The Core Processor

The Core Processor was the central control system of the Great Spirit RobotMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna., a large network of mechanics that served as the operational brain of the body in which Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.'s consciousness resided. It was located far beneath Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., accessible only through the deepest substructure of the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population., and remained dormant for a thousand years between the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. and MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui.'s sacrifice. It was first named on the page in the online story serial Dwellers In DarknessDwellers In Darkness, the Toa Hagah Online SerialDwellers In Darkness was the online serial that returned the Toa Hagah to active duty, sent Helryx and the Order of Mata Nui to Xia, and laid the groundwork for Teridax's eventual takeover of the Great Spirit Robot., and was the location at which TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. seized control of the entire Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. before being destroyed during the Battle of Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna..

Design and original purpose#

The Core Processor was built by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. before the Shattering of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., as part of the construction of the Great Spirit RobotMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. and the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. it contained. The processor was a large network of mechanics rather than a discrete machine, and its function was to translate the will of the consciousness housed within it into the movements, sensory inputs, and life-support operations of the entire robotic body. With Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. installed as that consciousness, the processor was the means by which a single mind directed a body the scale of a planet's continent.

The processor's siting was a deliberate piece of architecture. It was placed far below the surface of what would eventually be developed as Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., at a depth and behind defences that put it beyond the reach of any inhabitant of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. by ordinary means. The deepest foundation of the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population. sat directly above the access route. The structure of the city above served, in effect, as both a centre of MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. administration and a seal over the processor below.

Two GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. were placed in suspended animation inside the processor as its physical caretakers. Their task was to wake periodically, monitor the machinery, and perform whatever maintenance was required while Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.'s consciousness operated the body around them. They were drawn from the original population of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., and their armour and physiology were eventually recognised as foreign to the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. by those who later found their remains.

The Great Cataclysm and the dormant millennium#

The Core Processor's original operating arrangement ended with the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent.. When TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. struck down Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. and the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna.'s consciousness was separated from the machinery, the processor reverted to a standby state. The two GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. caretakers died at this point. The recorded cause of death is the failure of the systems that had been sustaining them in suspended animation, and their bodies remained inside the processor undisturbed for the next thousand and one years.

During the dormant period the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. continued to operate at reduced capacity. The body of the Great Spirit RobotMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. housed its population through the events of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.'s evacuation, the millennium on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., and the eventual return to the city. The processor itself was inert through all of it. The cracking of the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population. above, which became visible in the period following MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui.'s mission to retrieve the Kanohi IgnikaThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero., was a physical symptom of the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna.'s life being in danger. The damage was arrested but not reversed by MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui.'s sacrifice in The PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains., which used the IgnikaThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero. to save Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. from immediate death and to begin the process of returning the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna.'s consciousness to the processor.

Discovery, access, and Teridax's takeover#

The Core Processor entered the active narrative with the online story serial Dwellers In DarknessDwellers In Darkness, the Toa Hagah Online SerialDwellers In Darkness was the online serial that returned the Toa Hagah to active duty, sent Helryx and the Order of Mata Nui to Xia, and laid the groundwork for Teridax's eventual takeover of the Great Spirit Robot., the first text to name the location on the page. The serial established three structural facts that controlled all subsequent events. The processor lay beneath the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population.'s deepest foundation; the only route to it required the destruction of that foundation; and TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s entire scheme was constructed around being the first being to reach the processor when Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.'s consciousness attempted to return.

The serial put several teams into motion against this fact. The restored Toa HagahToa HagahElite Toa teams appointed by the Brotherhood of Makuta to serve as personal guardians, later rebelling against their creators. moved on the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population. substructure with the intent of reaching TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. first, aided by NuparuNuparuAn Onu-Matoran engineer from Metru Nui who built the Boxor and rose to become a Toa of Earth despite no warrior destiny., JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life., and HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. of the Toa MahriToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. on the approach. HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta. committed Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe. operatives to parallel operations at Xia and ArtidaxArtidaxArtidax was a volcanic island in the Southern Islands where Makuta Miserix was imprisoned by Krika after Teridax's coup. to prevent the Brotherhood from coordinating support. The combined effort failed at the decisive moment.

The moment of takeover came at the close of the Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. arc. The Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. had awakened Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. with the Kanohi IgnikaThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero. and the energy storms had killed the MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. committed to the dome. Before Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. could fully reestablish his consciousness in the Core Processor, TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. made his own approach and slipped into the machinery first. The seizure transferred control of the entire Great Spirit RobotMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. to TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. and pushed Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.'s consciousness out of the body and into the IgnikaThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero., from which it was subsequently expelled into space. With control of the processor came control of every sensory channel, every life-support system, and every Brotherhood asset embedded within the body of the Great Spirit RobotMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna.. The reign that followed, sometimes called the Reign of ShadowsReign of ShadowsThe year Teridax ruled the Matoran Universe from inside Mata Nui's body, and the scattered resistance plots that ran against him until the Great Spirit returned from Bara Magna. after the serial that opened it, was conducted from the processor by a single being operating an entire planetary-scale body.

The confrontation inside the processor#

The Core Processor became the staging ground for the assembled opposition to TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s rule. The Toa HagahToa HagahElite Toa teams appointed by the Brotherhood of Makuta to serve as personal guardians, later rebelling against their creators., ZaktanZaktanMutated Skakdi leader of the Piraka, formerly a Dark Hunter whose body was dissolved into a colony of Protodites by the Shadowed One and reformed with its consciousness intact., and MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. reached the chamber during the operations described in Reign of ShadowsReign of ShadowsThe year Teridax ruled the Matoran Universe from inside Mata Nui's body, and the scattered resistance plots that ran against him until the Great Spirit returned from Bara Magna., and MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. identified the armour of the two long-dead bodies inside as foreign to the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., establishing for the first time that the original caretakers had come from outside. HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta. arrived through a portal opened by VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset.'s misuse of a Kanohi OlmakThe Kanohi OlmakThe Kanohi Olmak was the Great Mask of Dimensional Gates, a portal-opening Kanohi forged by Artakha. Only two ever existed in the Matoran Universe, and both passed through the hands of figures who reshaped the late storyline., and AxonnAxonnAxonn served as an arbitrator under the Hand of Artakha and later as an Order of Mata Nui agent, guarding the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui for thousands of years. and BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, served time in the Pit, and later led the Federation of Fear strike team. followed.

Tren KromTren KromTren Krom maintained the Matoran Universe before Mata Nui's activation and spent the following hundred millennia fused to a cave on a remote island., inhabiting LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. in a body-swap that had stranded the ToaToa (2001)Biomechanical heroes bonded to elemental powers and masks. Not born, but chosen and transformed. of Air on Tren KromTren KromThe first purely organic creation of the Great Beings, exiled to a stone island after surrendering the core of the Matoran Universe to Mata Nui.'s island, made his way to the processor in LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui.'s body alongside the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. HafuHafuHafu was a Po-Matoran Carver of Po-Koro, recognized as a Master Carver, who served in the Chronicler's Company and survived the Reign of Shadows. and KapuraKapuraKapura was a red Matoran of Fire who served as a member of the Ta-Koro Guard and formerly as part of the Chronicler's Company. A native of Metru Nui, he later worked as a Vat Controller there, wearing a powerless Ruru on Mata Nui and a powerless Pakari on Metru Nui, and ultimately settled on Bota Magna on Spherus Magna.. Tren KromTren KromTren Krom maintained the Matoran Universe before Mata Nui's activation and spent the following hundred millennia fused to a cave on a remote island. freed MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. from an illusion that TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. had used to disable him, and the group inside the chamber expanded further when ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. teleported in directly using the Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, capable of bringing into being whatever its wearer envisioned. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto.. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. responded to the gathering by destroying BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold.'s replacement, by teleporting the assembled opposition out of the chamber and into orbit, and by maintaining control of the processor throughout. The opposition was rescued from vacuum by VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset., whose OlmakThe Kanohi OlmakThe Kanohi Olmak was the Great Mask of Dimensional Gates, a portal-opening Kanohi forged by Artakha. Only two ever existed in the Matoran Universe, and both passed through the hands of figures who reshaped the late storyline. opened a portal to Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War. and carried the group there in time.

Destruction at Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.#

The Core Processor was destroyed at the close of the Battle of Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.. Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna., operating a prototype version of TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s own body that the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had built on Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War., engaged TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. directly in the closing phase of the battle. TahuTahu, Toa of FireTahu served as Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, and Toa Mistika of Fire, leading his team from the first landing on Mata Nui to the destruction of the Rahkshi army on Bara Magna. used the Golden ArmourThe Golden ArmorA glossary entry distinguishing the two distinct artifacts known as the Golden Armor: the six-piece relic worn by Tahu on Bara Magna, and the six golden masks of the Toa on Okoto. to destroy the RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. that TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. had deployed in support, and TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. was momentarily distracted by the sensation of his RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. being eliminated. In that moment Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. saw the shadow of one of Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.'s moons and shoved TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s head into the path of a fragment that had broken off the moon.

The fragment, originating from Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand., struck the back of TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s head and the impact crushed the Core Processor housed within. The destruction of the processor killed TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. for good and ended the reign that had begun with the takeover. The wreckage of the Great Spirit RobotMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. settled onto Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. as part of the reformation of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., and the processor's network of mechanics, having served first as the seat of Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.'s consciousness and then as the seat of TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s reign, was shut down permanently.