Bionicle 2016 Story Discussion & Rumors

[Bigger Fish]

I really hope that the fight scenes in Journey to One take some influence from the late Monty Oum's work, that'd be pretty neat.

[dviddy]

Honest question, have you ever talked about the decline of BIONICLE with a european LEGO employee?

Considering, as Lyichir said, that the majority of TLG's employees in that sort of stature work from Denmark, and my role in 2014 planning NYCC with the LEGO team, yes, I definitely have. One of the things I think we need here, though, is context. You say you didn't get most of the story supplemental material, and so the whole idea that the story was too complex always seems weird to you, which makes perfect sense. But contextually, BIONICLE was most successful and aimed most strongly at the US audience. It was a very minor theme in most of the world, and it was the US sales and audience that propelled the line to such great heights and longevity. We weren't given percentages, but we were told in very explicit details during the NYCC ramp-up where the line was relaunched that BIONICLE was first and foremost a US-audience line. When the majority of your audience has decided that the story has gotten too complex or confusing (a complaint brought up again by one of their own employees apparently at the recent toyfair), you have a problem, regardless of how the peripheral markets feel. (Of which, in all honesty, the US is often- TLG's biggest market is Germany.)

[Tazakk]

How about some VAs?

[MakutaOfWar]

Annnnnd no idea who any of those are.

Pros-

Multiple voices.

"Hunter", heh, irony.

[Kalhiki]

Yeah, quick search on the web didn't turn up anything on these folks.

I guess it doesn't really matter. So long as the voices and acting are good, I don't care if they're not big names.

[Voxovan]

So I actually did some research to find some voice samples of those actors and... boy, these were hard to find. But here's what I've got:

Jacqui Fox - since she's the only woman on that list I think it's pretty safe to assume that she's doing the voice of Gali. She did voices for Cixi from Lanfuest Quest and

.

Nolan Balzer - he actually did voices in the same shows as Jacqui Fox, so I find that interesting, he also did the voice of

Quinn Greene - well... I'm not sure if I've found the right one, but it's the only Quinn Greene that shows up on IMDb, so here:

. He also played Vinnie in Tales From Makeout Point: Vinnie's Tale, but that one has pretty... exclipit words in it, that's why this might be the wrong actor. But if he's the right one, I think his voice would fit Lewa.

The other names have multiple entries on IMDb, so I was of course unable to find the right ones. But I hope Paolo Bryant is not the one associated with Birdemic :P

Edited February 6, 2016 by Voxovan

[Kalhiki]

Thanks, Voxovan!

Not bad at all. I'm sure they'll fit into whoever they're voicing. Still hope we get voice clips from the show, though. It's one thing hearing the voices, but it's another hearing them from the specific character.

[Bigger Fish]

You know, I really want LEGO to do like what they did in G1 and have the fans help flesh out the world a bit more, because I've seen some pretty neat fan stuff that would totally fit in with the rest of G2. Plus, the world of Okoto needs a lot of building up in regards to its environment, because it's honestly kind of barren in all honesty.

[Jetrax99]

You know, I really want LEGO to do like what they did in G1 and have the fans help flesh out the world a bit more, because I've seen some pretty neat fan stuff that would totally fit in with the rest of G2. Plus, the world of Okoto needs a lot of building up in regards to its environment, because it's honestly kind of barren in all honesty.

No, no, no, no and no. The story should be left strictly to the story team. We saw that fan input at the end of G1 led to Greg canonizing quite a few "questionable" things, and I'm surr others would agree that shouldn't be allowed to happen a 2nd time.

[Logan McOwen]

I concur. Let's not go down that route again.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Logan McOwen

[Still Raindrop]

Agreed that it should be kept to the story team. Yes, Okoto could use some world-building, and I agree that some of that world-building could come from fans (other parts will, I'm sure, come from the tv show). But I think that leaving it more open for anyone's imagination is probably better than making one fan's imagination the final word on certain things.

Of course, I could be biased. I was 12 when G1 came out, and I had lots of fun creating my own storylines, creatures, adventures, etc., before eventually losing interest in 2004. I came back to the fandom in 2009, for the Bara Magna arc, so most of my G1 experiences came from times where not everything was fleshed out and canonized.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Tea Weevil

[Dorek]

Latter-day canonization was pretty awful, but it's a good idea that got out of hand. We've seen some wonderful creations, both "official" and unofficial that would make cool additions to the storyline.

[Aanchir]

I think it'd be OK for LEGO to accept fan submissions to the story as long as they're submissions the LEGO Group solicits, not just fans making random recommendations in a space that's ordinarily meant for the creators to provide info to the fans and not the other way around. So, more like the various building contests the LEGO Club held during G1 and less like the various facts canonized through "Ask Greg" questions.

If LEGO were to do something like that, it should be done sparingly. Maybe one building or writing contest per year.

[Dorek]

So, more like the various building contests the LEGO Club held during G1 and less like the various facts canonized through "Ask Greg" questions.

Even then, the original "Ask Greg" incarnations (the one from like, 2005 or whenever, and the one from 2007) were good; they were handpicked questions by the team that were submitted and returned with thought-out responses. I could get on board something like that returning.

[Aanchir]

Even then, the original "Ask Greg" incarnations (the one from like, 2005 or whenever, and the one from 2007) were good; they were handpicked questions by the team that were submitted and returned with thought-out responses. I could get on board something like that returning.

Oh no, sorry if I wasn't clear, I'm not saying Ask Greg is a bad thing! Ask Greg was a GREAT thing, for the most part. I absolutely love when creators interact directly with fans like that. In this age of social media there's a lot of that going on. Being able to ask Greg questions on BZPower was pretty much my reason for getting involved in the LEGO fan community in the first place! By extension, being able to interact with designers like Mark Stafford (Nabii) was a big part of why I joined Eurobricks.

However, I think the main purpose of something like that should be for the creators to explain things to the fans — not for the fans to submit their OWN ideas to the creators. I think creators are able to make better use of fans' story ideas when they seek them out through contests and the like, than when fans send their story ideas in unsolicited and ask for them to be made official.

[Kalta the Noble Mind]

However, I think the main purpose of something like that should be for the creators to explain things to the fans — not for the fans to submit their OWN ideas to the creators. I think creators are able to make better use of fans' story ideas when they seek them out through contests and the like, than when fans send their story ideas in unsolicited and ask for them to be made official.

cant agree more with this. for one thing with contests the story team can have a specific "problem" in the plot with its own requirements which allow them to integrate the fan submitted "solution" seamlessly into the narrative leading to a more cohesive product. i recall the "shrug of god" answers gregF gave for fan theories made the story more convoluted due to them just being made arbitrarily.

also was it just me or did the ask greg sessions stir up greater controversy as people kept asking touchy subjects like romance/reproduction in the MU and who created the Galactic universe outside of the great spirit robot ie the cosmos?

[The Outsider]

A Q&A directed to one of the characters, like Transformers' "Ask Vector Prime", might also be a cool idea; they could even pull humorous lampshades or "misinterpretations" on those nitpicking questions and head-canon proposals that apparently doomed the original BIONICLE.

cant agree more with this. for one thing with contests the story team can have a specific "problem" in the plot with its own requirements which allow them to integrate the fan submitted "solution" seamlessly into the narrative leading to a more cohesive product. i recall the "shrug of god" answers gregF gave for fan theories made the story more convoluted due to them just being made arbitrarily.

also was it just me or did the ask greg sessions stir up greater controversy as people kept asking touchy subjects like romance/reproduction in the MU and who created the Galactic universe outside of the great spirit robot ie the cosmos?

If it did, then the "no-romance" policy clearly didn't work (I always felt it was a stupid idea anyway; most kids have basic ideas of love and romance way before they can think of "reproduction").

I also wouldn't mind canonizing a few MOC contest entries, as long as they don't commit one of the errors of the original that really annoyed me: create an entirely new sentient species, with no information other than "this guy that only appears in this guide book and nowhere in the main story belongs to this species". Damned Dark Hunters...

Also, if they pull out another Wildlife/Rahi book, it would be nice to mention it as "incomplete" or "outdated", to give kids and fans the option to create or modify their own species.

[Ikaatril]

About the Nuva Symbols - is it possible that when combined, they form a 2D/3D map of the Labyrinth of Control? I can't see any other reason for them to be relevant.

[Lyichir]

About the Nuva Symbols - is it possible that when combined, they form a 2D/3D map of the Labyrinth of Control? I can't see any other reason for them to be relevant.

They're symbols that identify the six Toa. I don't see why that's not enough relevance (which isn't to say they won't have any other purpose, just that they already have a valid function).

[Dorek]

If it did, then the "no-romance" policy clearly didn't work (I always felt it was a stupid idea anyway; most kids have basic ideas of love and romance way before they can think of "reproduction").

That whole debate is one area where I felt the fans were the ones digging unnecessarily. It should have been a simple answer; there isn't romance in the story because that's not what they were writing. Better just to rule it out entirely and make it easy to understand that it's a no go.

But it's an issue that people would just not let drop. Obviously some poorly handled gender stereotypes peppered throughout the years didn't really help, but people pushed back hard against the whole idea.

I also wouldn't mind canonizing a few MOC contest entries, as long as they don't commit one of the errors of the original that really annoyed me: create an entirely new sentient species, with no information other than "this guy that only appears in this guide book and nowhere in the main story belongs to this species". Damned Dark Hunters...

Wouldn't have been nearly as bad if everything ELSE wasn't so hyper-specific, like the number of islands, populations, etc.

About the Nuva Symbols - is it possible that when combined, they form a 2D/3D map of the Labyrinth of Control? I can't see any other reason for them to be relevant.

Umarak has his own "Nuva Symbol" of sorts, so likely not. Could be a fun concept, though.

[DraikNova]

I honestly wouldn't mind the random tidbits about other species (and I actually appreciate having lots of little worldbuilding pieces), but they'd have to be actually used as more than just a random plot device.

[Vinyl Scratch]

There's a trailer for Episode 1 on the official Facebook page.

Umarak's voice, eh, I had something... Deeper in mind.

[Lyichir]

There's a trailer for Episode 1 on the official Facebook page.

Umarak's voice, eh, I had something... Deeper in mind.

So did I... but to be honest, I don't hate it. Maybe because it sort of reminds me of Bill Cipher. I'm more amused than anything.

[DuckBricks]

So did I... but to be honest, I don't hate it. Maybe because it sort of reminds me of Bill Cipher. I'm more amused than anything.

Didn't care for Umarak's voice the first watch, but by the third watch I am growing to actually really like it. Sounds pretty menacing and evil. As for Lewa's voice... I'm not entirely sold, but I guess that was just a snippet. Ekimu's is fine for me... The robotic voice modifications however... They sound like someone speaking through a cheap toy voice changer...

"A big fella with horns!" Well, I guess that's one way to describe Umarak...

Oh, and here's a link: https://www.facebook...53487474353403/

Edited February 19, 2016 by legozebra

[DraikNova]

I don't really care for the voices. They sound like someone beat on a voicebox until it started to smoke, and just general sound like someone did a bad job at making them sound generically roboty. I will say this though: the narrator, who is presumably Ekimu, has a very nostalgia-invoking Vakama-esque voice, and the village of the protectors of fire has a similar resemblance to Ta-Koro.

Incidentally, I think I've been on the internet too long. I read "Can the Toa stop it?" as "Can the Toa ship it?"