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They don't mean to hurt anyone. They're lost and scared. Like a herd of Falfots stampeding.

Makrak - Iris Compiet

The Makraks were a race native to Skarith's underground caverns, characterized by their thick, chitinous shells, glowing yellow eyes and prehensile antennae. Being specialized for a subterranean life, they found living on the surface world extremely painful,[2] with even the air being poisonous to them. They were capable of wading through magma unscathed and their internal body temperature was so high that raindrops would evaporate on contact with their skin. They spoke a language consisting of rapid clicks.[1]

They were a proud race which excelled at mining and engineering,[2] and were adept tool users, using hammers and picks to burrow their way underground.[1] They were minimalists when it came to clothing, limiting themselves to loincloths and sandals.

Their emergence during the early Age of Division lead to the Makrak crisis, during which the Makraks lashed out in fear at any race they came across, and prompted the Gelfling to form the Alliance of the Crystal with the Skeksis.

History[]

After the Great Division, the Makraks were forced to vacate their homes after a fissure caused their caverns to collapse. Lost in a strange alien environment, the Makraks were driven mad with fear and pain. While exploring, they encountered several Podling settlements, which they inadvertently destroyed in attempt to seek shelter from the surface world's weather.[1]

Fearing that the Gelflings would be their next target, elder Carn negotiated with the newly proclaimed emperor of the Skeksis, skekSo, to offer them protection in exchange for military supplies, thus forming the Alliance of the Crystal. Raunip took an interest in the matter and sought another solution in order to prevent the Gelfings from going to war. When the Makraks encroached upon the Valley of the Mystics, the Podling Kotha managed to communicate with them through Animal Soul Speaking. He learned of the plight of the creatures and explained to his allies that they were merely searching for a new home. The Makraks were subsequently nearly exterminated by Skeksis forces lead by skekVar, but were saved by the intervention of the urRu.[1]

In the following peace negotiations, urGoh revealed the existence of the Field of Fire, a hostile land which would have been ideal for the Makraks. Raunip offered to lead the Makraks there, conscious that the journey would have been fraught with danger, but desiring to redeem himself for his role in the Great Division.[1]

A thousand trine later, some Gelfling still held a grudge against the Makraks. One castle guard, upon hearing of the murder of Mira, compared the Skeksis' actions to those of "vicious Makraks".[3]

Behind the scenes[]

Makraks

A prototype "miner" puppet

The Makraks were based on the race of "miners" present in some of the draft screenplays of The Dark Crystal. In The Mithra Treatment, Jen encounters "five or six mine creatures" with "small eyes" who "form their words quite slowly". David Odell's first treatment mentions "mole-like mine dwellers", with a subsequent draft co-authored by Henson including a "chief of the miners". Although Brian Froud designed the creatures and Henson shot test footage of a prototype puppet in Bedford, New York in 1978, the creatures were later scrapped from the film entirely.[4]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 B. Froud, M. Dow Smith, A. Sheikman & L. John (2015). The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. III. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-60886-435-5.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, pp. 68-69, ISBN 1683838211
  3. Age of resistance logo Age of Resistance – "By Gelfling Hand...". Netflix. August 30, 2019
  4. Alex Sheikman (2015), The Dark Crystal: Character development, in: B. Froud, M. Dow Smith, A. Sheikman & L. John (2015). The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. III. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-60886-435-5.

External link[]

Dc Encylo logo {{{4}}} in The Dark Crystal - Encyclopedia

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