The Dark Crystal Wiki
The Dark Crystal Wiki
Tag: Visual edit
(47 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 13: Line 13:
 
|family =
 
|family =
 
|counterpart = [[urIm]]
 
|counterpart = [[urIm]]
|era = *[[Great Division]]
+
|era = *[[Age of Division]]
*[[Garthim War]]
+
*[[Age of Power]]
*[[Jen]]'s quest
 
 
|home = [[Castle of the Crystal]]
 
|home = [[Castle of the Crystal]]
 
|birth =
 
|birth =
Line 25: Line 24:
 
|appeared = *''[[The Dark Crystal]]''
 
|appeared = *''[[The Dark Crystal]]''
 
*''[[Legends of the Dark Crystal: Volume 2]]
 
*''[[Legends of the Dark Crystal: Volume 2]]
  +
*''[[The Power of the Dark Crystal]]''
 
*''[[Shadows of the Dark Crystal]]
 
*''[[Shadows of the Dark Crystal]]
 
*''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]'' <small>(mentioned)</small>
 
*''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]'' <small>(mentioned)</small>
 
|type = Skeksis
 
|type = Skeksis
 
}}
 
}}
  +
{{Quote|Will of the Crystal that the next Age of Thra is Age of Skeksis!|SkekUng<ref name="potdc12"/>}}
{{Quote|Torment was his pleasure, though his [[urSkek|urSkeks]] original had been a healer and continued so in [[urRu]] form. Hidden in that tall, shining urSkek was one who, ages later, could find satisfaction in tearing apart the gentle [[Gelfling]].|[[Aughra]]<ref name="WDC"/>}}
 
  +
'''SkekUng''' was the [[Skeksis]] counterpart to [[urIm]] the Healer. He was a fierce warrior who succeeded [[skekVar]] as General, then later became Garthim Master during the [[Garthim War]]. After the death of [[skekSo]], skekUng became emperor after a power struggle with [[skekSil]].
'''SkekUng''' was the [[Skeksis]]' Garthim Master (later General and Emperor), and counterpart to [[urIm]] the Healer. He was physically the strongest of the Skeksis after Emperor [[skekSo]], a fact likely due to his ability to assume positions of geometric harmony unusual in the Skeksis.<ref name="WDC">Froud, B. & Llewellyn, J. J., (2003) ''[[The World of the Dark Crystal (book)|The World of the Dark Crystal]]''. Pavilion Books. [[Special:BookSources/1-86205-624-2|ISBN 1-86205-624-2]]</ref> His robes were decked in armour pieces, which rattled as he moved.<ref name="DCN">Smith, A. C. H., & Odell, D. (1982). ''[[The Dark Crystal (novelization)|The Dark Crystal]]''. Holt, Rinehart and Winston . [[Special:BookSources/0030624363|ISBN 0030624363]]</ref>
 
   
== Personality ==
+
== Biography ==
 
When the [[Gelfling]] began to form their [[Gelfling resistance|resistance]], and the Skeksis found [[skekMal]] on the brink of death, [[skekOk]] suggested calling the other Skeksis back to the Castle, with [[skekZok]] opining that skekUng was "a strong warrior".<ref name="S01EP09">"[[The Crystal Calls]]" ''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]''. Netflix. August 30, 2019</ref> Summoned to the castle after the [[Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood]], skekUng took over [[skekVar]]'s place as General and became leader of the [[Garthim]] army that [[skekTek]] created to deal with the Gelfling.<ref name="DCN" />
SkekUng was a stern, ruthless, wrathful, short-tempered, charismatic and confident individual who valued anger and brute strength.
 
   
  +
===Reign===
In contrast to his rival [[skekSil]] who had a slimy and scheming behaviour, skekUng was straightforward, expressing loudly his distaste for the Chamberlain's whimper and preferred to take action immediately such as sending Garthim to capture Jen at once after learning about the Gelfling's existence. He was quick to anger as shown when skekSil did several loud whimpers in a row, when the Garthim brought Aughra instead of Jen before the Skeksis or after realising that the Podling essence he drank had only temporary effects which caused him to lash out at skekTek. SkekUng was a particularly loud individual being often seen yelling at his fellow Skeksis or at his Garthim soldiers.
 
 
After the end of the [[Garthim War]] and the death of [[skekSo]], he formed a political alliance with skekTek and [[skekNa]]. He sought to claim the Skeksis' throne by challenging his greatest rival, [[skekSil]] the Chamberlain, to [[Trial by Stone]]. His brute strength won him the day, and he had the Chamberlain banished. However, his coronation ceremony was interrupted when [[the Crystal]] summoned the Skeksis to the Crystal Chamber, revealing that at least [[Jen|one Gelfling]] had survived the Garthim War, and was heading for [[Aughra's observatory]]. SkekUng sent the Garthim after Jen, but they failed in their mission and brought back [[Aughra]] instead. His authority weakened, skekUng became suspicious over the loyalty of [[skekZok]] the Ritual Master, whose constitutional claim to the throne matched his. His anger was further deepened when he was unable to rejuvenate himself with [[Podling]] [[essence]].<ref name="DCN" />
   
 
When skekSil returned to the Castle with [[Kira]], skekUng was forced to reinstate his former rival, but reasserted his authority by ordering skekTek to drain her essence, in defiance to skekZok's demand for her immediate execution. Unaware of skekTek's death during Kira's subsequent escape, skekUng became increasingly paranoid, planning to execute skekTek and send the Garthim to destroy all life on [[Thra]] in order to avoid the Gelfling race suddenly regenerating itself. His plans were foiled, however, when Jen healed the Dark Crystal and reversed the Great Division. After fusing with his urRu other, urIm, the newly formed UngIm revived Kira and lead the urSkeks away from Thra.<ref name="DCN" />
He was proud of his strength wearing armour pieces in his clothes instead of a common robe, viewing himself as the only one who could succeed [[skekSo]] as Emperor and did not hesitate to challenge the Chamberlain for the crown and to participate to a trial by stone though unlike the Chamberlain he didn't show his ambition to become Emperor before skekSo's death. He was also proud of his Garthim soldiers, hating the Gelflings for killing many of them and having no doubt in their capacity of capturing the last Gelfling, unlike skekZok.
 
   
  +
===Return===
Despite his ruthless and wrathful personality, skekUng still had a degree of morality and seemed to have been truly loyal to [[skekSo]] as he urged his fellow Skeksis to bow to their Emperor despite skekSo being immobile in his bed and dying, ordered them to let skekSil go after he was stripped of his robes and banished and gave back his position to skekSil after the later brought back [[Kira]] to the castle despite his past rivalry with him. He was also willing to listen to and to compromise with other Skeksis such as agreeing to take Kira's essence on skekTek's advice despite his past anger at skekTek for his failed attempt to give him back his youth with Podling's essence and then to kill her to satisfy skekZok who urged to kill her because of the prophecy.
 
  +
{{Quote|Kill! Kill Gelfling! Let Fire-Brat escape!|SkekUng<ref name="potdc3"/>}}[[File:The Power of the Dark Crystal -3 2 (cropped).jpg|thumb|SkekUng and his comrades during the [[Age of Power]]]]
  +
Some 100 trine later, skekUng was revived alongside his seven other comrades and urRu counterparts after the [[Fireling]] [[Thurma]] took a shard from the Crystal in a misguided quest to restore her homeland's dying [[Mother Sun]]. SkekUng allowed her to escape, knowing that without the Shard the Gelflings would never be able to stop him. He proceeded to have skekSil banished again, blaming him for his past defeat, and engaged the [[Royal Guard]]s in a battle which was subsequently interrupted by Jen, who took control of the Garthim and had the Skeksis incarcerated.<ref name="potdc3">Spurrier, S., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #3, Archaia, USA, May 2017</ref> During his detention, he challenged the [[Crystalline Eminence]] to gaze directly into the once again darkened Crystal,<ref name="potdc6">Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #6, Archaia, USA, August 2017</ref> resulting in him obeying skekUng's order to release him and his comrades.<ref name="potdc7">Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #7, Archaia, USA, September 2017</ref>
   
  +
After escaping and securing the Crystal chamber, skekUng attempted to seize Aughra and Kira, but the two barricaded themselves in the Castle's upper towers.<ref name="potdc8">Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #8, Archaia, USA, October 2017</ref> He demanded that the Crystalline Eminence tell him of any secret passages he could use to gain access to the towers, only to imprison him upon realizing that his exposure to the Crystal had driven him insane. Upon seeing Jen return to the Castle riding [[Bohrtog]], skekUng summoned the [[Crystal Bat]]s to attack him.<ref name="potdc9">Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #9, Archaia, USA, December 2017</ref> Jen fell from his mount and skekUng nearly finished him, but was stopped by Kira, who carried Jen to safety. Frustrated by his lack of progress, skekUng drained the Crystalline Eminence's essence and proceeded to use his newfound strength to break down the barricades with his bare hands.<ref name="potdc10">Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #10, Archaia, USA, January 2018</ref> He eventually breached the fortifications and entered Jen and Kira's chambers, but was separated from them when the urRu summoned a premature Great Conjunction, which shattered the Castle.<ref name="potdc11">Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #11, Archaia, USA, February 2018</ref> When Thurma returned with the Shard upon realizing the error of her ways, skekUng was helpless to stop her from healing the Crystal and merging the Skeksis and urRu once again.<ref name="potdc12">Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., ''The Power of the Dark Crystal'', #12, Archaia, USA, March 2018</ref>
== Biography ==
 
When the [[Gelflings]] begin to form their [[Gelfling resistance|resistance]], and the Skeksis found [[skekMal]] on the brink of death, [[skekOk]] suggested calling the other Skeksis back to the Castle, with [[skekZok]] opining that [[skekSa]] and [[skekNa]] would have been "useful in a fight", and that "skekUng is a strong warrior".<ref name="S01EP09">"[[The Crystal Calls]]" ''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]''. Netflix. August 30, 2019</ref>
 
   
  +
== Personality and traits==
Summoned to the castle after the [[Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood]], skekUng took over [[skekVar]]'s place as General and became leader of the [[Garthim]] army that [[skekTek]] created to deal with the Gelflings. SkekUng was part of a political faction consisting of himself, skekTek and [[skekNa]] the Slave Master.<ref name="DCN" />
 
 
SkekUng was physically the strongest of the Skeksis after Emperor [[skekSo]], a fact likely due to his ability to assume positions of geometric harmony unusual in his kind.<ref name="WDC">Froud, B. & Llewellyn, J. J., (2003) ''[[The World of the Dark Crystal (book)|The World of the Dark Crystal]]''. Pavilion Books. [[Special:BookSources/1-86205-624-2|ISBN 1-86205-624-2]]</ref> His robes were decked in armor pieces, which rattled as he moved and his spurs struck sparks as he walked on the castle's stone floor.<ref name="DCN">Smith, A. C. H., & Odell, D. (1982). ''[[The Dark Crystal (novelization)|The Dark Crystal]]''. Holt, Rinehart and Winston . [[Special:BookSources/0030624363|ISBN 0030624363]]</ref>
   
  +
The Garthim Master was a stern, ruthless, wrathful and short-tempered individual who was far more straightforward than his scheming rival [[skekSil]], tactlessly expressing his opinions and favoring swift action over protracted plotting.<ref name="DC">[[Jim Henson|Henson, J.]] & [[Frank Oz|Oz, F.]] (dir.); Henson, J., [[Gary Kurtz|Kurtz, G.]] & Lazer, D. (prod.); Henson, J. & Odell, D. (writ.) (December 17, 1982). ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' (Motion picture). New York City, NY: [[wikipedia:The Jim Henson Company|Jim Henson Productions]].</ref> He was also sadistic, to the point of finding tearing Gelfling apart to be his greatest joy,<ref name="WDC" /> and was open to wiping out all life on Thra to protect his position.<ref name="DCN" /> SkekUng did, however, show some deference to protocol and tradition, refraining from showing his imperial ambitions before skekSo's death and, unlike skekSil, not taking the [[Scepter of Office]] until recognized as the new emperor by his fellow Skeksis.<ref name="DC" /> He was also not needlessly bloodthirsty to his own kind, preferring to banish his rivals rather than kill them,<ref name="DC" /><ref name="potdc3" /> and even reinstated his disgraced enemy skekSil to his former position when he captured [[Kira]].<ref name="DC" />
When skekSo died, skekUng sought to claim the Skeksis' throne by challenging his greatest rival, [[skekSil]] the Chamberlain, to [[Trial by Stone]]. His brute strength won him the day, and he had the Chamberlain banished. However, his coronation ceremony was interrupted when [[the Crystal]] summoned the Skeksis to the Crystal Chamber, revealing that at least [[Jen|one Gelfling]] had survived the Garthim Wars, and was heading for [[Aughra's observatory]]. SkekUng sent the Garthim after Jen, but they failed in their mission and brought back [[Aughra]] instead. His authority weakened, skekUng became suspicious over the loyalty of [[skekZok]] the Ritual Master, whose constitutional claim to the throne matched his. His anger was further deepened when he was unable to rejuvenate himself with [[Podling]] [[essence]].
 
   
  +
Despite his overall boorishness, skekUng was an intelligent and cunning individual in his own right. Unlike his predecessor as General, [[skekVar]], who was an incorrigible bully and [[Wikipedia:Ableism|ableist]], skekUng knew the value of fostering loyalty to himself through granting favors, and did not look down on Skeksis suffering from bodily mutilations like [[skekTek]] and [[skekNa]], valuing them for their support and competences rather than their strength. He was also an effective commander of the Garthim during the [[Garthim War]] and let [[Thurma]] escape with the [[Shard of the Division]], knowing that its theft benefited him and the other Skeksis,<ref name="potdc3" /> and later manipulated the [[Crystalline Eminence]] into looking at the darkened Crystal, putting him under skekUng's command.<ref name="potdc7" /> Finally, he was one of the bravest and most level-headed of the Skeksis, as he did not panic like many of his comrades did when he learned of the existence of [[Jen]] and Kira, and was one of the only Skeksis who did not beg Jen to not heal the Crystal.
When skekSil returned to the Castle with [[Kira]], skekUng was forced to reinstate his former rival, but reasserted his authority by ordering skekTek to drain her essence, in defiance to skekZok's demand for her immediate execution. Unaware of skekTek's death during Kira's subsequent escape, skekUng became increasingly paranoid, planning to execute skekTek and send the Garthim to destroy all life on [[Thra]] in order to avoid the Gelfling race suddenly regenerating itself. His plans were foiled, however, when Jen healed the Dark Crystal and reversed the Great Division. After fusing with his urRu other, urIm, the newly formed UngIm revived Kira and lead the urSkeks away from Thra.<ref name="DCN" />
 
  +
  +
==Personal relationships==
 
=== SkekNa ===
  +
[[File:SkekNa & skekUng.png|thumb|SkekUng plotting with skekNa]]
  +
[[SkekNa]] was the only Skeksis skekUng trusted fully, and the two became firm allies during and after skekUng's successful bid for the throne. So reliable was the Slave Master that skekUng planned to promote him to the rank of Patriarch, which would have placed him above both [[skekZok]] and [[skekSil]] in the Skeksis' hierarchy.<ref name="DCN" />
  +
  +
=== SkekSil ===
  +
After skekSo's death, [[skekSil]] became skekUng's bitterest rival, as he was of high enough rank to legitimately challenge his claim to the throne. SkekUng openly disliked the Chamberlain, being particularly irritated by his whimper, something skekSil took advantage of to annoy him. He was further disgusted by skekSil's disrespect to skekSo during the latter's final moments, and his disregard for protocol during the succession dispute. Nevertheless, skekUng preferred to banish his rival rather than put him to death, and reinstated him to his former position after he brought Kira before him.<ref name="DC" />
  +
  +
=== SkekTek ===
  +
[[File:SkekUng & skekTek.png|thumb|SkekUng listening to skekTek's advice]]
  +
SkekUng found common ground with [[skekTek]] in his dislike of both skekSil and skekZok, and won his support during his bid to become Emperor. Once he ascended the throne, however, skekUng quickly lost his previous civility and accused the Scientist of being a fraud when the Podling essence skekTek had prepared for him failed to restore his youth. He would, however, continue to value the Scientist's advice, particularly if it involved humiliating skekZok.<ref name="DC">[[Jim Henson|Henson, J.]] & [[Frank Oz|Oz, F.]] (dir.); Henson, J., [[Gary Kurtz|Kurtz, G.]] & Lazer, D. (prod.); Henson, J. & Odell, D. (writ.) (December 17, 1982). ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' (Motion picture). New York City, NY: [[wikipedia:The Jim Henson Company|Jim Henson Productions]].</ref>
  +
  +
=== SkekZok ===
  +
While respecting skekUng's prowess in battle,<ref name="S01EP09" /> [[skekZok]] held little regard for him as Emperor, being disgusted at his lack of etiquette, table manners and sense of urgency in immediately killing off the Gelfling. In return, skekUng disliked and distrusted skekZok, considering him an "idiot [[Wikipedia:Archimandrite|archimandrite]]" and suspecting the Ritual-Master's ambitions,<ref name="DCN" /> being particularly flustered at his lack of faith in his Garthim soldiers.<ref name="DC" />
  +
  +
=== SkekSo ===
  +
While he desired to succeed him as Emperor, skekUng seemed to have some genuine respect and loyalty for skekSo, as he did not show his ambitions until after the latter's death, unlike skekSil. During skekSo's final moments, skekUng urged his fellow Skeksis to kneel and bow before their dying leader and was visibly disgusted by skekSil's disrespect of him.
   
 
== Behind the Scenes ==
 
== Behind the Scenes ==
  +
[[File:SkekUng by Brian Froud for AOR.jpg|thumb|Unused concept art for ''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]'']]
  +
The character's pre-production notes described him as perpetually angry, lacking subtlety and as never speaking any quieter than a "deep resonant bellow".<ref>Invader Zim (2010-06-08). "The Skeksis (one post from a messageboard thread)". Planet Irk. Retrieved 2019-09-28.</ref>
  +
 
Henson initially conceived of skekUng as a frightening character. Puppeteer [[Dave Goelz]] however, drawing on his own experiences in the military, decided to represent him as an "obtuse general" relying on subordinates to repair the damage he causes.<ref name="gaines87">C. Gaines, The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History, Titan Books, 2017, p. 87, ISBN 1-78565-592-2</ref><ref>Matt Fagerholm, [https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/old-friends-whove-just-met-dave-goelz-on-the-muppet-movie-the-dark-crystal-age-of-resistance-and-much-more Old friends who've just met: Dave Goelz on ''The Muppet Movie'', ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' and much more], ''rogerebert.com'', 17 July 2019</ref>
 
Henson initially conceived of skekUng as a frightening character. Puppeteer [[Dave Goelz]] however, drawing on his own experiences in the military, decided to represent him as an "obtuse general" relying on subordinates to repair the damage he causes.<ref name="gaines87">C. Gaines, The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History, Titan Books, 2017, p. 87, ISBN 1-78565-592-2</ref><ref>Matt Fagerholm, [https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/old-friends-whove-just-met-dave-goelz-on-the-muppet-movie-the-dark-crystal-age-of-resistance-and-much-more Old friends who've just met: Dave Goelz on ''The Muppet Movie'', ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' and much more], ''rogerebert.com'', 17 July 2019</ref>
 
===Merchandise===
 
===Merchandise===
Line 57: Line 81:
 
== Gallery ==
 
== Gallery ==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
  +
Power Ceremony - skekUng.png
 
SkekUng.jpg
 
SkekUng.jpg
 
SkekUng UrIm.jpg|SkekUng with his [[urRu]] counterpart, [[urIm]] the Healer.
 
SkekUng UrIm.jpg|SkekUng with his [[urRu]] counterpart, [[urIm]] the Healer.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 
== Trivia ==
 
*SkekUng is co-credited in ''World of the Dark Crystal'' as a co-creator of the [[Garthim]], which he took a fierce pride in.<ref name="WDC" />
 
   
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
Line 69: Line 91:
 
== External Links ==
 
== External Links ==
 
*{{Muppets}}
 
*{{Muppets}}
*{{Dark Crystal Encyclopedia}}
+
*{{Dark Crystal Encyclopedia|characters|3 = skeksis/skekung-the-garthim-master/|urskek|4 = {{PAGENAME}}}}
[[Category:Characters]]
 
 
[[Category:The Dark Crystal characters]]
 
[[Category:The Dark Crystal characters]]
  +
[[Category:The Power of the Dark Crystal characters]]
 
[[Category:Leaders]]
 
[[Category:Leaders]]
 
[[Category:Villains]]
 
[[Category:Villains]]
 
[[Category:Males]]
 
[[Category:Males]]
 
[[Category:Skeksis|Ung]]

Revision as of 14:49, 12 May 2020

Will of the Crystal that the next Age of Thra is Age of Skeksis!

SkekUng[1]

SkekUng was the Skeksis counterpart to urIm the Healer. He was a fierce warrior who succeeded skekVar as General, then later became Garthim Master during the Garthim War. After the death of skekSo, skekUng became emperor after a power struggle with skekSil.

Biography

When the Gelfling began to form their resistance, and the Skeksis found skekMal on the brink of death, skekOk suggested calling the other Skeksis back to the Castle, with skekZok opining that skekUng was "a strong warrior".[2] Summoned to the castle after the Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood, skekUng took over skekVar's place as General and became leader of the Garthim army that skekTek created to deal with the Gelfling.[3]

Reign

After the end of the Garthim War and the death of skekSo, he formed a political alliance with skekTek and skekNa. He sought to claim the Skeksis' throne by challenging his greatest rival, skekSil the Chamberlain, to Trial by Stone. His brute strength won him the day, and he had the Chamberlain banished. However, his coronation ceremony was interrupted when the Crystal summoned the Skeksis to the Crystal Chamber, revealing that at least one Gelfling had survived the Garthim War, and was heading for Aughra's observatory. SkekUng sent the Garthim after Jen, but they failed in their mission and brought back Aughra instead. His authority weakened, skekUng became suspicious over the loyalty of skekZok the Ritual Master, whose constitutional claim to the throne matched his. His anger was further deepened when he was unable to rejuvenate himself with Podling essence.[3]

When skekSil returned to the Castle with Kira, skekUng was forced to reinstate his former rival, but reasserted his authority by ordering skekTek to drain her essence, in defiance to skekZok's demand for her immediate execution. Unaware of skekTek's death during Kira's subsequent escape, skekUng became increasingly paranoid, planning to execute skekTek and send the Garthim to destroy all life on Thra in order to avoid the Gelfling race suddenly regenerating itself. His plans were foiled, however, when Jen healed the Dark Crystal and reversed the Great Division. After fusing with his urRu other, urIm, the newly formed UngIm revived Kira and lead the urSkeks away from Thra.[3]

Return

Kill! Kill Gelfling! Let Fire-Brat escape!

SkekUng[4]
The Power of the Dark Crystal -3 2 (cropped)

SkekUng and his comrades during the Age of Power

Some 100 trine later, skekUng was revived alongside his seven other comrades and urRu counterparts after the Fireling Thurma took a shard from the Crystal in a misguided quest to restore her homeland's dying Mother Sun. SkekUng allowed her to escape, knowing that without the Shard the Gelflings would never be able to stop him. He proceeded to have skekSil banished again, blaming him for his past defeat, and engaged the Royal Guards in a battle which was subsequently interrupted by Jen, who took control of the Garthim and had the Skeksis incarcerated.[4] During his detention, he challenged the Crystalline Eminence to gaze directly into the once again darkened Crystal,[5] resulting in him obeying skekUng's order to release him and his comrades.[6]

After escaping and securing the Crystal chamber, skekUng attempted to seize Aughra and Kira, but the two barricaded themselves in the Castle's upper towers.[7] He demanded that the Crystalline Eminence tell him of any secret passages he could use to gain access to the towers, only to imprison him upon realizing that his exposure to the Crystal had driven him insane. Upon seeing Jen return to the Castle riding Bohrtog, skekUng summoned the Crystal Bats to attack him.[8] Jen fell from his mount and skekUng nearly finished him, but was stopped by Kira, who carried Jen to safety. Frustrated by his lack of progress, skekUng drained the Crystalline Eminence's essence and proceeded to use his newfound strength to break down the barricades with his bare hands.[9] He eventually breached the fortifications and entered Jen and Kira's chambers, but was separated from them when the urRu summoned a premature Great Conjunction, which shattered the Castle.[10] When Thurma returned with the Shard upon realizing the error of her ways, skekUng was helpless to stop her from healing the Crystal and merging the Skeksis and urRu once again.[1]

Personality and traits

SkekUng was physically the strongest of the Skeksis after Emperor skekSo, a fact likely due to his ability to assume positions of geometric harmony unusual in his kind.[11] His robes were decked in armor pieces, which rattled as he moved and his spurs struck sparks as he walked on the castle's stone floor.[3]

The Garthim Master was a stern, ruthless, wrathful and short-tempered individual who was far more straightforward than his scheming rival skekSil, tactlessly expressing his opinions and favoring swift action over protracted plotting.[12] He was also sadistic, to the point of finding tearing Gelfling apart to be his greatest joy,[11] and was open to wiping out all life on Thra to protect his position.[3] SkekUng did, however, show some deference to protocol and tradition, refraining from showing his imperial ambitions before skekSo's death and, unlike skekSil, not taking the Scepter of Office until recognized as the new emperor by his fellow Skeksis.[12] He was also not needlessly bloodthirsty to his own kind, preferring to banish his rivals rather than kill them,[12][4] and even reinstated his disgraced enemy skekSil to his former position when he captured Kira.[12]

Despite his overall boorishness, skekUng was an intelligent and cunning individual in his own right. Unlike his predecessor as General, skekVar, who was an incorrigible bully and ableist, skekUng knew the value of fostering loyalty to himself through granting favors, and did not look down on Skeksis suffering from bodily mutilations like skekTek and skekNa, valuing them for their support and competences rather than their strength. He was also an effective commander of the Garthim during the Garthim War and let Thurma escape with the Shard of the Division, knowing that its theft benefited him and the other Skeksis,[4] and later manipulated the Crystalline Eminence into looking at the darkened Crystal, putting him under skekUng's command.[6] Finally, he was one of the bravest and most level-headed of the Skeksis, as he did not panic like many of his comrades did when he learned of the existence of Jen and Kira, and was one of the only Skeksis who did not beg Jen to not heal the Crystal.

Personal relationships

SkekNa

SkekNa & skekUng

SkekUng plotting with skekNa

SkekNa was the only Skeksis skekUng trusted fully, and the two became firm allies during and after skekUng's successful bid for the throne. So reliable was the Slave Master that skekUng planned to promote him to the rank of Patriarch, which would have placed him above both skekZok and skekSil in the Skeksis' hierarchy.[3]

SkekSil

After skekSo's death, skekSil became skekUng's bitterest rival, as he was of high enough rank to legitimately challenge his claim to the throne. SkekUng openly disliked the Chamberlain, being particularly irritated by his whimper, something skekSil took advantage of to annoy him. He was further disgusted by skekSil's disrespect to skekSo during the latter's final moments, and his disregard for protocol during the succession dispute. Nevertheless, skekUng preferred to banish his rival rather than put him to death, and reinstated him to his former position after he brought Kira before him.[12]

SkekTek

SkekUng & skekTek

SkekUng listening to skekTek's advice

SkekUng found common ground with skekTek in his dislike of both skekSil and skekZok, and won his support during his bid to become Emperor. Once he ascended the throne, however, skekUng quickly lost his previous civility and accused the Scientist of being a fraud when the Podling essence skekTek had prepared for him failed to restore his youth. He would, however, continue to value the Scientist's advice, particularly if it involved humiliating skekZok.[12]

SkekZok

While respecting skekUng's prowess in battle,[2] skekZok held little regard for him as Emperor, being disgusted at his lack of etiquette, table manners and sense of urgency in immediately killing off the Gelfling. In return, skekUng disliked and distrusted skekZok, considering him an "idiot archimandrite" and suspecting the Ritual-Master's ambitions,[3] being particularly flustered at his lack of faith in his Garthim soldiers.[12]

SkekSo

While he desired to succeed him as Emperor, skekUng seemed to have some genuine respect and loyalty for skekSo, as he did not show his ambitions until after the latter's death, unlike skekSil. During skekSo's final moments, skekUng urged his fellow Skeksis to kneel and bow before their dying leader and was visibly disgusted by skekSil's disrespect of him.

Behind the Scenes

SkekUng by Brian Froud for AOR

Unused concept art for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

The character's pre-production notes described him as perpetually angry, lacking subtlety and as never speaking any quieter than a "deep resonant bellow".[13]

Henson initially conceived of skekUng as a frightening character. Puppeteer Dave Goelz however, drawing on his own experiences in the military, decided to represent him as an "obtuse general" relying on subordinates to repair the damage he causes.[14][15]

Merchandise

Gallery

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #12, Archaia, USA, March 2018
  2. 2.0 2.1 "The Crystal Calls" The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Netflix. August 30, 2019
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Smith, A. C. H., & Odell, D. (1982). The Dark Crystal. Holt, Rinehart and Winston . ISBN 0030624363
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Spurrier, S., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #3, Archaia, USA, May 2017
  5. Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #6, Archaia, USA, August 2017
  6. 6.0 6.1 Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #7, Archaia, USA, September 2017
  7. Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #8, Archaia, USA, October 2017
  8. Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #9, Archaia, USA, December 2017
  9. Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #10, Archaia, USA, January 2018
  10. Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #11, Archaia, USA, February 2018
  11. 11.0 11.1 Froud, B. & Llewellyn, J. J., (2003) The World of the Dark Crystal. Pavilion Books. ISBN 1-86205-624-2
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Henson, J. & Oz, F. (dir.); Henson, J., Kurtz, G. & Lazer, D. (prod.); Henson, J. & Odell, D. (writ.) (December 17, 1982). The Dark Crystal (Motion picture). New York City, NY: Jim Henson Productions.
  13. Invader Zim (2010-06-08). "The Skeksis (one post from a messageboard thread)". Planet Irk. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  14. C. Gaines, The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History, Titan Books, 2017, p. 87, ISBN 1-78565-592-2
  15. Matt Fagerholm, Old friends who've just met: Dave Goelz on The Muppet Movie, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and much more, rogerebert.com, 17 July 2019

External Links