Bionicle: Difference between revisions

[[File:Bionicle-Poster.jpg|frame|Unity. Duty. Destiny.]]

 

 

[[LEGO]]'s (surprisingly in-depth) [[Merchandise-Driven]] storyline, originally based on its pre-existing ''LEGO Technic'' line. Featuring (Bio-)[[Mechanical Lifeforms]] in a [[Schizo-Tech]] universe, the story mainly concerns the conflict between the followers of the [[Physical God]] Mata Nui and the forces of the [[Big Bad]] Makuta.

 

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== Series-Wide Tropes ==

* [[The Abridged Series]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNx-zQDXRY4 this video] puts the 2001 to 2010 plot in under 2 minutes.

* [[Darker and Edgier]] than most other [[LEGO]] lines.

* [[Defanged Horrors]]: The serials.

** [[The Chris Carter Effect]]: [http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?app=blog&module=display§ion=blog&blogid=26&showentry=87217 Referred to by Greg as "Sizzle and Steak"] as to why things changed - you may lose something in the explanation, but you have to explain things ''sometime''.

** Arguably, also inverted with the relatively much less alien Bara Magna setting, which featured such Earth-inspired themes as characters ''wearing'' armor ([[24-Hour Armor|as opposed to having it be part of their bodies]]), having romantic relationships, or eating with their mouths.<ref>To be fair, there is a line in the fourth ''Chronicles'' book about Onua and Whenua having a meal, but this is the only instance of non-Rahi characters eating in the Matoran Universe.</ref>

* [[Elemental Nation]]: Mata Nui and Metru Nui were divided into seven regions, six of which corresponded to each element of Fire, {{color|blue|Water}}, Air, Earth, Stone and Ice (the seventh was a central neutral zone). Bara Magna has all the trappings of this, but nobody actually has innate elemental powers.

* [[Only Six Faces]]: Thanks to the fact that Lego reuses parts often. Very extreme in ''Chronicles'', were everyone had one of twelve masks. It was gradually being averted as the series went on (especially in ''Legends'' where we met more communities of Matoran with different masks), but never completely got free. Bara Magna had a similar problem.

** This is even more hilarious if you consider that all of the "faces" are actually masks; Matoran, Toa and even Makuta possibly ALL have the exact same face. Ditto goes for almost all the residents of Bara Magna. Averted with everything else, since they usually have heads constructed of generic LEGO elements rather than a mask (subverted in the case of Hydraxon and Maxilos, who's faces are actually mask pieces, but are explicitly stated to be their actual faces, and Toa Ignika, who's whole existence is only a mask to begin with).

* [[Replacement Goldfish]]: Botar's replacement is one.

* [[The Resolution Will Not Be Televised|This Resolution Will Only Be Televised]]: occasionally happens in the comics because they can't cover movie material.

* [[Scenery Porn]]: The island of Mata Nui is basically this, whether it's in the movie, or in ''Mata Nui Online Game'' (1 and 2), it's just amazing.

** Metru Nui is this as well.

* [[Schizo-Tech]]: mentioned above; the rule of thumb in the Matoran universe is "no wheels, no paper", regardless of how high the tech can be otherwise. Taken to its extreme in ''Chronicles'', where cyborgs are mining with high technology to ''trade gems for fish and torches''. Justified in Bara Magna due to the place being a [[Scavenger World]] - actually, the major settings in ''Chronicles'' and ''Legends'' qualify as Scavenger Worlds, too.

* [[Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale]]: The Mata Nui Robot is supposedly 40 million feet tall. 40 million feet is ''the approximate diameter of the Earth.''

** It could be intentional, Mata Nui does have a whole world inside him, though it would make Bara Magna about as big as, say, Neptune, in the real world...

* [[Shattered World]]: Spherus Magna was split into Bara Magna, Aqua Magna, and Bota Magna by an event that's even called "The Shattering".

* [[Single Biome Planet]]: Justified as all known planets were split from Spherus Magna's larger ecosystem. Aqua Magna (where the Matoran saga takes place) is an endless ocean, Bara Magna is a desert planet, and [[Word of God]] says the last piece is mainly forest, called Bota Magna.

* [[The Smurfette Principle]]: five guys to one girl at ''best''.

* [[Sticks to the Back]]: common in animations, especially involving the Toa, as well as the Glatorian's weapons in ''The Legend Reborn''. Justified for Takanuva (''Mask of Light'' version) and the Toa Metru, as the toys had weapon mounts built into their backs.

** Also, in the Voya Nui and Mahri Nui arcs, the hero toys got released in a later wave than the villain toys, so in the story keeps pace by focusing on the villains messing things up before the heroes come along to fix it.

* [[Water Is Blue]]

* [[Wind Is Green]]

* [[Word of God]]

== General Matoran Tropes ==

* [[Abandoned Mine]]: in the ''Mata Nui Online Game 2'', the Great Mine was abandoned due to flooding by Gahlok in the previous arc. Hahli, a Ga-Matoran and experienced swimmer, has to dive through the mine to retrieve tools and materials for the Onu-Matoran miners.

* [[All Myths Are True]] (possibly heavily distorted, but true nonetheless)

* [[All Your Colors Combined]]: six Toa can combine their power to create a [[Sealed Evil in a Can|Toa Seal]].

'''Makuta:''' I bore you! For I am Nothing. And out of Nothing, you came. And it is back into Nothing that you shall go. }}

* [[Powered Armor]] / [[Mini-Mecha]]: the Boxor (which [[Good Old Fisticuffs|can strike with its arms]]) and the Exo-Toa (complete with [[Good Old Fisticuffs|Boxing Claw]] and [[Arm Cannon|Electro-Rocket]]).

* [[Praetorian Guard]]: most notably the Bohrok-Kal

* [[Psychic Link]]: Gali establishes one with Takua in the ''Mata Nui Online Game'', so that he can witness the battle from afar.

 

== ''BIONICLE Adventures'' ==

* [[Always Second Best]]: Ahkmou

* [[Amphibious Automobile]]: the Vahki Transport used by the Toa Metru to travel between Metru Nui and Mata Nui.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Toa Vakama, over his [[Leeroy Jenkins]] actions.

* [[Whole-Episode Flashback]]: the entirety of ''Adventures''

* [[You Mean "Xmas"]]: Naming Day, an otherwise completely generic holiday, has an associated myth about Mata Nui coming through the transport chutes to deliver gifts.

* [[Zeppelins from Another World]]: The airships in Metru Nui.

* [[Atlantis Is Boring]]: Averted with the Mahri Nui arc, which often considered to be a high point for the series and packs plenty of action, from mutated fishmen to psychotic robots and all manners of sea monsters.

* [[Awesome Personnel Carrier]]: the Toa Terrain Crawler, a living example. It was only used once.

** [[Unexplained Recovery]]: Hydraxon's response to Nocturn when Nocturn recalls when the original died.

* [[Badass Normal]]: The Voya Nui Resistance Team, although they owe it to their weapons.

* [[Designated Girl Fight]]: Gali vs Gorast in the Swamp of Secrets.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]: Brutally subverted with {{spoiler|Carapar}}, who tries to kill the [[H.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraft]] [[Shout-Out]] Tren Krom and gets disintegrated by the thing's [[Eye Beam]] before his attack even hits.

* [[Don't Celebrate Just Yet]]: the Toa Nuva return from Karda Nui to Metru Nui to celebrate Mata Nui's awakening ... only to find out they were [[Unwitting Pawn|Unwitting Pawns]] in Makuta's Plan, meaning Makuta has [[Grand Theft Me|taken over Mata Nui's body]].

* [[Drama-Preserving Handicap]]: the Makuta invading Karda Nui. The "Phantoka" team was blinded, the "Mistika" team suffered [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock]] and lost some of their multiple powers, and Icarax was painfully devolved back into a physical being. (Mutran was unaffected, but was more of a [[Mad Scientist]] than a fighter anyway.)

* [[Field Power Effect]]: in Karda Nui, where beings of [[Light'Em Up|Light]] grow larger than normal.

* [[Final Battle]]: basically the 2008 storyline was called this, and it was part of the title of a comic and a book.

** It's warranted, though. He lost the Mask of Life and pretty much any other power he had. He's smart enough to know that he doesn't have nearly as much of an advantage as he had, so he is likely to be at least partly [[Obfuscating Stupidity]].

* [[Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!]]: ''twice'' in a single book to a corrupted Toa Takanuva in ''Legends''

* [[Shout-Out]]: During the "Brothers in Arms" serial, Vultraz remarks that [[The Wizard of Oz (film)|he doesn't think he's in Karda Nui anymore and tries clicking his red feet together three times to get back to the main universe]].

** In "Federation of Fear":

'''Brutaka:''' [[Jaws (film)|A bigger boat, I know.]] }}

** The next issue teaser on the first 2010 story comic is ''[[Transformers: The Movie|And One Shall Fall]]''

* [[Weaponized Car]]: many vehicles have Thornax Launchers.

* [[What a Piece of Junk!]]: vehicles, such as Thornatus, are this, but they are still functional to be used.

* [[The Worm That Walks]]: {{spoiler|The giant made of scarabax beetles that appears in the climax of ''Legend Reborn''.}}

* [[You Fool!]]: [[Evil Overlord|Tuma]] says this when some Skrall managed to get lumber into the fortress, because the "lumber" is actually [[Shapeshifting|Baterra in disguise]]!

* [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]]: The [[Twist Ending]]. That is all.

* [[Zerg Rush]]: The Skrall's attack on the Grand Tournament, though unlike most examples of the trope the Skrall are actually ''stronger'' than their Glatorian opponents, not weaker.

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