Supporting Cast
Tanet, of the Spriton Clan
Serving as captain of the castle guard, Tanet is ambitious and a hard worker. But because she is from a lowly farming clan, the other gelfling do not respect her leadership. She is bitter rivals with Falia, whose nobility has fast tracked her through the ranks of the castle guard.
Tanet wants to prove her skill in battle and is absolutely loyal to skekGra. She discovers his and urGoh’s mission to restore the Crystal of Truth and helps them, despite not fully understanding the importance of the quest. She learns to work with gelfling of all clans, uniting them into a small resistance cell alongside her former rival.
Falia, of the Vapran Clan
While she tries her best, the truth is that Falia is not a very good soldier. She hates to be a disappointment to her father, but when Tanet is promoted instead of her, Falia takes the chance to shift gears and begins honing her musical ability.
She is a skilled musician and her compassion for her friends keeps the gelfling united even during arguments. She sees through the skeksis’ attempts to sew division among the gelfling clans and is eager to work with Tanet and make amends.
Other Gelfling
Having proudly served the skeksis as captain until he lost his arm, Lotel had been hoping that his daughter, Falia, would take up his mantle. He does his best to support her even when she struggles, but his love for his daughter blinds him to the fact that Tanet is a more qualified soldier.
Eri and Vashi are close friends to both Tanet and Falia. Vashi, being fair and introspective, has the most balanced view of their rivalry and he tries not to take sides. But he has no filter and often says what he thinks even if it’s taboo.
Eri, despite coming from a warrior clan, is the most intellectual of the group. Unlike most gelfling, she can read and speak many languages. She uses these communication skills to bring the insights of podlings and gruenak to the attention of the gelfling.
Limited series • 2D animation
Young adult • Fantasy • 45 minutes
Pitch Overview
After centuries of overseeing the expansion of the skeksis empire, the feared Conqueror is given a prophetic vision that sets him on a quest towards redemption and to restoring balance to the world of Thra.
Visions of Thra is a limited series that ties into the world of Jim Henson’s the Dark Crystal. This series will combine puppetry with 2D animation to capture the haunting visuals that have made the Dark Crystal a classic. Taking place long before the events of the Age of Resistance, this series will focus primarily on the skeksis and examine their disturbing society from an insider’s viewpoint.
The story’s focal point is the redemption of skekGra and his relationship to the other half of his fractured soul, urGoh. They must overcome their revulsion and distrust towards one another to achieve their shared goal of protecting the world of Thra.
Format:
Limited Series:
Genre:
Length:
Audience:
Medium:
9 episodes
Fantasy
44 minute episodes
Young Adult (18-25)
2D-Rigged Puppet Animation
SkekGra sees the destruction of Thra in a prophetic vision. This is his fate if he continues on his destructive path.
Watch the teaser
Inspirations & Reference
From the beginning, puppetry has been used in animation to breathe life into characters that would otherwise be too time consuming to draw by hand. Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the earliest surviving animated feature film, uses shadow puppetry to achieve an amazing effect that holds up to this day. Using the latest 2D rigging tools, the characters of the Dark Crystal can be brought into the world of animation as well in a way that honors the tradition of puppetry and preserves Brian Froud’s energetic designs.
In terms of music, the main influence on this story comes from traditional Mongolian instrumentation. Throat singing, or kargyraa, helps set the mood and tone of the story. It’s ancient, powerful, and evocative in a way that can fit with mystic magic or skeksis combat. Today, the HU has brought this music to a global audience, combining kargyraa with western metal. Their music exemplifies the overall feeling of this story better than any other single piece of art.
Visions of Thra Moodboard
The Characters
SkekGra, the
HERETIC
Temperamental, rash, and a bit loony, skekGra is filled with erratic energy that often explodes into recklessness. Despite his fearsome appearance, he’s quick with a joke and is more free-thinking than his brethren.
Initially, he sets out to climb the social totem pole that is the skeksis ranking system. With enough status and clout, he wouldn’t have to constantly fear retribution from his compatriots. But even at the beginning, skekGra is aware that the social hierarchy he’s climbing is a sham and he’s deeply unhappy with his life. His true desire is to break free of the social constrictions on his life to reclaim his agency as an individual, but he is so disgusted by his actions that he fears that he’s beyond redemption.
The skeksis were created as half-beings, split in two from their urRu counterparts. All the greed, anger, and ambitions were contained within the skeksis and the urRu received all the morality, wisdom, and regret from their UrSkek forebearers…At least, that’s what skekGra thinks.
From the moment skekGra came into being, he was rejected by the other half of his soul, urGoh. This profound self-loathing is what motivates skekGra’s violent conquests and his neurotic yearning for status and social acceptance. He will do anything to make sure he is never rejected again.
When he joins forces with urGoh, he must face the things within himself that he is most ashamed of. Through his efforts to heal the damage he’s wrought, he learns to accept his flaws (of which there are many) and take a new pride in his virtues (which do exist, to his surprise). In the end, he gives up all his power and status among the skeksis and leaves their corrupt social order behind.
UrGoh, the Wanderer
At first glance, he may seem detached and level-headed but urGoh’s calm demeanor belies an extremely stubborn and persistent attitude. Once he has made up his mind about something, it is nearly impossible to convince him to waver. His strong convictions often butt up against the many rules and doctrines of mystic society.
It is his free-spirted and headstrong nature that initially sets him on the path towards reunification with skekGra, his dark half. It is the accepted belief of his people that the skeksis are irredeemable and serve as a constant reminder to the mystics of the evil that they inflicted on Thra. UrGoh breaks from all the urRu traditions by taking it upon himself to reeducate skekGra and prove that reconciliation is possible.
However, urGoh finds skekGra completely repulsive and is extremely judgmental about his many shortcomings. Fundamentally, urGoh sees skekGra as morally inferior but hopes that skekGra can at least learn to follow his example of decency and become more like a mystic. As their relationship strengthens, this assumption is tested repeatedly and urGoh begins to respect and love his other half.
Moreover, he also begins to see that his way of life is not the perfect model of harmony he had been preaching to skekGra. In his effort to deprogram skekGra from the cultlike thinking of the skeksis empire, he had been blind to the cult of urRu dogma. Rather than exchanging one set of social constraints for another, urGoh realizes that he and skekGra both need to free themselves from the confines of their societies.
It is only when he values and accepts the other half of his soul in skekGra that urGoh truly understands that their unity is a gift rather than an obstacle.
The Skeksis
Their brutality and ruthlessness is only matched by their vanity and selfishness. While their greed is legendary, what truly governs the skeksis is their psychotic obsession with proving (to themselves) that they are superior. To mask their disgusting behavior, they cloak themselves in ornate clothing and surround themselves with every imaginable luxury. But no amount of lace or perfume can hide that their lives are empty and miserable.
Emperor skekSo, their leader, has carefully constructed a rule of order that they all must follow or else face humiliating punishments. The Emperor knows that each skeksis will do everything in their power to avoid facing their own inadequacies or weaknesses. He precisely doles out rewards and punishments to give his court just enough status to always be needing more. He deliberately sets them up to be constantly at odds with each other. If they are at each other’s throats, they will never rise against him.
A counterpoint to skekGra’s journey towards self-acceptance is found within his rival, the Hunter. Like skekGra, the Hunter is aware that the skeksis ranking system is just an illusion. To insulate himself from the constant power games, he stays away from the castle as much as possible. SkekMal sees himself as a noble hunter, but it’s been hundreds of trine since he took on a target that could really challenge him. He picks off creatures and people with excessive force and brutality.
The only being who would prove a challenge to him is the one he won’t confront—his counterpart, the Archer. That is skekMal’s darkest secret—that he is constantly on the run, fleeing like an animal, so the Archer never catches him. Wherever he goes, urVa is on his heels with an arrow always aimed at his back.
Hundreds of trine ago, skekMal and urVa had received a vision from Thra just as urGoh and skekGra eventually do. But their attempt at reconciliation failed and they parted ways as even more bitter enemies than before. The Hunter embodies skekGra’s fate if his quest fails.
The Mystics
Living peaceful and isolated lives in the secrecy of their valley, the mystics are outwardly opposite of everything associated with the skeksis. They are gentle, thoughtful, and wise but they have become almost completely detached from the rest of the world. They reject any idea of intervention in outside affairs.
Master urSu sees himself as being responsible for all the evil of the skeksis, particularly his counterpart, the Emperor. But he is immobilized by his regret and the weight of his judgement prevents the other urRu from taking any action…All except for urGoh.
The urRu believe that their unnatural presence on Thra is inherently harmful and seek to contain their influence. To this end, they have invented countless rules and rituals that they must follow. Each of them keeps a watchful eye towards their fellows to make sure these rules are meticulously followed. This means that the mystics are always under scrutiny and their every move is judged by their peers. The shame they feel when they fail to conform paralyzes them from taking action. The mystics would rather do nothing wrong than make even a single mistake trying to do good.
UrVa, the Archer, sees himself as a failure of a mystic. He regrets his involvement with his dark half more than anything and thinks that he’s become unclean and tainted by his skeksis. This is why he lives apart from the other urRu. He is cursed to be constantly following in the Hunter’s wake but never able to stop him. UrVa’s shame and disdain towards himself and his other half is what awaits urGoh if he and skekGra cannot reconcile.
The Antagonists
Remembering the moments following the Division, skekGra and urGoh each perceived the event differently. For urGoh, his first memories were of skekGra attacking him and swiping at him with his claws. He and the other mystics ran from their dark halves in fear. On the other hand, skekGra remembers reaching out and immediately being rejected by the other half of his soul. He will avoid confronting that rejection again by any means necessary.
Theme & Tone
Fundamentally, this story is about characters who overcome their social conditioning and self-hatred. SkekGra and urGoh are both under constant scrutiny from their peers. The skeksis and the mystics each surveil themselves, keeping each other in line at the expense of their own souls. The wickedness of the skeksis caste system is obviously cultlike. Their constant threats of violence keep skekGra in line and defeating them is a clear goal from the get-go. But the mystics present a different kind of obstacle, like an unmovable object that blocks progress.
Even though the setting and the characters are fantastical, a real-world audience can still relate to the pressures that drive the story. In our world where we have little privacy and every post on social media is under a microscope, many people will bend over backwards to avoid being ostracized by their peers. While walking on a tightrope, trying to only represent our best selves, it’s easier to do nothing at all than to risk stumbling even once. This chilling effect is what keeps the urRu isolated in this story, and viewers will understand the fear that comes from stepping outside of their own group’s boundaries.
Like skekGra, many real people are pulled into extremist belief systems. Leaving these groups is a monumental undertaking that requires real sacrifice. To free himself of his conditioning, skekGra has to let go of his fears of judgement and rejection. He can only reach fulfillment by refusing to conform and to accept his true self…even if that self is a truly strange and bizarre person.
But even though the stakes in the story are severe, these topics can be approached with humor! SkekGra, with his lack of impulse control and acerbic commentary is a goofball, and urGoh’s sometimes catty judgements make him a great straight man. They play off each other with a constant back and forth that is a bit like Abbott and Costello at times. Truthfully, no character in this story has more brain power than your average Muppet, (in fact, Kermit could outwit any of them) but their problems are real. The story of two ugly, ancient, cartoon creatures falling in love is absurd, but if told with sincerity, the emotional impact will land.
Episode Synopses
Episode 1:
Unbalanced Scales
(Script Available)
At the Castle of the Crystal, the skeksis overlords punish skekGra, branding him a heretic. They permanently disfigure and imprison him. The story flashes back to skekGra's past as the victorious Conqueror...many trine ago.
Despite his high social status, skekGra is never safe among the other skeksis. Anyone who puts a toe out of line is quickly subjected to sadistic punishment rituals. But the Emperor dangles the promise of a promotion to skekGra…if he is able to eliminate the remaining gruenak rebels, he will achieve the highest possible rank and be untouchable. SkekGra accepts the challenge. He is deeply unhappy with his life, but this could change everything.
Meanwhile, gelfling soldiers Tanet and Falia contend with their status differences as a routine mission turns dangerous. Naturally peaceful animals turn violent and attack them, injuring Falia’s father. She blames Tanet. Back at the castle, skekGra confides in skekTek, the Scientist, about the looming Darkening crisis that the Emperor ignores. The Darkening is a symptom of the skeksis' destructive rule over Thra.
After a chance meeting with some of the gelfling soldiers, urGoh—a mystic—returns to his people’s secluded valley. He debates intervention in the outside world with the urRu leader, Master urSu. Despite their disagreements, urSu allows urGoh to explore Thra so long as he does not tip the scales or interfere with Thra’s natural order.
The gelfling are shocked by skekGra’s cruelty towards the gruenak rebels, but they can’t defy their Lords.
As skekGra leads the gelfling on a search for the rebels, he clashes with urGoh. They see the danger of the Darkening as its power opens a chasm in the ground. Now that their paths have crossed, the two are drawn together. UrGoh seeks guidance from his friend, the Archer, in order to better understand skekGra—the dark half of his own soul. Once they were one being, but despite their long separation, urGoh is dismayed that they still have anything in common. The Archer reluctantly teaches urGoh a ritual that allows him to see through skekGra’s eyes.
Through this, urGoh witnesses skekGra leading the gelfling on a rampage. He destroys an entire village of innocent podlings to capture the gruenak rebels hiding there. This horrifying experience prompts urGoh to defy mystic norms and abandon his pact of neutrality. Ignoring the Archer’s warning, urGoh sets off to confront his shadow.
Episode 2:
Where the Road Ends
(Script Available)
Tanet questions skekGra about Thra's history and skeksis rule during their march to battle, unsettling him with her earnestness. She’s a great soldier, but the other gelfling don’t respect her because she comes from a low status clan. Meanwhile, urGoh warns the gruenak of skekGra's impending attack, aiding their evacuation.
SkekGra clashes with urGoh in the ensuing battle, berating him for his futile attempt to intervene. As they argue, a fissure opens up in the ground and Thra gives them both a prophetic vision. They see the world decimated by the Darkening and made barren while the skeksis decay even as they gorge themselves on rotting food. UrGoh sees himself cast out of his home and shunned by the mystics and skekGra sees himself reduced to a soulless husk but wearing the decorations of his status. The vision is excruciating…the death of Thra…dissolving into dust…and the Crystal of Truth, forever fractured. They pull themselves out of the vision prematurely, rejecting the path they’ve been shown.
SkekGra confesses the vision to Emperor skekSo, who dismisses his concerns about the Darkening while urGoh again retreats to the valley. He’s ashamed of his involvement with his dark half. There, urGoh receives advice not to withdraw from his friends in shame and that they can help him become a better urRu by keeping their hearts open to each other. UrGoh decides to try to open his own heart to skekGra so he too, can become a better version of himself.
SkekGra, troubled by the vision, finds no solace in his usual revelry. He gets into a fight with his ally, the General, and runs off to stew in his remorse. UrGoh finds him and patches him up. This time, urGoh suppresses his revulsion towards his counterpart and does his best to offer an open heart. SkekGra takes the bait and spills his guts to urGoh, expressing his reservations about skeksis rule over Thra.
Opening up to each other, they confront the vision again, discovering a glimmer of hope: a gelfling healing the fractured Crystal and uniting them into a single being of pure light.
After they see the Vision through to its end, they are presented with a magical symbol—an Aureyal—that represents their unity.
For the first time, urGoh worries that he's not been fair to skekGra.
Episode 3:
Leave the Path Behind
When skekGra returns to the castle, the Emperor’s reception is extremely cold. He demands to know what possessed him to abandon his post, attack the General in front of the gelfling, and to squander the benevolent opportunity that his Emperor had given him. The other skeksis are baying for his blood, but skekGra talks his way out of it and convinces the Emperor to send him to deal with the ever-unpopular Dousan gelfling.
With skekGra gone from the castle, the General tries to sew division among the gelfling clans within skekGra’s army. Falia realizes that he’s trying to pit them against each other, but the other gelfling don’t listen to her. They disobey Tanet’s orders, even though she’s the captain.
Meanwhile, skekGra rendezvous with urGoh in secret and they set off together to locate the missing shard of the Crystal that will restore it. But even though they agree on the necessity of their quest, their interactions are charged with anger and resentment.
They are forced to take refuge at a Dousan outpost in the desert. This reclusive gelfling clan worships death and their many strange customs make skekGra uneasy. The greatest anxiety of the skeksis is their own mortality.
Episode 4:
Treason, Faith, and the Black River
UrGoh, realizing the enormity of the extent to which he and skekGra differ, gives up on his idea of rehabilitating his dark half. He leaves the outpost, defeated, but skekGra chases him down. He begs urGoh not to leave and pleads with him that he can change. Laying down his weapons, skekGra swears an oath of pacifism. Hoping that he can teach skekGra his ways, urGoh agrees to continue their mission.
Tanet, looking for guidance from her commander, had followed skekGra out into the desert. She finds him with urGoh and the two are forced to bring her in on their plan...at least partially. They don't want to saddle her with the responsibility of saving the whole world. She’s loyal to skekGra and is willing to help them, even if she doesn’t fully understand the stakes. Working with the Dousan shaman, skekGra and urGoh are able to decipher ancient gelfling hieroglyphs that lead them to the Crystal shard’s location…a mythical place called the Circle of the Suns. Looking triumphantly out over the desert, their goal seems almost within reach.
When skeksis, mystic, and gelfling work together, the heroes are unable to unlock the secret of the Shard's location. The magical puzzle can only be solved with each of their combined knowledge.
Episode 5:
Transposing a Tune
With his research stalling, the Scientist worries about the unchecked spread of the Darkening. SkekGra contemplates telling him about their plan to heal the Crystal, but it would be risky. With urGoh, skekGra concocts their ideal scenario to convince the skeksis and the mystics to unify. They agree that it would make sense to start by making their case publicly to the urRu and, once they are convinced, to work on introducing the idea to the skeksis one at a time. SkekGra suggests starting with the ones who will be most likely to listen, like the Scientist, before approaching the more dangerous individuals…like the Emperor. UrGoh is eager to start right away, but skekGra puts it off, worrying that he won't be convincing enough.
As they continue to work and travel together, the connection between them grows in strength. By looking through each other’s eyes, they are able to access knowledge and memories shared between them. They camp out in the desert and get more in touch with their memories of being a united being, an UrSkek. The Circle of the Suns becomes their base of operations, and as the trine pass, they meet there, laying the groundwork for a gelfling rebellion and for their reunification. After many trine of this, they become skilled in this work. Using his position as Conqueror, skekGra has been able to sabotage military objectives. But with the Emperor giving him more and more responsibilities, skekGra is also under more scrutiny than ever.
When he and urGoh are almost caught, skekGra decides to return to the castle for a while until suspicions cool down. UrGoh returns to the valley as well but finds their restrictive rules even more stifling than normal. At the castle, the Emperor’s interest in skekGra becomes difficult to ignore. He is ready to give skekGra the promotion that he’s long been withholding, but only if he executes some of the underperforming gelfling.
Backed into a corner, skekGra jumps up, gives a half-baked excuse, and runs off into the night. It’s only a matter of time before the Emperor discovers their plan and skekGra realizes he can’t put it off anymore. He rushes to the valley of the mystics, calling out to urGoh. They’ve got to make their case now.
Episode 6:
An Unraveling Knot
The urRu are horrified when urGoh brings skekGra into their valley. As they try to explain themselves, the mystics are terrified for urGoh. Their questions turn into a series of social tests that skekGra absolutely fails. No matter what he does, he absolutely does not fit in. Things that he was never ashamed of before begin to eat away at him, infecting him with the shame that makes urRu life so miserable for urGoh.
They make their case to the gathered mystics, telling them that even their inaction has consequences and that not choosing is in itself, a choice. Even though Master urSu is not receptive to their message, he allows skekGra to stay in the valley to learn their ways.
UrGoh confides to skekGra that he is terrified of being exiled from the Valley. Not wanting that to happen, skekGra makes an effort to assimilate into urRu culture, but he’s miserable. It becomes clear to urGoh that if skekGra stays there, he will lose his zest for life and his enthusiasm that urGoh has come to love. UrGoh realizes that this is what happened to himself as well and he doesn’t want that for skekGra. But every time he tries to get skekGra alone to tell him this, they are interrupted.
Try as he might, skekGra utterly fails to assimilate with the mystics.
Meanwhile, the Emperor is furious that skekGra spurned his advances and disappeared. He allows the Chamberlain, always hungry for power, to call the Hunter to track skekGra down and return him to the castle. He tries to keep it secret, but he can’t contain the gossip about his perceived weakness.
Back in the valley, skekGra uses the time to continue an art project he’s been working on. UrGoh slips away from his chores and finally gets a moment alone with skekGra. Hesitantly, skekGra shows urGoh what he’s been working on—carved puppets of himself and of urGoh. This strange gift breaks the last of urGoh’s resolve. SkekGra confesses his feelings and urGoh reciprocates, but they keep their relationship secret from the other urRu.
But urGoh is under a lot of scrutiny from the other mystics. When they find out that skekGra and urGoh have continued to disobey their rules, they get into a heated argument. All the debate about neutrality and responsibility comes to a head and skekGra openly rejects their way of life. They tell him to leave and Master urSu also forces urGoh to make a choice, stay in the valley for good, or follow skekGra into exile.
Despite everything, urGoh can’t bear to leave the urRu behind. SkekGra pleads with him and confesses his feelings in front of an audience of deeply unsympathetic urRu. But urGoh falls silent in his overwhelming shame. Enraged by urGoh’s rejection, skekGra lashes out, personifying the image of the hideous skeksis that the mystics have been fearing as he leaves. The mystics rally around urGoh to support him in recovering from the corrupting influence of his skeksis. UrGoh vows that he will never wander again.
Episode 7:
With No Map
The progress they had made towards a gelfling rebellion crumbles away. After falling back into the routines of the mystics, urGoh at last understands what he’s seen in his visions. When the mystics reject skekGra, they are rejecting a part of urGoh. Worse, urGoh has rejected a part of himself that, in its absence, is like an open wound in his soul. The realization is belated, but he can still fix it.
UrGoh voluntarily leaves the valley and the other mystics beg him to stay, telling him that he’s making a huge mistake. UrGoh finally snaps and tells them that they are wrong about him, about the skeksis, and about their responsibility towards Thra.
UrGoh makes his apology to skekGra in the same place where they first set out together.
When urGoh catches up to skekGra, he refuses to talk. But urGoh is persistent. It’s up to him to make his feelings known and show that he does not hate his other half anymore. For the first time, urGoh apologizes to skekGra and asks for his forgiveness. UrGoh shows that he’s kept the puppets that skekGra had made. At last, this is the confession of love and the acceptance of the vision…told in the most ancient and sacred of art forms…puppetry. But their reunion is interrupted.
The Hunter and the Chamberlain find them, but they too have been followed. SkekMal's counterpart, the Archer, reveals that he and the Hunter had been given a vision of their own from Thra hundreds of trine ago. But despite their efforts, they failed, parting as even more bitter enemies than they had started. The Archer is able to hold the skeksis off, but the Chamberlain, holding a knife at urGoh’s throat, forces them to return to the castle.
Having failed to convince even a single mystic, skekGra must make his case to the Emperor and face his wrath.
Episode 8:
The Order We Preserve
Forced to stand with urGoh before the Emperor, skekGra is interrogated about their association. Falia tries to cover for him, but skekGra tells the truth. Surrounded by the skeksis, urGoh is able to recognize his friends within each of them. As much as the skeksis mock urGoh, he proves that he is not the filthy cud-chewer that they expected of a mystic.
Shockingly, the skeksis seem receptive to their arguments for unity. After all, they are only saying what everyone knows to be true. Every skeksis harbors concerns about the way their future is looking. But at the last second, the Emperor refuses to change course. Without his approval, the rest of the skeksis fall back in line and attack.
SkekGra renounces his title, publicly choosing urGoh over all the riches of the empire. The skeksis punish him severely and lock him away in the castle, but it is their cardinal rule that skeksis don’t kill other skeksis. They expel urGoh to send their message to the rest of the mystics—this is what happens to those who interfere, who defy the Emperor.
In front of the court, skekGra renounces his title as Conqueror.
Forbidden from returning to the valley, urGoh begs the Archer to save skekGra. But the skeksis aren’t done with him yet. Realizing that he’s out of options, skekGra rejects the Emperor’s final chance for him to recant. He unloads all his rage about the corruption of skeksis rule, how he hates what he became, and how they are destined to fail. The Chamberlain wants to have skekGra executed for this, arguing that he no longer counts as skeksis. But the Emperor can’t allow it. If skeksis rules can’t be applied to skekGra, then it only proves that he’s not bound by the Emperor anymore.
Instead, he calls on the Scientist to administer a non-lethal but permanent punishment—a branding. As they restrain skekGra and prepare the punishment, urGoh sees what’s coming through skekGra’s eyes but is powerless to stop it. The Scientist lines a nail up against skekGra’s head and beats it in.
Episode 9:
Harmonic Light
Locked in a pen like an animal, skekGra, the newly made Heretic, is too weak to pose any threat to the skeksis. The brain trauma has left him mute and physically incapacitated, but mentally present. Tanet and Falia put aside all their differences and together, risk their lives to free skekGra. Tanet knows that if they can find the valley of the mystics, skekGra could be healed. But now, they have made themselves fugitives.
UrGoh, bearing the mirror of skekGra’s injury and blinded, is taken back into the valley by the Archer. Even if the mystics disprove of his actions, they don’t want him to suffer. But unless skekGra’s wounds are treated, urGoh may never recover. The Archer finds the gelfling and skekGra with them. He breaks with urRu doctrine and leads them all into the valley where skekGra and urGoh are at last reunited, injured though they are. But the skeksis, led by the Hunter, are on their trail. The gelfling rebels have to find a sanctuary where the skeksis can't harm them, and the secrecy of the valley’s location could be their last refuge…if they can defend it.
The mystics, drawing on the power of Thra in a way that had always been forbidden, heal skekGra and urGoh. For a third time, Thra gives skekGra and urGoh a vision and a blessing. They emerge from the vision healed, but with a full knowledge of their true roll in healing the fractured Crystal. They see that the road ahead of them is long and filled with danger.
SkekGra entrusts the shard of the Crystal to Tanet and Falia, secured within the blade that he and urGoh had forged. At last, he understands that the gelfling will be the ones to save Thra, not him or urGoh. In trying to shield Tanet from the full knowledge of the Crystal's power, he had only prevented her from determining her own fate. Tanet, Falia, and their band of rebels bravely face off with the skeksis, who pit their own gelfling soldiers against the rebels. The division sewn between the clans makes the battle particularly fraught. But together, Tanet and Falia are able to overcome the prejudices between their peoples and unite the gelfling soldiers against their Lords. This turns the tide of the battle and the skeksis retreat.
The mystics, led by Master urSu, invite the rebels to stay in the valley with them, opening their hearts finally to the gelfling and accepting their roles in supporting them. Tanet finds that skekGra and urGoh will not be staying with them and that they plan to depart for the Crystal Desert. They say their goodbyes to the mystics and to the gelfling and set off on their journey together.
Their road to the Circle of the Suns is a triumph. They leave behind all their fear and shame, living in harmony as the trine pass by. In the valley, Tanet and Falia grow old together, raising new generations of gelfling living free of skeksis rule. The presence of the gelfling erodes the mystic’s detachment. The urRu learn more from the gelfling than the gelfling learn from their wisdom.
And out in the desert, urGoh and skekGra master ancient magic that had evaded their abilities for eons. They become a constant nuisance to the skeksis that can’t be stopped. They know one day, the gelfling will rise against the skeksis, and the Crystal will be restored—they’ve seen the prophesy and they know its end. Time passes in a blur of activity until one day, 379 trine later, a trio of gelfling rebels show up on their doorstep, ready to continue the story.
Visual Development
Artist's Statement
It wasn’t until I was studying animation in grad school that I had ever heard of the Dark Crystal. One day, my good friend in class showed me the promotional photos that were released ahead of the launch of Netflix’s the Age of Resistance. I remember her pulling up portraits of the skeksis and thinking to myself, “No way. These things are so up my alley it’s unreal.”
I’m sorry say it now, but initially, I held off on watching the show because it was a little too much my style. I just knew that if I watched this show, I would become obsessed with the weird bird people and…I was right. (I always did like the villains best!)
One thing I love about being an animator is how great the medium is for telling universal stories with unconventional characters. This idea has been kicking around my head since the show came out, and I’ve enjoyed the process of writing it all down. These characters are so fun to work with, but they put me through my paces as an artist learning to draw truly non-human characters while retaining their emotional performances.
Doing this pitch exercise has helped me hone not only my design skills, but my storytelling principals as well. If you’ve read this far, thank you for your time and feel free to reach out to me if you found it interesting!
Sincerely,
Olivia Mercurio
Contact Info
olivia.r.mercurio@gmail.com
Tel: 978-875-1349
Rockville, MD