Talk:Teleportation
Making sense of it all
So, when I first started looking into teleportation, I was only focusing on the specifics of how the Kualsi and Makuta power work, and while most of this will cover them specifically, this also touches on teleportation in general. There's much more to it than I initially thought, so I'll just throw it all here.
Kualsi
The BEU states that the Kualsi's range is limited to eyesight, and Greg has repeated this answer.[1][2] This is presumably the reason that it cannot allow the user to teleport through walls and why walls that the user can see through are an exception.[3][4][5][6] However, if the Kualsi can allow for teleportation through transparent barriers, what is physically stopping it from going through any barrier regardless? In other answers, Greg suggests that it is possible for the Kualsi to teleport the user through walls, but doing so without being able to see is incredibly risky.[7][8] As Greg explained, "intervening physical objects are not a problem, the problem is if there are objects where you reappear."[9] In light of this, the BEU entry could be understood as "safely teleporting is limited to field of vision." Couple this with Fader Bulls, which can teleport through walls (although due to their poor memory, often teleport into walls and die), and Greg confirmed that their teleportation ability is comparable to that of the Kualsi.[10] He also confirms that a Kualsi user who has been outside the GSR (presumably on Mata Nui or Voya Nui) could teleport there from the inside.[11]
Makuta
Just about every aspect of a Makuta's teleportation ability has some contradiction to it. Greg said once that Makuta can only teleport themselves,[12] but an earlier quote says they can teleport other beings as long as they are in physical contact.[13] The latter is supported by Reign of Shadows, Chapter 12.
Teridax held up a hand to stop him. “Wait. Something’s… something’s wrong. Quick, grab my hand!”
Mazeka did as he was told, even as Teridax began to teleport. The world blurred and vanished around them. When it reappeared, they were standing back on the ridge above the abandoned village.
Greg said once that Botar's and Makuta's teleportation abilities are the same.[14] Botar needs to be in physical contact with whoever else he is teleporting.[15][16]
However, both of these options are contradicted by another Greg quote[17] as well as Time Trap, Chapter 8, where Teridax was able to teleport The Shadowed One's eye beams from a distance.
Twin beams shot from the Shadowed One’s eyes. Halfway to Vakama, they mysteriously disappeared in midair, only to reappear several yards away. They struck part of the Great Temple and that section vanished from existence.
A winged shadow fell over Vakama. Makuta had arrived.
“Why do you interfere, great Makuta?” the Shadowed One demanded, saying “great” as if the term was an insult.
Makuta alighted on the ground. “Because it amuses me to do so. A simple trick, to teleport your eyebeams from the air and redirect them as I choose.”
There's also Krahka's description of Teleportation Rahkshi in The Darkness Below, Chapter 7.
“No more than I did to the rest of the Toa,” the Krahka said in Whenua’s booming voice. “These tunnels are a haven for Rahkshi. Rahkshi who can coil their elastic bodies around you… or teleport you away… or trap you in a stasis field… or simply cloak you in silence so no one can hear you scream.”
This does not match any of the Kraata stage descriptions, which do not mention being able to teleport anyone other than themselves. Greg has also said Rahkshi of Teleportation can shoot others with its staff, but can't control where they teleport to.[18]
Two quotes say Makuta are limited to field of vision (one of them contradicts the earlier Botar quote, saying that no one can teleport beyond line of sight like Botar can),[19][20] and two other quotes say the opposite.[21][22] However, it could be a similar situation to the Kualsi, where they can technically teleport anywhere, but only safely within line of sight. Brutaka gained the same Makuta ability of Teleportation, and was able to teleport himself and Axonn to the other side of the MU.[23][24][25][26]
Karda Nui
Three quotes from Greg state that Makuta cannot teleport in and out of Karda Nui.[27][28][29] One quote says they can, and Greg cites Artakha being able to,[30] but this reasoning does not make sense given that their abilities differ.[31] However, there is a passage from The Final Battle, Chapter 7.
“When you teleport, your atoms are scattered and then drawn back together at your destination,” Gorast answered. “By increasing his power and then disrupting them at the crucial moment, they flew all over the known universe in an instant.”
“So Icarax will never finish his teleport?”
“Oh, he will finish,” Gorast smiled. “Part of him will finish in Karda Nui… and part in Destral and part in Metru Nui… and part in the southern islands… and other parts in a thousand other places. You get the idea.”
This suggests that even some of Icarax's molecules were able to penetrate the force field. However, Swamp of Secrets Chapter 4, says:
The Makuta circled the Codrex warily. The energy field around the structure was a challenge even for their powers. Only the six keystones could allow someone to pass through it unscathed.
If the force field around the Codrex was a problem, why wouldn't the one around all of Karda Nui be?
This also ties in to whether they can teleport through the Hau's shield. Assuming that the Kualsi's and Makuta's abilities operate the same by dispersing and reforming mass,[32] the quotes concerning the Kualsi and the Hau could extend to Makuta. One quote says the Kualsi cannot teleport through the Hau's shield,[33] and another says it probably can.[34] If Makuta are able to teleport through Karda Nui's shields, what's stopping them or a Kualsi user from teleporting through a Hau's shield? If Greg's explanation of "intervening physical objects are not a problem" holds, a force field shouldn't be an issue, but this doesn't fit with the Codrex.
I've been sitting on these quotes for a while, not really sure of what to do with them, so I just decided to put them here as a means of making them known and having them all in one place. I don't know if a solution to any of these can be reached. Dag (talk) 13:57, 27 April 2021 (UTC)
- Regarding Karda Nui, I think it's simple -- Icarax didn't teleport. He exploded.
- The force field around Karda Nui prevents teleportation, but it's still possible to enter physically; we know this because the Makuta, the Toa Mata, and the Karda Nui Matoran all enter/leave(the Toa Mata in canisters, yes, but they were still able to leave). Icarax was atomized, and his powers sent his atoms in every direction, but they weren't connected like a teleport, so they were able to pass through the field just like any other physical thing. Willess12 (talk) 03:12, 28 April 2021 (UTC)
- At least as far as the Rahkshi of Teleportation are concerned, I don't see a contradiction. They can teleport others, but can't choose where the others end up. Makuta can choose, because they have a greater degree of control over their powers than Rahkshi do. -- Toa Jala Converse 00:20, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
- The problem is that the Kraata/Rahkshi and Makuta powers are the same, and should operate the same way. Greg has contradicted himself on whether Makuta can teleport others or not, and if they can, by what means (physical contact or over a distance). Also, the Kraata stages for Teleportation do not mention at all the ability for Kraata/Rahkshi to teleport others. I know that in general, published material takes precedence over Greg answers (although for some that doesn't help since published material contradicts itself), but after having been removed from the subject for a while, I would like to reevaluate some of the issues before making any additions to any pages, but I just haven't had time. Dag (talk) 00:35, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
- Okay, I hear what you're saying in terms of physical contact. Either way, it seems like Greg confirmed that Rahkshi have the ability to teleport others, but we're not 100% sure if they require contact or not. It's worth noting that the Kraata powers don't always have completely accurate descriptions, as many of them were corrected after the fact, so those may not be the most accurate source. On this site, it seems that the most recent source is the one that takes precedence. In any event, it seems like we have two sources that say that Rahkshi can teleport others, and one source that doesn't weigh in one way or the other. -- Toa Jala Converse 01:32, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
Returning to this since some progress has been made. The Kualsi's pretty much settled: it can allow its user to teleport beyond line of sight, but doing so is very risky. Now, about Karda Nui, when I made my initial post here, I had assumed it had some kind of energy field like the Codrex, but that isn't true. The walls of Karda Nui themselves were the shields. It's also been realized that the Toa Nuva's Suva weren't necessarily blocked by its walls, but had a finite range that didn't reach that far. It seems that the possibility of Makuta actually being able to teleport through the walls is even more likely now. In light of this, let's take another look at Icarax. There's nothing in the Felnas' description that suggests it can alter how a power works. While it does say Vamprah hit him with a blast of energy (which might have supported Willess' explanation of him exploding), it also says it just "disrupted those atoms." There's simply no indication of some kind of explosion, just a teleportation that Icarax lost control of, so it should have still been under the same limitations of a normal teleport. This is consistent with Greg's explanation that it doesn't matter what's in between you and your destination. The next question, naturally, would be why the Makuta didn't just teleport into Karda Nui if they could. The walls of Karda Nui have no holes, only the western portal which only opens when someone gets close to it. Even if the Makuta knew Karda Nui was on the other side, there would have been no way of teleporting safely inside without knowing how thick the walls were or other concerns. The same is likely the case with the Codrex. Given the importance of their mission, I can definitely see this as something the Makuta would not want to risk. In that regard, this interpretation would be consistent with the story. I think it's pretty safe to say then that Makuta's teleport work the same as the Kualsi in that regard: it can allow its user to teleport beyond line of sight, but doing so is very risky. The other issue of teleporting others via physical contact vs from a distance requires a little more attention. Dag (talk) 20:50, 7 May 2024 (UTC)