Zaktan

"Horror is looking into the eyes of the Shadowed One, knowing you are about to die...and then being forced to live. Horror is waking each day to see every part of your body moving on its own, a shifting mass of Protodites where once was solid metal and living tissue. Horror is what is in the eyes of your partners when they look at you...and in the cries of your enemies when your swarm engulfs them. Don't talk to me about fear, creature--I am fear!"

- Zaktan standing up to Irnakk, BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno

Zaktan (a.k.a "the Snake") was a former Dark Hunter and the leader of the six-Skakdi group known as the Piraka. After his defeat, he was held in Daxia by the Order of Mata Nui.

Early Life
Zaktan's early life is largely unknown. He lived on Zakaz, where his species was tampered with by Spiriah in an effort to create a Brotherhood of Makuta army. Sometime later, he worked in a protodermis mine as a slave when he was recruited into the Dark Hunters.

Dark Hunter
In the Dark Hunters, Zaktan made few allies in the organization. He was assigned to lead a team dedicated to killing Toa, and during his time he was known to have slain a Toa of Plasma. In roughly 4,000 BGC he joined four other Skakdi, Reidak, Hakann, Thok, and Vezok, in an unsuccessful coup against "The Shadowed One". He was captured by the Dark Hunter leader, who attempted to execute him using his disintegrator eyebeams. However, all were surprised when he survived as a mass of microscopic protodites.

750 years after the Great Cataclysm, in the war with the Brotherhood of Makuta; Zaktan, Reidak, and Thok were a few of the Hunters dispatched to guard a base. Thok looked around the base, and Zaktan explored it as well, but a tip-off from Roodaka that the base was once the Brotherhood's encouraged Zaktan to take a closer look. What he found was the Brotherhood's master plan: schemes, calculations, backup plans, prophecies... Stunned at first, Zaktan vowed to use this knowledge to his advantage, and destroyed the records before he left.

Piraka
He eventually decided to go rogue with another 5 of his species: Hakann, Vezok, Reidak, Avak, and Thok.

After Teridax was defeated by Takanuva, rumours began to circulate, so Zaktan and the Piraka journeyed to Mangaia, to loot it. They found something interesting: the Spear of Fusion. Due to misuse, it split Vezok in two, creating a seventh Piraka: Vezon.

While still in Teridax's Lair, Zaktan and the other Piraka suddenly gained knowlege of the Mask of Life. They all wondered how this happened, but only Zaktan knew that Makuta's spirit told them this. Zaktan led the others to the exit, when they were attacked by two Mana Ko. Vezon escaped, and the other Piraka found the Toa Mata's Toa Canisters, and decided to use them to get to Voya Nui, where the mask was.

Some time after arriving on Voya Nui, Zaktan began to chase around Piruk, eventually having the Matoran lead him to his village.

Zaktan later heard Avak and Hakann report to him about how the Matoran were growing restless, and Avak questioned his position as a leader. Zaktan responded to this by choking him with his protodites, while Hakann witnessed the entire thing.

He later summoned Reidak into his chamber, carrying the Matoran Dezalk with him. Zaktan then shot him with a Zamor Sphere, turning him into a mindless, obedient slave. He then had the Matoran summon the island's inhabitants to one of the villages, for an assembly. The Piraka later arrived at the assembly, and they enslaved the Matoran of Voya Nui.

Some time after, the Toa Nuva arrived on the island, and the Piraka faced them in battle. During the battle, Zaktan fought Toa Tahu, eventually defeating him by overpowering him, but saved him from falling off a ledge to his death, stating that he still had to suffer. Eventually, all the Toa Nuva were defeated, and Zaktan ordered the Toa have their Kanohi and weapons removed, taken to the volcano, and be thrown in.

After their battles with the Toa Inika, Zaktan and the other Piraka made their way down the staircase leading to the Ignika, fighting their way past guardians and trails along the way. After arriving in the Mask of Life chamber, they encountered Vezon. When the Inika arrived and began fighting Vezon and Fenrakk, the Piraka woke up and stayed out of the way.

Soon after the Ignika flew out of the chamber and into the sea surrounding the island surface. After the Inika went after it, Zaktan decided the Piraka should lay low for awhile.

Mutation
However, due to their earlier exposure to the mutagenic sea water, Zaktan and the other Piraka began mutating into water breathers. They retreated to the bay surrounding Voya Nui, but eventually they were just heads with spines.

A while later, they attacked the Toa Mahri in the Cord, and they were about to kill the Toa, when Axonn interfered and stunned the Piraka. He then requested that Botar take them away to the prison on Daxia.

After being imprisoned in a water tank on Daxia for a while, Zaktan was removed from the tank and placed in a water filled globe to accompany the Toa Hagah on their mission to find Teridax. Zaktan was not very cooperative on the mission but eventually they found Teridax's Antidermis under the Metru Nui Coliseum. After revealing himself, Teridax destroyed Brutaka's Kanohi Olmak with energy, and then also destroyed Zaktan, using a sonic hum which caused both him and his water tank to explode. However, Zaktan somehow survived this event; in the form of a cloud of protodites, he floated to Zakaz, where he entered a tank of Energized Protodermis with a Vortixx, a Steltian, and the other five Piraka, which resulted in all of them fusing into a golden being.

Personality
Zaktan was cold and mysterious. He spent much time alone and became irritated when others disturbed him. It was discovered that he learned of Teridax's grand plan from a Brotherhood of Makuta base, where he found their entire record of the Great Cataclysm, and he has vowed to use this to his advantage. Zaktan once said that he was always horrified about waking up and noticing that his body was made up of Protodites or an opponent's scream when he swarms on them. He would also viciously hurt anyone who defied him.

Powers & Tools
Zaktan possessed Laser Vision and, thanks to the Shadowed One, was made of trillions of protodites. This allowed him to fly, slip through minute cracks, change his shape, or attack as a swarm. However, he could not rearrange his protodites to assume a different form, for unknown reasons.

He also had the elemental power of Air, which could only be used when combining his power with that of another of his species.

Zaktan was equipped with the Three-Blade Scissor (also made of protodites) with a pair of tongs at its other end. He also wielded a Zamor Launcher, not, however, made of protodites.

Quotes
"Toa. You are an anachronism--pure and noble heroes, still striving for right in a universe of chaos, unwilling to admit that your day is long over."

- Zaktan, BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of Doom

"It was Toa who defeated the Dark Hunters when we attempted to conquer Metru Nui. It was Toa who engineered the war between us and the Brotherhood of Makuta that still rages today. Leaving a Toa, any Toa, alive is like keeping a Doom Viper for companionship."

- Zaktan, BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of Doom

"What's the point of this, Zaktan? You want the Mask of Life, and we don’t have it. Fighting us accomplishes nothing."''
 * ''"Wrong. It brings you pain. And we want to go on bringing you pain, Toa. Now lay down your weapons and surrender, or this Matoran dies—-along with many more. You know how many we can kill before you can stop us."

- Jaller and Zaktan, BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall

"His name is Zaktan, he’s not as friendly as he looks. If he acts up, just haul him out of the tank and let him gasp for air a few times. That’s what I always do."

- Helryx, Dwellers In Darkness

"You Toa are all alike--all mewling idiots."

- Zaktan, Dwellers in Darkness

Set Information

 * Zaktan was released in 2006.
 * Zaktan's set number was 8903.
 * Zaktan had 41 pieces.

Appearances

 * BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of Doom - First appearance
 * BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny
 * Comic 1: If A Universe Ends...
 * Comic 2: Vengeance of Axonn
 * BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play
 * Comic 3: Showdown
 * BIONICLE: Dark Hunters
 * Island Investigation - Non-canon
 * Voya Nui Adventure - Non-canon
 * Piraka Attack - Non-canon
 * Matoran Escape - Non-canon
 * Inika Island Assault - Non-canon
 * Voya Nui Online Game - Semi-canon
 * BIONICLE Heroes - Non-canon
 * BIONICLE: The Quest Game - Non-canon
 * BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil - In present and flashbacks
 * Comic 4: A Cold Light Dawns
 * BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno
 * Comic 5: In Final Battle
 * Comic 6: Web Comic
 * BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated
 * BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall
 * Destiny War - Indirectly mentioned
 * Dwellers In Darkness
 * Makuta's Guide to the Universe
 * Reign of Shadows - Indirectly mentioned
 * Sahmad's Tale - Indirectly mentioned

Trivia

 * Zaktan was Greg Farshtey's favorite Piraka to write about.