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| - SkekSo was the Emperor of the Skeksis. His spiritual other half in the film is the Mystic master, urSu. In the film, skekSo is only seen shortly before his death. SkekSo had ruled the Skeskis since the split of the Crystal, and the division of UrSkeks. He was part of a political alliance with skekSil, skekAyuk, and skekEkt. In the early part of his reign, skekSo had shone with glory, leading feast processions and dances, beating all his rivals in tournaments. As the Skeksis aged and diminished, skekSo kept authority through favoritism, suspicion, and sheer courage. But soon his sight weakened, his body rotted with ulcers, and the other Skeksis awaited his death.
- SkekSo was the first Skeksis Emperor, and counterpart to urSu the Master. His reign was initially a benevolent one. He invited Gelflings into the Castle of the Crystal to serve in his court, and held tournaments, which he invariably won. However, 800 trine after the Great Division, his character changed, and he began ordering the enslavement of both Gelflings and Podlings. SkekTek the Scientist later invented a method of using the beams of the Dark Crystal to extract the essence from prisoners. This essence was reserved solely for skekSo, who used it to rejuvinate himself. When skekSo learned of the prophecy that foretold that a Gelfling would end the Skeksis' rule, he ordered their complete extermination, thus beginning the Garthim War.
- SkekSo was the Emperor of the Skeksis and a minor villain in The Dark Crystal. His spiritual other half in the film is the Mystic master, urSu. In the film, skekSo is only seen shortly before his death. Production notes for the film emphasize the Emperor's dying face "going dark like a piece of bad fruit", as opposed to Master urSu turning into light. For the final deterioration of skekSo, a puppet was made of a wax with high melting points so that it would crumble and melt away at different rates. Skeksis decompose so quickly because they have no soul to slow the process.
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| abstract
| - SkekSo was the Emperor of the Skeksis and a minor villain in The Dark Crystal. His spiritual other half in the film is the Mystic master, urSu. In the film, skekSo is only seen shortly before his death. SkekSo had ruled the Skeksis since the split of the Crystal, and the division of UrSkeks. He was part of a political alliance with SkekSil, SkekAyuk, and SkekEkt. In the early part of his reign, SkekSo had shone with glory, leading feast processions and dances, beating all his rivals in tournaments. As the Skeksis aged and diminished, skekSo kept authority through favoritism, suspicion, and sheer courage. But soon his sight weakened, his body rotted with ulcers, and the other Skeksis awaited his death. Production notes for the film emphasize the Emperor's dying face "going dark like a piece of bad fruit", as opposed to Master urSu turning into light. For the final deterioration of skekSo, a puppet was made of a wax with high melting points so that it would crumble and melt away at different rates. Skeksis decompose so quickly because they have no soul to slow the process. The Skeksis joined nothing except to make new combinations of evil. SkekSo the Emperor in the first days of his glory proclaimed otherwise; he held court not only over the Skeksis but over many Gelfling that went to serve in the castle. They shone in his glory; they carved and sang and painted and danced from the pleasure of the court. On all the days of feasting the Emperor led the processions and the dances of life and pleasure; his voice heard above a multitude; and always in the tournaments he bore down all rivals. In those days the Skeksis were still radient with energy, never still. But that radience diminished as their true nature showed and worsened; none was more terribly changed than the Emperor. His power he kept till the end; no other Skeksis held ascendancy other than through skekSo's favor, easily withdrawn. But his vigor lessened, his suspicions grew, his sight weakened, ulcers burst from his skin. He sought elixirs and enchantments to restore his rotting body, never more than a few days success. All awaited his death; his courage never failed. Although no performer is given a puppeteering credit for the Emperor in the film's ending credits, it can be inferred, based on information given in The Making of the Dark Crystal, that Jim Henson performed SkekSo: "A few leading roles had been assigned well in advance of shooting. Jim Henson would enact Jen, the dying Emperor, and the Ritual-Master."
- SkekSo was the first Skeksis Emperor, and counterpart to urSu the Master. His reign was initially a benevolent one. He invited Gelflings into the Castle of the Crystal to serve in his court, and held tournaments, which he invariably won. However, 800 trine after the Great Division, his character changed, and he began ordering the enslavement of both Gelflings and Podlings. SkekTek the Scientist later invented a method of using the beams of the Dark Crystal to extract the essence from prisoners. This essence was reserved solely for skekSo, who used it to rejuvinate himself. When skekSo learned of the prophecy that foretold that a Gelfling would end the Skeksis' rule, he ordered their complete extermination, thus beginning the Garthim War. During the Garthim Wars, skekSo elevated skekLach the Collector to the position of court favourite, in light of his successful Gelfling acquisition strategies, not knowing that the Collector intended to eventually depose him. SkekLach began to secretly withhold the Emperor's Gelfling essence, and blamed the shortage on his rival, skekVar the General, whom skekSo ordered to cooperate with the Collector completely. SkekSo's favouritism of skekLach caused skekSil the Chamberlain, a former court favourite, to plot against skekLach. The Chamberlain discovered skekLach's secret, and openly accused him in front of the Emperor during the Battle of Bah-Lem Valley, and challenged the Collector to Trial by Fire. SkekSo presided over the Trial, which the Collector won. Despite skekSil's protests, skekSo refused to listen to his accusations, and ordered him to keep quiet or face the consequences. After the end of the Garthim Wars, skekSo's health began to rapidly deteriorate. With the Gelflings all but exterminated, he could no longer rely on Gelfling essence to maintain his vigour. In desperation, he sought to prolong his life with elixirs and enchantments, but to no avail. His fate was sealed when, in his weakened state, he failed to attend a Ceremony of the Sun which would have given him enough power to live up to the Great Conjunction, which would have granted him a further nine hundred and ninety-nine and one trine of life. He died surrounded by his followers, all eagerly awaiting his death. His remains were gathered by skekOk the Scroll-Keeper and wound into cerements and placed into a black casket. The three highest-ranking Skeksis, skekSil, skekZok and skekUng, carried the casket to the mausoleum, with the other Skeksis following in single file. The three had previously argued over who should take the foremost corner of the casket, and managed to come to a compromise which all knew would not outlast the funeral. The casket was placed onto a catafalque, and its contents were cremated.
- SkekSo was the Emperor of the Skeksis. His spiritual other half in the film is the Mystic master, urSu. In the film, skekSo is only seen shortly before his death. SkekSo had ruled the Skeskis since the split of the Crystal, and the division of UrSkeks. He was part of a political alliance with skekSil, skekAyuk, and skekEkt. In the early part of his reign, skekSo had shone with glory, leading feast processions and dances, beating all his rivals in tournaments. As the Skeksis aged and diminished, skekSo kept authority through favoritism, suspicion, and sheer courage. But soon his sight weakened, his body rotted with ulcers, and the other Skeksis awaited his death. Production notes for the film emphasize the Emperor's dying face "going dark like a piece of bad fruit", as opposed to Master urSu turning into light. For the final deterioration of skekSo, a puppet was made of a wax with high melting points so that it would crumble and melt away at different rates. Skeksis decompose so quickly because they have no soul to slow the process. “The Skeksis joined nothing except to make new combinations of evil. SkekSo the Emperor in the first days of his glory proclaimed otherwise; he held court not only over the Skeksis but over many Gelfling that went to serve in the castle. They shone in his glory; they carved and sang and painted and danced from the pleasure of the court. On all the days of feasting the Emperor led the processions and the dances of life and pleasure; his voice heard above a multitude; and always in the tournaments he bore down all rivals. In those days the Skeksis were still radient with energy, never still. But that radience diminished as their true nature showed and worsened; none was more terribly changed than the Emperor. His power he kept till the end; no other Skeksis held ascendancy other than through skekSo's favor, easily withdrawn. But his vigor lessened, his suspicions grew, his sight weakened, ulcers burst from his skin. He sought elixirs and enchantments to restore his rotting body, never more than a few days success. All awaited his death; his courage never failed.” - The World of the Dark Crystal Although no performer is given a puppeteering credit for the Emperor in the film's ending credits, it can be inferred, based on information given in The Making of the Dark Crystal, that Jim Henson performed skekSo: "A few leading roles had been assigned well in advance of shooting. Jim Henson would enact Jen, the dying Emperor, and the Ritual-Master."
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