Gali (2001)

"We three have business right here, Tahu. Now, do we help one another... or do we let our pride do to the Toa what Makuta could not?"

- Gali to Tahu and Kopaka

Gali was the Toa of Water on the island of Mata Nui.

Early Days
Gali, like the other Toa Mata, was created in Artakha and first walked on Daxia, where she was trained in combat by Hydraxon. After training, Gali and her team were put into Toa Canisters and launched into the air, where they stayed in a hibernation-like state until they were needed; their sole purpose was to save Mata Nui in the event that he became unable to care for the universe.

One thousand years before the 2007 story, Gali and the other Toa's canisters were dropped into the sea, due to Mata Nui falling into a coma at the hands of the Makuta of Metru Nui. They were intended to then rocket off to the then unnamed and uninhabited island of Mata Nui; from there they would travel through a tunnel system and reach Metru Nui, where they would begin their quest.

However, their canisters malfunctioned, and the Toa Mata fell into the sea, where they floated for the next 1000 years. In that time, the Toa Metru temporarily defeated Makuta of Metru Nui, transported and awakened the comatose Matoran of Metru Nui, became Turaga, and started life anew on the island of Mata Nui. Takua, an Av-Matoran disguised as a Ta-Matoran, found six Toa Stones near the end of that 1000-year period and inadvertantly summoned the Toa's canisters to the island.

Quest for the Masks
When Gali arrived, she had no memories of her mission but vague dreams. She quickly met up with the rest of the Toa, and they split up to look for extra Kanohi masks, as directed by the Turaga of the island, the former Toa Metru.

When they had each found six masks, they descended into Mangaia, lair of the Makuta of Metru Nui who had been harassing the Matoran of the island for the past thousand years. After encountering two guardian Manas and fighting shadow versions of themsevles, they battled the Makuta and defeated him. However, he activated some sort of beacon that awakened the Bohrok swarms. They were not intended to wake up at that time, but Makuta awakened them early to stall while he recuperated for another battle with the Toa Mata.

The Bohrok War
Even as the Toa Mata emerged from Mangaia, they found disturbing signs of destruction, and a Matoran repeating the word "Bohrok" again and again. Going on the fact that he was a Ta-Matoran, they investigated at Ta-Wahi and found a swarm of Kohrak and Pahrak destroying it. They drove the swarm off, and Turaga Vakama informed them of their next mission: they were to collect six of each of the eight types of krana, one from each type of Bohrok. When they had done this, they could take on the Bahrag queens.

Gali and the other Toa at one point set a trap for a swarm of Tahnok; however, she was almost killed and only escaped with a few krana. Eventually, the Toa had collected the krana they needed and found the Bohrok Nest. They reached the heart of the nest and used their krana to give them access to six Exo-Toa, only to be attacked by the Bahrag. In the end, they shed their armor, realizing it hindered their elemental power, and sealed the Bahrag in protodermis. However, they were then immediately dumped into six tubes full of energized protodermis, and were transformed into Toa Nuva.

Invasion of the Bohrok-Kal
After their transformation, the Toa Nuva eventually went their separate ways, much to the dismay of Gali. The Toa Nuva would later realize this mistake when their Nuva Symbols, the source of their newfound power, were stolen by the Bohrok-Kal. The Toa Nuva regrouped and attempted to pursue the Bohrok-Kal, but were quickly defeated by them.

They then set out to find the Kanohi Nuva, which they hoped could help them in their fight. Gali went into a deep, underwater cave to find her Kakama Nuva, but became trapped when a stop slab slid over the entrance. Inside the cave, she found an image of six strange Toa, which she would later learn had been carved onto the wall by Nokama as the Toa Metru fled Metru Nui. She then found her Kakama Nuva, but was attacked by a Great Temple Squid. Fortunately, she was able to use her Kakama Nuva to escape both the squid and the cave, as she was able to pass through the stone wall trapping her. She later went with Tahu and Kopaka to the Place of Shadow, where, after facing several dangers, they found three Kanohi Nuva. However, once they touched the masks, the ground beneath them disappeared, and they fell into cave below. There, they found the other Toa Nuva, along with Turaga Vakama. They were then attacked by the Rahi Nui, but Vakama was able to trick it into trapping itself. The Toa Nuva and Vakama were able to escape.

Shortly afterward, the Bohrok-Kal found the Bahrag's Protodermis prison, and were about to use the Nuva Symbols to open it. The Toa Nuva arrived, and Tahu attempted to stop them with the Kanohi Vahi, but failed. Fortunately, this gave Gali enough time to figure out how to stop the Bohrok-Kal. She had the Toa Nuva focus their power into the Nuva Symbols, which caused the Kal to become destroyed by their own powers. The Toa Nuva recovered their Nuva Symbols and returned them to their villages.

Mask of Light
Some time after the Bohrok-Kal attack, Takua found the Kanohi Avohkii and set out with a Ta-Matoran named Jaller to find a prophesied Toa of Light. Makuta, not wanting this to happen, unleashed six Rahkshi. They emerged from the Kini-Nui, where Gali was meditating at the time. She managed to escape them, and saw them heading towards Ta-Koro. She quickly rushed to warn Ta-Koro, but in the end, Ta-Koro was destroyed and Tahu received a scratch to his mask thanks to Lerahk.

Later, they fought with the Rahkshi in Onu-Koro, where Gali had to fight with Tahu, who was being influenced by a combination of the poisoned scratch and Kurahk's anger power. Fortunately, Tahu was frozen by Kopaka, and they took him away as Onu-Koro began to cave in. Gali was then able to use her powers to heal Tahu.

They then faced off with the Rahkshi one last time at the Kini-Nui, where they witnessed Turahk kill Jaller and Takua don the Mask of Light, becoming Takanuva, Toa of Light. Takanuva destroyed the Turahk and challenged Makuta himself. In the end, the two became fused into a creature of light and shadow called Takutanuva. He opened the pathway to Metru Nui and revived Jaller at the cost of his own life. Takanuva was revived by the powers of light, while Makuta's Antidermis was able to escape his armor and influence six rogue Dark Hunters to travel to the island of Voya Nui and secure the Mask of Life for him.

Ignition
Once the Matoran had returned to Metru Nui, the Toa Nuva were informed by Turaga Dume that Mata Nui was not only comatose, but dying in his sleep--the universe only had a matter of days left. The only way to save him was with the Mask of Life, which was located somewhere on the dangerous island of Voya Nui.

They were sent to Voya Nui in Canisters similar to what they arrived on Mata Nui in. Upon their arrival, they ran into the Piraka, led to Voya Nui by Makuta and using his substance to enslave the Matoran of that island for their purposes, and a fight broke out. During the fight, Gali was hit twice by Hakann's mental blasts and was forced to shut down. Shortly afterward, the other Toa were all defeated one by one.

Zaktan, not wanting to risk leaving them alive, ordered the other Piraka to take away their masks and tools, and then to throw them into Mount Valmai, the volcano at the center of Voya Nui. However, a volcano eruption postponed the Piraka's plans and the Nuva escaped. Upon their escape from the Piraka, the Nuva met up with the Voya Nui Resistance Team, into which the Matoran decided to battle the Nuva, untrustworthy of anyone calling themselves Toa, as they had already been tricked by the Piraka. Dalu used her twin chargers to amplify Gali's sense of sight, turning her temporarily insane (she could see places where time and space had no meaning; she could still see when she closed her eyes). Gali ran off, but Axonn found her and healed her.

In the end, the Matoran were assured by Balta that they were legitimate Toa, and the Nuva aligned themselves with the Matoran and tried to raid the Piraka's stronghold. However, Brutaka arrived and defeated the Nuva and the Matoran with one blow. Gali was placed in Brutaka's custody with the other Toa Nuva.

The Piraka possessed them with antidermis and commanded them to dump out their elemental powers into a bottomless well to the point of death. The Matoran Resistance rescued them by giving them energized protodermis, destroying the antidermis.

During those events, six Toa Inika, really six Matoran of Metru Nui transformed by energy from the Red Star, had arrived on the shores of Voya Nui and defeated the Piraka. They acquired the Mask of Life and had to chase it underwater to the Pit. But before that, they briefly met with the Nuva. The Nuva told them they would be waiting on Metru Nui.

However, they were lying--Botar, a member of the Order of Mata Nui, informed them of the quest that they should have been done with had their canisters not malfunctioned: preparing the universe for Mata Nui to awaken. They were informed of a scroll in Metru Nui that listed the tasks necessary to complete to awaken Mata Nui, so they snuck back, hoping not to be noticed so as to avoid conflict with the Turaga. At that point, Mata Nui had less than 24 hours left to live, leaving no time to waste.

World Tour
The Toa Nuva proceeded to Metru Nui and found the scroll. The first task was to free the Bahrag and awaken the Bohrok swarms, allowing them to destroy the island of Mata Nui. The Toa were incredulous, even to the point of questioning if the list had actually been written by Makuta. But nevertheless, they freed the Bohrok and continued on with the second task: to find the Staff of Artakha.

It was supposedly in the Onu-Metru Archives, but it had been stolen years before in a Dark Hunter raid. They traveled to Odina in search of the Staff, where the Shadowed One informed them that it was on Xia. In return for the information they were to kill Roodaka.

When they arrived on Xia, they found the Kanohi Dragon brought their millennia ago by Lhikan fighting with a Tahtorak, who had been placed there by Botar hours before. They protected the native Vortixx while Onua went underground into the storeroom where the Staff of Artakha was being kept.

When they found Roodaka, they demanded her help: she had transformed the Toa Hagah into Rahaga years before, and they demanded that she transform them back. Lewa fetched the Rahaga and Roodaka reluctantly complied. Onua emerged, however, beaten within an inch of his life by a Makuta called Icarax, the Makuta of Karzahni.

Icarax had stolen the staff and was traveling to Mahri Nui with it to deliver it to the Makuta of Metru Nui, now in the body of a robot called Maxilos. Makuta would use the staff to recreate the Nui Stone and give it to a Toa who fell under Makuta's control.

The Toa Nuva pursued Icarax and fought him again in the realm of Karzahni. Gali used a Nova Blast and destroyed the entire realm, but Icarax had already escaped with the Staff. He delivered it to Makuta, but Brutaka, banished to the Pit, who stopped him from recreating the Nui Stone and Botar stole the Staff of Artakha from him.

Discouraged but not stopped by their failure to recover the Staff of Artakha, the Nuva split up. Tahu and Kopaka went to a southern island chain to quell an active volcano. Pohatu and Onua went in pursuit as an artifact known as the "Heart of the Visorak". Lewa went on a secret mission, and Gali returned to the now-destroyed island of Mata Nui to observe the position of the Red Star, where she discovered that there were living things inside of it. She was then teleported by Botar to Daxia to see the Staff of Artakha being used to repair all damage done to the universe by and since the Great Cataclysm.

A few days after Mata Nui had died and been revived by Matoro, the Toa Nuva traveled to the realm of Artakha for their final mission on the scroll. There they were given adaptive armor by Artakha himself, and he sent them to the Universe Core, below the Mainland, where a battle was taking place in the sky.

Swamp of Secrets
At some point after arriving at Karda Nui the Toa Nuva split up. Kopaka, Lewa and Pohatu stayed in the air to help with the battle going on there while Gali, Tahu and Onua headed to the swamp down below to search for the Mask of Life. What she and the others do not know is that the Ignika is up above helping the others. The story of what she and the other two did in the so-called Swamp of Secrets will be revealed in August.

Dark Mirror
In the Toa Empire, Gali ran the Re-Education Center with Karzahni. Later, in a battle against Pohatu's rebel group, Gali killed Primal, but was then killed by Krakua and Ahkmou.

Personality
Although considered to be the wisest and most peaceful of the Toa, Gali still had an edge to her. She was not all calm waves lapping against the shore; she had a slight temper, though not to the degree of Tahu or Kopaka. However, Gali was always restrictive in using her powers and believes that fighting is not the answer to all conflicts. Gali was very powerful and she showed this power when she destroyed the entire realm of Karzahni to defeat Icarax. She strongly believes in upholding the three Matoran virtues, even to the point of locking horns with her brothers, arguing this point.

Powers and Tools
According to Matoran legends, Gali was the sustainer of life. She could summon tidal waves and rainstorms, as she commanded water and created whirlpools, floods, tidal waves, rainstorms, and other phenomena related to water. As a Toa Mata, she carried Water Hooks, but they were replaced with Aqua Axes upon her transformation into a Toa Nuva.

In 2008 Gali will have a Nynrah Ghostblaster.

Behind the Scenes/Trivia

 * When the Toa Nuva traveled the world in preparation for Mata Nui's awakening, it was Gali who kept a log of their activities, against Tahu and Kopaka's will. It was documented in the Bioniclestory.com story serial, the Toa Nuva Blog.
 * In the Mata Nui Online Game, Gali created a mental link with Takua before descending into the Mangaia. However, there is nothing in any story sources to explain why she had this ability.
 * Gali's name may mean water since Ga- is a prefix meaning water. However, it may be that her name started with the prefix.
 * In Latin, Gali means fountain.