#bionicle analysis

At least, not in the sense that they stand for anything morally good. Before I go any further, though, I want to clarify that this isn't me critiquing Bionicle, but suggesting some depth and foreshadowing to the story that I think many people may have missed.

So let's look at the virtues one-by-one:

Unity: This is maybe the closest to an actual virtue, since it implies some love for your community. But what unity really comes down to is "working together," and so how morally good unity is depends entirely on what the community's goals are. The matoran of Metru Nui might have caught on to Makuta impersonating Turuga Duma if they weren't so united behind their leader.

Duty: This one basically means "do your job," which is only really as moral as the job. Most of the matoran of Voya Nui were dutiful enough to follow the Piraka's orders even before they were mind-controlled with Zamor spheres, but that was hardly for the best, and the least dutiful rebels were the heroes in the end.

Destiny: This has a moral dimension if you believe in a destiny written by some benevolent and omniscient higher power but, in the Bionicle universe, Mata-Nui and the Great Beings are capable of making mistakes at best and amoral at worst. Destiny seems more like a way to tell characters to stay in line and accept their appointed tasks. Yet over and over we see characters who do the most good by rejecting their appointed task (Takua, Jaller's team when leaving for Voya Nui, the Voya Nui rebels), not because they think they have some other destiny , but because it's the right thing to do.

Looking at all these points together, it seems clear that the three virtues are really just an order of obedience dressed up in the language of morality and religion. Considering that the creatures of the Matoran universe were built to be nothing more than workers keeping the Mata-Nui robot alive, then it makes sense that they would be taught to worship obedience and hard work. This gives dark undertones to the adoration of the three virtues, but in turn makes it all the more beautiful that these characters developed culture, individuality, and true morality when they had been made as nothing but slaves.

The Toa Metru have already been ostracized, only for every matoran to be trapped in the spheres. They lost their communities twice. Being forcefully transformed into Toa Hordika highlights how alone they've been. Now, they're even more removed from what they perceive as normal. They're not normal. They're not what they're supposed to. They were not Chosen.

The Rahaga's presence can only offer emergency intervention to try and stabilize them, at least until Metru Nui's matoran are saved.

Especially Vakama shows one of the potential results when you're constantly ground down mentally and don't have supprt: If you don't become an emotional wreck unable to do anything, you'll have a breakdown.

You feel cornered and lash out. Reasoning breaks down. Your feelings and impulses rule you, to the point of self-destruction. Identity frays - the 'you' you know vanishes in fear and anger and instincts because you're locked in the deep of survival mode.

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The Toa Inika's transformation into the Mahri enables them to follow the Ignika. It also physically and geographically separates them from almost everybody else.

They're used to work in and rely on a community. Even on Voya Nui, they worked with the matoran to survive and follow their mission.

But as Toa Mahri, they cannot breathe on dry land. The Toa Nuva have gone / will go to Karda Nui. It's sad and ironic that they only get tools there that would've allowed them to follow and aid the Mahri in the depths of Aqua Magna.

There's the fear that they'll never be able to return to their friends, because of the simple reason if they'll find a way to survive on land / their friends can survive underwater.

When they find Mahri Nui, the matoran at first reject them because of suspicion of their goals and a misunderstanding. The Barraki and Hydraxxon capture them, which separates them before they manage to escape. This separation allows Teridax to manipulate the lone Matoro, driving a new wedge between him and the other Toa Mahri.

My oc Pyea never really outgrew his Matoran mindset, so even as a Toa he was very reverent towards his siblings and kept acting as their toolmaker and fixer despite having more important duties; in the same way, the Turaga Metru never really comprehended that they were equals to Dume and continued to see him as the apex of authority despite having his same role. So when he made a decision they didn't agree on their first instinct was still to bow their head and say "yes, Turaga" without fighting it much.

And maybe the Matoran and even Toa were perplexed or frustrated by this - you never act like this with each other, why can't you put your foot down with him too? He's just the same as you! And the Metru might have heard that and looked completely appalled because yes, they might be Turaga, but he is the Turaga. They can't do anything against him, not overtly, or then they will be viable for punishment. Because in their minds, when it comes to Dume, they are still Matoran who must do what he says or novice Toa who need his wisdom, and he is the authority that cannot be challenged.

Yesyesyesyes-

The headcanon that they never outgrew feeling that Dume's their superior and leader while away from him keeps rotating in my head. It's even more delicious when I consider Onewa's contrarian nature, Vakama's now distrust of powerful people, and more reasons why the turaga would clash with Dume.

How do they reconcile their misgivings with their reflexive deference? How does each of them cope, what justifications do they come up with? How do these things change when their perception of Dume change? (And how much do they resist or lean into these perceptions?) Where are their limits? Where would they give in, to their matoran and their own detriment? When would be too much too much?

I also love the idea that the Turaga Metru fear to be punished. It'd be a selfish motivation for them to agree with Dume even if they know better in this case, and it just. Drives my brain into overdrive because that would cause conflicts because their fear is so, so understandable - they're victims of centuries-long abuse and neglect, and in this case they don't understand that it was abuse - and doesn't make their actions okay.

I can make a sensible argument that the Toa Metru can be read as young teenagers, because their books were aimed at that age bracket.

Of course, they're not literally teenagers. Characters are devices for the story. Characters don't have to be human or even physically resemble humans, as long as they resonate with the audience. So you get animals, gods, mythical beings in general, objects, plants, planets, or semi-organic semi-mechanical constructs with elemental powers plus more. That's not going even into other facets of storytelling related to characters.

Also, stories are often created with a specific audience to appeal to. The stories' characters experience situations that said audience is familiar / can resonate with / finds cool.

The books focusing on the Toa Mata are a power fantasy for children in the sense of make-believe games. You can be a super-powered hero, too! The Mata Nui Online Games are a different kind of power fantasy where the non-powered, outsider characters among the matoran come together as they are and show their heroic resolve. You are a child and you might be small and appear weird to others, which doesn't change that your actions matter, too!

The Toa Metru's adventures are darker in tone, events, characters, and setting. The Toa Metru become and stay outcasts during their time as toa. They are flung by authority (adults) into a responsibility they used to see as amazing but turns out is difficult and isolating in the place where they live. They both want to be independent and for somebody else to make decisions for them to ease the burden.

Ignorance of their previous circle as the best place gets shattered as they experience other places and their home from a different angle. The highest authority they used to look to for guidance brands them as criminals for something they didn't do, and this makes them pariahs in the perception of their former peers. They get transformed into monsters and feel like ones, when they were arguably treated as such already before as Toa Metru.

This is a story that would appeal to some groups of young teenagers, because they can relate with these experience and know the Toa Metru are the stories' heroes.

Back to this post's beginning:

Onewa still can be arguably the oldest of the Toa Metru. In this interpretation, he equals roughly a sixteen-years old who had to work several jobs to survive, dealt with a lot of shit, has comparatively more worldly knowledge to others of his age, and now thinks he's The Expert (TM) in how the world and every person works.

When he's never left his neighborhood before because it was discouraged, and doesn't realize that

"No, things work very differently in other places. And bad things happen there, too." - And

"You might have gotten a good reading of your fellow teenager, but you're not even considering what kind of shit they went through."

My hypothesis: Nokama, while stressed too about fulfilling her duty, has a different core issue in relation to it. Rather than the aspect of fulfilling a command by her leader, she constantly thinks of her behavior. For her, her conduct is part of her duty.

She has to act a certain way. She has to be in a certain way, or she is failing.

Which makes sense. She is a teacher, after all. She has to be a role model for her students. But what if it went deeper than that?

Nokama puts a lot of stock in order, reflecting her Metru and the vahki assigned to this metru: The bordakh. These vahki carry staffs of loyalty that instill uncompromising desire for social order.

Official material depicting in-universe information describes Ga-Metru in a very flattering light. It's the city's spiritual center and said to be favored by Mata Nui himself.

None of the Ga-Metru hold any jobs in terms of repair, manifacturing, or engineering. Matoran from other Metru do these jobs for them. Ga-Metru is privileged.

But like with everything in Metru Nui, this is only one side. The side most would think about first, whether as good or bad. The other one of this reputation means that all ga-matoran must be peaceful, right? They are orderly, spiritual, wise, etc. Otherwise Mata Nui wouldn't love their Metru as much.

Ooof. Of course, some would feel arrogant about that. But mostly, that'd be a lot of pressure. If you're the favorite of the city's most important person - your God - then you have to show it that you're showing reasons why you're the favorite? And keep it up all the time?

I doubt all ga-matoran took it that deeply to heart, but some of them likely did. They have to act responsibly. Among them is Nokama.

Remember what I said farther up in the post that she thinks she has to act in and be a certain way? We see it regularly.

Nokama in the movie and in the movie's novelization [[gave the Po-Matoran a sharp look. “Your negativity pollutes this sanctuary, builder.”]]

She snaps at Matau and tells him they have to take their duties as toa seriously.

She scolds herself after she argues with Vakama in the Archives. Never mind that it's a genuinely stressful situation and the others barely ever consider that they themselves need to make an effort to argue less. In my reading it felt like she deemed it more a moral failing of hers rather than a practical concern?

She tries to mentor Vakama and steer him into the direction of being leader. We're never given a concrete in-universe reason. (Out-of-universe, the writers clearly pushed the fire toa into the leader role.) But maybe Nokama saw it as her duty and responsibility to keep teaching in the one way she could, if she wouldn't teach matoran anymore? (Not to mention that's the only connection to her old life that she still has.)

She asserts that she's a toa in the comics when Nidhiki mocks her, Matau, and Vakama to be overgrown matoran.

Feeling rejected by the Great Temple when she enters it as Toa Hordika deals a heavy blow to her. She feels impure, as if she's longer fit as she is to serve the Great Spirit in his regard.

She has a rage breakdown, yelling that "She's still a toa!"

On the other end, Nokama notably has moments as Toa Hordika, while she's trying to calm down and find stability with Gaaki's help, where she doesn't seem to care about her previous high standards anymore. She feels tempted to give into her hordika side and is much more reckless, less thinking about how she acts as a toa.

She also makes an effective and chaotic team with Matau. As @crystaltoa pointed it out, they both are now "hold my beer" types, while they act about each other as "I can't take you anywhere with me!"

As if the transformation into a hordika beast, which looks nothing like a toa's supposed to, has freed Nokama from a great weight.

I feel that Onua and Kopaka would have made greate foils if more interactions and stories had focused on them.

They share some interesting parallels, like their tendency to retreat into their element. They even isolate themselves often early on.

Onua feels very comfortable digging into and through the earth. Not for any specific goal or to look for something but because he enjoys it. He doesn't go looking for company.

He also stays out of team conflicts if Gali's words are to go by. He doesn't interfer or try to mediate, just reacts to the symptoms. He readily agrees to split to do things although past events have shown how much trouble they can get into when dealing with danger alone.

@whiteheartlight extrapolated from that he might feel uncomfortable with social interactions and deals with it by being distant / avoiding it. I like this reading because it goes with Onua's being uncomfortable being vulnerable, whether physically or emotionally.

Kopaka spends a lot of time in Ko-Koro. Both because he feels most at home in the ice and cold, and because he can avoid company which he does intentionally.

He's one of the Toa Mata / Nuva most openly dismissive of unity at the beginning. Both of these things likely stem from his anxiety of being made fun, which ultimately means being rejected / not cared for.

Tahu, with his temper, develops control. He doesn't react to Nektann's taunting. He displays a detached coldness as he calmly (on the outside) burns him inside his armor, with precise control of his element. He doesn't even have to use his sword to channel at that point.