Notes
Matoran Universe
"Takua held on as the Toa climbed steadily upward, one sword's length at a time, trying to calm the wild, terrified beating of his heart."1
"Now he floundered, hand to his throat as the liquid protodermis filled his mouth and lungs."2
When the Toa Metru encountered Morbuzakh seeds, they seemed to be already familiar with the concept of plants using seeds to reproduce.3
Nuju once intentionally took a deep breath to expand his chest to allow himself to escape vines from Morbuzakh seeds when he let the breath out.3
When Turaga Lhikan died, his eyes went dark, and his heartlight ceased to flash.4
Beings' eyes were sometimes referred to as "orbs".5
Virtually everything in the BIONICLE universe – Piraka, Toa, Matoran, Rahi beasts – was biomechanical. This meant that it was a combination of muscles, organs, and mechanical parts. Most BIONICLE characters were not robots, but living, thinking beings who just happened to have machine parts and armor. For example, Piraka could plan and scheme and feel emotions like anger and happiness. They needed to breathe, sleep, and consume nutrition to keep energized. They had muscles that helped them run, jump, and fight, lungs that took in air, eyes that saw, and wicked smiles. They were neither completely organic nor completely robotic, but a combination of living being and machine. The benefits of this included the fact that their machine parts and armor made them much less vulnerable to injury. If they were injured, they could repair themselves much easier than a human being. BIONICLE beings consisted of mechanical parts connected by muscle, so if the needed to rebuild themselves, they could simply attach another part to their bodies. The muscle grew to connect it, and then it was ready to use. The result of this was powerful beings who were very hard to hurt, had extremely long lifespans, and who could even upgrade themselves as long as they had the technology to help them do it. Matoran, for example, were known to live for thousands of years and completely rebuilt themselves at least once in the BIONICLE story.6
Nektann once spat on the ground.7
Vezon once claimed he liked collecting seashells and leaves, indicating that these things existed in the Matoran universe.8
Matoran had a pair of audio receptors on their heads that served as ears.9, 10, 11 Extremely loud noises could temporarily deafen a Matoran.9
Any self-respecting Nynrah crafter would be capable of building a new mechanical part to replace a damaged limb.9
Toa, Matoran, and originally the Makuta were bio-mechanical, a combination of organic tissue and mechanical parts.12
Daxia had a central well of energy for when Order of Mata Nui members got hungry.9
There was no way to force a spirit out of a body or to force antidermis out of undamaged armor.13
If a spirit left a body and the body went uninhabited for a certain amount of time, the body died.14
Biomechanical beings didn't have blood.15
Biomechanical beings did not have blood, more likely some kind of lubricating fluid. They had some organic organs (it was never specified which ones).16 Matoran did not have blood as such; what they had was more of a lubrication system.17
Romantic love did not exist among the biomechanical beings in the Matoran universe. It did however exist on Bara Magna.18
Mind control powers would work on other inhabitants of the Matoran universe, but not on natives of Spherus Magna.19
Matoran did sleep, although they did not sleep as much as an Agori would. If a Matoran was exhausted or tired, he could restore energy through a recharge, but sleep was better and more efficient.20
Matoran required sleep, just as any being with organic parts required some form of rest.21
The Barraki needed to sleep.22
There was no biological reproduction in the Matoran universe; it was all done by machine. This technology could evolve over time, as what works in theory often does not work in practice and needs to be improved upon.23
No species in the Matoran universe, including Rahi, were capable of reproduction.24
Mata Nui didn't have to be awake for Matoran to be created.25
The Makuta were able to create plant species that could reproduce using seeds. Although they also could have created Rahi capable of reproduction, they never did so.26
Fully robotic creatures such as Bohrok, Vahki, and Maxilos were fully mechanical and did not have organic protodermis parts.27
There was no romantic love in the Matoran universe. Because its society had no need for mating, reproduction, or marriage in order to function, there was no reason for it to ever develop.28
Biologically, the class of animal that Matoran were most similar to was mammals.29
Plants were made from organic protodermis.30
Matoran did not reproduce biologically.31
Matoran could get hurt, sick, or injured, since they were partly organic.32
No new Matoran, Rahi, etc. came into being during their time living on the island of Mata Nui.33
It was impossible for more Matoran to come into existence on Mata Nui, but it was possible elsewhere.34
The Matoran/Turaga/Toa had organic lung tissue and musculature.35, 36
Matoran did not have blood.37, 38
Biomechanical beings were not shown to have blood, but organic creatures not native to the Matoran universe quite probably did.39
A combined being's voice would probably depend on its component beings.40
Beings would probably have to be the same species to combine.41
Masks were similar to batteries; this was seen when the Toa Mata first put their masks on after arriving on the island of Mata Nui. Biomechanical beings weren't mostly dependent on organic tissue. Their mechanical components potentially made their organic components more efficient. Their lungs and muscle tissue were organic; their muscle tissue connected mechanical parts. It is possible for muscle tissue to detach and regrow, as evidenced when the Toa Mata reassembled themselves and when the Mata Nui Matoran rebuilt themselves.42
Robots couldn't use mask powers.43
On Metru Nui, Ga-Metru had a location that Matoran had to travel to once a year to recharge their energy.44
Armor allowed for the attachment of items such as backpacks. These were attached similarly to how Kanohi are worn.45
If a Matoran rebuilt him or herself powerful mechanical parts, he or she would need the necessary muscle tissue to support them. Adding a Bohrok shield wouldn't accomplish anything because the Matoran wouldn't have the elemental energy necessary to power it.46
Matoran could survive their heads being detached and reattached even if they might potentially be considered dead during the period that their heads were not attached to their bodies.47
The Piraka were capable of removing the Toa Nuva's armor.48
Armor was removable.49
Masks got their color from being worn, but armor and other items were likely dyed.50
Since Takua's elemental colors were on his armor rather than his organic tissue, his mechanical parts could be recolored to disguise him.51
Matoran consisted of mechanical parts linked together by organic tissue, but there was no organic tissue within their mechanical parts. They were able to disconnect their organic tissue without suffering, and the tissue would fuse to a new mechanical part when added.52
A Matoran body would be incapable of containing the energies of a Toa. That would require the greater size and muscle mass of a Toa body.53
Gender was not determined by a being's personality. The being's personality was one of the only major differences one could observe in the genders because the genders did not have physical differences.54
Vortixx simply knew what their gender was, the same way Matoran did. They had no outward physical characteristics pertaining to their gender, it was more a mental thing to them.55
A Toa would be capable of taking themselves apart.56
Being biomechanical, Matoran had sensory apparatuses so they could smell, hear, and experience other sensations without obvious noses or ears.57
It was very unlikely that Matoran could cry tears.58
Matoran could likely cough, as they had lungs.59
Water breathers like the Barraki couldn't hold their breath in air bubbles any more than a fish could hold its breath if pulled out of the water. Like the fish, Barraki didn't have lungs.60
The system by which beings, or at least Ehlek, breathed could be referred to as a "respiratory system".61
The Order of Mata Nui modifying Ehlek's species was referred to as "tampering with their natural development".62
Matoran joints didn't need external lubrication.63
Biomechanical beings likely had water or some other kind of fluid in their bodies.64
Toa of Water could extract the fluid from beings and dehydrate them, but would not do so because Toa don't kill. There were Visorak who could and had done so.65
Matoran were incapable of blushing.66
Matoran were mechanical parts connected by organic tissue. Given that they had no skin, they had no sweat glands and did not produce sweat.67
Toa and Matoran were mechanical parts linked together by organic muscle. They were not that hard to disassemble and reassemble.68
Matoran generally didn't need physicians because Matoran were mostly mechanical and their organic parts were well-shielded.69
Matoran were unlikely to have spit.70
Not every fusion would lose its sanity over time, but it would be an unsettling experience.71
If a Matoran broke a limb, it would be possible to cast him or her a new one or to somehow repair it.72
Lewa was capable of breaking Reidak's arm.73
The body itself didn't feel pain; all pain resulted from the mind interpreting specific stimuli from the rest of the body. The mind was all that was needed to feel pain.74
Minds interpreted certain signals from nerves as pain and others as pleasure. A being with a Great Komau could control the mind's interpretation of these signals.75
Beings like Axonn couldn't really turn anger into power, their reactions in times of crisis were similar to the adrenaline rush humans would get in those types of scenarios.76
Makuta had subconsciouses that were always active, even when awake.77
Fenrakk's legs were implied to have an organic sheath with tiny hairs.78
Toa didn't have hair.79
The Mahri Nui Matoran that saved Hahli Inika died from an equivalent to decompression sickness.80
Handsomeness in the Matoran universe meant the same thing it did on Earth: physically attractive to the eye.81
According to an unofficial theory within the story team, in Metru Nui, the inhabitants got energy from the Great Temple, so they did not need to eat at all.82 The theory about how Toa eat and going to the Great Temple to get energy came from the story bible writer, not the head of the story team, so it was not necessarily official.83
Kaita were formed very quickly, as when the Bohrok-Kal turned into a Bohrok-Kal Kaita, or the Matoran turned into a Matoran Nui.84
Energy Absorption and Remains
Onua and Whenua once shared a meal from their packs.85
Matoran "ate" by absorbing energy directly from things, not consuming them, and did not taste it.86
Matoran on Mata Nui ate fish, among other things, since they were partly organic and needed sustenance.87, 88
Matoran were capable of drawing energy from fish and other foods through touch. Rahi were likewise able to draw energy from other Rahi.89 When Skakdi ate through their mouths, anything they consumed would be destroyed by the energies inside them, so there was no waste product. They did not need a digestive system to absorb energy because they did that as soon as they made physical contact, as Matoran could.90
Matoran got nutrition by absorbing energy directly from certain things such as fruit and fish. They absorbed energy merely by making physical contact with these items; they did not chew or swallow their food.91
Biomechanical beings absorbed energy directly from certain things by making physical contact. On Metru Nui, there was a central spot in Ga-Metru where Matoran could absorb lots of energy and so only had to eat once a year. On Mata Nui, they didn't have that and so had to absorb energy from fish and fuits and things like that and eat more often.92
Matoran didn't need as much energy to survive as Makuta did.93
Matoran did not have teeth, as they did not need to chew anything.94
Greg Farshtey stated that Matoran, Toa, Turaga, and Rahi had to eat and drink in order to survive, but the head of the story team would likely disagree with that. Greg believed that anything that had organic tissue as part of its substance required some kind of nutrition and some kind of periodic rest, however BIONICLE creatures didn't eat and digest the way humans did, for the most part.95
Matoran had no need to taste because it wasn't important given how they ate.96
A Matoran who was starving probably would have had difficulty managing basic processes, the same way a machine would run down without power.97
The presence of teeth on species like Botar's species and Vortixx did not necessarily mean that they used them for eating – teeth could also be used for offense and defense, not just eating.98
The Barraki couldn't absorb energy directly through contact with purely organic beings.99
Matoran couldn't get poisoned by absorbing food that had been poisoned as its basic energy wouldn't be affected.100
Rahi were capable of absorbing energy like Matoran, but were not aware of this. They chewed their food. If swallowed, their systems would likely be efficient enough to produce no waste.101
When Rahi ate a being, they likely left behind a lifeless carcass after absorbing energy from it.102
When a being absorbed energy from a Rahi, the Rahi was killed.103
It is implied that an unattended corpse would leave behind no evidence if revisited 1000 years later.104
When the organic tissue of a deceased Matoran rotted or was removed, the corpse could be used as raw materials. This would likely be considered desecration.105
By the time Matoro got his Tryna, Lhikan's body was long gone. There was nothing left to be reanimated.106
When a Matoran, Toa, or Turaga died, the organic tissue that linked their mechanical parts together would likely decompose eventually. The rest was metal, so at worst it would break down over the years.107
Aging/Lifespan
Lifespans could reach 100,000 years.108
Toa had lifespans exceeding 100,000 years, but very few lived out their natural lifespans.109
Aging is not really an issue for Matoran because they could live thousands or potentially even hundreds of thousands of years.110
When the Shadowed One was aged by Voporak, his appearance did not noticeably change.111
The Shadowed One's strength most likely diminished when he was aged.112
The Shadowed One was just as powerful after he was aged as he was prior.113, 114
The Shadowed One's reduced lifespan after his encounter with Voporak was not a big issue for him because of the extremely long lifespans of biomechanical beings.115
Matoran lived easily tens of thousands of years on average.116
Matoran could die of old age.117
All biomechanical beings, including Makuta, had extremely long lifespans.118
Toa could likely be affected by old age, but they had very long lifespans.119
Biomechanicals from inside Mata Nui had, at best, a very rudimentary sense of taste that existed primarily to keep them from ingesting poison. As such, they did not develop opinions about favorite foods or delicacies in the same way as organic-based beings from Bara Magna.120
Spherus Magna
Outside the domes, there were creatures which were completely organic, had blood, and differed from things the Matoran were used to seeing.121
Squid, as with all organic creatures, came into being the same way Earth creatures did.122
Inhabitants were not made of protodermis.123
Unlike the Matoran universe, the concept of romance existed on Spherus Magna.124
The inhabitants of Spherus Magna were native to the planet.125 They were not artificial.126, 127
The inhabitants of Spherus Magna actually ingested food.128
Agori and Glatorian had the same life spans as Matoran and Toa. Not all inhabitants of Bara Magna had this same life span.129
Inhabitants of Spherus Magna could not tap into inner light or shadow.130
The helmets the Glatorian, Vorox, and others on Bara Magna wore dated back thousands and thousands of years.131
Inhabitants of Spherus Magna were not born with their mechanical implants, and they could live just as well without them.132
Agori had children and were made up of cells like normal living animals. They were born fully organic and chose later in life to have mechanical parts implanted which could outperform the organic.133
Agori and Glatorian did not require their mechanical implants to live. It is unknown what their natural lifespan without mechanical implants was.134
Agori and Glatorian were most likely genetically related.135
Agori and Glatorian cannot interbreed.136
Pit mutagen seemed to affect purely organic creatures more slowly.137
Movie vs. Set Style
Although Greg understood the need for changing the design of the characters for the movies, he was not particularly invested in the "look" either way and had no opinion about it.138
Toa and Vahki didn't have hands in set form, but they did in the books.139
In BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows, the Toa Hordika only have one tool each. This was done for the purposes of their animation, but they canonically had two tools, as depicted in the comics, books, and sets. The sets are the official look of the characters.140
In terms of canonicity, sets came first. For example, the Rahaga flying on helicopter blades were not canon because there was nothing like that on their sets. Movies, books, and comics were all about equal in canonicity. The books resided in the movie universe, where the Toa had hands, but the comics did not.141
Most physical differences between Toa, such as height, were set differences and not story differences.142
Scale ratios between constraction figures and scale ratios between the contents of playsets were not consistent.143
The Axonn, Brutaka, and Botar models were in scale with each other.144
The Toa Mata were not shorter than the Toa Metru in the story.145
Greg Farshtey imagined Matoran speaking without mouthpieces on their masks, but the moviemakers needed to go in a different direction.146
There was no storyline significance to the fact that the Matoran head shapes changed between 2004 and 2001.147
The BIONICLE books existed within the movie universe because they included movie adaptations. Therefore, masks are capable of expression in the books.148
Like Onua Mata's claws, Nuparu Inika's claws were a set detail not a story detail.149
Gali's hooks were part of her hands in set form, but probably not in the books.150
Sets were always canon, the movies were simply a different artistic interpretation.151
Sets were always canon, comics were artistic interpretations of the sets.152
The movie designs of characters were in part more canon than the set designs because they had organic tissue, which the sets did not show.153
Sets took precedence over story.154