Why does SkekMal not appear to need the crystal to remain alive?
In episode 4 of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the Chamberlain calls for the assistance of a previously unshown Skesis named SkekMal (The Hunter) who appears to live out in the woods and from what Rian says in episode 5, has never been to the castle in his whole time guarding it. He is not shown in the first episode of the series where the Skeksis are shown attempting to draw power from the crystal. So how does he survive out in the woods without the crystal's power?
Best Answer
Minor spoilers if you haven't seen the full series and movie.
It appears the direct influence of the crystal is not required for their longevity, as SkekGra the heretic also survived without the crystal. Looking at both the movie and the series, the crystal's power and essence seem to provide physical restoration, rather than just prolonging life as is. A few examples:
- The almost instantaneous healing of the general in the age of resistance.
- The Skeksis getting stronger and having less physical issues when they started consuming essence.
- SkekUng's instant (but short-lived) physical rejuvenation after consuming podling essence in the original movie.
Also, in the series/movie we've seen only seen one Skeksis that died from anything else than physical damage, and that's SkekSo the emperor in the original movie. While that originally seemed like 'old age', the new series has clearly set it up that he is destroying his body while trying to extract and use 'the darkening'. However, they do age, because the new emperor in the movie clearly seeks to recover his youth.
So without more evidence it seems the abuse of the crystal provides them with massive physical restoration, including that which has been damaged by age, but that even without that Skeksis are a very long-lived race. Which makes sense given that they're the evil half of a seemingly immortal being.
Pictures about "Why does SkekMal not appear to need the crystal to remain alive?"
How strong is SkekMal?
SkekMal was a highly talented fighter, being able to overpower both Ordon and Rian in a duel with all four of his arms and throw darts with enough precision to hit a victim's hand from a distance.Is the Hunter a Skeksis?
SkekMal is the Skeksis Hunter, an antagonist introduced in the 2016 novel Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee, and a major antagonist in the 2019 Netflix prequel series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. His counterpart among the Mystics is UrVa the Archer.Are Skeksis immortal?
The Skeksis draining the Crystal during the Ceremony of the Sun. Although they professed themselves to their Gelfling allies as immortal, the Skeksis feared death, and were tormented by the thought that the afterlife would have contained greater torments than the pain they had experiences as urSkeks.Are there any good Skeksis?
Long-time fans would probably never expect it, but after watching the new series, they'd get the truth behind these next two rankings. By far, the best Skeksis are the new ones, and first comes SkekMal.Why is SkekMal so Different from the Other Skeksis in Dark Crystal Age of Resistance? The Fangirl
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: RF._.studio, Michelle Leman, Monstera, Monstera