Skeksis

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Skeksis (specifically skekUng the Garthim Master) on permanent display at Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA

The Skeksis are a fictional species which act as the main villains in the 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal, its companion book The World of The Dark Crystal and the TokyoPop prequel Legends of the Dark Crystal. The word "Skeksis" serves as both singular and plural form for this species, with the singular being pronounced /skɛk.sɪs/ and the plural pronounced /skɛk.siz/. They are described by concept artist Brian Froud as, "... part reptile, part predatory bird, part dragon." In the film, the Skeksis are represented by puppets engineered under the direction of Jim Henson. Jim Henson said that in the development of the Skeksis, the creators drew inspiration from the Seven Deadly Sins.

Characteristics

Appearance

The skeksis are tall bipeds combining both avian and reptilian physical features. They all wear elaborate robes of lace, velvet, and brocade which apparently keep the skeksis constantly decomposing bodies intact. Their heads are beaked like a vulture's, while simultaneously sporting curved fangs. They have bloated bellies and long reptilian tails, as well as curved quills on their backs. Like their UrRu counterparts, they have two pairs of arms, yet in the skeksis, only one pair is functional, the other being atrophied.

Society

The skeksis are the corrupt rulers of the planet Thra, having inherited it from their benevolent UrSkek predecessors. They are the embodiements of the knowledgeable, yet unrestrained parts of the UrSkeks souls. The Skeksis culture favors repetitive flamboyance, emotional pettiness, and a wasteful attitude toward life. Though they are capable of forming alliances, they are by nature extremely paranoid toward each other.

Due to the accelerated decomposition of their bodies, the Skeksis constantly search for ways to prolongue their lives at all costs. Their primary method is to expose themselves to sunlight channelled directly through the Dark Crystal, though the amount of energy replenished to them is greatly dependent on the conjunction of Thra's three suns. Another method is a form of planetary accupuncture, in which power lines laid on their castle channels the planet's energy to them, then feeds back noxious pulses, resulting in their kingdom's wasteland appearance. Another method is to directly drain the lifeforce from other life-forms by exposing them to reflected beams of the Dark Crystal. The life-force is collected in a liquid form and drank. This has the effect of turning the drained victims into near-mindless husks which the Skeksis use as slaves. Only the emperor had the privilige of drinking life-force, that of Gelflings being the most sought after.

They have created creatures such as the huge, crab-like Garthim to be their enforcers and the Crystal Bats to act as their eyes and ears throughout Thra.

Language

Originally, Jim Henson thought of having the Skeksis communicate through noises, though he later shot the film showing the skeksis speaking a constructed language based on ancient Greek and Egyptian specially devised by linguist Alan Garner. The dialogue was later redubbed in English, as the original version proved unsuccessful in impressing test audiences. The original language is however present in The World of the Dark Crystal and The Dark Crystal novelization. The Skeksis' language is ill-suited to descriptions of long, complex processes as it is restricted to nouns, adjectives, and expletives. The skeksis language is shown to have an Object Verb Subject word order.

History

SkekUng and SkekSil perform Haakskeekah

The products of a botched attempt by UrSkeks to purify their souls by using trapped sunlight from the Crystal of Truth, the skeskis entered the world of Thra hating their UrRu counterparts and each other. Not long after the division, a fight broke out between the two races, resulting in a shard of the crystal being chipped loose from the main rock and being lost. The UrRu then left the castle to the skeksis, who began to modify the UrSkek architecture with their own grotesque designs. The Skeksis apparently considered the division a great triumph, and attempted to create a crystal of their own. The blackened rocks they created though proved ineffectual, and were reused as targets for the Haakskeekah ritual.

According to The World of The Dark Crystal, the Skeksis were originally a vibrant and jovial race that possessed the wisdom and knowledge of the UrSkeks, yet lacking any form of restraint or contemplation. They ruled Thra for over a 1000 years and apparently had good relations with the Gelfling people, inviting them to their castle and reveling with them in festivity and song. As time passed and the Skeksis morality decayed along with their bodies, they began to keep Gelflings as slaves. Desperate, the Gelflings sought counsel in prophecy, which revealed that a Gelfling would end the rule of the Skeksis by healing the Dark Crystal with the shard it once lost. When the Skeksis learned of this, their first reaction was to create multiple crystal shards in order to confuse the Gelfling's search. Later, they had the Garthim carry out the genocide of the entire Gelfling race.

However, only Jen and Kira survived the massacre, eventually finding each other and fulfilling the prophecy that destroyed the Skeksis and reintegrated them into the urRu to recreate the urSkeks.

List of Skeksis

In film

The Emperor skekSo

The first skeksis emperor, skekSo is described in The World of The Dark Crystal as having originally been an energetic ruler who enjoyed lavish festivity and sporting events which he invariably won. As he aged however, he became increasingly paranoid and spiteful, even toward his fellow skeksis, elevating individuals to high positions only for the pleasure of seeing them fall later.

The Ritual Master skekZok

An arrogant high priest, skekZok fancied himself as skekSo's closest advisor, and sought to control the other skeksis through false prophecies and apparitions. SkekZok bitterly discovered that the other skeksis distrusted his divinations, and practised their own. Though a contender of the throne after skekSo's death, skekZok does not participate in the Haakskeekah ritual which resulted in skekUng's ascension. Though he assists in the search for the surviving gelflings with his crystal bats, he is nontheless distrusted and feared by skekUng. He is the most eager to finish the gelfling race quickly, and is irritated by skekUng's prolonguing of the process by draining them of essence.

The Garthim Master skekUng

Formerly the commander of the brutish garthim soldiers, skekUng was physically the strongest of the skeksis after emperor skekSo. He had a bitter rivalry with the chamberlain skekSil, which culminated in a successful duel for supremacy after the death of skekSo. Though the other skeksis admire his ferocity, his constant blundering in the capture of the surviving gelflings fails to evoke the desired respect of his subjects. He is suspicious of skekZok's loyalty, and is constantly fearing a challenge to his authority.

• the Chamberlain skekSil

The Scientist skekTek

The creator of the Garthim soldiers, the other skeksis fear him, as they understand nothing of his work. His fascination with anatomy was so great he went as far as amputating one of his arms and legs, replacing them with mechanical constructs. He also replaced his jugular vein with a transparent external tube, in order to monitor his own circulation. He is a personal nemesis of Aughra, who was once a colleague of his back when he was an UrSkek. He is killed by his own laboratory animals whilst attempting to drain the gelfling Kira of her essence.

• the Gourmand skekAyuk

The Slave Master skekNa

The supervisor and disciplinarian of the pod slaves, he is described in The World of the Dark Crystal as "purely and openly evil from the beginning" and in The Dark Crystal novelization as having "no imagination and no nobility at all". He has an eyepatch and a hook for one hand. He dubiously claims to have an ear for music, and takes it upon himself to select specific slaves for skekTek to experiment upon. Along with skekTek, he is a strong supporter of skekUng, and at one point was considered for promotion to the rank of patriarch for his loyalty.

The Treasurer skekShod

Administratively skekSil's subordinate, skekShod is incapable of acknowledging anyone's presence unless offered some gift. Due to his limited vocabulary and excessive material desires, bribery is the only way he knows to gain what he wants. He frequently bribes the other skeksis into temporarily loaning him their personal posessions. Along with skekOk, he is a supporter of skekZok.

• the Scroll Keeper skekOk

The Ornamentalist skekEkt

Despite posessing a genuine gift as a designer, skekEkt is nonetheless described in The World of the Dark Crystal as an extremely vain and callous character who would gladly cause the death of countless animals for the sake of fabricating one cloak. According to skekSil's thoughts in The Dark Crystal novelization, skekEkt's uncharismatic depravity was considered excessive, even by the standards of the skeksis, to the point where it would never command their obedience. He has the responsibility of giving the final say in the selection of experimental Pod slaves modified by skekTek for ritual choruses. He is in charge of rehearsals. He makes a further selection, incorporating those he likes into the chorus and destroying the rest. Along with skekAyuk, he is a supporter of skekSil.

The general skekVar, as seen in Legends of the Dark Crystal Vol. 1: The Garthim Wars

The collector skekLach, as seen in Legends of the Dark Crystal Vol. 1: The Garthim Wars

Expanded universe

The General skekVar

A loyal military leader, skekVar is nontheless distrusted by skekSo, who under the influence of skekLach, believes the general is seeking to appropriate the throne.

The Collector skekLach

A collector of trophies of war, skekLach secretly tries to undermine skekSo's authority by withholding gelfling essence for himself, whilst convincing the emperor that the shortage is due to skekVar. He blackmails skekTek into remaining silent. He has a mechanised arm and a scarred face.

Cultural References

• In the South Park episode Tsst, one of the nannies from "Nanny 911" is named Nanny Skexis and appears as a Dark Crystal Skeksis in nanny garb.
• In the South Park episode Imaginationland Episode II, one of the evil imaginary figures looking on as Strawberry Shortcake is tortured is a Skeksis.
• In World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, a non-playable race of beings known as the arakkoa was introduced. Arakkoa are virtually identical in appearance to the Skeksis. One of the quests a player can complete involves a large, floating dark crystal called the Darkstone of Terokk, a homage to the Dark Crystal. The hidden capital of the arakkoa is called Skettis, to further tie in the name. Also the first boss of the instance Sethekk Halls yells "Mmmm...Time to make my move!" a quote taken directly from SkekSil the Chamberlain. It is important to note that Arakkoa are derived from a Dungeons and Dragons creature of a similar name, the Aarakocra.
• The second track on Strapping Young Lad's album Alien is entitled "Skeksis".
• In another Jim Henson production, Farscape, a race of Skeksis-like aliens called the Halosians appear in the second-season episode Out Of Their Minds
• In the third-season episode Thanks For Sharing of Farscape the character John Crichton mentions them in the line "So who is it? The Plokazoids (likely a reference to the Plokavians), the Skeksis, Big Bad Wolf?".
• The Scissor Sister's song "Return to Oz" includes to line "the Skeksis at the rave meant to hide, deep inside their sunken faces and their wild rolling eyes."