History YMMV / BIONICLE

-->'''[[WebVideo/LEGORewind Nick Anderson]]:''' We learned that lacking the ability to reproduce, the Matoran didn't know emotions like love! That's a big ol' middle digit to ace people.

* ValuesDissonance: Greg Farshtey's justification for the strict NoHuggingNoKissing in the Matoran Universe is that its inhabitants have NoBiologicalSex, and therefore no capacity for {{romance}}. Such reasoning would come under fire in TheNewTens as greater insight on the nature of UsefulNotes/{{asexuality}} (namely that asexual ≠ aromantic) became mainstream. Compounding this is the advent of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', a show that revolves around beings with NoBiologicalSex and heavily features romantic elements nonetheless.

* CommonKnowledge: The infamous "Māori controversy" early in ''BIONICLE'''s life has been subject to a ''ton'' of exaggeration and myth, with the most common version of the story claiming that Toys/{{Lego}} was sued by Māori activists over use of their language (some claiming that it was sparked by [[DisneyOwnsThisTrope LEGO's attempts to trademark certain Māori terms]]), and that the many Māori-inspired names were changed out of a legal victory by said activists. In actuality, [[https://www.wired.com/2002/11/lego-site-irks-maori-sympathizer/ there was never any legal action on either side]][[note]]Needless to say that ''language'' isn't something native speakers can claim copyright over[[/note]]. The activists only sent a letter of complaint, which regarded LEGO's use of certain terms as being culturally insensitive, primarily the use of "tohunga" -- a culturally revered term to describe priests and healers -- to describe the resident {{hobbits}}, marked additionally by the series about to receive its first video game, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally titled]] ''BIONICLE: Tales of the Tohunga''[[note]]Contrary to what the Māori activists believed at the time of complaint, LEGO had not intended to trademark the collective title or the term "tohunga", merely "BIONICLE" as it was obviously their property[[/note]][[note]]Also worth noting much of the Māori protectiveness over the term "tohunga" comes from a history of forced suppression of the role in New Zealand's history, most infamously with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohunga_Suppression_Act_1907 Tohunga Suppression Act of 1907]], which many have criticized as a forced attempt of cultural assimilation[[/note]]. This was all the pressure LEGO needed to do renaming (namely retconning "Tohunga" out and putting "Matoran" as the forefront descriptor, with the upcoming game being renamed to ''Quest for the Toa''), and the whole affair was resolved quietly and fairly amicably. In fact, a few Māori words are still present in the ''BIONICLE'' universe (most notably "Toa" itself, which in Māori means "warrior" and is used fully appropriately).

* ContinuityLockOut: Like you wouldn't believe. There are novels, Comics, Web serials, and Movies from which some novels are adapted from that BIONICLE's story is spread across. At the least, several fan-made media compendiums like [[https://biomediaproject.com/bmp/ BioMedia Project]] and [[https://wallofhistory.com/ Wall of History]] make it fairly easy to ArchiveBinge.

** Mainly with the rest of LEGO fandom, the AFOL community in particular who feel the theme doesn't fit in with the spirit or aesthetic of LEGO. It tends to flare up during fan polls or tourneys over the best overall theme that inevitably get flooded with votes from BIONICLE fans. It's all largely one-sided, though, as BIONICLE fans generally appreciate the other themes. Unfortunately, this occurrence would turn sour upon the FanBallot to decide which classic LEGO theme would get a high-end collectors' set for LEGO's [[MilestoneCelebration 90th Anniversary]], [[https://jaysbrickblog.com/news/how-did-bionicle-win-the-lego-ideas-fan-vote-an-interview-with-bzpower-admin-tufi-piyufi/ with BIONICLE amassing the highest number of votes]] and going up against Toys/ClassicLEGOSpace, Toys/LEGOPirates, and Toys/LEGOCastle in the finals. Several YouTubers would insist that BIONICLE should not win for the above reasoning, citing the failure of [[Toys/Bionicle2015 G2]] in particular. This naturally incurred the wrath of BIONICLE's {{fandom}}, who, as mentioned elsewhere on this page, are growing desperate for the line's legacy to have some actual recognition, especially after G2's aforementioned demise and [[https://ideas.lego.com/projects/9a9b428b-108e-43bd-8b9e-3fdc7e8ec54a the proposed 20th-anniversary Ideas set]] getting passed up for approval. Ultimately, the controversy died down by the time Castle and Space were annouced as the winners, and the fandom has largely accepted the 90 Years of Play mini-Tahu and the gift-with-purchase Tahu and Takua as an acceptable ConsolationPrize.

** On Website/{{Tumblr}}, the idea that Kraata are a larval stage of Makuta is a rather common head-canon.

* FridgeHorror: The Boxor vehicles are made of Bohrok parts. The Bohrok [[spoiler:[[WasOnceAMan Were Once Matoran]], making this a case of HumanResources]].

* CommonKnowledge: The infamous "Māori controversy" early in ''BIONICLE'''s life has been subject to a ''ton'' of exaggeration and myth, with the most common version of the story claiming that Toys/{{Lego}} was sued by Māori activists over use of their language (some claiming that it was sparked by [[DisneyOwnsThisTrope LEGO's attempts to trademark certain Māori terms]]), and that the many Māori-inspired names were changed out of a legal victory by said activists. In actuality, [[https://www.wired.com/2002/11/lego-site-irks-maori-sympathizer/ there was never any legal action on either side]][[note]]Needless to say that ''language'' isn't something native speakers can claim copyright over[[/note]]. The activists only sent a letter of complaint, which regarded LEGO's use of certain terms as being culturally insensitive, primarily the use of "tohunga" -- a culturally revered term to describe priests and healers -- to describe the resident {{hobbits}}, marked additionally by the series about to receive its first video game, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally titled]] ''BIONICLE: Tales of the Tohunga''[[note]]Contrary to what the Māori activists believed at the time of complaint, LEGO had not intended to trademark the collective title or the term "tohunga", merely "BIONICLE" as it was obviously their property[[/note]]. This was all the pressure LEGO needed to do renaming (namely retconning "Tohunga" out and putting "Matoran" as the forefront descriptor, with the upcoming game being renamed to ''Quest for the Toa''), and the whole affair was resolved quietly and fairly amicably. In fact, a few Māori words are still present in the ''BIONICLE'' universe (most notably "Toa" itself, which in Māori means "warrior" and is used fully appropriately).

** Some fans read Nidhiki in a sympathetic light due to his harsh upbringing and due to feeling bad for what happened to him. Some even go as far as to say that under different circumstances he would've been able to be a true hero. Greg has stated that Nidhiki didn't have any goodness in him [[https://greg.thegreatarchives.com/2003-2008/page270#post10786 instead doing good only for the sake of his ego rather than pure heroism.]]
** Krika fits this rather perfectly. A vast majority of the fan-base sees him as a sympathetic AntiVillain and one of the few villains in the series who wasn't purely evil and had redeemable qualities to them, as he opposed the Makutas actions. It is quite common to read his opposition in that he felt it was wrong. Many fans go as far as to wish he was redeemed. Greg meanwhile never intended Krika to be sympathetic, stating [[https://greg.thegreatarchives.com/2008-2010/page13#post491 at least once]] that Krika opposed the Makuta out of pragmacity rather than out of a desire of doing the right thing.

** Christian Zanier was the only artist who most will agree managed to rise up to D'Anda, at least with regards to attention to detail. Not only were his characters near-perfect representations of the toys yet still lifelike, he also created pretty solid designs for random background creatures which looked LEGO-like and convincing as biomechanical beings at the same time: compare [[http://biosector01.com/wiki/images/b/bc/HT_Takea.png his take on the mutated Takea sharks]] to [[http://biosector01.com/wiki/images/e/ee/Takea_Set.PNG the actual model of a normal one]]. Sadly, he never became a regular artist, and his occasional over-reliance on copy-pasted lineart and using badly filtered photos as backgrounds wasn't to everyone's liking.

* ContinuityLockOut: Like you wouldn't believe. There are novels, Comics, Web serials, and Movies from which some novels are adapted from.

* DesignatedVillain: Turaga Dume and the Vahki get struck with this in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=540_iF8Iz58 Vahki animations]]. The shorts all portray Dume's rule over Metru Nui as some kind of Orwellian oppressive government with the Vahki serving as brutal secret police. The main source material instead shows Dume as a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold well-intentioned but stubborn ruler]]. Similarly, the Vahki are mindless robotic law enforcers who haven't really independently done anything that villainous in the main storyline. [[spoiler:Makuta WAS impersonating Dume at the time, but regardless he didn't mistreat most of the Matoran using the power granted by impersonating ''Dume'' until actually kidnapping them.]]

** Krika fits this rather perfectly. A vast majority of the fanbase sees him as a sympathetic AntiVillain and one of the few villains in the series who wasn't purely evil and had redeemable qualities to them, as he opposed the Makutas actions. It is quite common to read his opposition in that he felt it was wrong. Many fans go as far as to wish he was redeemed. Greg meanwhile never intended Krika to be sympathetic, stating [[https://greg.thegreatarchives.com/2008-2010/page13#post491 at least once]] that Krika opposed the Makuta out of pragmacity rather than out of a desire of doing the right thing.

* FandomRivalry: Mainly with the rest of LEGO fandom, the AFOL community in particular who feel the theme doesn't fit in with the spirit or aesthetic of LEGO. It tends to flare up during fan polls or tourneys over the best overall theme that inevitably get flooded with votes from BIONICLE fans. It's all largely one-sided, though, as BIONICLE fans generally appreciate the other themes. Unfortunately, this occurrence would turn sour upon the FanBallot to decide which classic LEGO theme would get a high-end collectors' set for LEGO's [[MilestoneCelebration 90th Anniversary]], [[https://jaysbrickblog.com/news/how-did-bionicle-win-the-lego-ideas-fan-vote-an-interview-with-bzpower-admin-tufi-piyufi/ with BIONICLE amassing the highest number of votes]] and going up against Toys/ClassicLEGOSpace, Toys/LEGOPirates, and Toys/LEGOCastle in the finals. Several YouTubers would insist that BIONICLE should not win for the above reasoning, citing the failure of [[Toys/Bionicle2015 G2]] in particular. This naturally incurred the wrath of BIONICLE's {{fandom}}, who, as mentioned elsewhere on this page, are growing desperate for the line's legacy to have some actual recognition, especially after G2's aforementioned demise and [[https://ideas.lego.com/projects/9a9b428b-108e-43bd-8b9e-3fdc7e8ec54a the proposed 20th-anniversary Ideas set]] getting passed up for approval.

** On Tumblr, the idea that Kraata are a larval stage of Makuta is a rather common head-canon.
* FightSceneFailure: The first movies follow strict violence guidelines, which forbid the characters from using their "tools" (LEGO still shied away from using the word "weapon" at the time) for their intended purpose. Thus we get scenes like Tahu storming onto a villain, flipping in the air above it, flashing his Magma Swords, planting them into the ground, and sending small lines of fire around the villain, making it... annoyed at the hot air? This was phased out later, and the fourth movie had tons of genuine physical combat, although the characters would take awkward, second-long pauses after every swipe, and in one shot, a villain chasing one of the heroes simply vanished when the camera panned to the side.

* FriendlyFandoms: With other LEGO themes like ''Toys/RockRaiders'', ''Toys/LEGOExoForce'', and the line's spiritual predecessor ''Toys/{{Slizer}}'', natch. But also with other adventure stories like ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Series/DoctorWho''.

* LGBTFanbase: Surprisingly, ''BIONICLE'' gained a following of transgender women around the start of The New Twenties, most of whom grew up with the brand before their transition. It also helps that many of the sets for female characters had gender-neutral body proportions and appearances, and that the one female character that did have an obviously female appearance is a member of a species where even the males share the same body proportions and anatomy as the females.

** Toa Helryx was the very first Toa and the founder of the Order of Mata Nui, having grown ruthless and jaded towards the evils of the Matoran Universe and seeking to create a secretive society expressly designed for dishing out extreme forms of justice to those undeserving of mercy. Via the Order and her own personal interference, Helryx has been behind a near-insurmountable number of events, from training and inspiring fellow Toa to creating the legendary prison "the Pit", all while striking key blows against growing villains to keep many at bay. Upon deciding to step out of the shadows, Helryx recruits evil beings galore to her cause yet keeps many under her thumb, turns [[WildCard Vezon]] into a stooge, and sends him on a suicide mission, and decimates several Makuta strongholds with very little unforeseen circumstances. Though as shocked as the rest of the universe when Teridax attains godhood, Helryx takes advantage of imprisonment inside Teridax's mind to form a plan to kill the mad god even if it dooms the Matoran universe, and nearly succeeds in her plan before outside interference, proving once and for all that Helryx will do what she always has: "Whatever is necessary."

** Good Guy, a non-canon bonus set for Swedish magazines who is lauded as one of the most powerful characters of the series, despite the very obviously simplistic design of the character, who's gotten a fandom that worships him as a god on the same level as Mata Nui.

* MyRealDaddy: Greg Farshtey might've been the writer for most of the storyline, but there is a large portion of the fanbase touting concept designer and co-creator Christian Faber as the true mastermind behind ''BIONICLE'''s success. It helps that Faber regularly posted concept art that shows very interesting WhatCouldHaveBeen scenarios or early designs that would eventually shape the series' aesthetics.[[note]] Faber's own popularity in the fandom took a hit when he became a very early promoter of NFT's during the middle of a TTV interview, going off on a tangent away from Bionicle lore and instead on how he was part of this "exclusive club" of "thinkers... including Elon Musk" when he began to talk about NFT's, and promised to get the hosts of the interview "connected." When questioned why an outspoken advocate for the environment would promote NFT's despite their energy cost, Faber kind of fumbled his response to fans and doubled down on his belief that NFT's were the future of art. It has mellowed out recently, but Faber's NFT phase was a massive low in his popularity in the fandom that he hasn't fully recovered from.[[/note]]

** "All Our Sins Remembered", the third comic from ''Legends of Bara Magna''. Spherus Magna, the lush and paradisal planet that was originally the home of the Glatorian, Agori, the Great Beings, and Mata Nui himself, is put on the path to destruction when energized Protodermis begins making its way to the planet's core. But instead of working with each other to prevent it, the tribes of Spherus Magna all go to war against each other in an attempt to harness its power - and by the time the Great Beings figure out what the energized Protodermis entails, its too far along for them to prevent the planet's destruction - necessitating them to construct the Great Spirit Robot with the intent of studying other planets, then returning to reunite Spherus Magna with the knowledge gained. Shortly after Mata Nui leaves, the planet is destroyed and most of its inhabitants are left stranded on two of its three fragments. In a franchise where unity regardless of one's differences is a recurring theme, "All Our Sins Remembered" ends up deconstructing this in what ends up being a rather cynical story by the franchise's standards.
* ToughActToFollow: The series was ''Franchise/{{LEGO}}'''s first attempt at a story-driven theme, running for nearly a decade and producing one of the most expansive fantasy settings to ever exist, practically saving the company, and thus every story-driven theme has to live up to ''BIONICLE'' and ultimately fails (though [[WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}} certain]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie themes]] have gotten up there).

*** The 2005 story arc as a whole is quite divisive amongst fans. Was it [[AdaptationalExpansion an interesting expansion on the 2004 story that further developed the Toa before they became Turaga]], or [[SeasonalRot unnecessary filler that added nothing to the previous arc]] that also included the above mentioned FaceHeelTurn to a character with the least reason to do so? The only thing fans seem to agree on is that [[EnsembleDarkhorse Roodaka and Keetongu were some of the more memorable characters from that arc]].

* FanPreferredCouple: Several couples became this after the ship teasing moments in the 2001-2003 animations and afterward, even after Greg Farshtey declared all romance [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]], it didn't stop the shippers.
** Macku and Hewkii, set up and portrayed in MNOG and its following animations from Templar Studios; the pair is often the first couple mentioned when fans rebut "love isn't canon." The pair sharing a tender moment during the Bohrok siege of Ga-Koro is particularly iconic.
** Jaller and Hahli, another pair first hinted at in the MNOG games and animations and in Mask of Light, but later reduced to a platonic friendship during Greg's novels for the Ignition era. Also likely by fans to be turned into a love triangle or [[OneTrueThreesome poly relationship by introducing Takua to the mix]].
** [[HoYay Lewa and Onua]], due to Onua's uncanny ability to save Lewa from situations where he loses his mask across both generations have to lead to this fanship.
** [[HoYay Kopaka and Pohatu]], the "Kohatu" ship dates to the two appearing together in the first comic and how Pohatu is one of the few characters that can break Kopaka's cold attitude.
** Takua/Takanuva and Gali, due to their special psychic bond in the franchise. Gali could use her mind to communicate to Takua, used most notably during MNOG when their psychic link allowed her to show Takua real time visions of the Toa's fight against the Manas in Mangaia. Seemingly, a ship pair endorsed by franchise co-creator Christian Faber himself has shared fan art of the pair to his own social media pages.
** Matau and Nokama, hinted at in a few brief interactions in Legends of Metru Nui. Even Greg's books suggested that during their stint as Hordika that Matau was feeling "animalistic urges" towards Nokama.
** Vakama and Roodaka. With the not-so-subtle vibes of Roodaka, many fans have come to view her as a dom over Vakama during his brief fall to the proverbial dark side during the events of Web of Shadows. Even Nathan Furst's musical score for Web of Shadows has a song titled "Roodaka Seduces Vakama."
** Norik and Varian, the two Toa's relationship was fleshed out in the canonized fan short story "No One Gets Left Behind" which has a strong relationship between the two characters. Varian has a very heartfelt goodbye with Norik before she was separated from him and imprisoned by The Shadowed One in a permanent stasis tube.
** Nidhiki and Lariska is rather well-liked ship due to their interactions in Birth of a Dark Hunter showcasing a fun dynamic which some fans read as playful flirting. Helps that they are among the few villains with a somewhat positive/non-hostile relationship towards each other.

** A common interpretation is of seeing Takua as nonbinary. This is due to how his journey of not fitting in with what society expects from him, only to find out he is something else, is something trans people can very strongly relate to. Further-more, as Takanuva, his body resembles more of Gali-Nuva, rather than the male toa Nuva.

* ValuesDissonance: Greg Farshtey's justification for the strict NoHuggingNoKissing in the Matoran Universe is that its inhabitants have NoBiologicalSex, and therefore no capacity for {{romance}}. Such reasoning would come under fire in TheNewTens as greater insight on the nature of UsefulNotes/{{asexuality}} (namely that asexual ≠ aromantic) became mainstream. Compounding this is the advent of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', a show that revolves around beings with NoBiologicalSex and heavily features romantic elements nonetheless.
* ValuesResonance:
** Depending on how you look at it, Bionicle was ahead of its time. While not loud about it, it's likely that the line's set design and mechanical look helped it present to kids things that wouldn't get actively pushed for in multiple forms of media for quite some time. Using the original Toa Mata line as an example, there's varying body types [[note]]Some of the Toa have the shoulder pieces set parallel, some have them set downward, implying some characters have broader shoulders while others are lean -- this, in turn, translates to the characters bulking up via the Nuva transformation -- including the TokenGirl Gali.[[/note]], including a heavy-set main character who isn't mocked or less important or powerful than his peers (Pohatu). Said body types aren't wildly different for [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the Smurfette on the team]], and in fact, you could easily mistake her for a man if you didn't already know.
** Early promotional material made it clear that Lewa preferred swinging from trees and gliding through the air specifically because he had difficulty walking, and Onua stayed underground because his eyes were incredibly sensitive and a small amount of light could blind him. All things considered, this is basically teaching children about disabilities, such as mobility problems or vision difficulties.
** In general, the token female member of the hero teams (usually blue) being just as capable as the five male members they work with sits just as well now as it did back in the 2000s during the series's original heyday.

* ValuesResonance: Depending on how you look at it, Bionicle was ahead of its time. While not loud about it, it's likely that the line's set design and mechanical look helped it present to kids things that wouldn't get actively pushed for in multiple forms of media for quite some time. Using the original Toa Mata line as an example, there's varying body types [[note]]Some of the Toa have the shoulder pieces set parallel, some have them set downward, implying some characters have broader shoulders while others are lean -- this, in turn, translates to the characters bulking up via the Nuva transformation -- including the TokenGirl Gali.[[/note]], including a heavy-set main character who isn't mocked or less important or powerful than his peers (Pohatu). Said body types aren't wildly different for [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the Smurfette on the team]], and in fact, you could easily mistake her for a man if you didn't already know.

-->'''[[WebVideo/LEGORewind Nick Anderson]]:''' We learned that lacking the ability to reproduce, the Matoran didn't know emotions like love! That's a big ol' middle digit to ace people.
** To better explain the aforementioned rule, the characters of the line's first eight years were revealed to be tiny microscopic nanomachines servicing a colossal sized robot body, and therefore, it made sense that even with the free will that had been installed inside their programming by [[spoiler: Velika]], they had no ''biological'' urge to fall in love with one another as they hadn't been programmed for such behavior anyhow. Not that it stopped a lot of the hero characters from forming strong bonds of friendship with one another, which can be construed as its own form of love.
*** And as for the Glatorian and Agori residents of Bara Magna who were stated in the lore to being primarily biological beings with mechanical parts, the complete opposite of their nanomachine counterparts in the Toa and Matoran, they ''could'' feel actual love as evidenced by Kiina's unrequited feelings for Mata Nui, the latter of whom was essentially the AI program for the Great Spirit Robot who, therefore, fell under the rule of not being able to express romantic feelings much like the inhabitants of his old body.
** In early 2021 Christian Faber shared fan art posted in the Facebook group Bionicle Maskposting of Takanuva and Gali in a passionate kiss; to his own Facebook page quoting ''Film/MoulinRouge'' for the post's caption, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.” Not surprisingly many fans claimed that Faber had retconned Greg's prior statements on romance in the Bionicle universe though this is likely just a playful jab at Farshtey's long-held rule on romance in the series.
*** In an interview with the TTV Podcast later in 2021, Faber hinted that the story group early on discussed the idea of the Bionicle universe's inhabitants being capable of some form of biological reproduction; mentioning they discussed early on "how do a male robot and a female robot create new life, when they are robots?" but the idea was dropped as the series went on.

* SpecialEffectFailure: Ever so noticeable in all four movies. Especially noticeable in ''Legends of Metru Nui'', where every other shot has some sort of animation fault in it.

* HardToAdaptWork: LEGO initially turned down every adaptation of their ''BIONICLE'' line because every script given tried to add in humans until Miramax finally agreed not to do so. The movies that ''did'' come out dealt with the problem of only adapting small portions of the story, and as a result are hard to comprehend on their own without the full context of the lore.

* AccidentalInnuendo: The word "toa" is slang for "toilet" in Swedish.

** Is Nidhiki a purely selfish traitor who acted out of opportunism or does he still care about Lhikan a little?

* TransAudienceInterpretation:
** Tamaru is interpreted as a trans-woman, due to him hating heights despite being a Le-Matoran, and for his colorscheme being more blue rather than green.
** A common interpretation is of seeing Takua as nonbinary. This is due to how his journey of not fitting in with what society expects from him, only to find out he is something else, is something trans people can very strongly relate to.

* UnintentionalUncannyValley: ''Bionicle: The Legend Reborn'' used the actual LEGO toys as its character models with an absolutely minimal amount of tweaking, to make them seem more realistic while still keeping the intended "toy look". One added feature was the rotten-looking teeth and weird lips formed by a ''second'' row of mechanical teeth that slid over the real ones, but their true jaw-line still remained apparent. When they smiled, it looked [[https://biosector01.com/w/images/bs01/e/ea/TLR_Toa_Mata_Nui_and_Click.jpg horrifying]].
* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Matau, who is the ButtMonkey and TheFriendNobodyLikes, but the fans love him for being a GlorySeeker who [[AwesomeEgo constantly talks himself up.]]
* TheUntwist: Makuta was [[HijackedByGanon the mastermind behind so many evil plots]], that fans quickly grew tired of how often he was revealed to be the BigBad, especially in 2004, which featured a different setting, different heroes, and two new big bads -- turns out one was just a FillerVillain to the BigBad, who was in fact Makuta in disguise. It didn't help that the movie of that year, ''Legends of Metru Nui'', spoiled that at the very beginning and contained like three subsequent "Makuta is the villain" reveals in later scenes, some of which even contradicted each other (at one point Dume is seen relaying information to Makuta ''[[MindScrew despite being Makuta himself in disguise at that point]]''). That being said, the novel ''Time Trap'' {{Retcon}}s this and instead paints a picture of Makuta as being TheChessmaster, and the 2006 storyline makes his BigBad status more subtle, while the 2007 storyline introduces a new set of villains with their own agenda who are acting independently from Makuta. The culmination of his plans in 2008, however, makes all of his previous schemes much more fitting in hindsight.

* CommonKnowledge: The infamous "Māori controversy" early in ''BIONICLE'''s life has been subject to a ''ton'' of exaggeration and myth, with the most common version of the story claiming that Toys/{{Lego}} was sued by Māori activists over use of their language (some claiming that it was sparked by [[DisneyOwnsThisTrope LEGO's attempts to trademark certain Māori terms]]), and that the many Māori-inspired names were changed out of a legal victory by said activists. In actuality, [[https://www.wired.com/2002/11/lego-site-irks-maori-sympathizer/ there was never any legal action on either side]][[note]]Needless to say that ''language'' isn't something native speakers can claim copyright over[[/note]]. The activists only sent a letter of complaint, which regarded LEGO's use of certain terms as being culturally insensitive, primarily the use of "tohunga" -- a culturally revered term to describe priests and healers -- to describe the resident {{hobbits}}, marked additionally by the series about to receive its first video game, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally titled]] ''BIONICLE: Tales of the Tohunga''[[note]]Contrary to what the Māori activists believed at the time of complaint, LEGO had not intended to trademark the collective title or the term "tohunga", merely "BIONICLE" as it was obviously their property[[/note]]. This was all the pressure LEGO needed to do renaming (namely retconning "Tohunga" out and putting "Matoran" as the forefront descriptor, with the upcoming game being renamed to ''Quest for the Toa''), and the whole affair was resolved quietly and fairly amicably. In fact, a few Māori words are still present in the ''BIONICLE'' universe (most notably Kopaka, whose name means "[[MeaningfulName ice]]" in Māori).

** In addition to Christian Faber; the three other people credited as a co-creator of Bionicle are Bob Thompson who created the original story pitch of "Doo Heads of Voo Doo Island", Martin Riber Anderson a Lego toy designer who worked on the physical toys, and Alastair Swinnerton who wrote the story bible. Many of the early story concepts including the Great Spirit Robot and the names of various characters were created by Alastair Swinnerton and then visually refined by Faber. Swinnerton in particular has an endearing story of how his first paycheck in 1999 from Lego went towards buying what he calls the "[[https://alastairswinnerton.com/2019/12/05/a-lesser-known-bionicle-anniversary/ Bionicle Fridge]]" in his home. Of these four, Christian Faber was the only one to work on the line for its entirety from start to cancellation and onto the following Hero Factory line, while also providing a brief advisory role in the creation of G2 before he left working with Advance Copenhagen & Lego to start his own freelance company.

* CantUnHearIt: Most seem to concur that Christopher Gaze and Creator/LeeTockar are the definitive voices for Vakama and Teridax respectively. Most readings of the books and comic dubs base their performances on them.

** In addition to Christian Faber; the three other people credited as a co-creator of Bionicle are Bob Thompson who created the original story pitch of "Doo Heads of Voo Doo Island", Martin Riber Anderson a Lego toy designer who worked on the physical toys, and Alastair Swinnerton who wrote the story bible. Many of the early story concepts including the Great Spirit Robot and the names of various characters were created by Alastair Swinnerton and then visually refined by Faber. Swinnerton in particular has an endearing story of how his first paycheck in 1999 from Lego went towards buying what he calls his "Bionicle Fridge" in his home. Of these four, Christian Faber was the only one to work on the line for its entirety from start to cancellation and onto the following Hero Factory line, while also providing a brief advisory role in the creation of G2 before he left working with Advance Copenhagen & Lego to start his own freelance company.

* SoBadItsGood: The Piraka Rap, referred to by many as "the best worst thing" that ever came out of the franchise.

** The Ignika was sentient before helping to awaken Mata Nui. Afterward, its personality became dormant so that the focus could be on Mata Nui wandering around Bara Magna. Because [[SarcasmMode it obviously wouldn't be the least bit interesting]] to see Mata Nui and the Ignika interact and figure out their origins together. Also, the fact that Mata Nui's body was made of sand thus possibly impervious to injury is never addressed or explored.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''BIONICLE: The Game'' was of debatable quality in terms of gameplay, and it arguably handled the lore worse than ''Heroes'' did; the latter game simply decided to ignore the lore in favor of gameplay (not to mention the galleries in the console versions detailing characters and items from the story to show that, apart from a few errors, yes, [[ShownTheirWork they did their research]]), while in the former, the game seemed to actually be ''trying'', but ended up cannibalizing it. It's like a CutAndPasteTranslation, except they didn't even need to translate. Also, sweet mother of Karzahni in a gravy boat was the voice acting ''atrocious''. Seriously, the only redeeming factor about it was the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic soundtrack]], which was filled to the brim with masterpieces, and for that, you can just look on Website/YouTube.

** Is Nidhiki a purely selfish traitor who acted out of opportunism or does?

** Almost everybody on Bara Magna seems pretty together after going through a six-way civil war and an EarthShatteringKaboom. Granted, it's been nearly 100,000 years since it happened. Surviving in the harsh desert world seems to take precedence over angsting over what happened, or at the very least they've moved past the angsting phase since then.