Viruses cannot affect organic creatures like Glatorian or Agori, just like computer viruses have no impact on human beings.
from BS01
Makuta consist out of Antidermis, apparently a byproduct from when the Great Beings created Protodermis. Antidermis has been encountered as a liquid, as solid Antidermis and as a gas/energy. In this regard it is very alike to Protodermis (although Protodermis can’t be gaseous as far as I remember).
Before getting to my main question I would like to ask a few questions to clarify things:
Would the solid Antidermis the Makuta were originally made from be considered mechanical, biomechanical or purely organic?
Viruses are composed of energy that is similar to Antidermis.
from BS01
How similar are viruses and Antidermis? Do they merely look alike or is there actually any connection between them?
Based on the answers to the questions above:
Do viruses affect Antidermis at all? If yes, are all aggregation states of Antidermis affected or only some? Is the effect of the virus the same on beings made of Antidermis as on ones made of Protodermis?
Protodermis can be organic in nature or inorganic, as we have seen with protodermis muscle tissue and protodermis armor. I would assume the same would apply to antidermis. What we have seen of Makuta seems to imply (to me anyway) organic tissue (later gas) inside of armor as opposed to interconnected with armor the way the Toa are. (If someone wants to argue that, they can, that’s just my thought.
I don’t think there is a similarity in nature.
Yes, Makuta could react to viruses, but they are also experts at handling them and protecting themselves from them because they have worked with viruses for ages.
Sounds sensible, but then there’s also the Makuta Source which is just a pool of Antidermis bearing a powerful joint-minded consciousness of all the Makuta (that were, or yet to come? Both??) So it would seem that Antidermis is either a form of evolution of the Protodermis, or, as you have suggested, was a part of the Makuta prior to their evolution (Antidermis particles in blood/muscle tissue cells? Organic, tangible Antidermis?)
I honestly prefer the idea that the Makuta were biomechanical as everyone else, but then evolved into Antidermis.
They were created from the Antidermis of teh Antidermis pool, so they were made of Antidermis the whole time. That doesn’t necessarily conflict with them having been biomechanical, though. As Greg said - Protodermis can be organic and inorganic and the same applies to Antidermis. Kraata for example are organic Antidermis. Rahkshi armor on the other hand definitely is mechanical.
I personally like the idea of Makuta having been composed completely of organic Antidermis until it degenerated/evolved to the gas/energy state, though.
It’s a byproduct from when the Great Beings created Protodermis. I’d kinda compare it to cellulose and chitin - both are structure carbohydrates and thus serve roughly the same purpose - but they’re chemically slightly different structures. Compared to the other inhabitants of the Matoran universe Makuta are entirely different lifeforms.