The Great Disruption: the Matoran civil war that nearly killed the Great Spirit

The Great Disruption was the long sickness 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. brought on by the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. civil war in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., a period distinct from both the later 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 the earlier BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell to a Brotherhood strike, and spent millennia imprisoned in the Pit. revolt. The war began as a dispute over boundaries and trade and ended with the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to build Rahi and keep order in his universe, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. locking large numbers of armed MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. inside the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. and turning the captive RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. loose on them. The Great Spirit fell ill because the city's workforce had laid down its tools, and that sickness sent Toa JovanJovanJovan led the Toa team that retrieved the Kanohi Ignika during the Great Disruption, then served as Turaga over the population that became Voya Nui.'s team after 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.. (BIONICLE: World; The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

What the city was before it broke#

Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. was ancient by the time of the Disruption. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had laid its foundations and their creations had finished the work, and for ages the city had been the homeland of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body., divided into six metruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. along elemental lines. (BIONICLE: World)

The work was the crucial detail. The labour of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. was essential to the health 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.. If the Matoran of the city stopped working, 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. would grow weak. That single fact was how a trade dispute almost ended a god. (BIONICLE: World; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The political backdrop was recent. Not long before, an army led by TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. had crushed the BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell to a Brotherhood strike, and spent millennia imprisoned in the Pit. and the League of Six KingdomsLeague of Six KingdomsThe League of Six Kingdoms was an alliance composed of various species, with ties to Xia and many other islands. Connected to both the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, the League included Pridak among its ranks, and its members collectively held several powers of unknown scope. Its stated objective was the overthrow of Mata Nui., and 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. had teleported the six warlords to the PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains.. MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. led the Brotherhood. Five centuries of calm followed. Then the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. began fighting each other. (BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost; The Mutran Chronicles)

A dispute over barges#

The fullest account of how the war began comes from MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat., who recorded the events in his Chronicles long after the fact. Five hundred years after the defeat of the League of Six KingdomsLeague of Six KingdomsThe League of Six Kingdoms was an alliance composed of various species, with ties to Xia and many other islands. Connected to both the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, the League included Pridak among its ranks, and its members collectively held several powers of unknown scope. Its stated objective was the overthrow of Mata Nui., the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. had gone to war with each other. It had begun as a simple dispute over boundaries and trade between Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. and Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it.. (The Mutran Chronicles)

The escalation followed quickly. Po-MatoranPo-MatoranThe Stone-element Matoran of Po-Metru and Po-Koro, carvers and quarry workers, the most athletic of the Matoran types and the population behind the Kohlii and Akilini circuits. sank some of the transport barges and Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. destroyed a Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it. warehouse with molten protodermis. Onu-MetruOnu-MetruThe deep archive-city that made mining and historical records preservation the beating heart of Metru Nui. sided with the fire MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body., Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships. with the stone. The Ko-MatoranKo-MatoranIce Matoran who were quiet scholars and star-watchers, built to survive the frozen peaks of Ko-Wahi. tried to intervene and were ignored, which pushed them into the Po-MatoranPo-MatoranThe Stone-element Matoran of Po-Metru and Po-Koro, carvers and quarry workers, the most athletic of the Matoran types and the population behind the Kohlii and Akilini circuits. camp. Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, a female Matoran type, who filled the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats of the Mata Nui coast. efforts to stay neutral failed, and they ended up on the side of fire and earth. Work ground to a halt. Arguments turned into pitched battles. Entire blocks of streets were badly damaged or destroyed. (The Mutran Chronicles)

The city split into two coalitions: Ta, Onu and Ga on one side, Le, Ko and Po on the other. There was no elemental logic to it, only the logic of who had wronged whom first. (The Mutran Chronicles)

Why no one could stop it#

No ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. were stationed in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. when the fighting broke out, and the TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. of the time could not restrain the Matoran. Nothing remained that could halt the destruction. (The Mutran Chronicles)

So the war ran. MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat., for his part, used the chaos as cover to slip new RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. into the city and test how destructive they were. (The Mutran Chronicles)

The Great Spirit starts dying#

With most of the Matoran of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. no longer working, 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. grew weak, and the effects of his illness were felt across the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. This four-hundred-year period of sickness was the Great Disruption. (BIONICLE: World; Makuta's Guide to the Universe)

Ending the war was not enough on its own. The Great Spirit's condition grew so grave that he needed the Mask of LifeThe 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 recover. (BIONICLE: World; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

The Archives Massacre#

MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. ordered his lieutenant TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. to stop the fighting. By then, Mutran wrote, Teridax was already thinking about overthrowing the Great Spirit and probably saw the job as a chance to show how well the Makuta could impose order. (The Mutran Chronicles)

His solution became the Archives MassacreThe Archives MassacreThe closing atrocity of the Matoran Civil War, in which the Brotherhood of Makuta sealed the warring armies inside the Archives of Metru Nui and released the caged Rahi exhibits upon them.. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. sealed large numbers of soldiers from both armies inside the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. and released the captive RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. exhibits on them. The fighting stopped. (The Mutran Chronicles)

MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat. admitted he did not see the Massacre himself. Partway through the war Miserix had sent him on another errand, and by the time of the slaughter he was far to the south, on his way to meet the being called 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.. (The Mutran Chronicles)

The Massacre ended the war, but not in the way the Makuta had hoped. From then on the Matoran of Metru Nui regarded the Makuta with distrust and fearful respect. (The Mutran Chronicles)

What happened to the war leaders#

The MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. commanders who had directed each side did not die in the Massacre. The 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. banished them to the PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains., the same prison that held the BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell to a Brotherhood strike, and spent millennia imprisoned in the Pit.. (BIONICLE: World)

MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat. himself did not know their fate. What happened to the war leaders, he wrote, was unknown; perhaps they had been spirited away as the Barraki had been. The Brotherhood, in other words, had not been told what the Order had done. (The Mutran Chronicles)

The Order also placed an agent in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. after the war to head off future trouble. (BIONICLE: World)

JovanJovanJovan led the Toa team that retrieved the Kanohi Ignika during the Great Disruption, then served as Turaga over the population that became Voya Nui.'s team and the Mask of Life#

Toa JovanJovanJovan led the Toa team that retrieved the Kanohi Ignika during the Great Disruption, then served as Turaga over the population that became Voya Nui. led his team to the Chamber of Life beneath Mount ValmaiMount ValmaiA roiling volcano on Voya Nui that guarded the Ignika and tested three desperate expeditions seeking the Mask of Life. on the Southern Continent, where the Mask of LifeThe 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 kept, and recovered it. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; Makuta's Guide to the Universe)

They carried the mask into Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui.. There one member of the team put on the Ignika and gave his life to restore 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.. Matoro would make the same sacrifice tens of thousands of years later. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

With the mission done, Jovan returned the mask to its chamber. The team became TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities., and Jovan stayed on to lead the village of Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. and watch over the mask. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

The Mask of LifeThe 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. remained under Mount ValmaiMount ValmaiA roiling volcano on Voya Nui that guarded the Ignika and tested three desperate expeditions seeking the Mask of Life. after that, 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, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix. were later posted as its guardians. (BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny; BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play)

Why the Brotherhood started splitting#

After the war, MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. decided that each MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. would be assigned a region of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. to watch over. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. was given Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. as his prize, while MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat. received the centre of the Matoran mainland. (The Mutran Chronicles)

That posting was the root of everything TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. did in the ages that followed. When he finally replaced Turaga DumeDumeDume is a Turaga of Fire and the former ruler of Metru Nui, distinguished by his red and black coloring and the Noble Kanohi Kiril, the Mask of Regeneration. As a member of the Turaga of Metru Nui, he wields a Staff of Office and commands a weakened mastery of Fire. He later resides on the reformed Spherus Magna. and set off 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., he was working in a city he had watched over since the Disruption. Soon after Mutran returned from Tren Krom's island, Teridax called a Convocation of the Brotherhood and laid out his Plan. (The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE Adventures 4: Legends of Metru Nui)

The shape the Disruption left behind#

The Disruption did several things at once. It left the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Metru Nui with a lasting distrust of the Makuta. It led to the first known use of the Mask of LifeThe 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 it gave TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. the city he would eventually use to bring about the Cataclysm. (The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

By the time LhikanLhikanToa of Fire, leader of the Toa Mangai, and the last Toa of Metru Nui, who surrendered his Toa Power to create the Toa Metru and died defending Vakama. and the Toa MangaiToa MangaiThe defenders of Metru Nui before the Toa Metru arrived, a team that fell to betrayal and relentless war. served in the run-up to the Cataclysm, Metru Nui had Toa of its own again. (BIONICLE Adventures 4: Legends of Metru Nui; BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui)

The Disruption's least appreciated detail is that the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. almost killed their own god by accident. There was no Brotherhood plot behind the war, only a trade dispute that nobody would settle. By the time the Matoran lived in six villages on the island of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., they remembered none of it, their memories wiped in the spheres after the Cataclysm. (The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE Adventures 4: Legends of Metru Nui)