One of TTV’s “Top 10” Bionicle videos was of weirdest Bionicle sets.
At 1:10, Meso lists the Bohrok as #9 on the list, since they are described as insectoid, but they don’t seem to have any insectlike qualities.
I mean…I agree with Meso on this one. I remember my elementary school-aged self being confused as to why the Bohrok were described as insectoid. But now I’m going to try to figure it out once and for all. To do that, my first stop is Biosector01.
Under “Abilities And Traits,” the page describes the Bohrok’s ability to roll up into balls, thrust their heads forward like jackhammers, and be controlled by Krana. It mentions that the Krana Vu can make them fly short distances, which explains why they can fly in the Bionicle Heroes game. And, of course, we all know that the different breeds of Bohrok have different elemental powers.
But actual insectlike qualities? Well…
As far as stance is concerned, Bohrok seem a LOT more humanoid than insectoid. They have two legs that they stand on, and they have two arms that they use to wield their weapons. Insects, on the other hand, do not walk upright-at least, not as adults. Caterpillars can rear up and use their prolegs as arms to bring food to their mouths. But even then, that’s not an equal comparison.
But the way the body is structured? Again, it’s not an equal comparison. At all. But after much thought, I’ve come up with a (somewhat weak) explanation. A good deal of insects have large, round bodies with limbs that are kinda short in comparison with the rest of their bodies. And that description does apply to the Bohrok-their bodies are big and bulbous, while their arms and legs are really small. Frankly, it’s kind of a miracle that they can hold their own against the Toa in a hand-to-hand fight.
The other more obvious physical trait is the Bohrok’s ability to roll up into balls like pill bugs. But, technically speaking, pill bugs are not insects-they’re crustaceans. So this doesn’t exactly help the case.
As you can see, the physical “similarities” that Bohrok have to actual insects are pretty skewed. But their behavior tells a different story. First off, they hibernate within little pods that are all joined together in a giant hive. Even their sets’ canisters could be stacked together in a hive-like fashion. The first thing that comes to mind is a beehive-and bees are insects. But that’s not the end of it. Cahdok and Gahdok are both referred to as the “queens” of the Bohrok. Granted, the Bahrag bear absolutely no resemblance to the Bohrok at all. As Eljay joked about in the skit for his review of them, they’re a lot more like chickens.
But, on the other hand, queen bees and queen ants are very distinguishable from their “servants.”
So yeah. Physically, the Bohrok aren’t as insectlike as their official description make them out to be. But they hibernate within hive-like nests, and they have “queens” that have complete command over them. So in terms of behavior, maybe whoever came up with the “insectoid” comparison is on to something.
