![]() When they all chant together they can communicate across great distances and even control the Garthim. Unlike when the Skeksis die, the Mystics disappear at their time of death-a la Obi-Wan and Yoda-though it doesn’t appear to upset any of them when another of their kind falls. The Mystics spent most of the movie slowly returning to the castle, after hearing “the call” of the Crystal. After bringing them Kira, he was accepted back. Image: Universal Picturesĭesperate to get back in the Skeksis’ good graces and stop the Chosen One from fulfilling the prophecy, the Chamberlain tried to befriend Jen and Kira so he could bring them as “presents” to the other Skeksis. ![]() When Jen was struggling to figure out which shard was the real one among a collection of impostors, he played the Mystics’ song on his double-flute like instrument, which caused the real shard to light up. In order to save the world from the Skeksis, Jen needed to return the broken shard-which also showed him a vision of the past revealing it was the Skeksis who cracked it-to the Crystal during the Great Conjunction. It said, “When single shines the triple sun, what was sundered and undone shall be whole, the two made one, by Gelfling hand or else by none.” Image: Universal Pictures ![]() Jen-who was told he was the Chosen One who would fulfill the prophecy by the dying Wise Elder-and Kira found it written in stone at “the houses of the old ones,” where the Gelfling rulers once lived long ago. The Skeksis tried to kill all Gelflings because of an old prophecy. When two Gelflings touch, they share memories via telepathy, in an intimate process known as Dreamfasting. Female Gelflings have wings, and Kira was also taught by the Podlings to use “the gift.” Kira also possesses an ability to call upon animals for help. Jen was rescued by the Mystics and raised by their Wise Elder, while Kira was saved by the Podlings who protected her. At the start of the movie, only two are left on all of Thra-Jen and Kira-both of whom thought they were the last of their kind after Skeksis killed every other Gelfling. The Gelflings are a small race of elvish-like humanoids (though nearly double in size of the diminutive Podlings). Image: Universal PicturesĪll of this happened at a momentous occasion: The Skeksis knew the coming of the next Great Conjunction-just days away-was their chance to live and rule over Thra forever, so long as an old prophecy did not come to pass. After his defeat, the Chamberlain was stripped of his robes and banished from the castle. However, he was challenged by another and was bested in Trial by Stone, which required each to strike a large rock. When their Emperor died-his body literally disintegrating like a falling building-the Chamberlain of the Skeksis expected to assume power. Both creatures gained their power from the Dark Crystal, too-which also showed the Skeksis visions of things happening on Thra. The Skeksis could also see through the eyes of their flying spies known as Crystal Bats. ![]() Skeksis also controlled some very powerful and dangerous creatures: chief among them the giant crustacean, bug-like Garthim, who they used to kidnap their enemies and collect Podlings. However, Gelfling life essence was far more lasting for the Skeksis. The Podlings, whose physical features literally caved in during this process, like a grape becoming a raisin, were left mindless slaves with no will to fight for their freedom. The Skeksis used the Crystal to draw the “life essence” from the Podlings, which he then drank. They ravaged the land, enslaved the harmless Podlings, and nearly exterminated the Gelflings entirely. Their long life-spans were obtained by drawing new life from the sun via the power of the Dark Crystal… though the Emperor gained youth in a far more sinister way. The Skeksis were terrible tyrants, led by an Emperor. At the start of the movie there were ten of each race left (originally there were 18). If a Skeksis was injured or died, the same thing happened to a Mystic. The Mystics moved far away, but maintained a cosmic connection to both the Crystal and the Skeksis. Since then, the Skeksis have ruled Thra from the imposing Castle of the Crystal, where they kept the powerful, purple Dark Crystal in the Sacred Chamber. The land of Thra, home to Podlings, Gelflings, and countless animals, was “green and good,” until the powerful Crystal “cracked” and a shard was lost. During the event, two new species, equal in numbers, suddenly appeared on Thra when it did: the “cruel,” greedy, bird-like creatures known as Skeksis and the wise Mystics (officially the urRu), a peaceful group of “gentle” wizards who resemble doleful dinosaurs. Almost exactly a millennium before the start of the film, the three suns of Thra all lined up during an event known as The Great Conjunction, which only occurs every thousand years.
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