Before we get into the lore today I’d like to make a quick guide for y’all.

So on the last BIONICLE Random Set of the Day @fakespacesquid asked if there was anywhere they could read the complete BIONICLE lore. Other people in the comments already gave both the suggestions I would have, but I figure I should throw my two cents in the matter for anyone interested in starting it.

First off, if you aren’t sure about reading BIONICLE my 1 recommendation is to play the Mata Nui Online Game. While Flash is no longer supported, a downloadable version is still available and playable from Biomedia Project right here: https://biomediaproject.com/bmp/play/web-games/mnog/ . MNOG is one of the best pieces of media BIONICLE ever produced, and while the first few chapters are a bit rough once you hit Po-Koro or Onu-Koro it becomes the most beautiful Flash game I’ve ever seen. It really helps build the sense of mystery and intrigue that kept BIONICLE going. If you love it you’ll love the rest of the franchise, and if you don’t BIONICLE is probably not right for you.

If you just want to read through the full story my first recommendation is the BIOLOGICAL CHRONICLE by TuragaNuva available here: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25420-biological-chronicle-the-complete-bionicle-collection/ . They’ve collected every piece of readable BIONICLE media (books, comics, serials, young readers, ect.) and compiled them in best reading order, alongside links to video based content in some chapters, and then divided them into 10 books based on the story years (also available as 1 mega document.) It’s worth noting the works have also been slightly altered from their original versions, such as the Shadow Toa fight being replaced with the Story Bible version and a fan made novelization of MNOG 2 has been included. Several alternate versions of the books are available, cutting out the more unnecessary fluff content like story serials or aforementioned fan made content.

My next recommendation is https://wallofhistory.com . Similar to the aforementioned pdfs, Wall of History aims to compile every chapter of every piece of BIONICLE media in best reading/watching order, but with a few different tactics. Rather than compiling everything into a PDF, each chapter/entry is given its own separate page. When first visiting the site you can go to a settings page and click check marks for which pieces of BIONICLE media you do and don’t want included in your readthrough, and after finishing a page you can skip straight to the next included entry. The site even contains playable versions of some video games and watchable videos/animations, right there on the site, no external links necessary. Unlike BIOLOGICAL CHRONICLE, Wall of History doesn’t include fan rewrites (that I know of) but that also means that grammar and spelling errors haven’t been corrected from the original text. More purist, but less canon, if you will. If I recall correctly, there’s even an option for the website to bookmark your page and take you straight to what you last read every time you visit, but I’m not sure how it’s activated.

You’ve probably noticed with those two entries I’ve said some “unnecessary” content can be included or excluded, and I’m sure you’re wondering what I mean by that. BIONICLE was BIG, but it also had a lot of worldbuilding. The main BIONICLE story was contained with the 29 Chapter Books that told you the overall plot, and each of them is only about 100 pages long with a large font. The Comics were more of a secondary story, either retelling events from the Books in a visual format or telling side-battles/adventures that had little impact on the main story progression. The Story Serials were tertiary stories, designed to help build the background world and keep fan favorite characters revelevent after LEGO stopped selling their toys. There’s also things like Young Readers novels, Online Animations, a ton of Videogames (but only like 4 or 5 of them are canon,) and 4 Movies (all of which have novelizations.) Most of this content is supplementary, and if you *jus

You’ve probably noticed with those two entries I’ve said some “unnecessary” content can be included or excluded, and I’m sure you’re wondering what I mean by that. BIONICLE was BIG, but it also had a lot of worldbuilding. The main BIONICLE story was contained with the 29 Chapter Books that told you the overall plot, and each of them is only about 100 pages long with a large font. The Comics were more of a secondary story, either retelling events from the Books in a visual format or telling side-battles/adventures that had little impact on the main story progression. The Story Serials were tertiary stories, designed to help build the background world and keep fan favorite characters revelevent after LEGO stopped selling their toys. There’s also things like Young Readers novels, Online Animations, a ton of Videogames (but only like 4 or 5 of them are canon,) and 4 Movies (all of which have novelizations.) Most of this content is supplementary, and if you *just* want the main plot you don’t need to read/watch them.

Think Star Wars. You don’t need to see Rogue One to understand A New Hope, and for BIONICLE you don’t need to read Destiny War to understand Legends 11, but in either case the bonus entry gives hardcore fans extra context and intruge to the situation. On the flip side, story serials like Destiny War and Reign of Shadows are often complex, featuring many interacting plot threads with a few dozen characters that end on cliffhangers only to be continued five chapters later, making them a bit of a confusing read. If you ever heard people say BIONICLE buckled under its own complexity, they’re usually talking about the Story Serials.

So for my own recommendation. I could go on a massive rant of what pieces of media I do and don’t recommend and the best order to view them, but that could take up an entire Brickset article in of itself, so here’s what I consider “necessary” to the main plot and the recommended read/watch order:
Chronicles 1, MNOG End Cutscene, Chronicles 2-5,
Adventures 1-4, Comic 21: Dreams of Darkness, Adventures 5-10,
Legends 1-11, The Rising (available as an animation or Story Serial, I recommend animation,)
The Crossing, Raid on Vulcanus, The Legend Reborn, Bara Comic 5: Valley of Fear,
Mata Nui Saga Chapters in the following order (3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 21, 22 , 23, 1, 2 ,5 , 6, 7, 11, 12,) Journey’s End Story Serial.

It’s also worth noting BIONICLE technically ended three times. The franchise was originally planned to run for 20 years, with 10 years on the Ocean Moon and 10 years on the Desert Planet and Jungle Moon. Sales started to dip around 2007-08 ish causing the first 10 years to be shortened to 8, and the last 10 years to be shortened to 2. This means that the 2009-10 BIONICLE content is considerably rushed compared to 01-08. While the 2010 ending is epic, it didn’t have the same build up and pazaz the 2008 one did. From 2011-2013 Greg Farsthy also started an epilogue for the franchise, but other commitments on Ninjago prevented him from continuing it so it was left on a cliffhanger. This means the 2013 ending is worse than the 2010 ending, and the 2010 ending is worse than the 2008 ending. I’d honestly recommend only reading up until The Rising to finish 08 and then stop, ‘cause that’s BIONICLE in its prime.

Okay now sit tight while I get these fella’s lore sorted out. They’re just Rahi so it should be easy.

I know that the Rahi were under the control of Makuta in the story, but LEGO was promoting animal violence. Well I guess, it was kind of more self-defense and protecting the Matoran, but you know, you gotta beat up the animals for their corrupted masks to fall off just so they'll become docile, and even then, they're still animals, their instincts might kick in and they'll still want to kill you. That's not their fault, that's just bio-mechanical nature. You got a problem with that, you take it up with the Great Beings, don't take it out on the animals.

Of the five Rahi sets released in 2001, this is the only one where the builds were identical. Also, one of them is purple. I hear the other one is not.

@PurpleDave said:
"Of the five Rahi sets released in 2001, this is the only one where the builds were identical. Also, one of them is purple. I hear the other one is not."

NO WAY!!

@PurpleDave said:
"Of the five Rahi sets released in 2001, this is the only one where the builds were identical. Also, one of them is purple. I hear the other one is not."

Those are some controversial statements there, man.

Nui-Jaga lore! (or, well...I guess its more of general Rahi and Makuta lore)

The exact origin and purpose of Rahi is unclear. Some believe they were designed to improve the illusion of the Matoran Universe and make it's people think they were on an actual planet. Some believe they were a series of experiments to try and irradiate the Zyglak scourge. Some say they were a defense measure to keep Matoran in their villages and hard at work. Perhaps, species by species, all are true.

Rahi (meaning "not us" in Matoran) is the name given to all wild animals and beasts in the Matoran Universe. Biomechanical creatures driven purely by instinct to survive. They range from the titanic Tahtorak to the miniscule Acid Fly, and much like wildlife on Earth each plays a part in the MU's vibrant ecosystems.

The first Rahi were created by the Great Beings. Massive monsters that lurked in the seas of the MU, dwarfing even the most impressive Matoran structures. As development continued Rahi became more controlled and specified, often still deadly but taking up little more room than most Sapients. Like all MU inhabitants, Rahi were unable to breed, so when the GSR was forced to launch early Mata Nui was put in charge of maintaining Rahi populations throughout the universe.

As years went on Mata Nui became more and more absorbed with his work studying the stars, and constantly tracking Rahi growth and deployment became tiresome. So Mata Nui cracked out some of the Great Beings early plans that were unfinished before the robot launched. The Makuta.

Most of the MU was constructed out of a versatile substance called protodermis, and energized pools of the substance were scattered throughout the universe. In addition to these, in the far south, the Great Beings placed just one pool of protodermis' counterpart. Antidermis. A viscous green fluid that churned with a sentience and mind of it's own. Mata Nui took this vile liquid, and formed and shaped it into muscles, bones, and vessels all contained within ebony armor. When his work was done 100 powerful warriors were born. The Makuta.

Makuta were powerful, practically gods in their own right, able to control everything from weather to wildlife. In truth, their powers were so grand many considered themselves "Brothers" of the Great Spirit. While the Makuta would have many roles throughout the MU's history one job remained since day one: the creation of Rahi.

Deep in their dark and twisted labs Makuta would stand before great vats of chemicals and viruses. They would mix flesh with machine, fuse bone to armor, and teleport beasts large and small into the wilds of the MU. Each Makuta had a passion, some loved reptiles, some birds, and some horrors unimaginable that they would pump out into the world. As time went on and boredom kicked in, they even developed new species, often more wicked and vile than the GBs had intended.

But the Makuta's work was thankless. While they maintained order around the MU, keeping hostile governments quelled, nature flourishing, and the people safe, the people ignored them. The Matoran praised the Great Spirit Mata Nui for his many gits to them, and treated their true benefactors as disguising creatures of the night who were to be feared and ignored.

Eventually, one Makuta had enough. Teridax, the shadowy overseer of Metru Nui. He staged a grand coup on the island of Destral and overthrew the Brotherhood's leader, the dragon like Miserix. Miserix was sealed away in an island far south, and his sympathizers were slain. No longer would the Makuta stand idly by while the Matoran enjoyed their gifts, they would overthrow Mata Nui and rule the universe!

Teridax's scheming eventually culminated in the Great Cataclysm. By inserting viruses into the Great Spirit's brain, the Makuta forced Mata Nui into an endless coma. The GSR crash landed on the ocean moon of Aqua Magna and quakes rocked the universe. Unfortunately for the shadowy titan, these earthquakes also tore apart the sea-wall around Metru Nui, creating new entrances to Teridax's own lair.

In the weeks that

In the weeks that followed various plans of Teridax took place in Metru Nui, most notably occupying the island with the vicious Visorak. The Visorak terrified the Rahi native to the city, and the wildlife fled the island. After racing through Maktua's own lair, these Rahi discovered passages to a mysterious island above, the tropical paradise of Mata Nui, and they emigrated en-mass to the ocean moon's surface.

But the Rahi weren't alone. Metru Nui's Matoran also fled to the island above. If Teridax was to rule the Matoran Universe, Metru Nui would need a workforce, and so the dark titan started a malicious scheme. He would fit the Rahi of the island with Infected Masks, terrible artifacts that left the wearers slaves the Makuta, even when the titan's own mind control powers weren't focused on you. For 1,000 years these mind-controled Rahi plagued the Matoran of Mata Nui, often attacking and raiding the villages to try and capture more intelligent minions for their dark lord.

These Rahi would, however, eventually receive a happy ending. When the Toa Mata arrived on Mata Nui they engaged in many battles with the Rahi, freeing them from Teridax's grasp. When the Bohrok hordes were unleashed on Mata Nui, the Rahi fled back through Makuta's lair and returned to the city of Metru Nui. When Makuta was finally killed and the GSR destroyed in Journey's End, the wildlife left the decaying robot to live on the planet of Spherus Magna.

Nui-Jaga (meaning "Great Scorpion" in Matoran) were one of the most populous species in the city of Metru Nui (and by extension the island of Mata Nui above.) While great, the beasts were also vile. With chittering screeches like broken glass their territorial packs would try to corner and trap prey before making the final blow. In addition to their massive claws, their powerful stingers were capable of firing venom from a distance to cover target's eyes and blind them, or could properly inject the often fatal toxin. Nui-Jaga were often hostile to Matoran even without Makuta's influence, which when combined with their great numbers made them and ideal part of Teridax's army.

There are at least two other closely related relatives to the Nui-Jaga. The much smaller Kofo-Jaga (Fire Scorpion,) and the even more massive Catapult Scorpion (who's Matoran name is unknown.)

While light blue and purple depicted here were the most popular color of Great Scorpions, they could more rarely be seen in yellow shells.

Fun fact, this set has alternate instructions to combine these two scorpions in the grand Kahu hawk!

Wait should I do the Kahu's lore too then? Okay, uhm,we'll make this quick. Gukko were giant bird-like Rahi ridden by the Matoran of Le-Koro to defend their village. One of the larger breeds was Kahu, a hawk like creature that created an energy membrane in its wings to fly. The most notable appearance of a Kahu was in the Mata Nui Online Game, where Kongu and Takua took flight on one to the tune of "Ride of the Valkyries" to try and free the rest of Le-Koro from a Rama-Hive.

@Norikins said:
" @GSR_MataNui
You had that ready to copy and paste, didn't you?
"
My first two comments were copy pasted, the second two I spent an hour writing.

You know what, just for the heck of it, I'll add how MU biology works here *just for you.* I need to take a break first so give me a few hours.

^
You should write a Brickset article on Bionicles!

This is incredible!

@GSR_MataNui technically Miserix just had a penchant for shapeshifting into reptilian creatures; that wasn't what he looked like all the time, at least not until he was imprisoned.

@Norikins I believe Roodaka has decorative armor plates on her chest, not anything that's meant to approximate breasts, at least not in story. I can't claim to know what was going through the minds of the designers. They're also placed rather high on her torso to be what many people seem to mistake them for. When I was younger I showed my mother a picture of Roodaka and told her what some people think about her design, and she told me that such a thought would never have crossed her mind had I not said anything about it. Bionicle Heroes' graphics also make the plates resemble add-ons to her armor as opposed to anything that's supposed to be part of her body.

As for biology in the Matoran universe, I believe the general idea is that the inhabitants are for the most part products of nanotechnology that approximates, in many ways, organic life from the planet of Spherus Magna. Matoran are modeled after Agori, Toa after the Glatorian species, etc. They do not reproduce, sexually or asexually, so far as was ever detailed in story, and even romance between them was decanonized partway through the theme's run. Rahi and other creatures were created by the Great Beings and later the Makuta using various materials, and there was a process for creating new Matoran that was never fully explained. The only thing I can really recall was that making new Matoran wasn't possible on the island of Mata Nui, but it was once the inhabitants returned to Metru Nui.

Of course, I imagine a lot of these concepts evolved over time, and weren't part of the initial concept that was dubbed Bionicle-maybe they would have called it something different if they'd known in advance.

A few things of note, I always think the Rahi were a descendant of the Competition theme. We can consider Bionicle 2001 the combination of Competition and Slizers.

Also, the Nui-Jaga function around a mechanical four bar linkage system as well, so some neat mechanical lessons in a punching scorpion toy. And yes I miss that 2001 shade of bright purple dearly.

@Norikins Alright here you go, biology of BIONICLE:

Let’s start off with the easy bit, why is the story called the “Biological Chronicle.” Long story short, the whole franchise is a metaphor for cancer. The Toa Canisters are pills, the Toa are medication/white blood cells, Makuta Teridax is a brain tumor, Metru Nui’s a brain, Karda Nui’s a heart, and the GSR/Mata Nui is the series creator Crhistain Faber. Only difference between Faber’s story and BIONICLE is that in BIONICLE, the cancer wins.

To get more specific, the first 8 years of BIONICLE take place inside of a gigantic robot. The story focuses on the “cells” of this robot attempting to repair it and keep it alive, so we are reading a “Chronicle” of a creature’s “Biology”

As for the in-universe biology, that’s a tad more complex. Most of this is coming from memory and my language when retelling BIONICLE is often colorful, but that’s just to make this as easy to understand as possible.

So, for a brief disclaimer before we begin, I’m not going to talk about the biology of *everything* here. Spherus Magna (2009-2010) and Gen 2 (2015-2016) have biologies more similar to Earth. Much like Earth with its Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, Plants, and Animals organisms in BIONICLE are varied. Some creatures in BIONICLE are completely organic (like Tren Krom or the Krana,) some are completely mechanical (like the Bohrok or the Vahki,) and some are made of antidermis not protodermis (like Makuta and Rahkshi.) There’s also Zyglak which is an entire ‘nother can of worms. Here I’ll just be focusing on the biomechanical inhabitants of the Matoran Universe, aka the Rahi and MU Sapient Species. But even still that’s like 90% of the characters in the franchise so that should do fine.

Part 1, Protodermis

Before we discuss ANYTHING related to bonks’ biology, we need to talk about Energized Protodermis first. Energized Protodermis is a mysterious magical substance in the BIONICLE world that has so many strange traits and powers that are so reality bending the series writer, Greg Farsthey, has said that any complaints about the series’ physics aren’t valid until we find EP in real life. But, I’ll try to summarize.

Energized Protodermis is a glowing, silvery liquid, with the power to transform both itself and others. If given the appropriate electrical or chemical signals, EP can be converted into an imitation of any other material. EP turned into water becomes Liquid Protodermis, EP turned to metal becomes Protosteel, EP turned into lava becomes Molten Protodermis, ect.

Converting EP into the desired substance is very easy, but converting one version of Protodermis to another is much more difficult. That said, it can be done by powerful forces with the appropriate combo of electric signals and chemicals. When it comes to living beings, this is a process called “mutation.” When mutated, various pieces of the subjects body, including metal and cells, are briefly turned back into a more fluid form similar to EP and resized or reshaped into a new form. This is how Matoran can become Toa and the like, their Protodermis is “recast” all on it’s own into a new body. Think caterpillar to butterfly just without the cocoon and it happens in five seconds.

Part 2, Organic vs Machine

So now, what ARE the MU inhabitants? They’re what the series likes to call “biomechanical.” “Biomechanical” basically means the same thing as “cyborg.” Something that has robotic parts, and organic parts. If you HAVE to differentiate between the two, a cyborg starts completely organic and is then given robotic implants, while a biomechanical creature is created with both. But most franchises choose one term or another. For an example of something else biomechanical, think the Combine from Half-Life.

As for BIONICLE specifically, Greg Farshtey says MU inhabitants are around 85% mechanical and 15% organic. Perhaps the most confusing part about BIONICLE anatomy is that the organic components aren’t needed for the creature to “live” but they are needed for it to move and interact with its environment. An MU inhabitant in a rough situation can simply shut down and let all of their organics decay. When the machine is reactivated it grows new vital organs, springs back to life, and then starts regrowing minor organs like skin. Similar to how Tardigrades dehydrate themselves in hostile conditions, but spring back to life when returned to water. The only time we really ever saw this happen was the Toa Mata, but still.

So what bits of Bonks ARE organic? Here’s what we know:

Lungs - MU inhabitants have lungs and/or gills that they need to breathe in order to provide oxygen to their other organics. If a Bonk goes too long without breathing they will pass out.

Blood - MU inhabitants have blood that helps pump oxygen from their lungs to other organic components. As far as I recall the only time we actually *see* blood is in the Barraki animation, but this is a kid’s franchise after all.

Muscles - The most prominent organic parts of Bonks are muscles and tendons. While characters often have gears and pistons to assist in movement, most of the finer motions are done with proper organic muscles. These are most often found in the limbs (like biceps) but the Marimax films also depicted characters with abdominal muscles.

Skin - As far as I recall skin is only flat out mentioned in Chronicles 1, but we also see it in the Hydraxon Comic on some fish. Most MU inhabitants have some form of skin covering parts of their body. Much like real life, this is likely to keep foriegn items and creatures out of the host’s body. In addition to skin, most Bonks have metallic armor plating. Sometimes this armor lies over the skin, sometimes the skin is embedded into it.

Digestive Tract - While the exact details are unknown, most MU inhabitants have a mouth, throat, and some form of stomach. This, however, is where biology differs most from Rahi and Sapients. Rahi will straight up eat things, chew and swallow, in order to gain nutrients. Most Sapients, however, find this process barbaric, and instead use special ports in the palm of their hands to absorb electricity and nutrients from held items. One notable exception to this rule is the Skakdi, who’s many barbaric behaviors include *gasp* swallowing meals - oh, how horrifying! Most feeding by BIONICLE characters is done through electricity, and the Matoran of Metru Nui held recharge events just once a year.

Heartlight - And lastly is the heartlight. This is simultaneously the most and least developed part of Bonk biology. All Matoran (and I’d assume other races) have a glowing port on their chest known as a heartlight. This heartlight blinks/flashes to show how fast the host is pumping blood. It blinks faster when excited, slower when calm, ect. Thing is, we have no idea what’s actually doing the pumping. It’s unclear whether Matoran hearts are organic, mechanical, or a combination. I’d assume a combination at least given it’s got a light bulb wired into it.

So what *isn’t* organic on MU inhabitants? Their brains are completely mechanical, computer like structures. They don’t have ears, instead they have audio receptors. Their eyes, in most cases, are also completely mechanical. Their skeletons are composed of metal instead of calcium. Most of their nervous system

So what *isn’t* organic on MU inhabitants? Their brains are completely mechanical, computer like structures. They don’t have ears, instead they have audio receptors. Their eyes, in most cases, are also completely mechanical. Their skeletons are composed of metal instead of calcium. Most of their nervous system seems to be wires, but this was never confirmed. And of course you’ve got that protosteel armor plating keeping everything safe.

Part 3, Sex and Gender

So now it’s worth discussion how sex and gender are calculated in the BIONICLE world. In the MU, gender is COMPLETELY based on personality and mental state. There are no phsycial sex differences between male and female Bonks, not even genetalia. Here on Earth we tend to conflate sex and gender, but since sex isn’t a thing in BIONICLE gender is entirely independent.

You mentioned before how you thought it was weird Roodaka had breasts? Those aren’t actual mammary glands! All Vortixx, whether male or female, have “boobs” and wear high heels. That’s just how the MU rolls!

So what does determine the gender of MU inhabitants? Their personality. You see, the Great Beings hailed from a patriarchal and rather sexist society. Most MU inhabitants were given personalities that would compliment their jobs, and so most MU inhabitants were given a male dominant lean thanks to many jobs being “manly” and a “manly” code being needed to complete it. For most species like Skakdi and Vortixx where both genders were deemed “acceptable” for a job this just created a slight difference in percentages. But for Matoran it was a completely different story.

You see, compared to other MU races, Matoran are often much more limited in what personality traits were deemed acceptable for a job, and given each elemental sub-species of Matoran was intended for a different job this caused specific Matoran tribes to be largely dominated by one gender. All Matoran of Fire are supposed to be male, all Matoran of Water are supposed to be female, ect.

Of course, things don’t always work out that way, and sometimes brains for a specific Matoran are “miscoded.” This can result in female Matoran of Fire or male Matoran of Water, for example. Unless you count Orde (who brought up the conversation but is a different situation) these trans-Bonks were never actually seen in the story, but Greg Farsthey has confirmed they can exist.

Genderless and Non-binary enties were also pretty common in the MU, such as Kiata or the Bohrok-Kal, but that’s delving into the categories I said I wouldn’t cover in the earlier disclaimer.

It’s worth noting that while the Great Beings sexism influenced the male lean in the MU, it did not fully instill another patriarchal society. Matoran show practically no signs of sexism towards each other (though racism is another story.) Vortixx are dominated by a matriarchy. While female Skakdi are less common than males, they are considered more savage and powerful by the males.

Part 4 Birth and Death

So before we begin our next session, I should properly explain the difference between the two most common forms of life in the MU. Rahi, and Sapient Species.

In short Sapients are any of the human-like members of the MU, with fully fledged languages, cultures, and societies. Rahi are the wildlife and animals of the MU. However, that’s not always the case. Some Spaients are pretty stupid, like Minion, or animal-like, like Primal. Some Rahi are human-like or even more intelligent than Sapients, like Keetongu. The true, most definitive split between Rahi and Sapients is whether or not they’re viable for resurrection on the Red Star. Sapients can be revived, Rahi cannot. We’ll discuss this more later.

I mentioned before that MU inhabitants completely lack genitalia, and so are unable to breed. So how are new inhabitants made? There are two main processes this is done by, Vats and Machines.

Vats are the more common and developed method so we’ll discuss them first. Vat creation works by a powerful entity using different chemicals and viruses to build organic and mechanical components out of protodermis in a large fluid tank. Once created, these organs and machinery are floated together and connected into the shape of the desired lifeform. Once complete the organism is removed from the Vat and activated. This process is most commonly done to create Rahi, though Sapients *can* be made with it as well.

People who use Vats include Mata Nui and the Makuta, who would create Rahi. Artakha also used Vats to create the Toa Mata, though he had help from the Great Beings. It’s also presumed this was the method the Great Beings used for their first few batches of organisms in the MU, though this is unconfirmed.

Next up are Machines. Yes, that’s the best name we’ve gotten for them. This method is considerably less developed, revealed in one or two posts by Greg Farsthey a few years after the franchise had ended. Basically, most villages and cities in the MU have an assembly line containing various organs and machinery, most likely housed in a place of great interest. Whenever new workers are needed for the village, the village leader (in Matoran’s case, a Turaga) visits the assembly line and orders new workers. These Machines then assemble a new member of the target Sapient Species and activate them. While Vats can be used for Rahi or Sapients, as far as we know Machines were only used for Sapients. These Machines were also sometimes upgraded or tampered with by their villages, most notably the Shadowed One’s species who would constantly tweak the assembly process and created a more physiologically diverse race.

Thanks to these processes, MU inhabitants (be it Rahi or Matoran) are created as fully functioning and knowledgeable adults. No children to raise and little learning curve to teach before they can head off to labor. (For another pop culture example, think the Gems from Steven Universe.) That’s not to say MU inhabitants can’t change, however. Select Matoran are “destined” to advance to the next stages in their life cycle of Toa and Turaga, and some Rahi such as Ussals will slowly grow and assemble mass over time.

But why would you need to create new Bonks? Why death of course!

For Rahi death is simple. You get killed, you’re done.* For Sapients though, it’s a bit more complex.

You see, in order to ensure resources weren’t wasted on new workers the Great Beings created a system located within the Red Star to help “recycle” dead Sapients. The long and short of the process was an organism would die, it would be teleported to the Red Star, the Red Star would repair and revive them, they’d be teleported back to the MU. Though the process was a tad more complicated.

There were three main criteria for an organism to be revived on the Red Star:
They must be of a Sapient Species
They must have died INSIDE of the Matoran Universe/Great Spirit Robot
Their brain must be intact and recoverable.

Does this mean Sapients are immortal? No. You get your head blown up, you’re dead. You get your circuits fried

Does this mean Sapients are immortal? No. You get your head blown up, you’re dead. You get your circuits fried by electricity, you’re dead. You get your atoms completely disassembled by teleportation or a shadow hand, you’re dead.

To further complications, the Red Star itself wasn’t designed very well. Around halfway through the MU’s existence the Red Star’s teleporter broke. While it could still bring corpses on board the ship, it couldn’t send the healed *back* to the MU. The Red Stars components were only intended to restore life, not maintain it and prevent additional decay, and the revival process often tampered with a person’s personality or memories. The end result was a space station full of zombies.

Now the whole Red Star revival system is probably one of the most controversial aspects of BIONICLE lore. See Greg Farsthey added that plot point out of nowhere in the 2013 serial The Powers That Be, several years after the line had officially ended. It was a widely criticized aspect of the franchise, as it cheapened the impact of death. Greg had other more zombie-like plans to make the station more nuanced in future serials, but never ended up writing them. Then again, the only notable death to be revived on the Red Star that really lessens its impact was Lihkan, others like Matoro and Nidhiki were permanent, but it’s still an odd story choice.

*It’s also worth noting that Rahi revival might actually be possible. Greg has never officially said it is, but if an MU inhabitant had enough knowledge of the Red Star I don’t see why they couldn’t visit a fresh Rahi corpse or a Sapient outside the MU and repair it themselves. If Star Wars Bacta Tanks can do all that healing, I can only imagine the aforementioned Vats are similar.

Now of course, there are other aspects of BIONICLE biology I haven’t discussed here. Kanohi Masks, Kiata Fusions, Elemental Powers, but all of those are more on the mythical side of their biology than the logistical side so we won’t get into them.

Can’t believe we’re getting this in-depth for the Nui-Jaga of all things. Not one of the big titans, not one of the more famous Toa, no it’s the scorpion beasts from year 1…

Remember that time when LEGO used to do more creative things with LEGO Technic instead of just Vehicles? I miss those days...
With Technic continually being one of their top selling LEGO themes, I am honestly surprised they have made no attempt to branch out into using the Technic system for other kinds of sets.

@GSR_MataNui said:
"The Comics were more of a secondary story, either retelling events from the Books in a visual format or telling side-battles/adventures that had little impact on the main story progression."
I feel obligated to point out that this is only true for the Mask of Light arc onward; in 2001 - mid-2003, the comics were the main consistent story material, since the novels of those years weren't released until later, were written by a different author to the rest of the story, and contain some discrepancies. To my mind, this makes the comics up to the the end of the Bohrok-Kal arc into what I would consider the more 'pure' way of consuming the printed story of those years ^^

@GSR_MataNui said:
"Most Sapients [...] instead use special ports in the palm of their hands to absorb electricity and nutrients from held items."
I don't doubt you, but could you point me in the direction of the source for that fact? It's one that I hear thrown around fairly often in the fandom, but no-one seems to know where it came from - even BS01 only has a [citation needed] in the instance where it mentions it - and I'd love to know where it originated! ^^

In any case, really nice write-up! That must have taken a whole ton of effort, and I applaud how thorough you made it :D

-

Back on topic re. the Nui-Jaga... they were my favourite Rahi design as a kid. So much so that I made the perhaps silly decision to buy them over 8538 when I unexpectedly found them in a local toy shop some years later, both reduced to the same price... which was, naturally, a MUCH better reduction on the larger set. That said, I did eventually find a cheap Muaka & Kane-Ra on ebay, another few years later, which I talked my parents into buying for me as that year's Christmas present, so it was all good... and it has to be admitted that they very quickly surpassed the Jaga as my favourite!

Interestingly, only the purple Nui-Jaga was ever seen in the fan-favourite Mata Nui online game. But then, this was the case with most Rahi; they came in two-packs as sets, but - apart from the Nui-Rama - only one model ever showed up in-game.

@GSR_MataNui said:
" @Norikins said:
" @GSR_MataNui
You had that ready to copy and paste, didn't you?
"
My first two comments were copy pasted, the second two I spent an hour writing.

You know what, just for the heck of it, I'll add how MU biology works here *just for you.* I need to take a break first so give me a few hours.
"

LOL, And thank you for the lore! Bionicles were a big part of my childhood lol

@GSR_MataNui:

Phenomenal. Love me some lore and I got like 5 servings here, excellent stuff.

It would make a neat weekly article if @Huw is listening, have some of our knowledgeable members post about their specialty lore. Bionicle, Adventurers, Hidden Side, Agents, Ninjago, Castle factions, the list is extensive and there's probably a handful of members that know a great deal about each one.

Hey GSR MataNui! Im not sure what your goal is with the never ending Bionicle lore, but if its to turn unsuspecting Lego fans into Bionicle fans, then its working lol.

@fakespacesquid said:
"It would make a neat weekly article if @Huw is listening, have some of our knowledgeable members post about their specialty lore. Bionicle, Adventurers, Hidden Side, Agents, Ninjago, Castle factions, the list is extensive and there's probably a handful of members that know a great deal about each one. "

*Raises hand* If this ever happens and you need a volunteer for Rock Raiders, I have you covered!

@ThatBionicleGuy said:
"

@GSR_MataNui said:
"Most Sapients [...] instead use special ports in the palm of their hands to absorb electricity and nutrients from held items."
I don't doubt you, but could you point me in the direction of the source for that fact? It's one that I hear thrown around fairly often in the fandom, but no-one seems to know where it came from - even BS01 only has a [citation needed] in the instance where it mentions it - and I'd love to know where it originated! ^^
"

See now, that's a part of the problem when discussing some aspects of BIONICLE lore, especially biology like here, and it's the part of the reason I usually avoid the more technical side of things. Greg made hundreds, if not thousands, of forum posts answering fan questions and comments over the years. Many of these forum posts have since been delated and lost to time, and others would directly contradict each other. There's a lot of stuff I mentioned here like energy absorbing palms, female Ta-Matoran, and Skakdi eating hat I've heard the fanbase mention time and time again. They seem to have mostly accepted those as canon, but I'm not sure if anyone bothered to write down the source of it.

@PurpleDave said:
" @GSR_MataNui:
Biomechanics is the mechanics of biology, like the musculoskeletal system, or the weird physics of blood flow. It has nothing at all to do with inorganic machinery.
"

Hold your horses my dear little friend, you didn't properly read what I wrote did you:

"They’re what the series likes to call 'biomechanical.'"

The thing about language is it's fickle. The meaning of words often changes over time and words can have more than one meaning. "Bat" can mean both a small mammal that flies on leathery wings or a rod made of metal or wood used to strike things. "Biannual" can mean both twice a year or every other year. "Biomechanical" as defined IN THE BIONICLE FRANCHISE means something along the lines "of both mechanical and biological parts"

This is not uncommon for fictional universes, they will often take terms from our world and provide new meanings for them. "Evolution" in Pokemon is not actually evolution, it's metamorphosis. Both "lightspeed" and "sub-light travel" in Star Wars are faster than the speed of light. The Middle Earth franchise uses "dwarves" as the plural of "dwarf" even though it's "dwarfs" in real life.

BIONICLE also isn't the only franchise to use this definition of "biomechanical." Like I mentioned it's also used in Half-Life to define the combine. The term also predates BIONICLE, an entire field of art named after the style called "biomechanical art" existed before Bonks and was dominated by people like H.R. Gieger (AKA the guy that inspired Alien.)

Don't go up to someone who's read around 30 books, 50 comics, and over a dozen online serials of a franchise you clearly haven't read a single entry of and say "this term they use in every other book and hammer in the definition of two or three times a year doesn't actually mean that." That's just rude.

@GSR_MataNui
Can I just say how much I appreciate these lore dumps on RSotD. I'm a fairly passive bionicle fan- never read the original source material just picked up bits and bobs from across the internet. The way everyone tells aspects of the story with a slightly different spin on it makes it feel more like a mythology than a product line and that's pretty special.

@GSR_MataNui said:
" Don't go up to someone who's read around 30 books, 50 comics, and over a dozen online serials of a franchise you clearly haven't read a single entry of and say "this term they use in every other book and hammer in the definition of two or three times a year doesn't actually mean that." That's just rude. "

That sounds a little rude to me. Not going to get into the semantics about BIONICLE minutiae, but @PurpleDave is as OG as it gets when it comes to the BIONICLE fan community. He may not have pored over all the latter-day Greg Farshtey-"approved" fan suggestions, but he knows BIONICLE. If anything, his comment about the definition of "biomechanical" was probably a light joke, misinterpreted by the nature of text on the internet.