Tell me about Echo and Nelson! I’m curious to know how they ended up becoming the new Masters of Time.
(Also interesting how the element of Time has become permanently split. The twins each chose their own successor to pass their powers on to, rather than finding one person to give both halves of the power).
Echo and Nelson are close friends, having met through Dr. Julien and Nelson’s uncle/surrogate father, William (the mailman!), who knew each other from the days of the Skeleton War (though the kids don’t know that). Unlike his brother, Echo is homeschooled so Dr. Julien does his best to take Echo out into the city or have friends his (Echo’s) age over as much as possible so he doesn’t feel lonely or isolated. The two are in a little friend group with Arin, Jake, Sora, and a few others, it’s adorable.
As for how they eventually become the Masters of Time… Time is an element that, unlike others, which have been manually split by previous masters in the movieverse (Nature, Shadow, etc.), is naturally in two. “Control time, control everything” isn’t a battle cry of superiority, it’s a warning. The full power of time would be too much for one person to handle, so it has always been and always will be in two separate masters, usually twins, though not always. The Time Twins are some of the characters Imp, Falcon, and myself have swapped the moralities of, and they’re the chill curators of the Ninjago Museum of History (even if Acronix keeps starting beef on Chirp with people), a place Echo and Nelson happen to both frequent and have annual passes to.
Now, the twins are getting older, and they’ve been forced to have the conversation about what to do about their powers by this fact. The two came to the obvious conclusion they’d much rather choose new masters they trust rather than leave that in the hands of destiny. Of course, this isn’t exactly an easy choice, especially with an element as delicate as Time. They need to find successors who are young enough they can internalize the severity of going rogue with this power, but old enough to understand that it is serious. Successors with the proper support systems in place and allies to help them from straying to the wrong path. Successors who share a bond close enough to let them use the element effectively and fight as one.
Enter Echo and Nelson, two kids who are already close, surrounded by not only veterans of The Skeleton War, but also other elemental masters and each have supportive older siblings. They’re both eight, so the perfect age to not be too set in stone with any preconceived notions about going wild with “superpowers”, but still able to understand what the twins mean when they say “control time, control everything”.
Plus Dr. Julien has said he’s wanted to get Echo some self defense lessons, but is too terrified to leave the kid alone anywhere. So win-win!
The Time Twins still have plenty of good years in them, so it won’t be for a while that they pass on their elements, but the kids (with the permission of their parents/guardian) are now training in self defense at the museum, plus some moral lessons with the various exhibits. Once the two grow up, they’ll take over for the Ninja Force with their own team, just as the Ninja Force took over for Wu and Lady Iron Dragon. It’ll be new threats aside from Garmadon by then, but they’ll be ready.
On a last note, for fun, here’s both which half of Time the two get and who their future team consists of!
Echo (Master of Time - Slow Mo and Fast Forward)
Nelson (Master of Time - Pause and Rewind)
Antonia (Master of Speed)
Get it? Echo gets Acronix’s powers cuz he’s a nindroid- and Acronix’s powers symbolically represent time moving forward and the inevitability of progress-
