Farshtey Feed (p200-204)

Posted by Planetperson on

Friday, December 12, 2008

Lots of good stuff!

BARA MAGNA

  • There were more rivers on Bara Magna at one time, though there were never any oceans.
  • Villages in 2009 will have proper names.
  • The villages being shown in 2009 are the only tribes on Bara Magna, at least as far as Greg is concerned.
  • In most cases, Agori tribes have leaders that are also Agori.
  • The masks and helmets worn on Bara Magna are marks of status, in some cases, but they do not have mask powers.
  • Each Glatorian/Agori's mask/helmet is of a unique shape.
  • In general, new Glatorian masks/helmets are not made now. Old ones may be patched or repaired, but new ones are not being made. The Agori are very good at patching/repairing/slapping parts together, pretty lousy at making anything new.
  • Glatorian ride on mounts called sand stalkers.
  • Agori can ride sand stalkers, but generally use motorized or animal-drawn vehicles instead.
  • Agori and Glatorian have the same life spans as Matoran and Toa. Not all of the inhabitants of Bara Magna have this same life span.
  • Greg, on storytelling on Bara Magna: "I am not really incorporating the storytelling thing in, simply because legends are not a big part of this culture. This is not an optimistic, "someday things will get better" bunch like the Turaga and Matoran were. These are people struggling every day to survive in a harsh world, and being very practical and down to earth about it."
  • We are probably not going to get a term like "Rahi" for wildlife on Bara Magna.
  • Greg, on reproduction on Bara Magna: "I really haven't decided how new beings come into being, but no, that is no longer taboo. In fact, it is established in story early on that Gresh is considerably younger than some of the other Glatorian."
  • One can be of the Glatorian's species but not fight as a Glatorian.
  • Greg considers the Bone Hunters to be a species related to the Rock tribe.
  • The Rock tribe has the most Glatorian (more than the Vorox, so therefore over 50).
  • Only Tuma can grant a Skrall a name; it is otherwise forbidden, most likely even for nicknames.
  • There will be no distinction between the main Skrall in set and the others.
  • Skrall, Vorox and Zesk are representatives of larger species, of which there are multiple members. The other sets are all individual characters, not part of multiples. Skrall, Vorox, and Zesk are all sapient.
  • Vorox don't participate in the social system. That doesn't mean they never fight in an arena -- there is one they fight in, sometimes -- but they have no village or arena of their own. Post-disaster, the Vorox and the Zesk regressed socially to being not much more than beasts.
  • The Zesk and the Vorox look different because they have gone through a lot of changes in the last 100,000 years or so.
  • Zesk were once Agori, like the other villagers, albeit physically a bit different -- and Vorox more like other Glatorian. Post-disaster, they regressed and have become little more than beasts.
  • The Zesk and Vorox do retain some intelligence.
  • No Zesk or Vorox we will see will vary in appearance.
  • Greg would say there are more than 50 Vorox.
  • Vorox normally do not properly fight as Glatorian, because they don't follow the same social structure the other tribes do -- Vorox are not much more than beasts at this point. There is an arena they fight in at times, but not by choice, and it doesn't belong to them.
  • The Vorox and Zesk do not have the same spoken language as the other Agori and Glatorian, although they can manage a broken version of it.
  • Greg would assume Zesk and Vorox have names they call each other in their own language.
  • There are mostly groups of Vorox and Zesk.
  • The arena the Vorox fight in belongs to a specific group.
  • The "disaster" that heralded the regression of the Vorox and Zesk is also what caused the disappearance of some of the rivers on Bara Magna.
  • Tarduk's claws are separate weapons.
  • Exiled from his fire tribe for crimes in the arena, Malum wanders the wastes, challenging other Glatorian for his own gain. Armed with flame claws and a spiked Thornax launcher, he is the last being a Glatorian wants to meet.
  • Raanu is not allied with Malum.
  • Gresh is not necessarily the youngest Glatorian in existence, though he is the youngest of the Glatorian encountered next year.
  • If you are in terrible danger, Strakk will gladly ride to your rescue, fight off your enemies, and save your life ... provided you have agreed to payment terms first. If not, he will just as gladly ride right past you.
  • There are rules for Glatorian fighting in arenas, and depending on the rule and how badly one disobeys it, one can wind up exiled to the wastelands.
  • Agori fight beside Glatorian in certain arena matches.
  • There are friendships between Agori/Glatorian of separate tribes.
  • Especially among Glatorian, friendships are accepted and expected. And Agori friendships, while a little less common except among traders, etc. are no crime either. These villages are in competition for resources, but they are not at war with each other.
  • "Agori" was based on the Latin word agri, meaning farm.
  • In their language, Agori would mean "villager."
  • Greg interprets "Bara Magna" to mean "Great Barren."
  • All of the canister sets appear in the movie. Some have prominent roles in early story, not so much in later story, and vice versa.
  • Tarduk might not be animated for the movie.
  • Greg: "I can tell you that you will see a difference between the portrayal of Gresh in early story and in the movie -- neither is wrong. It happens for two reasons -- Gresh, in the movie, is a supporting character and works well for that -- in the early story, he is a main character, and I thought his characterization would not work as well for a main character. And by the second half of the year, I think he has relaxed a little bit."

GREAT BEINGS

  • The expediency of Mata Nui's creation ties into the catastrophe on the Great Beings' homeworld that the Energized Protodermis Entity mentioned.
  • Mata Nui was not created in order to find something, but he is part of a larger plan of the Great Beings, one that Teridax is not advancing.
  • Mata Nui was created on the Great Beings' home planet, at the Great Beings' fortress.
  • The Great Beings were breaking new ground when creating the nanotech AI to allow Mata Nui's body to function and so did not know how sophisticated the culture of the Matoran, etc. was going to turn out to be.
  • The Shattering occurred after Mata Nui's completion.
  • The Great Beings neither started nor fought in the war fought over energized protodermis.
  • Energized protodermis affects beings outside the Matoran universe as well, since it originated outside of it.
  • No inhabitant of Bara Magna has personally met a Great Being.
  • The Great Beings' home world has a name. The Great Beings do not call it Paradise; that is what Matoran legends referred to it as.
  • The Great Beings' homeworld was not necessarily unlivable after the energized protodermis war.

MATA NUI

  • The Great Beings created the first Av-Matoran, started the construction of Mata Nui, and the Matoran finished him off. The last work was done from within Mata Nui's body. The Great Beings created the Ignika, the scroll in the Great Temple, and the Krana all before Mata Nui's completion.
  • Greg: "Great Spirit is the name given by the Matoran to the being who controls their universe. It is a "job title" if you will, and a term of honor, which is why even though Makuta controls the universe now, the Matoran would not call him that. So no, Mata Nui would not still be considered a Great Spirit, since he does not have the powers of one anymore."
  • Mata Nui was not created on Bara Magna and was never there.
  • The stars above Metru Nui are visible signs of the electrical activity of Mata Nui's mind -- they are his thoughts, basically.
  • It's very reasonable to assume that Mata Nui is considerably bigger than the Great Beings are.
  • Mata Nui had the capability to be all-knowing in the Matoran universe.
  • Mata Nui was supposed to know the true meaning of the UDD symbol.
  • Mata Nui is aware of his faults.
  • Mata Nui's form may have been modeled after the Toa Mata, since they were created before his completion.
  • As the returning character, Mata Nui is one who has never had the opportunity to have friends, never had to physically fight for anything, never been less than godlike in his powers.

SERIALS

  • Greg guesses that Chirox named the Visorak and that the Visorak applied their own meaning ("stealers of life") to the word.
  • Greg assumes Takanuva's flight virus will be wearing off soon.
  • The Makuta Miserix interrogated and absorbed was not one we are familiar with.
  • In the alternate dimension Mazeka and Vultraz stumble into, Matoran are considered Toa and vice-versa. The "Melding" Macku mentions is significant in that it is the opposite of "Shattering."
  • Greg is sure there is a way to destroy energized protodermis, but the trick is whether or not the characters discover it.
  • The Toa on Jovan's team who wore the Olmak was killed by a Makuta or someone in the employ of a Makuta.
  • Axonn is immune to antidermis.
  • Trinuma's horns are part of his mask.
  • Acid blades like the one Vultraz once carried are not common.

GENERAL

  • It would be possible for Spiriah's changes in a Skakdi to be undone through reverse engineering.
  • For at least part of Legends of Metru Nui, Mata Nui was still in space.
  • Greg, on how important Takanuva's destiny is compared to Teridax's: "Time will tell."
  • A Toa turned evil would no longer be considered Toa. "Toa" means "hero" -- if you are corrupt, you're not a hero anymore.
  • Brutaka got his Olmak from the Order of Mata Nui.
  • Teridax's Plan did not call for the Toa Mata's canisters to malfunction.
  • The island north of Keetongu's homeland is the one where Carapar ended the siege.
Toa Hagah Teams
  • The Brotherhood of Makuta chose the members of their Toa Hagah teams from existing Toa teams, and the Toa's masks were presented to them by the members of their former teams as a badge of honor.
  • Chirox, Spiriah, and Tridax had Toa Hagah teams. Icarax, Krika, Gorast, and Kojol did not.
  • When Spiriah was exiled, his Toa Hagah were transferred to other duties.
  • All Toa Hagah teams carried weapons like Norik and co.: special armor, Rhotuka shields, and spears.