When writing on Matoran insults first came to mind, I wasn’t thinking much would come out of it.

I was just expecting to review some slander we know like “cross-wired”, “Fire-Spitter”, and “Smelt-Head”, maybe giving some examples along with way. Little did I know this essay would end up covering so much more than just name-calling.

Like other things I’ve probed at in the past, I got an overwhelming feeling that something more was going on; what I thought would be one-off events ended up being unnervingly specific patterns that appeared everywhere I looked.



But probing deeper meant opening another can of worms – a heavy can of worms that was messy and would take lots of time to go through.



But I couldn’t leave things as they were because too many things just didn’t make sense.



For one, it was odd that Matoran even had insults for each other, especially since we’re never given an explanation in the series. Every society has mannerisms woven into them, (even fictional ones), but they never just “appear” out of thin air; an event or circumstance always leads to beliefs, expressions, or mentalities- there are no exceptions.



Secondly, it was odd that the majority of insults explicitly targeted Ta-Matoran (ex. “Smelt-head”, “Fire-Spitter”, “Mask-Melter”, etc.); this stood out like crazy, since no other tribe is specifically aimed at with slander.



Considering how much depth and detail the Bionicle Universe was given, I knew something must have happened to shape Metru Nui’s mindset on insults.

So, the idea that Metru Nui’s Matoran would: #1. have insults for each other, and #2. have a majority refer to Ta-Matoran, for no reason, just didn’t line up.



The question was: What happened?

And for myself, I needed to find an answer.



Even though we don’t know much about Metru Nui’s past, I tried to go as far back as possible to find some clarity – looking for anything that could link the patterns of the present to an event from the past.



Despite not finding a lot of explicit information, one event was elaborated on just enough to potentially piece everything together: The Great Disturbance.

Considering the Great Disturbance and the outcomes it created, everything made perfect sense. The patterns of insults, prejudice, and discrimination I saw aligned eerily with events that occurred during this period, and (like our own history), seemed to have resulted in serious, long-term consequences for the Matoran of Metru Nui.



Even though this is just a theory, from the amount evidence I’ve seen in the movies, books, and Wiki, I believe the Great Disturbance to be the source of Matoran Insults and social discrimination in Metru Nui.



Metru Nui and Social Dynamics

For most of us, relationships between each Metru remains a great mystery.



Even with 10+ books and two movies, we didn’t see a lot from the city in terms of day-to-day life, making it hard to know what went on in each area of the city. We only know that citizens were segregated by element (in terms of where they lived and worked), but beyond, that we aren’t given much.



Because our knowledge is limited, it’s hard to say for sure what kind of relationships existed between the regions (and even among its citizens).

However, despite not seeing much in a blatant sense, I believe we do have a solid glimpse into what Metruan society was really like: The Toa Metru.

Each of the Toa Metru originated from a different sector of the city, and looking back at their interactions (as both Matoran and Toa), a lot of drama went on between them.

Their friction made for some of the most interesting, influential, and inspirational team dynamics in Bionicle, and even though some characters got more attention than others (sorry, Nuju and Whenua), the conflict we could see pointed to something greater than mere personality conflicts, rivalry, or random targeting.







Toa Metru and First Encounters



When I started looking back through the sources, what struck me the most was that none of the Toa Metru (as Matoran) knew each other before arriving at the Great Temple. After everyone arrives in the Suva Chamber, Nuju states clearly that “[they] are all just strangers”; meaning that, prior to this point, they had never seen each other before.



At first, this statement didn’t seem all that significant but looking at the broader context, I quickly realized what Nuju said was important:



Nuju: “What will be asked of us? We are all just strangers.” Onewa:(referring to Vakama) “Some stranger than others.” Nokama: “Your negativity pollutes this sanctuary, Builder.” Onewa: “Save the lessons for your class, Teacher.” Vakama: (interrupting) “Look, we’re here for a reason.”

Right away, we see the Matoran start squabbling despite having no knowledge of, or personal connections to, each other. Another good example can be seen between Matau and Vakama when they first encounter each other at the Temple:



(Matau and Vakama walk into each other; both are startled and yelp)



Matau: “Fire-Spitter? Did you wrong-turn?”



Vakama: “You tell me.”



(Toa stones glow; other Matoran walk into Suva Chamber)



Vakama: “It appears we are not alone.”

It’s extremely odd that both Onewa and Matau would have such a jeering attitude towards someone they had never met before (Vakama). And, not only this, but the fact that:



1. Vakama does nothing to defend himself,

2. Nokama comes rushing to his defence (being a total stranger herself), and

3. Onewa becomes defensive over Nokama’s intervention,



seemed to carry much more weight than petty arguing, shallow taunting, or defensive posturing.

The Great Disturbance (Matoran Civil War)



Tracing the events of The Great Disturbance from the start, it made sense why both Onewa and Matau might be prejudiced against Vakama, and why Nokama might still be compulsively coming to his defense:

“The Great Disturbance” (or “Matoran Civil War”) began when territory disagreements between Ta-Metru and Po-Metru escalated to war, with two of the remaining four districts quickly aligning with either side (Le-Matoran with Po-Metru and Onu-Matoran with Ta-Metru).



The remaining two districts tried to remain neutral or stop the fighting, but eventually joined the efforts (Ga-Matoran with Ta-Metru and Ko-Matoran with Po-Metru). The result was a full-scale civil war that lasted 400 years.



With the Turaga powerless to cease the bloodshed, the Brotherhood of Makuta was called to intervene and put a stop to the conflict. In efforts to create peace in the city, Makuta Teridax devised to slaughter countless Matoran fighters by having them trapped in the Archives and unleashing volatile rahi upon them.

It was during this time that Teridax also conspired against the Makuta of Metru Nui (Miserix), assassinating him and establishing himself as the city’s “new protector”.



By war’s end, Teridax had successfully overthrown Miserix and put an end to the war; however, the bloody massacre at a Makuta’s hands lead the Matoran to fear the Brotherhood, leaving them with a sullied and villainous reputation.

Along with changes to the Brotherhood, new guardians (Toa) were established as Metru Nui’s protectors to help keep the peace and prevent another uprising from happening again in the future.

Allies during the Civil War



Ta-Metru Alliances:

Onu-Metru (initial)

Ga-Metru (eventual)



Po-Metru Alliances:

Le-Metru (initial)

Ko-Metru (eventual)



Looking at how alliances were established during this period, it makes sense that the Toa Metru might have had national and personal biases against each other - biases which impacted both their personal relationships and ability to work as a team.1



War and Tragedy

Even though there can be good reasons for fighting in war, no one comes through unscathed. The cost is high on all sides- not only in tangible things like structural damage or dwindling resources, but also in emotional and psychological strain (which can be just as devastating).

Because Matoran live a very long time (thousands of years), I find it extremely likely that they experienced some form of trauma, which would have long-lasting (if not permanent) impacts on Matruans and their city.



Considering this aspect of Metru Nui’s background, and how hard it was for the Toa Metru to work together, I wanted to look at some specific interactions between the Toa to see if this was true.

What I found was fascinating: out of all the interactions between the six Toa, the direct dialogue involving Onewa, Matau, Nokama, and Vakama, almost always involved insults in some capacity.



Not only this, but the interactions between these four characters demonstrated how each Metru had a distinct way of interpreting the world – a shift in mindset I believe came as a result of the Civil War and explains the origin of “elemental slurs” and distasteful expressions in Metru Nui.







Matau, Vakama, and “Fire-Spitter”

Out of the characters giving each other grief, Matau is the most pro-active and upfront about his distaste for one particular person: Vakama. Even though he doesn’t express it the same way other characters do, Matau’s battery of harsh remarks makes it clear: he definitely holds Vakama in contempt and makes no effort to hide it:

“Are you cross-wired ?”

?” “What do you think, Mask-Melter ?”

?” “Well Fire-Spitter, we can’t say you didn’t show us the city.”

And while Matau likes to direct numerous “unsavory” things towards Vakama, the most common term he likes to use is “Fire-Spitter”.

Despite being listed as a neutral term on the Wiki, “Fire-Spitter” never came across as a positive expression to me.

Out of all the times mentioned in the books and movies, “Fire-Spitter” only used in a positive way once 2; every other time, it’s used as a condescending (and I would say, derogatory) form of address towards Ta-Matoran.

And though Le-Matoran use the term “Fire-Spitter” the most, other districts can also be seen using it as well, something I found noteworthy.

Tree-speak/chute-speak isn’t widely used by other Matoran, so it was strange that this sole expression ended up making its way through the social chain. (Specially to districts who weren’t in proximity to each other [ex. Le-Metru and Po-Metru]).

However, considering what took place during The Great Disturbance, it made sense that this “expression” would have developed in Le-Metru during the conflict or shortly thereafter, making its way into the city from there (especially to their allies).

But the fact that “Fire-Spitter” was still used regularly by Metruans brings me to think that Metru Nui still has some deep-seated resentment towards Ta-Matoran.





Onewa, Nokama, and “Professional Insults”

Though we often see Vakama being the target of Onewa’s aggression, he also conflicts with other members of his group. Though its often subtle and hard to pick up, I believe that Onewa has a bone to pick with everyone, not just Vakama. And, out of everyone (besides Vakama), I believe Nokama’s the person he has the hardest time working with.

Even though their relationship improves dramatically over time, I believe Onewa and Nokama’s first encounter says a lot about how Po-Matoran and Ga-Matoran saw each other in Metru Nui:

After Onewa insults Vakama in front of everyone. Nokama rushes in to defend him:“Your negativity pollutes this sanctuary, Builder”, to which Onewa spats: “Save the lessons for your class, Teacher”.

From context, we see that Onewa was clearly offended that Nokama interjected, but I believe there’s more going than Onewa simply trying to “defend” himself. Having watched the Russian version of the film, I noticed there’s an extra hidden insult directed towards Nokama, one that can’t be seen in English:

In the Russian, when Onewa calls Nokama “Teacher”, he uses the word “учительница” when addressing her.

This didn’t seem like a big deal at first, but since Russian has three words for teacher (all of which have a sense of ranking or expertise, depending on context), I believe his choice of words rubs some extra salt into Nokama’s wound.



This is because учительница not only means teacher, but a teacher of someone very young - usually children.



From what we know of Nokama, she’s not any old teacher in Metru Nui- she’s an exemplary teacher ( a top instructor in Metru Nui); and as such, she’s in an extremely high position of authority;

she has numerous awards to her name; she’s dedicated long hours of service in the Protodermis Labs; her students produce the highest academic scores across the district.

Nokama is the crème-de-la-crème when it comes to her profession and if Onewa wanted to be respectful towards her, he would have called her “профессор” or, at very least, “преподавательница”.



And while its possible the translators didn’t know Nokama’s backstory, thought the Matoran were like children, or wanted to make the dub match, I think this choice of words was an extra gem LEGO put in to give depth to Onewa and Nokama’s relationship.

Because of this, Onewa isn’t just expressing irritation towards Nokama or defending his bruised ego- he’s also insulting her by saying she’s not only unqualified to be an exemplary teacher, but that her achievement as an high-ranking educator means nothing.



And to Nokama, there would be no bigger assault than undermining her abilities.

But even though Onewa’s the main aggressor in this argument, Nokama is no angel either. She may look heroic by rushing in to defend Vakama from Onewa’s jab, the fact that she calls Onewa by his profession in her retort (“Builder”), seems to go beyond a “directional pronoun”. (We see Onewa doing this as well):

Nokama: “Your negativity pollutes this sanctuary, Builder.” Onewa: “Save the lessons for your class, Teacher.”

Throughout their time as Toa Metru, we constantly see the Toa referring to each other by their Matoran professions, particularly when they are:

Frustrated with each other or being sarcastic, (ex. “Well, Mask-Maker , we can’t say you didn’t show us the city.”; “Fine, don’t listen to me, Teacher .”),

, we can’t say you didn’t show us the city.”; “Fine, don’t listen to me, .”), Blatantly insulting each other (ex. “A Thinker would never lay hands on stone! They’re too busy with their head in the stars.”), and,

would never lay hands on stone! They’re too busy with their head in the stars.”), and, Proving a point or being condescending (“Perhaps a way has been revealed, Rider.”)

But professional names are seen being used positively, particularly by Toa/Turaga to Matoran:

“ Captain of the Guard , approach.” (Turaga –> Matoran)

, approach.” (Turaga –> Matoran) “ Chronicler ! Sightseeing, are we?” (Toa –> Matoran)

! Sightseeing, are we?” (Toa –> Matoran) “ Builder , I’m counting on your courage.” (Toa –> Matoran)

, I’m counting on your courage.” (Toa –> Matoran) “Follow the map, Thinker.“ (Toa –> Matoran)

Judging by how titles are used by Matoran, the context that surrounds them, and the hierarchy of relationships between Turaga, Toa, and Matoran, I think it’s extremely disrespectful to call your peer by their profession (especially by their Matoran profession if they are no longer a Matoran).



All throughout Bionicle, we don’t hear any other Toa team call each other by profession; everyone is either addressed by their first name or with the title “Brother/Sister”.



So, looking back at alliances, I highly suspect that Onewa and Nokama’s disrespectful attitude towards each other is a result of clashing worldviews and national tensions:



Onewa’s/Po-Metru’s Perspective:



Seeing how abrasive Onewa became at Nokama’s interjection, having her come to Vakama’s defence seems to be extremely unnerving for him.



It’s hard to say why this is, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because of bad memories from the past- ones that may trigger him to be overly aggressive or defensive when they occur.

From Onewa’s point-of-view, seeing Nokama’s “devotion” to Vakama and her efforts to “save” him would only add fuel to his internal emotional maelstrom.



An interesting piece to consider in this is the connection between Ga-Metru and Onu-Metru (Ta-Metru’s allies):



Both Ga-Metru and Onu-Metru were jointly charged with teaching history, exploring the natural world, documenting current affairs, and preserving records for future use (white collar jobs ); and because of their close professional connections, it makes sense they would be socially influenced by each other as well.



Despite Ga-Metru’s efforts to stay neutral, they ended up joining the fight alongside Onu-Metru, who had been allied with Ta-Metru from the beginning.



This is the opposite of Po-Metru, which was involved in the practical, manual side of city life (blue collar affairs). Half of their allies (i.e. Le-Metru) was also involved in this sector as well (technology testing/manufacturing).3

And seeing how Le-Metru was quick to side with Po-Metru once the war began, it would make sense that both Le-Metru and Po-Metru were in close communion as well.



If Ga-Metru’s collaborative background with Onu-Metru (education) played a major part in their decision to join the fight, I think Onewa might blame “education” for Ga-Matoran’s choice in alliances.



Because if education really did lead Ga-Metru to side against Po-Metru, Onewa might hold the educational practices of Ga-Metruans as completely worthless – maybe even dangerous;

in his mind, if Ga-Matoran had spent more time in the real world instead of shoving their masks in books, shut-up in sterile labs, or digging through archives records, then their choice in allies would have been clear.



And so by addressing Nokama by her profession, I believe Onewa is saying Nokama’s “high and mighty authority” is an absolute farce- and that she should save any her “lessons” for her own class of deluded, like-minded, hoto-brained morons.



Nokama’s/Ga-Metru’s Perspective:



If education really was a factor in persuading alliances, I believe Nokama may blame lack of education as the cause of the Great Disturbance- at Po-Metru’s fault; according to her, if the Po-Matoran had been more “educated”, “cultured”, or aware of events outside their own district, they never would have escalated things to the point of war.

Because of this, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nokama still believes Po-Matoran are ignorant or savage- meaning Po-Metruans would be unaware of the “proper way” to do things.



By referring to Onewa as “Builder” in this context, and attempting to “teach” him proper protocol in the Temple, Nokama sees herself as the “hero” come to save a “poor Ta-Matoran” from the malicious attacks of a brutish, uncivilized Po-Matoran (who doesn’t even know how to behave in a holy place).



In her mind, either Po-Metru’s own unwillingness to learn or “savage” cultural background is what lead to war in the first place; In the end, I think this is why she jumps straight into lecturing Onewa, instead of simply telling him to stop because he’s being mean to Vakama.

Onewa and Vakama

Out of all the conflicts the Toa Metru had with one another, the dynamic between Onewa and Vakama was certainly the most intense.

Mixing together Onewa (socially hostile), and Vakama (chronic low self-esteem), the two were a recipe for disaster.

Throughout the entire G1 series, Onewa was always the most abrasive, most salty, and most aggressive of out of everyone we encountered.

He initiated (or escalated) most of the conflict within the group and was always the most forthright and unfiltered with harsh comments (i.e. “cross-wired”). And, out of everyone in the Toa Metru party (even Matau), it’s pretty clear Onewa hated Vakama the most.



And I don’t mean disliked, I mean down-to-the-core, f**king hated Vakama.



Onewa’s interactions with Vakama were certainly the most brutal out of everyone, and even though he didn’t insult him as much as Matau, the severity of his attacks definitely made him the worst of the two.

Even though Onewa grew a mild tolerance towards Vakama over time, neither of them addressed their underlying issues and reconciled as people- even as Turaga. (Which is kind of disappointing, in my opinion.)



Whenever I would see hostile interactions between the two (whether in books or on-screen), I remember asking myself:



“Why does Onewa hate Vakama so much?”



From what I could tell, Vakama hadn’t done anything to him personally, but knowing how Onewa had been an absolute dick since they met, it was perplexing why Onewa tried to make Vakama’s life a living hell.

Onewa’s Bitterness

Personality-wise, Onewa was always an interesting character to watch.

Out of all the Toa, his temperament stood out the most because of his chronic distrust of everybody; Onewa was a characters I just loved to hate because he was absolutely terrible to every.one He…

actively insulted Vakama and Nokama upon meeting them,

called Vakama crazy on multiple occasions,

threatened Matau with violence,

insulted Nuju and Whenua in prison,

mocked others for following the Turaga’s (Lhikan’s) instructions,

constantly complained about his circumstances,



and regularly belittled the feelings of others (ex. “You? I’m the one suffering, here!”), just to name a few examples.

And what’s worse, he never showed any sign of remorse, guilt, or shame for his actions, even if he was aware of them.

From what I can tell, Onewa can’t make good connections with people.

He either he pushes them away through insults or emotional unavailability, or, tries to get “close” to someone without developing a relationship with them first (ex. aggressive fealty towards Lhikan, etc.)



My heart stung as I realized just how broken-hearted Onewa was as a character. Surely, he wasn’t always this way; what could have happened to twist his soul into the sour ball of bitter-hatred we saw now?



Assuming Onewa’s personality had been largely shaped by the Great Distrubance, when we compare his temperament to the other Toa Metru, almost everyone seems to be calm and well-adjusted.



Could there be something keeping Po-Matoran in this mindset?



From what was recorded in the Mutran Chronicles, The Great Disturbance resulted in massive destruction across the city, requiring exhaustive and critical intervention to repair it.

And from what I could tell from the movies, online games, and books, every district looked to have been restored to glory- every district, expect Po-Metru.

Compared to the rest of Metru Nui, Po-Metru looked unbelievably unattended and disorganized; large cables hung loosely and sporadically; sculptures randomly dotted the open landscape; and various buildings appeared half-buried in sand.



In terms of culture and lifestyle, in place of high-rise buildings and bustling streets, were small crafting villages spread across the region; all shipping and assembling was done in the “Assembler’s Village”, the central hub of the Metru.

The rest is wilderness.

This is the entire opposite of any other Metru.

Even though we don’t know what Po-Metru looked like beforehand, I believe this district either suffered the worst of the damages or received the least amount of support in rebuilding.

Due to the lack of rebuilding support from Metru Nui’s government, the Po-Matoran took matters into their own hands- creating what they could out of the wreckage and trying to improve their circumstances as best they could.



The result was a different way of life than what existed before, and while some it was good, the wounds from still ran deep (ex. loss of resources, lack of internal/external support, tragic loss of members, etc.)



In this light, Po-Metruans might have a hard time trusting anyone outside their own Metru; they only had themselves to depend on for so long, and their elemental segregation would almost completely isolate them from anyone else.

To them, the world wouldn’t be a safe place – no one outside Po-Metru could be trusted.

Assuming this mentality was common for all Po-Metruans, it’s understandable why Onewa would be so closed-off to working with the other Toa, why he might be triggered easily by things relating back to the past, and why he would be so independently-minded as a person.

If Po-Metru continued to suffer after the rest of the city moved on, then all the pain, turmoil, and trauma Po-Matoran were experiencing needed to be directed somewhere, and I believe they channeled it towards Ta-Metru (“the district that caused it all”).



Based on this theory, I think Onewa doesn’t just hate Vakama, but all Ta-Matoran3- Vakama just happens to be there, and because he doesn’t defend himself, he’s the perfect target for Onewa to unleash his all his anger upon.





Vakama’s Insecurity and Self-Loathing

Out of all the characters in Bionicle, Vakama’s guy we just can’t seem to figure out; he’s an enigma, wrapped in a rubrics cube, and tangled in an emotional ball of yarn.



With his insurmountably low self-esteem and horrendous tendency for self-destruction, he was certainly one of the most captivating characters in the G1 series:



When others ganged up on him, Vakama just accepted their ridicule as truth, not bothering to defend himself at all (ex. “I’m just a cross-weird freak who has weird dreams”);

He had a high-ranking position and was even commissioned the Vahi, but he constantly downplays his abilities, (ex. “I can’t even make a decent mask”),

He showed potential for leadership, but either had no value for his own life… (ex. throwing himself in front of Teridax with the Vahi and telling Lhikan that the “[sacrifice] was meant for [him]”)

…or the lives of his teammates (ex. crashing the transport vehicle and not caring about his team’s welfare)

[“Are we just going to stand here all night, or are we going to rescue the Matoran?”]

Though there’s a lot more to his character than this, based on everything else, I think there’s strong evidence for the past playing a major part in shaping Vakama’s personality.

Looking at how others treated him (i.e. Matau and Onewa), and how often we hear elemental slurs being said to him (“Fire-Spitter”, “Smelt-head”, “Mask-Melter”, etc.), I would make the case that despite Metru Nui’s history being unclear who started the fighting, the general, the district to blame for The Great Disturbance is Ta-Metru.

I know this is hard to say for certain, but considering:

Everything we know about the districts, their alliances, and how they interacted with each other both during and after the civil war, How Matau and Onewa constantly harass Vakama, even though he hasn’t done anything them personally, The type of insults we see present in Matoran culture, and to whom they are directed towards (Ta-Matoran), and, How Vakama fails to recognize his own self-worth or defend himself from attack,

Ta-Matoran are seen as scum. This kind of regional bias harms not only those on the receiving end (Ta-Metru), but also the Matoran who promote it as well (ex.Po-Metru, Le-Metru).

This is also known as “Blame-Shifting” [or “Burden of Guilt”], where one side is held totally responsible for the conflict, and either pressured or shamed into fixing everything that went wrong.



This has devastating consequences for everyone involved because it keep all parties from taking the steps to address the real issues and work together to improve their communities. Instead, Ta-Metru is burdened with changing everything (which they can’t do), and because they can’t, they are resented even more.



It’s the reason why Vakama is treated like absolute shit and why he hates himself for it.



Out of everything I’ve seen, I believe this is why Vakama hates who he is- not only because others treat him like he deserves it, but because Ta-Metru itself reinforces the idea it’s true.

Ta-Metru can’t separate their actions from their unchangeable worth, value, and goodness, viewing actions and worth as the same thing.

Because some of their actions during the war were revolting, they also see themselves as revolting. As a result, a lot of pressure is put on Ta-Matoran to perform perfectly.



In my opinion, this is why Vakama struggles so much with his own self-worth: it’s because he feels insecure about the physical and national part of his identity that he can’t see or accept the value he truly has.

He fundamentally believes he deserves to be hated- by himself and by everyone else.



This can be seen very clearly in Vakama as both a Matoran and Toa, and explains why he felt so shitty for most of his life. All his actions make perfect sense in this context, and adds clarity to most of his actions, like why he:



Feels so responsible for events that are not his fault (ex. the capture of Toa Lhikan by the Dark Hunters),

his fault (ex. the capture of Toa Lhikan by the Dark Hunters), Blames himself for not understanding Lhikan’s (shitty) instructions,

Feels so much pressure to accomplish Lhikan’s charge of saving the Matoran,

Constantly underrates and belittles his abilities, achievements, and talents,



Feels terrified to fail or make mistakes,

Has such a hard time with negative feedback (ex. Toa Metru complaining about his leadership; Norik challenging his plans to save the Matoran),

Is so easily seduced by Roodaka into joining her (i.e. ruling Ta-Metru and the other Toa), and

Gets super mopey around Nokama (i.e. fishing for complements, seeking praise/ approval from her)

Vakama desperately wants to be loved and accepted for who he is: as a Ta-Matoran, as a Toa, and as a Leader.

His overwhelming need for acceptance and validation can be seen through the entire Toa Metru and Toa Hordika arcs (and is why I believe Matau’s confrontation with him as a Hordika is so powerful and effective).

In the end, its clear Vakama’s come a long way from when we were first introduced to him, and I think the same can be said for all the Toa Metru.



Through their experiences as a diverse team of Toa, each of them were able to overcome the trauma and prejudices of their backgrounds to create much better lives for themselves and their Matoran on Mata Nui.4



Mata Nui and Memory Loss

While we don’t see insults used very often on Mata Nui, I believe elements of prejudice still exist even after the Great Rescue. Even though the Matoran largely “lost” their memories from being in captivity, I believe there’s still evidence of deep-rooted resentment between the tribes (even if they can’t remember why).



In terms of memory loss from imprisonment, what the Matoran seem to be struggling with are specific things like: “Where did we come from?”, and “What happened before we arrived on this island?”. None of them seem to be suffering fundamental memory loss like: “What is my name? What is a Matoran? Who am I?”

Because the Matoran lack specific details rather than common knowledge, I think their memories were not “lost” as much as they were suppressed or repressed from their time in capsules.



An Island of “Fire-Spitters” and Rock Heads

The very fact that the term “Fire-Spitter” still exists and is used on Mata Nui gives us some proof the Matoran have pieces of their past memory (i.e. Metru Nui), even if its only cloudy thoughts, feelings, or ideas.

While I do believe the term “Fire-Spitter” on the island has turned into a more neutral or positive expression, it still carries that slight “sting” of disgrace towards Ta-Matoran, despite good intentions 5.



The only other insult (I could find) was Jaller’s comment about “[Takua]…[having] more rocks in his head than a Po-Matoran”. And while this isn’t an insult in the traditional sense, I still think there’s a pinch of resentment served along with it.

To me, this is not only saying Po-Matoran are stupid, spacy or disorganized, but may be hinting at the fact that Ta-Matoran may also have some resentment towards Po-Matoran tracing back to the civil war.

In conclusion, while there may be residual resentment between the tribes on the Mata Nui, in general, the current relationships the Matoran have is a vast improvement over what they were like before. And I believe this is due to the solid foundation the Turaga laid down for them:



The Toa Metru overcame a lot of inter-tribal discrimination during their prime, and developed strong bonds of friendship with each other as a result. And because their personal triumphs brought wisdom and compassion, they could teach and lead their own villages to understand, appreciate, and welcome each other in a way they couldn’t have before.

Concluding Thoughts

I’m in awe that LEGO would choose to include difficult and sensitive subjects like prejudice, racism, and political injustice into Bionicle’s story. Being able to include heavy topics into a children’s series, without needing to go into the gritty stuff to do it, shows just how relatable this series can be no matter what age you are.



I have so much admiration for authors who can integrate hard topics like this in a realistic, yet hopeful and gentle way; Greg Farshtey is amazing, and how he can write so well for both kids and adults is absolutely astonishing.



There was so much more going on with Matoran insults than I ever thought possible, and having the Great Disturbance in the center of it all, every piece fell into place. It explains everything, including:

Why insults exist in the first place,

Why most of the slander is directed towards a certain tribe,

How war impacted the Matoran on a long-term basis, and

What challenges existed for the Toa Metru, personally and nationally, in completing their quest and guiding the Matoran on their new island home.

In my opinion, the Great Disturbance is the best explanation for how and why Matoran insults came to be, how it impacted the Toa Metru’s personal and team dynamics, and even in how the tribal interactions came to be (and improved over time).



Knowing all of this now, I have so much more respect and appreciation for Bionicle and its creative team; even though the connection between the Great Disturbance and Matoran Insults wasn’t blatantly explained or elaborated on, all the clues were there- and it was so much fun exploring it all to find the answers. :)



Thank-You

I just wanted to say “thanks” to everyone who waited so patiently for this topic essay to come out;

I hope the extra wait was worth it :)



-Elaho

End Notes/Explanations

1. If this is true, having Toa Lhikan purposefully choose Matoran form each district is an interesting decision, seeing as his own Toa team consisted of uneven tribal numbers (ex. four Toa of Ice, one Toa of Air, etc.) and various elements (ex. Plant Life, Water, etc.).



2. Ko-Metru is the exception to this, who focused almost entirely on the city’s academic and religious affairs. However, I think it’s important to note that Ko-Metru only joined the war after they were being ignored by the other districts. Because of this, I don’t think they joined Po-Metru because they believed in their cause, but because they wanted to be heard.

3. The exception to this would be Toa Lhikan, who is in fact a “Ta-Matoran” (Toa of Fire). But I believe Onewa wouldn’t associate Lhikan as a Ta-Metruan for a number of reasons, the primary being: Lhikan is a foreigner.



4. I believe Lhikan would have been fully aware of the social and political challenges Metru Nui faced. Having compassion was his strongest attribute, and I think he wanted to help each district overcome their national biases by intentionally selecting Matoran from each Metru to form a new Team of Toa. (Instead of uneven numbers from a select few, which he could have done).



“A Toa’s duty is to all Matoran, regardless of village, so you shall help both your brothers”. -Turaga Lhikan to Toa Metru Onewa, Legends of Metru Nui

5. Even though Lewa was saying “Fire-spitter” in a positive way to Jaller,

(“I’d say you’re a natural, brave Fire-Spitter.”), I still believe it still holds a negative connotation for two main reasons:

#1. Judging from the fact that there’s still discrimination on the island of Mata Nui, and that some sayings are remembered by the Matoran, the Le-Matoran may not remember exactly why an expression comes to mind, but the underlying feelings attached to it may influence their way of thinking towards Ta-Matoran anyways. # 2. Even though Lewa had been accepted into Le-Koro, he was still a foreigner. He wasn’t from the city of Metru Nui and would have no personal connection to Le-Metru’s history. My guess is that he heard the term “Fire-Spitter” being used by other Le-Matoran and started using it without understanding the full ramifications of what it meant.

Extra Stuff: Sources and Credits

Art:

Metru Nui Skyline: https://iron6duck.tumblr.com/

Turaga Vakama Picture: https://billfrancois.tumblr.com/post/151035296504/sooo-i-heard-the-new-bionicle-reboot-got-cancelled

All other pictures: LEGO and Miramax company

Written Material:

Writing Sources: Bionicle Wiki, entire G1 book series, Greg Farshtey’s “Mutran Chronicles” blog, and anything else I may have forgotten

By elaho - Mar 1, 2018