

WHY else remembers teridax's betrayal

[@fernandoorozco5968]

they are biomechanical beings

[@Awakeningspirit20]

I think Bionicle should have ended in 2008, given how sales fell and the plans didn't work. If it kept going, I wish they thought ahead better. The early 2009 Glatorian were the best canister sets we ever got in my opinion. We went from the high-stakes Ignition trilogy and went into a smooth, controlled landing into a new world. It had potential, but I feel like got 'hijacked' or lost halfway through. People like to use the movie as a scapegoat, and I feel like that's a major part of it but that there's more to it than that. No one was angry about the 'soft reboot' in late 2008. People were excited! I remember looking at these new, literally alien sets and being SPELLBOUND! We went in Ignition from a 'medieval' year of "knights vs. thug-monsters" to a deep sea world to an airborne one... but in 2009 we went back to a set base without a set theme and... it worked. Like, really well! They weren't even desert-themed, but just hardcore warriors and it really got us excited. A huge appeal was that we couldn't tell the heroes from the villains in early 2009, with Gresh and Tarix being the closest things to heroes. But then the summer came. The builds were much less appealing, with easily-MOCable Ackar and Gelu, but the major appeal being MATA NUI himself being a set after 9 years! Now the reason for this world being here made more sense but was... strange. Off. We all imagined Mata Nui as a set would come down in a fiery, light-stricken spectacle during an apocalyptic battle against Makuta as, perhaps, the largest TITAN set of all... but instead he's a canister set, with the Mask of Life no less, with no powers, in a world that is not his own. It was both perplexing and irksome. By this point we began to understand that Bara Magna was, effectively, the graveyard of the Great Beings and that was the purpose of the story's continuation. There was some kind of origin narrative to this place, where the robot perhaps came from and there is SOME sort of connection between it and these... humanlike gladiator-people. There was also something very alluring about the Skrall as well, with their shield pattern becoming the background emblem for summer sets. Whatever is going to come of this year, it. Will be. BIG. And then came the movie. ... Yeah. We could overlook the many glaring, non-canonical errors in it. The stupid humor. The 'cute bug'. All of it. Because we freaking have another Bionicle movie and it has MATA-FUCKING-NUI as the protagonist! But then came the ending. And... THE ending. Some of the end parts I honestly thought were fan-made. Wait, there IS a traitor? It's METUS?! (Aw, come on, Metus was my first set!!!). The all-powerful Skrall, most importantly, went down like dominos on short notice. Now, mind you, after dealing with the likes of the MAKUTA last year, going to powerless sets was enough of a crash already, but at least the Skrall looked cool... but then for them to become these shrieking, voiceless savages after those awesome comics at the beginning of 2009?! And to just run off, after Mata Nui and Co.'s "Super-Friends" show?! And then the unrealistic hauling of the village 'shells' (why?) together (by the way, there were no 'shells' in the comics. No robot pieces.). It was like this movie's narrative hijacked the ACTUAL narrative of these scrap-metal villages into being villages tucked into fragments of robot, and then the robot came together. BUT, I had no idea at the end of the movie that that was a robot. It didn't LOOK like one. It wasn't even fully-connected, if anything it looked like a skeletal mass or a fossil loosely-placed together. Literally a month after this movie, we learn the devastating news that Bionicle is actually CANCELLING out of the blue. Like a year into this new narrative that's already ruined as it is. 2010 will be a rushed sham of a plot, essentially borrowing the same allure of 2008 (ok, it's THE Makuta, singular, this time, and we're going to go to great lenghts to bring back the whole "Mata Nui's Brother" label... oh, and we're going to try and drown out your tears with a smorgasbord of nostalgia-porn (TOA Tahu, yes, of 2001, TAKANUVA, 'PIRAKA' (yo-yo!),... RAAAAAAHKSHIIIIII (it's just like Mask of Light!!!)). No, not even a 'collectables' plot being brought back will make this ok. Especially if you call it "GOLDEN ARMOR," it's like we're already in the bastardized 2015 'plot' at this point. But, to be fair, they worked through Lego's selfish greed and pulled it off... this wasn't some Samurai Jack letdown where we had to wait like more than a decade for a conclusion. We got it, Makuta got mooned, Mata Nui completed his destiny (I think), and everyone lives happily ever after... BUT WAIT, that dead horse isn't done being beaten yet!!! Yep, Greg just can't hold back, and is going it alone. If you thought the 2009 plot backstory was hard enough to follow when all this shit was actually canon and supported by Lego, marketed, etc, you ain't seen nothing yet. And thus began about a year of... let's just say 'weird shit.' Yeah, about as weird as it can be. Where it's so hard to keep track of that you just give up and decide to watch the Hero Factory 'Power Rangers' shows and pretend that you like it. Something about Velika being a Great Being, the Red Star being some sort of purgatory-spaceship where dead Bonks go to become zombies, and some incoming civil war between Great Beings being hinted at, with all sorts of characters you've never heard of nor really want to mixed in the bag. So that was 2009- I guess... mid-2011? guys. Oh, by the way, we're going to half-ass it in a few years when y'all start college #2015, make sure you GIVE US SOME MORE MONEYYYYY! The only way I let this be ok is by my efforts at cleaning up that mess with my own fan-fiction about those Bara Magna years. It was supposed to be like 2009-2012, and that's what I'm going for. I already have plotlines and some sets constructed, hope I manage to pull it off!

[@agent_red108]

Not rock tribe scrull and bone hunters and glatorians fight to setle problems

[@pandagamer-hg5be]

And then they tried and failed to revive it in 2016

[@MahriBlade]

wouldn't avatar be like bionicle because bionicle came first