FIRE, STONE & FURY: MY THOUGHTS ON THE 2005 BIONICLE STORY ARC
Introduction
Story wise, 2005 might be my least favourite year of Bionicle. The missed potential and asinine character and story decisions rival even that of the later years. Not long ago, I decided to experience the entire Biological Chronicle, from 2001 to 2011, taking in every single piece of (semi)canon media, with the ultimate goal of compiling my thoughts on each story year, and the story as a whole, into organised posts. However, I found out fairly early on, that I didn’t have much to say about the Bionicle story, at least nothing that hasn’t been said before. With one major exception…
I have a lot to say about the 2005 story and its shortcomings. Rather than offer my thoughts as a whole, I will be highlighting particular weak spots and, if I feel so inclined, show you how I would’ve tackled the various botched decisions. Buckle up, because I’ve got a lot of things to say!
Chapter 1: Drag It Out
Let’s get one thing out of the way first. It has already been observed that the 2005 year feels somewhat tacked on. 2004 already had a conclusion: Metru Nui falls, the Toa defeat Teridax, bring the Matoran to Mata Nui and become Turaga. What else is there left to say? As a result, 2005 inevitably feels like a needless interlude. If Legends of Metru Nui didn’t immediately show us the Toa Metru waking the Matoran on the beach and if it did more to establish that the Great Rescue wasn’t going to be over so soon, then perhaps 2005 it would’ve felt more meaningful. Alas, it was not to be, and we got a whole year’s worth of novels etc. that tried to drag out the 2004 story. And as we will see, this attempt to drag things out made a few holes in the fabric.
Chapter 2: Voyage of Fear and Loathing
The way the year started actually showed some promise. The last few novels and comics of 2004 hinted at some darker secrets regarding Vakama and created some intrigue, what with the Turaga suddenly becoming very wary of continuing their story and alluding to some unspoken horrors and betrayals. I want to start with Voyage of Fear and Maze of Shadows . Now, these were technically released in 2004 and as such could be considered as part of the 2004 story year. But we’ve already established that said year already concluded with Legends of Metru Nui . So, at least to me, 2005 starts with the aforementioned novels.
Personally, I find them to be decent. They do, however, show some problems in characterisation and character interactions, which will become more pronounced as the year goes on.
But before that: let’s talk about Mavrah. I don’t like how Farshtey handled this character. His deal is, that he is a former archivist, who deeply cares about Rahi and has some legitimate philosophical concerns regarding the Archives’ somewhat callous attitude towards them. At least, that’s the subtext. In the text itself, Mavrah is just a loony who blocks the Toa Metru on their missions and who, because of that, deserves the same amount of scorn as Teridax himself. What really rubbed me the wrong way about Voyage of Fear is how it never suggests that Mavrah might actually have a point and that killing Rahi or keeping them forever in suspended animation is not the right thing to do, even if the Rahi in question are dangerous. The story opens some interesting questions that it never bothers to actually explore (I find this to be an issue with post-2006 Bionicle as well). It’s also pretty telling that the Toa only try to reason with Mavrah after Onewa (who, mind you, is the source of the scorn) has already tried to use Mind Control on him and thus proved to Mavrah that the Toa are aggressors. Voyage of Fear tries way too hard to make Mavrah a villain, but the justification to make him so is so weak, I actually ended up almost rooting for the guy. The fact that the Toa kept making the situation worse and lack any self-reflection on the situation doesn’t help matters. If they maybe looked back and realised they screwed up, it could’ve saved the story. But that doesn’t happen and as a result, Voyage of Fear ends up itself a pointless interlude, much like 2005 as a whole.
How would I fix this? I’d use the face-off with Mavrah to plant the seed of discord between Vakama and Onewa. Vakama tries to be diplomatic, while Onewa wants to be more decisive. Their failure to coordinate ends up with Mavrah killed and the Rahi injured. Vakama accuses Onewa of being headstrong and pig-headed, while Onewa snaps back, claiming that Vakama could try being more hands on. Vakama’s recklessness in the rest of the story would be a direct result of him trying to “please” Onewa. I’d also try to make Mavrah less like a loony psychopath who disregards others wellbeing, and more like a tragic figure, who got over his head when he tried to protect powerful Rahi.
Speaking of Fire-Spitter and Stone-Head…
Chapter 3: Fire, Stone and Fury
I dislike how Farshtey handled Mavrah but I absolutely HATE how he handled Vakama and Onewa. Vakama, much like Mavrah, is portrayed as psychopath, so bent on fulfilling his team’s mission, that he completely disregards everyone’s wellbeing. Not only does it beg the question how and why the others kept following him and then even tried to save him from the dark side, it also feels like too great of a departure from how he was portrayed previously. The headstrong, willfully ignorant Vakama from late 2004-2005 is NOT the same character as the sympathetic and occasionally awesome Vakama from early 2004. There are slight hints he starts behaving like this because he is frustrated by his failures and the team’s lack of progress, but the lurch from caring leader to reckless leader is so terribly executed it just seems like Vakama was possessed or something. The first time he shows any concern for his teammates is when they are finally captured by the Visorak. What was stopping him from showing some care before then, like when Nokama was seriously injured? Perhaps if Vakama was portrayed something like Walker from Spec Ops: The Line, a well-meaning person who is woefully misguided and unprepared for the situation, then I could buy the change in his behaviour. As it is, he’s just a psycho.
And as for Onewa? Where do I begin with him! Let’s start with the fact that despite ultimately being a toxic and unlikeable character, he never gets any comeuppance for his actions. In fact, he actually saves the day more than once by acting like an a-hole (breaking Mavrah’s resolve and recruiting Krahka). Then, after he’s done wreaking havoc on the team, he becomes second fiddle to Matau post Web of the Visorak (we’ll get to that). And unlike Vakama or Nuju, where the change in their personality and mannerisms is clearly foreshadowed and shown, Onewa never displays any actions, which would lead him to become “The Referee”. To the reader, he remains an abrasive firebrand (stonebrand?), whose sole contribution to the story was ultimately to make everyone’s lives worse. Some Referee…
Chapter 4: Web of Tangled Shadows
From the very beginning of 2004, there is some (un)friendly rivalry between Vakama and Onewa. The former is unsure of himself and needs encouragement, the latter is needlessly harsh and needs to mellow down. At the start of 2005, they start to butt heads more often, with the tipping point being Vakama’s outburst in Web of the Visorak and Onewa’s brutal verbal retribution. Both make it clear they’ll no longer tolerate each other’s actions. If you were like me, reading the novel, you would’ve guessed this would lead to them finally being forced to bury the hatchet and work together. But for some reason, that never happens, and the story pulls out an unestablished and completely random fracture between Vakama and Matau, while Onewa becomes a tertiary character.
Now, the fact that this decision demolishes a perfectly fine character arc for Onewa is bad enough. What really gets me is just how unjustified it seems. Why drop Onewa, the lancer to Vakama’s leader, and suddenly promote Matau, the not-so-important comic relief character, into Onewa’s role? Someone explain it to me! Even worse, the story itself seems to know how awkward this is and occasionally alludes to the (never resolved) schism between Vakama and Onewa, as if to remind the reader that the feud was really a thing, before forgetting about it altogether.
The fix is frustratingly simple: swap Matau and Onewa in their roles. While I was reading the 2005 novels, there were several moments that made me say: “This would make a lot more sense if it was Onewa/Matau doing it.” I would also add a “boiling-point moment”, where Onewa is finally forced to admit he’s a toxic influence on the team. Remember that one time in Bionicle 27: Fractures, where Vakama nearly chokes Whenua? Remember how inconsequential that moment ultimately was? Here’s how I’d write it:
“Matau and Nokama should’ve been back by now,” snapped Onewa.
“I know,” Vakama answered, annoyed.
“You should’ve never sent them to scout the Visorak alone.”
“I know.”
“Could’ve waited until some of us I were free to help.”
“I. Know.”
Nuju could feel Vakama getting more and more agitated by Onewa accusations. He was about to interject, when Onewa spoke again:
“If you want to know my opinion-”
“I DON’T!”
Vakama grabbed Onewa by the throat. The Toa Hordika of Stone tried to break free, but to no avail.
“Vakama!” shouted Nuju. “What are doing?! Let him go!”
Vakama was too furious to listen. He tightened his grip.
“Vakama! You’re hurting him. Listen to me. Let him go!”
Vakama looked around. He was surrounded by looks of alarm and concern. Realising what he was doing, he dropped Onewa to the ground. He carefully came close, to see if his brother was alright.
Onewa pounced. He striked at Vakama with an unmatched rage. He swung, he stomped and when the frightened Vakama tried to flee, he resorted to firing Stone Rhotuka at him. It took Ice and Earth Rhotuka to finally stop the mad Toa Hordika.
“Just what do you think you’re doing, Onewa?” Nuju was uncharacteristically angry.
“Let me go!” snarled Onewa. “Let me go, so I can tear him apart!”
“Tear him apart? Onewa, what has gotten into you?” added Rahaga Norik.
“Punish him! Give that smelt-head what’s coming to him! Rip him apart and feed him to the Visorak! SERVES HIM RIGHT FOR WHAT HE DID TO US!”
When Onewa stopped his tirade, he found his comrades’ expression darkened. Whenua broke the silence:
“Do you hear yourself, Onewa? The things you just said about Vakama?”
Onewa was surprised Whenua, his friend, was reaming him out. “B-but, he lead us into a trap. He failed us as a leader!”
“And for that you want him killed? What in Makuta’s name is wrong with you? Who do you think you are?”
“I… am… Onewa. Toa… of Stone.”
“A Toa, for sure,” spat Whenua. “A Toa of Venom.”
And with that, the group turned away, disgusted by the Toa of Venom they had just conversed with.
“Um… guys? Guys?”
Onewa was still up to his waist in Earth and Ice. It wasn’t until a nearby crash of a Visorak chariot that he was finally free.
“No one could’ve survived that… no one but us, Toa heroes!” The voice belonged to Matau. “A last-minute Air Spinner to create a cushion-”
“Plus, landing on me. Ow!” The other voice belonged to Nokama.
“And here we are! Onewa? What are doing here? Where are the others?”
Onewa bowed his head and said nothing.
While we’re at it, let’s make the very next scene of Vakama facing off the mutated Muaka from Web of Shadows as a symbolic confrontation with the monster inside of him. Maybe also a monologue about him finally dropping his teammates, so that his turn to the dark side feels more natural. Following this, the events of said novel/film play out almost exactly like in canon, except Onewa’s the one leading the charge and trying to reason to Vakama, while Matau’s the one crashing headfirst into a wall and acting like an idiot. Doesn’t all this sound so much better than what we got?
And besides, during the Toa’s confrontation with Roodaka, wouldn’t it make more sense for her to forget Stone instead of Air?
You might think, this is the end of it, but there’s still one thing about 2005 I want to address.
Chapter 5: Time Trap, Parts I & II
Time Trap is the last Bionicle: Adventures novel and the last novel of the 2005 story arc. Judging by the online discourse, it seems to be nigh universally loved. I can see why, it’s a gripping story and an exciting sendoff to the story arc, one that ties up loose ends and ties nicely, not too forcefully, into the next year. But it’s not perfect and I have some thoughts about it.
First thing’s first: It doesn’t really resolve the feuds between the characters. We open the story and Vakama’s still a reckless fool and Onewa is still needlessly abrasive. They may try to sound more diplomatic, but it doesn’t work. You’d think, after everything the characters went through, they’d act a little differently. Maybe something like this:
Toa Matau stared hard at Toa Vakama. The two were almost mask to mask, Matau’s eyes boring into his friend’s as if Vakama were some previously unknown breed of Rahi beast. After a few moments, Matau broke off and started walking around the Toa of Fire, all the while muttering to himself.
“What are you doing?” Vakama demanded finally.
“I always knew you would go crazy one day,” Matau replied. “Not Hordika-crazy, just mad-crazy all on your own. I want to remember the sight.”
“I’m not crazy,” said Vakama flatly. “All I said was, I am going back to Metru Nui. The rest of you take the Matoran to the island above, and I will join you soon.”
At the controls of the airship in which they flew, Onewa sat shaking his head.
“I know better than to argue with you,” Onewa said over his shoulder. “But I’m sorry, I really don’t understand. All this effort to get away from Metru Nui and now you want to go back?!”
“Yeah,” interjected Matau playfully. “Did you leave a lightstone on? Forget your favourite Kanoka disk? What is it?”
“The Mask of Time.”
Three words. All it took was those three words from Vakama to silence the room.
“I’m not surprised it slipped your mind. I don’t blame you, I almost forgot about it myself.”
The Toa remained silent, realising the seriousness of the situation. Everyone present remembered how Vakama crafted the Kanohi Vahi, the Mask of Time, with the power to slow down or speed up time around a target. Keeping the powerful mask out of the hands of the evil Makuta had nearly cost Vakama his life, and had led to the death of Turaga Lhikan. During the course of the battle, the Vahi had fallen into the sea.
"It’s still down there. If it should fall into the hands of Makuta, all that we have done here, and all our hopes for a new life, will be erased. I have to find it. "
Nokama stood up. “We’ll all go, if it’s that important, then we must-”
Vakama shook his head. “I know this goes against everything we’ve learned so far, but this time I really must go alone. If I am wrong, and Makuta has forgotten the mask, he will go after them. If I am right, then at least I can delay him long enough for you to escape… perhaps even to destroy the mask.”
“I understand, Vakama. But we cannot let you go alone. Not after our ordeal.”
“I’m not ordering my fellow Toa to accept this. I am asking my brothers and sister to understand. I must go alone.”
Before Nokama could answer, Onewa had stepped up between them.
“Perhaps we can compromise,” he said. “Nokama, he has a point. Someone has to stay behind and make sure nothing happens to the Matoran. On the other hand…” he continued, turning to the Toa of Fire, “letting you go alone would be unwise. What if you need help? At least take Nokama with you, brother. The rest of us will watch the Matoran.”
Vakama considered. His mind was telling him to go alone and disregard his teammates. Then he remembered where this line of thinking lead him last time. Onewa was right, he could use some help.
“Alright,” he said. “When you’re ready, sister.”
In my version of the story, Nokama accompanies Vakama in his quest, helps him find the Vahi underwater, and when Vakama get buried, she goes searching for Onewa’s help. The novel ends with the Toa reuniting. I don’t know about you, but this sounds a lot closer to how the characters would act in this point in time.
BTW, did you see me turning Onewa into the Referee?
Another thing that bugs me about Time Trap is the missed potential. As you know, a large portion of the story takes place in a dark alternate reality, where the Great Disk Matoran became Toa and where the Morbuzakh is still at large. The subplot is an intriguing projection of Vakama’s anxieties over the Toa Metru supposedly not being meant to become Toa and an interesting what-if scenario. Sadly, it’s never properly explored since it ends way too quickly. And besides, the subplot is ruined by the fact, that we already know it’s not real, so the tension is non-existent.
My solution? Split Time Trap into two parts. The first one starts with Vakama waking up in the alternate reality. There is no explanation as to how he got there, no intermissions from the Dark Hunters. For all we know, the entire Bionicle story up to that point has been a dream. We stay in this reality for a little while, we meet all the characters, Onewa, Whenua and the Toa included, and see just how twisted this version of Metru Nui is. As we go along, we start to see more and more cracks and inconsistencies, things take make Vakama realise: Wait, this really is an illusion! He finds the Kratana, meets Krakua, illusion ends and he meets Teridax. They team up to find the Vahi. End of part one. Part two opens with Vakama and Teridax en route. Vakama reminisces on the events that lead him to where he is, including the above paragraph, Voporak’s attack and the illusion. The rest of part two plays out exactly as the official version, maybe with an additional subplot about Nokama and Onewa’s rescue mission, with them coming across the Rahi from Voyage of Fear , finding Mavrah corpse and maybe even helping Vakama in the final battle.
Conclusion
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, that’s all. That’s my rant, I mean, treatise for a revamped version of the 2005 Bionicle story arc. I’ve had these thought brewing in me for some time and I thought it was high time I got them off my chest. I hope it was at least somewhat insightful. If you have any thoughts about my thoughts, do share them down below.
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Going off the paragraphs, another missed opportunity shows itself - the Toa (Whenua, perhaps) could point out what you just said, that Mavrah doesn’t actually care about the Rahi.