Is LEGO Disrespecting Bionicle?

I wouldn’t call Lego’s current treatment disrespectful, just sadly apathetic. Disrespectful would be rebooting it in name only, where humans are forced in for no reason, the characters are all either unlikable idiots or given no personality whatsoever, and the whole concept is mocked at every turn.

Right now I think the main issue is that the leadership doesn’t have much confidence in the theme’s ability to succeed. Part of that is justified, given how G2 went, but it’s also cause as much as it is effect; with that same lack of confidence leading to a failure to invest the proper resources into the reboot to begin with, creating a self-fulfilling feedback loop. I think Bionicle can recover, but it’s going to take a lot of time and probably a change in leadership to happen, and if it does it would need to succeed in a way G2 didn’t in order to clear the line’s name, so to speak.

As for the Bionicle fandom, how alive or dead it is is purely down to what we make of it.

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@legomaster1378

The /s is fine but I resent emojis.[quote=“ColdGoldLazarus, post:81, topic:50060”]
the characters are all either unlikable idiots or given no personality whatsoever
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@ColdGoldLazarus

I would argue G2 to be like that.

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Honestly, while G2 isn’t exactly a shining pillar of great characterization, it could be infinitely worse. Ever seen Revenge Of The Fallen?

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That movie still had some of the best Optimus scenes ever, fight me😂

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Nope.

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Sorry to derail things here but I have two questions: is this Wrecking Ball/Hammond set official and can we all agree that the little hamster figure in this picture is flipping adorable?

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Yes.

And yes.

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Uhm, guys, haven’t we kinda got off topic?

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I’ve been watching this topic in the shadows since the beginning, and this is the first opinion I completely agree with.

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Well certain sanctums (toxic or otherwise) have been dead for a while now[quote=“LegoDavid, post:88, topic:50060, full:true”]
Uhm, guys, haven’t we kinda got off topic?
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:gregf:

Nope. And again, here’s why.

LEGO has never been entitled to giving us anything. We are not owed diddly squat by being true believers and rushing to stores to buy the latest set that utilizes an old Bionicle piece, hoping to catch some glimpse of a possible third return of Bionicle or perhaps even some kind of blatantly over-obvious fan service to worship.

LEGO is also not purposefully attempting to tick off so volatile a portion of their fanbase by purposefully disrespecting Bionicle. If anyone’s disrespecting Bionicle here, it’s the fans. Don’t believe me? read this topic.

And LEGO is most certainly not going to make a new Bionicle 3 years after the last one bombed. So if you, non-specific Bionicle fan that I’m talking to, are only whining in the hopes that this will somehow bring Bionicle back - as if LEGO executives would even bother mulling over this topic as opposed to doing something more enjoyable, like getting a tooth pulled or having their foot run over by a cement truck - dump your hopes and dreams overboard right now. LEGO knows we want Bionicle back, they know and they know and they know and they know and they know. You don’t need to inform them.

Will Bionicle, in some form, return? Yes. Oh, I’m not guessing, I know it will. There’s no way it can’t. But it won’t for now. My condolences, I guess? Really, my condolences to the mods that this topic even somehow got this far along, even though this is only my third post.[quote=“LegoDavid, post:1, topic:50060”]
This is just a quote to ensure that he sees this and to address him specifically. Keep reading, I guess.
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I asm confused about the point of this topic anymore. Every point you have made, every defense to your argument you have brought, has all been logically shot down by pretty much everybody. In fact I don’t see anyone agreeing with you. The only actual debate in this topic has been - as you stated - off-topic.

So as one hopefully final message to the discussion, allow me to quote most everyone with a good ending statement.[quote=“legomaster1378, post:2, topic:50060”]
LEGO doesn’t owe us anything. If the BIONICLE brand is no longer profitable, that’s too bad. But we need to stop whining about it. It’s poisoning the community.
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Why did I go to all the trouble to quote multiple different people (including myself) just to reiterate an ending point? So that you and everyone who skirts down to the bottom of the topic can read or reread those posts, as they are all excellent at conveying that the statement made as the discussion point for this topic simply isn’t true.

So I’m curious if this is actually the end of the topic - did we discuss your point? has it been discussed? or have you been saving an argument which will blow all our minds? If you have been I would genuinely like to see it and talk about it; I’ve been craving real discussion in this topic

I guess there has been one good point to this topic, besides being more definitive proof that topics like this only invite stale, one-sided skirmishes. Bionicle fans really do care. Not simply the ones that cling to being toxic, unlikable human beings who exist online only to harass and bully(which there are still so many of). It’s thanks to the individual people who genuinely care about Bionicle and want to uphold its legacy and story any way possible. It’s why so many fan projects exist, to do a whole number of things - bring Bionicle back, write G3, continue G1, or even swing sets in front of a camera like a child to pluck at a few simple heartstrings which makes me realize how easy Bionicle fans are to emotionally manipulate. It’s not a matter of whether or not LEGO is respecting Bionicle, but if you are.[quote=“legomaster1378, post:27, topic:50060”]
It’s up to us to build MOCs, write fanfic, draw art, 3D print masks, remake old video games, play RPGs and use our creativity in any number of other ways. That’s how we will keep the legend alive.
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And the legend only dies when you let it.

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Yeah. It’s kinda sad to be honest. but I digress.

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I wouldn’t say LEGO is directly or purposefully disrespecting Bionicle.

I would moreso say that they’re being “unappreciative” or “unacknowledging”(if that’s even a word).

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In what way? How is a toy company supposed to “appreciate” or “acknowledge” one of their many dozen discontinued product lines?

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Exactly.

But it can be misinterpreted by others that Lego is doing it out of disrespect, which isn’t necessarily true.

Wait… my point was that they aren’t being unappreciative or unacknowledging…

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I could say they under-appreciated or unacknowledged every line from my childhood (except for Ninjago) if I really wanted to.

Bonkle hasn’t been treated any worse than, say, Exo-Force or Alpha Team. If anything the line has been acknowledged more than most past themes.

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Yup, as awesome and creative the people are that design the sets, we do need to remember that Lego is a business and their main priority is making money so they can stay alive as a business.

That is a sad truth but the silver lining here is that the people that work there have hidden little Easter eggs to previous lines all the time and now Bionicle is being added to that little tradition ever since the Lego Ninjago movie sets (That’s the earliest I remember them being Easter eggs in sets) and their little cameo in the first Lego movie and I see this as Lego giving a little nod to the fans and saying that “hey, we miss it too and we thought you guys would like this little Easter egg”.

Again, I’ll always enjoy Bionicle and the shoutouts it gets via Easter eggs in Lego’s other properties and the passionately and lovingly made fan works from the community and that’s what this all boils down to: the community is alive and well and is looking to be staying that way even if Lego doesn’t try remaking Bionicle for twenty years or whatever; the spirit of the line lives on through the fans, through us.

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How exactly?

If anything, it’s evidence that even if LEGO is neutral to Bionicle’s existence, they’re not opposing it. In fact, them greenlighting such a major abundance of nods and references to the theme shows that at least someone cares about it.

There’s been references in official media ever since the final years of Hero Factory, and lots more I think a lot of people would easily overlook, my Bionicle font screencap being evidence to support that theory.[quote=“BlackBeltGamer98, post:98, topic:50060”]
I see this as Lego giving a little nod to the fans and saying that “hey, we miss it too and we thought you guys would like this little Easter egg”.
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LEGO can’t possibly be missing Bionicle. Why? It never left.

From the original announcement of Bionicle’s cancellation people have been force-feeding LEGO so much Bionicle outcry that it’s coming out of their ears.[quote=“BlackBeltGamer98, post:98, topic:50060”]
the community is alive and well
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Alive and sickly would be a more accurate description in some cases[quote=“Hawkflight, post:96, topic:50060”]
Bonkle hasn’t been treated any worse than, say, Exo-Force or Alpha Team. If anything the line has been acknowledged more than most past themes.
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How many of you youngsters can name off themes from the 90’s? all the one-off themes that were variants of underwater or city? and then can you tell me if LEGO has officially referenced Any of them?

I’ll be waiting over here for the LEGO Res-Q Movie

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I mean… Res-Q was referenced in Jack Stone :stuck_out_tongue:

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:gregf:

thank you 90’s kid

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