DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN!
1) When the Olda Went Nuva
Before this event, the most the Toa ever changed was when they formed Wairuha and Akamai; individually, their main physical alteration was through the acquisition of gold masks. The transformation into their Nuva forms represented the first significant physical change for the Toa, supplying them with new masks, new weapons and entirely-rebuilt bodies. Ever since then change has become the norm; our current Toa team Jaller and co already went through two physical transformations as Matoran, and two more as Toa (and this is unlikely to be the end of their changes).
One reason this was important is that it represented the first major shift in storytelling; instead of controlling the storyline dynamics by altering the type of enemies the Toa faced, it altered them through changing the Toa themselves. Another part of this was that each new transformation brought in new masks and new powers, eventually completely unrelated to the original twelve masks and elemental powers, as well as altered weapon and body designs. These frequent redesigns lead to - shall I say it? - increasingly ugly characters. In the past masks were simple, sculpted with the eyes, occasionally a mouth-part, and some random vents or tubes for cool factor. Nowadays, you can hardly tell where the face is. The other complaint is that with the glut of new masks and powers, the old masks and powers are losing their significance. These days, its not about what you can achieve with a Mask of Levitation and a Mask of Speed combined. It's about using Fate, Reanimation, and whatever other odd powers are out there. It's almost a form of cheating.
(Seriously, though. Reanimation. As in zombies. Braaaiins...)
2) When Books Came In
Okay, the books. Now they were probably a good idea - they fill in a lot of blanks which games and comics cannot cover, provide explanations for mysteries and allow for deeper characterisation of heroes and villains alike. They helped to bring the storyline closer to the fans. They fleshed out the Bionicle universe in far greater detail than a bunch of images, or even a movie, ever could have.
The problem started when blanks were deliberately left in the storyline to allow material for the books. Suddenly a significant portion of the year's story was available only in books which, unlike previous sources of information, were not readily available internationally and which were most certainly not free. Comics, once the mainstay of Bionicle storytelling, became disjointed and increasingly difficult to follow. There were no more full-length games like MNOG, which pretty much covered the main points for the storyline that year. An increasingly-complex storyline only served to complicated matters further. The result? Confusion. And that, of course, eventually lead to apathy in these confused fans. You can't love something if you can't even maintain a connection to it.
3) When We Stopped Counting in Sixes
In the beginning, there were six elements and six Toa. There were six Great masks and six Noble masks, six villages headed by six Turaga with six staffs of office. Later in the story six types of Bohrok came along, but they were defeated by the six Toa wielding six golden masks which were each formed from the powers of six Great Kanohi. These six Toa became six Toa Nuva, and along with their transformation six Nuva symbols appeared. These six Nuva symbols were stolen by six Bohrok-Kal and would have been used to open the six-sided Nuva cube, but fortunately Tahu stopped them with the extra Kanohi he had in his possession, the Mask of Time...
Wait, what?
Okay, so the Mask of Time wasn't a bad thing, even if it did look like it was crafted from Swiss cheese. (I heard a rumour that it was put in due to input from Bionicle fans. Hmm.) But then we have a special golden mask, for the Seventh Toa Who Will Save Us All. When we get to the Metru Nui prequel, we find the only Toa in attendance is Lhikan - all the others are dead, banished or mutated. And suddenly something about eleven Toa fighting a Kanohi Dragon comes up. Eleven, mind you! Not a multiple of six! And now we're told there are fifty-six Toa in all. Again, not a multiple of six.
This issue isn't so much about numbers as patterns. It used to be that the old format was maintained through each storyline - six heroes, one destiny, bad guys who will be defeated by the end of the year thanks to the combined heroism of the Toa and Matoran. Repair, rebuild, repeat. The challenge was to make each cycle interesting with added twists, such as the unexpected addition of the Bahrag, Makuta coming back, and so on. But now the story has veered from the pattern entirely. Toa could appear from anywhere, at anytime. The heroes can and do lose. Remember when Matoran didn't die/stay dead? Well, that's no longer true either. Matoran die all the time. So do Toa. Suddenly, so many possibilities have opened up. While this has allowed for more story, it's uncomfortable. The old universe we once knew, with its set rules and patterns, is now gone. Bionicle has become frighteningly like real life. That's not what we stayed for, six years ago on that Ta-Wahi beach.
4) When You Were Not the First Toa
Ahh, retrocons. Don't we all just love them? Bionicle has had more than its fair share of them, starting with the prequel Metru and Hordika arcs. It gets pretty annoying too, when a past you thought stretched out to one thousand years ago, tops, actually started one hundred thousand years ago... but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about how suddenly, six new Toa were introduced from nowhere.
As I mentioned above, there used to be a pattern to things. One constant to the pattern was that there were only six Toa, period. These Toa could go Nuva or whatever other fancy changes, but it appeared that we'd always have Tahu, and Kopaka, and the rest of the gang.
But Vakama's line introduced the idea that they were not the first Toa or, to put it in a more significant light, not the only Toa. Since then all kinds of Toa have appeared in the storyline. At the moment the known teams are the Mahri, Hagah and Nuva, as well as some others still alive, but at one point there were 3000 Toa in existence. In plain terms... that's a lot of Toa. Throw in some personality changes due to transformation, and you've got what amounts to... even more Toa.
What did this all mean? Basically, a set of ever-changing main characters who were difficult to get to know, to get attached to, even if you kept your focus on the six/seven central Toa of the year. Once you figured out the dynamics of one Toa team and decided who you liked best, they went and changed again, or were replaced by an entirely new Toa team, or plain died. With all these Toa coming and going, it become hard to get attached to any characters, especially when favourite Matoran suddenly become Toa as well. Change is good, but too much change? Especially when fans are barely allowed to get acquainted with the characters? Now that's just depressing.
5) When Metru Nui was the REAL Homeland
In spite of Metru Nui being the real homeland of the Matoran, at least the more vocal fans don't seem to accept that anything but Mata Nui truly deserves to be called home. I tend to agree. Metru Nui was retroconned into the storyline. It's a nice city, but it's not where we started out.
The shift from Mata Nui to Metru Nui marked the first of several broader changes to the overall plotline. The most obvious was a departure from the tribal society of the Matoran, moving towards a more science-fiction feel with the introduction of projectile weapons, cities and advanced transportation systems, not to mention technological explanations for what were once taken as mystical occurrences. As I've explained before, a reason a storyline may lose fans is when it alters what was originally attractive to those fans. Well, for some fans part of the original attraction was that tribal, low-tech feel. Unfortunately, the trend of newer storylines doesn't suggest that this old feel will ever come back.
6) When They Started Making Ammo
Or, more precisely, when Kanoka appeared, in the 2004 Metru Nui storyline. Discs had been available before in the earliest toys, but there were only six and they weren't the main collectible of that year. In 2004 they were, and in fact every collectible since then has been a projectile for use with some sort of weapon.
Backtrack a little. The very first collectible, Kanohi, came in twelve different designs. Krana and Krana-Kal came in eight designs. Kraata had six design variations plus the special Shadow Kraata. Each of these designs came in multiple colours to enhance collectability.
Every single Kanoka had exactly the same design, with the only variation being colour. As did the Rhotuka. As did the Zamor. As did the recent Sea Squids. You getting my drift here? There has not been a really good collectible since the Kraata. In fact, the later collectibles have been becoming even less collectible, being produced in fewer colours.
It's kinda sad, really. In the old days fans would trade and buy for the sake of a complete collection. Nowadays there's really nothing to brag about if you've got every single colour of Sea Squid.
7) When Articulation Became the Norm
Okay, so articulation doesn't seem to be the real problem, and let's be honest, articulation in toys is a good thing... What fans really seem to be worried about is a change in the way sets are built. Part of it is that sets used be challenging to put together, even with a small number of pieces. They also used to be assembled from familiar old pieces found in other Technic sets. Nowadays, pieces are customised specially for characters. It's... cheating, I suppose? The view is apparently that, if pieces are going to be custom-molded, the set might as well be replaced by an action figure.
The reason pieces have to be customised so much nowadays is the increasingly organic designs of their characters. Let's face it, it isn't possible to build spines with Technic pieces (well, you could, but you would need a lot of pieces and the result would be a Titan). Unfortunately, these organic designs are a complaint in themselves. It is certainly different from the mechanical sensibilities of older sets.
And then there are the gimmicks, like the light-up weapons and glowing skulls of the Inika, not to mention increasingly creative canister designs. While these aren't really an issue, what they may be contributing to the overall price, is. Bionicle sets have been getting steadily more expensive, at a rate which can't entirely be due to inflation. For those who don't like gimmicks and don't care what the canister looks like, the price hike would seem unfair.
8) When Values Stopped Mattering
Amazingly, Bionicle villains had values. The Bohrok largely left the Toa alone as long as they did not interfere with their mission. Even the supposedly evil-beyond-redemption Makuta didn't tear up Takanuva the minute he met him; instead, he proposed a Kolhii match. The Toa Metru Onewa, Whenua and Nuju were not slaughtered after their capture, merely locked up. While the Bionicle villains were evil, and willing to cause mass destruction, there seemed to be an element of decency in their operations.
Roodaka seemed to be the first villain willing to break this mould; she was openly cruel and manipulative. The Piraka were willing to fire on each other, never mind at the heroes, and the Barraki have shown to be even harsher - Pridak blinded one of Kalmah's eyes and Takadox has hypnotised Carapar for years. Decency is completely out of the window.
Is it a coincidence then that the three values Unity, Duty and Destiny have not made an appearance for years? I'm not one for preaching, but those Virtues, and the accompanying Principles, seemed to give the Matoran meaning for what they do, for what they fight for. But that's been gone lately. It just seems that a part of Bionicle - a fairly big part, considering the importance of the virtues in the Mask of Light saga - simply disappeared.
Where would Bionicle be without the rallying call of "Unity! Duty! Destiny!"?
9) When it Turned Out Makuta is a Species - Wait, What?
If there is any villain in Bionicle who has been overused, it is Makuta. He's been there from the beginning, involved in every single major plot in Bionicle. The Rahi and Rahkshi attacks were of course controlled by him, but so was the early release of the Bohrok. The Great Cataclysm was his doing. Roodaka was acting on his behalf. The Piraka's decisions were under his subliminal influence; Zamor spheres consisted of his essence. Oh, and he's still around, by the way, disguised as Maxilos.
And now it seems that there's a whole gang of them.
This isn't so much about brand dilution. Makuta has received far too much character development to lose his significance so easily, and in being the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta, he has if anything proven he is more awesome than before. What has happened is a sudden complexity in the storyline. Factions are coming in left, right and center, with their own island bases. There's now a humongous backstory behind everything. Did you know that the Barraki first put the idea in Makuta's head to overthrow Mata Nui? Or that Takua was really a Matoran of Light? Oh, and by the way, there was once this organisation called the Hand of Artakha...
Compounded with much of this story being told through books (see point #2 above) and dispersed across a variety of media, it is becoming increasingly hard to keep track of everything. The return of the BIONICLEsector01 wiki has at least provided a centralised location for all this information, but it still requires a lot of heavy reading to keep up with the story. While there are fans who are willing to do this, there are also those who can't or won't. A storyline which becomes too complex can only be expected to alienate some of its original fans.
10) When They Started Answering Our Questions
The ability to ask Greg Farshtey questions about the storyline, questions which would actually be honestly answered, was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it has enabled us to know far more about the intricacies behind the story than we ever would have. (There may even have been a reverse effect, with the story being fleshed out further to answer certain questions. This is pure speculation of course.) On the other hand, maybe we didn't actually want to know?
I'm going to have to refer to something I wrote again - I said before that when there are gaps in the storyline, fans like to fill them with a version of events they like. If someone happens to ask a question about this gap from Mr. Farshtey, and it fits into the fan's personal canon, the fan is happy. If it doesn't, on the other hand, well...
And no, it isn't any use saying "If you don't like the storyline, write fanfiction." Fanfiction-writers want to be in tune with the story. Their writings are an exploration of the plot landscape, but they don't always want to deviate from it. A fan is, after all, a fan. They are supposed to embrace the fictitious universe whole-heartedly. Fans do want details, but they want details which fit in with their perceptions of what would make a good story. Selfish but true.
I'm not blaming anyone here, least of all Mr. Farshtey who has been amazingly patient with fans. Certainly no one could have foreseen the effects of knowing too much. But once you challenge a fan's idea of how the story goes, some unhappiness must be expected. And providing any kind of information, especially storyline and character details, will inevitably challenge someone's perceptions, somewhere. Equally inevitably, it will satisfy some other fans for whom the new information fits with their idea of a good story, or even surpasses it. And this last group will want to know more, right up to the point they find out something they don't like. It's human nature, but is this "Ruined Forever" issue about anything but human nature?
Because that's what this is all about. I have named ten points which supposedly ruined Bionicle forever, but did they really? Some of them are annoying, yes. Some were the turning points at which the old story we knew became a different kind of story. Some changed the dynamics of Bionicle fandom forever. But...ruined? I arranged my points in a roughly chronological order according to when they happened. If Bionicle really was ruined for the entire fanbase, some of these offences wouldn't even have been able to occur. But Bionicle is still here in spite of everything.
For I believe that whether one sees Bionicle as going uphill or downhill depends entirely on perception. There are impartial indicators such as sales figures, and they indicate success as far as we've been told. Gauging how much it succeeded for you depends on what you want from it. If you wanted a good-versus-evil story set in a tribal community... sorry. If you wanted underwater fights and lots of detailed backstory, then you must be very happy right now. If organic-looking sets are your thing, then Bionicle is definitely going uphill.
If you're like me, who just wants a good story with a few souvenirs (read: sets) thrown in, what you see is equilibrium. It's not going uphill or downhill, but it's travelling, level as the ground may be. And that's all I ask.
So let's all turn to the real point at which Bionicle was ruined forever: when Lego tried to make money from it. Ever since they did that, Bionicle has been completely ruined, with the storyline sacrificed to cater to newbie fans who don't understand the true spirit of Bionicle. At all. Why, every true Bionicle fan knows that if Bionicle had stayed centered on one island with the same enemy every year...
Final Thoughts
Wow, this is a long essay. I'm almost afraid to perform a word count...
...3210 words. Quaint.
I enjoyed writing this, because in finding out why fans dislike changes in Bionicle, I've come to realise what I love about it. I've also realised that time fuels acceptance. Do you know that I used to dislike Vahki?
Besides, in researching this article I had to re-watch the old Bionicle movies. Fans, if you ever feel yourself losing faith, watch the movies again - the Flash movies if you must. They will recall to you what you once loved. For while new legends awake, old lessons must be remembered...
This is the way, of the Bionicle.
(Edited 5 October 2008)
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