The Skeksis are a fictional species that serves as the main antagonists in the 1982 film The Dark Crystal and its related franchise. The word "Skeksis" serves as both singular and plural form for this species, with the singular being pronounced
Concept and creation
Jim Henson was inspired to design the Skeksis by an illustrated edition of a Lewis Carroll poem showing two elegantly dressed crocodiles in a bathroom. He became intrigued with the idea of a reptilian race assuming control over a formerly splendid past society, and developed the Skeksis with the concept that they represented the darker side of human nature. Numerous names were proposed for the species, including Skekses, Reptus, Karackt and Skek-sis.
Henson himself commented on the difficulty of performing as a Skeksis:
Conceptual designer Brian Froud designed the Skeksis as looking like "part reptile, part predatory bird, [and] part dragon," with a "penetrating stare."
The design of the Skeksis' robes was supervised by British artist and painter Sarah Bradpiece. The robes were fabricated with expensive materials (silks, furs, velvet, etc.) and exotic feathers, and decorated in jewels made from melted toy soldiers; skekTek the Scientist's bionic eye was made from a die-cast TIE fighter model's cockpit. To give the Skeksis their grubby appearance, the robes were then ripped and stained with fake dirt and paint. According to Froud, the robes were meant to reflect the Skeksis' unique personalities and functions within the castle.
Skekse was originally the singular form of Skeksis in the script.
Performance
Each Skeksis puppet was controlled in the original film by as many as six puppeteers. The main puppeteer, wearing a heavy, robe-covered costume with a puppet head, would be assisted by a second performer operating the creature's right hand from inside the costume, and a team of four technicians in charge of its facial features. For wide shots of the Skeksis walking or running, actors of short stature were sometimes used as doubles. skekSil the Chamberlain's puppet, operated primarily by Frank Oz, was built with over 20 mechanical components.
Similar to Big Bird of Sesame Street, the lead puppeteer inside the Skeksis costume would wear a television monitor around their waist to gain a better sense of vision. The Skeksis hands were operated using a handheld trigger device that controlled the flexible rods serving as its fingers.
For Age of Resistance, the technical crew devised simpler ways to puppeteer the creatures, including the Skeksis. For wide shots of the Chamberlain, for example, his head was placed on a mechanical neck. This reduced the need for several performers and allowed the numerous animatronics in his head to be controlled from offscreen.
Characteristics
Appearance
The Skeksis are tall bipeds, possessing both avian and reptilian features. They dress in elaborate (but threadbare) garments and robes of lace, velvet, and brocade to conceal their frail, rotting bodies while also appearing large and more intimidating. Their heads are beaked and vulturine in form, while also sporting sharp teeth (some Skeksis have more or less teeth than others). Their gluttony gives them enlarged bellies, and they have long, lizard-like tails, as well as curved quills on their backs. Despite possessing four arms, like their urRu counterparts, the Skeksis have only one functional pair as the other has become vestigial. This second pair of arms were, initially, wing-like before eventually withering and atrophying; however, skekMal is one of the few Skeksis to utilize these extra arms in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Despite their frail appearance, Skeksis are physically powerful, as skekUng mustered his strength to cut through solid stone during the 'Trial by Stone' duel, while a provoked skekSil single-handedly slammed pilaster rock onto protagonist Jen.
Society
The Skeksis are the corrupt rulers of the planet Thra, having inherited it from their benevolent urSkek predecessors, and embody the knowledgeable, yet unrestrained aspects of the urSkeks' behavior. The Skeksis culture favors repetitive flamboyance, emotional pettiness, and a wasteful attitude toward life. Though they are capable of alliances, each acts only of self-preservation to the point of immediate betrayals to benefit their personal agenda. Despite their few numbers, the Skeksis form shifting political parties that stabilize the Skeksis society despite some causing friction among them, especially if the Emperor greatly favours one party over the others.
Before the events of Age of Resistance, the Skeksis were divided into the Imperial Allegiance (skekSo, skekSil, skekTek) which oversee their race's continuation, the Tithing Allegiance (skekLach, skekOk, skekEkt) who collect tributes from the Gelfling clans, and the Security Allegiance (skekVar, skekAyuk, skekZok) who command the Gelfling castle guards. But following the Garthim War and before events of the movie, the Skeksis reorganized themselves into the Diplomatic Allegiance (skekSil, skekOk, skekEkt) who maintain the castle to the Emperor's liking, The Religious Allegiance (skekZok, skekShod, skekAyuk) who oversee daily routines, and Military Allegiance (skekUng, skekTek, skekNa) who oversee the Garthim soldiers.
Due to the accelerated decomposition of their bodies, the Skeksis constantly attempt to prolong their lives by using the properties of the Dark Crystal itself. Their primary method is absorbing sunlight channeled through the Dark Crystal, its potency dependent on Thra's three suns. Another method is a form of acupuncture, in which power lines laid on their castle channels the planet's energy to them and feeds back noxious pulses, resulting in their kingdom's wasteland appearance. A third method is extracting the vitality from other life forms by exposing them to reflected beams from the Dark Crystal, a process that originally destroys the victims before it was refined enough to reduce them into nearly mindless drones which the Skeksis keep as slaves. The life force is collected in a liquid form that restores a Skeksis' youth and vitality, the Emperor eventually making law that only he can partake of it. Gelfling were originally used for this purpose until their near extinction forced the Skeksis to use Podlings instead, with the youth-inducing effects of the resulting elixir created from their life force lasting for a few seconds.
The Skeksis created the Garthim through grafting corpses of Arathim and Gruenak which are then animated by the Dark Crystal. Upon the discovery of a Gelfling prophecy which foretold the end of their power, the Skeksis used the Garthim to exterminate almost every single Gelfling on Thra, until only two, Jen and Kira, survived, to be raised by urSu the Mystic Master and the Podlings, respectively. They also bred the sentinel Crystal Bats, which were used as "eyes in the sky", scavenging above the landscape, and working closely with the Garthim, to locate potential targets.
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, devised by the author Alan Garner. The dialogue was later redubbed in English, as the original version proved unsuccessful in impressing test audiences. The original language is present in The World of the Dark Crystal and The Dark Crystal novelization, wherein (according to the former) it is "restricted to nouns, adjectives, and expletives", and has an object–verb–subject word order.
List of Skeksis
skekSo
Also known as the Emperor and the counterpart to the urRu urSu the Master, skekSo is described in The World of The Dark Crystal as originally being an energetic ruler who enjoyed lavish festivity and winning at sporting events but age made him paranoid and spiteful to even his fellow Skeksis, elevating individuals to high positions only to depose them afterward.
skekLach appeared in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance where he was performed by Helena Smee and voiced by Awkwafina.
skekMal
thumb|250px|The skekMal puppet used in [[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]
Known as the Hunter and the counterpart to the urRu urVa the Archer, skekMal is a Skeksis introduced in the J.M. Lee novel Shadows of the Dark Crystal.
He also appears in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, wearing a spirit-like skull mask that conceals his scarred face and sports an extra pair of retractable arms. Considering himself a sportsman who relentlessly hunts his quarry down, skekMal is a brutal killer so feared even by his own kind that they tend to summon his services as a last resort. Thus few Gelfling knew of his existence as he eats his prey and keeps their skulls as his trophies. He is skilled in trapping and combat, being one of the few Skeksis to use his extra arms in a fight, with animalistic movement. Hired by skekSil to acquire Rian, skekMal's hunt brings him in conflict with urVa. When skekMal was badly wounded by urVa, he brought Brea back to the Skeksis' castle before collapsing. As the Skeksis worked to keep him alive, Aughra offered her lifeforce in order for skekMal to be saved. During the battle in Stone-In-The-Wood, urVa commits suicide by jumping to his death in order to stop his counterpart for good. This enables Aughra to be reconstituted. In episode 8 of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Aughra expresses some fondness for him, declaring that skekMal was "the most beautiful of the lot" despite his scent of death.
In The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, skekMal is performed by Kevin Clash, in-suit performed by Nick Kellington, and voiced by Ralph Ineson. Two additional puppeteers in blue screen suits operated skekMal's retractable arms.
skekGra
Previously known as the Conqueror, eccentric in personality, skekGra originally served as a militant leader in the Skeksis until he and his urRu counterpart urGoh the Wanderer both received a vision of the eventual reunion of their races into their original selves. Both desired to merge back into the urSkek GraGoh, but skekGra was cast out by the Skeksis as "The Heretic" for his attempts to convince them to rejoin their urRu counterparts. skekGra and urGoh were forced to live together in self-imposed exile in the Crystal Desert where they waited for the Gelfling Rian, Brea, and Deet so they could give them the Crystal Shard that was concealed in the Dual Glaive sword they forged. skekGra eventually became rather boisterous and eccentric, describing himself as a fun Skeksis. He and urGoh became skilled at the art of puppetry.
In Age of Resistance, skekGra is performed by Damian Farrell and voiced by Andy Samberg.
skekEer
Introduced only in Legends of the Dark Crystal: Volume 2: Trial by Fire, he was an ally of skekVar the General. skekEer was the Spy-Master, but neither his urRu counterpart nor urSkek name has never been depicted or identified. Since the new books and the prequel show, skekEer has been removed from canon with skekNa revealed to be the Skeksis in charge of spies before becoming the slave-master.
skekSa and skekCru
The Skeksis Mariner skekCru was first introduced in volume 2 of Tokyopop's Legends of the Dark Crystal and was a political ally of skekVar the General, along with the Spy-Master, skekEer, and had little to say in the manga. The Mariner would be revamped as a female Skeksis called skekSa (also known as the Captain) and was as a major character in the J.M. Lee novel Tides of the Dark Crystal, making her a canon Skeksis. Her urRu counterpart was urSan the Swimmer; they made the urSkek SaSan.
skekZok mentions skekSa in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance while considering recruiting more Skeksis to help battle the Gelfling, noting that she, like skekNa the Slave Master, would be "useful in a fight."
skekLi
skekLi was the Skeksis Satirist who wrote stories for the enjoyment of the Skeksis. His urRu counterpart was urLii the Storyteller, making the urSkek LiLii. He was the main antagonist in the J.M. Lee novel Song of the Dark Crystal,[http://darkcrystal.com/pdfs/dc_GelflingGathering.pdf], making him a canon Skeksis.
skekOk mentions him in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, when he considers recalling the other Skeksis to help fight against the Gelfling.
skekHak and skekYi
These were two Skeksis seen at the end of Volume 2 of The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths from Archaia Comics, and who died immediately after the botched division of the urSkeks when a rogue Skeksis killed their urRu counterparts: one was strangled while the other was thrown into the fire shaft under the Crystal. In the J.M.Lee novel Flames of the Dark Crystal their back story is changed with only one of them dying when their urRu counterpart is killed by another Skeksis who attacks it with a crystal staff. It is currently unknown how the canon events play out. skekHak's urRu counterpart was urHom and the two formed HakHom the urSkek Architect, while skekYi's counterpart was urYa, making YiYa the urSkek Conservator. Their deaths established the knowledge of the Skeksis and urRu still being connected, with the former race leaving their counterparts alone out of self-preservation.
Either both or one of them are indirectly mentioned in Age of Resistance by skekZok when he mentions that no Skeksis died between the skirmish that took place after their creation and the Gelfing's rebellion after the news of skekMal's first death. If, in the canon story, skekHak survived, it is implied he was the one who remodelled the Crystal Castle to better resemble the Skeksis themselves, while if he died, other sources claim skekShod and skekNa remodelled the Crystal Castle, as punishment for defying skekSo's position as Emperor.
Confirmed canon Skeksis
These Skeksis appear in the original film, the Netflix prequel series, and J. M. Lee novels (Shadows of the Dark Crystal, Song of the Dark Crystal, Tides of the Dark Crystal, and Flames of the Dark Crystal).
- skekSo the Emperor
- skekSil the Chamberlain
- skekVar the General (originally called the Ambassador)
- skekUng (originally called the Executioner, then the Garthim-Master, then the Second General, finally the Second Emperor)
- skekZok the Ritual-Master (also known as the High Priest)
- skekEkt the Ornamentalist (also known as the Designer)
- skekTek the Scientist
- skekShod the Treasurer
- skekOk the Scroll-Keeper (also known as the Historian)
- skekNa (originally called the Spy-Master, then the Slave-Master, would have been given the title of Patriarch)
- skekAyuk the Gourmand (also known as the Gourmet)
- skekLach the Collector (originally called the Census-Taker)
- skekMal the Hunter
- skekGra the Heretic (formerly the Conqueror)
- skekLi the Satirist (also known as the Jester)
- skekSa the Mariner (also known as the Captain and the Sailor)
- skekYi the Steward
- skekHak the Machinist (also known as the Merchant)
Reception
Empire described the Skeksis as among the best realized creatures of The Dark Crystal, stating that they stopped the film from losing itself in "sappy moralism" and that they invited an inquiry on the "avaricious nature of evil." Total Film placed the Skeksis in first place on its list of the 30 greatest creations of Jim Henson, calling them his most iconic and terrifying creations, as well as being "almost too real". Syfy lauded the Skeksis as characters who were "an unfairly overlooked entry in the pantheon of great genre movie villains", citing how they maintained the ugliness and brutality of villains from old fairy tales.
The portrayal of the Skeksis in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has been generally well-received by critics. Samantha Nelson of The Verge wrote that the Skeksis compensate for the lack of distinct qualities in the series' heroes, while Collider described them as "delightfully macabre and grotesque".
Interpretations
Cheryl Henson stated that the Skeksis and Mystics represented two aspects of the entertainment industry for her father, with the Mystics being the creative side and the Skeksis personifying the stressful financial part.
Peter T. Chattaway, writing on Patheos from a Christian perspective, proposed that the Skeksis represent the physical realm as shown by their greed for both food and power, in contrast to the spiritual Mystics.
Professor Sidney Dobrin, while characterizing the Skeksis as the "epitome of evil", opined that they represent environmental destruction, in contrast to the Mystics who personify environmental harmony, citing how the former abuse the world and torture its inhabitants.
Roxanne Hard of the University of Alberta viewed the Skeksis as the personifications of power, as conceived by Michel Foucault in his work Society Must Be Defended, where he proposed that power was first and foremost based on the imposition of force. As such, Harde notes how the Skeksis seem to revel not so much in the possession of Thra's resources, but in their violent acquisition, and that the intrigues of the Chamberlain reveal how much the species celebrates political maneuvering for its own sake.
Gideon Haberkorn of the University of Mainz noted how the Skeksis' decadence, abuse of science and enslavement of more primitive races are essentially a parody of civilization, in contrast to the Mystics who embody the "noble savage".
Mat Auryn, writing on Patheos from a Christian perspective, noted how the original 10 Skeksis were evocative of the 10 Qliphoth on the Tree of Life, the dark opposites of the 10 holy Sefira evoked by the Mystics. He also noted similarities between the Skeksis and the Mesopotamian Apkallu, deities sometimes portrayed as bird-headed who watch over the Tree of Life, much as the Skeksis do with the Crystal.
Other appearances
- The Skeksis frames were modified and reused in the second-season episode of Farscape – "Out of Their Minds", 18 years after the release of The Dark Crystal.
- Canadian extreme metal group Strapping Young Lad named a track after the Skeksis on their 2005 album Alien.
- In the second episode of the 2014 television series Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge, the contest's theme revolved around the Skeksis where the contestants had to create a Skeksis who was banished to a different part of Thra and has been recalled back to the Skeksis Castle.
- In the Scissor Sisters self-titled debut album, released in 2004, the Skeksis are referenced in the last track "Return to Oz".
- In the 2019 video game Borderlands 3, the Skeksis are referenced with a weapon in the game named "SkekSil", after the Chamberlain. The weapon's special ability is called "Get back, spithead!", a reference to a phrase uttered by the same Skeksis in the film.
- In The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman the satirical almanac of fake facts, the Skeksis titles are listed among the 700 hobo names as hobo #291 to #300.
- In the South Park episode "Tsst", a character named Nanny Skexis appears during a parody of Nanny 911. The character bears a striking resemblance to the Chamberlain.