Taelon

Revision as of 14:53, 30 November 2009

The Taelons are an extraterrestrial species that appear in the sci fi TV show Earth: Final Conflict.

History

Da'an and a Synod leader Quo'on on Earth.

Around eight million years ago, there existed the Atavus who were the precursor species to both the Taelons and the Jaridians before both races began alternate evolutionary paths. (Episode: The Summit) Initially, the proto-Taelons and Jaridians until they began to separate under different lines which left both deprived of vital evolutionary tools in their DNA. (Episode: Between Heaven and Hell) The Taelon's themselves claim that the Kimera were their evolutionary ancestors and they conquered them in a war of genetic assimilation through which the Taelon race evolved. After this event, the newly emerged Taelon race turned on the Kimera and exterminated most of them leaving a single survivor who was imprisoned. (Episode: The Joining) They also stated that they had worked hard to evolve from their primitive atavistic roots to the point that they had expunged the name of their ancestral race from their language and that there was no term that could be used to name them. The closest word they had was from Earth's Latin term namely Atavus. (Episode: Atavus) The shaqarava was an aspect of the Kimera that was later passed on to the Taelon race. However, unlike the Kimera, the Taelons proved to be incapable of controlling the violent impulses of the shaqarava which necessitated in them in creating the Commonality in order to better control it. (Episode: A Stitch in Time) Through the shaqarava organ of these early Taelons, they were capable of reshaping their flesh and help in the formation of the Commonality. (Episode: Atavus)

It was noted that the Taelon's were scared of the shaqarava organ and it's dark power which was why they abandoned it on their quest for spiritual perfection. However, this journey fixed them in a genetic state which resulted in a slow tide towards extinction. Certain elements within the Taelon race at one time wished to steal the core energy from their Jaridians cousins at the expense of that race. This was the source of the war between the Taelon's and the Jaridians with both sides trying to destroy the other which ultimately spawned as a result of the shaqarava. (Episode: Gauntlet) The Taelons were said to had been fixated in achieving perfection that they had lost something in the millions of years of their evolution. (Episode: The First of its Kind) They also established their own homeworld known as Taelon which resided in the core of a star system called Q'ruu'faa with their planets four moons being inhabitable which had been home to the Taelons for millennia. (Episode: Live Free or Die) This was located in another galaxy which the Taelon's called the Ma'hu'ra'va galaxy. (Episode: The Secret of Strand Hill)

Augur noted that the Taelon's were more evolved 20,000 years ago then their modern incarnation. (Episode: Keys to the Kingdom) Elements within the Taelon culture also covertly worked with groups within the Jaridian Imperium to solve their core energy crisis; these meetings were done in secret due to the hostilities between the two races. (Episode: The Summit) At some unknown period in their history, the Taelon's encountered the Skrill race and re-engineered them to serve as weapon's. (Episode: Emancipation) It was during this period that the Taelon's had begun a process of bio-engineering other species in a vain attempt at combating the Jaridians. (Episode: The First of its Kind)

At some point in the past, the Taelon's dispatched one of their most distinguised members known as Ma'el arrived secretly on the planet Earth. Once there, his influence altered the path of Human evolution to a dramatic effect. (Episode: Dimensions) This event occured two thousand years ago before the modern age and was during the first star flight by the Taelons. Ma'el's mission was a one way journey and he was tasked with determining if an encounter between the Taelon's and Humanity was mutually beneficial. This was one of the reasons why the Companions later embarked on the journey to Earth and if Ma'els findings were different then the Taelons would depart that world. Unknown to them, Ma'el had grown attached to Humanity and believed that his fellow Taelon's would exploit the species and thus sent a warning to them to tell them not to come to Earth under any circumstances. However, if they had arrived, his message was to treat Humanity as equals as in time they would become true equals to the Companions. (Episode: The Secret of One Strand Hill) He also helped engineer Humans to become a psychic race in order for them to tap into the Commonality and allow the Taelons to better accept them. (Episode: If You Could Read My Mind)

The Taelons's began a secret programme of monitoring Earth in order to judge when it was best to make first contact with the Human race. At the time, Humanity was engaged in the SI War which ended when a mysterious Quantum Vortex was detonated which killed 100,000 people. Only a few became aware of the fact that it was infact the Taelon's who were responsible for unleashing the weapon. This was because they wanted to prevent nuclear holocaust, but keep Humanity in a state of war so the Taelons could come in and play saviors. (Episode: Scorched Earth) During their time with the human race, they used their advanced technology to aid in combating world hunger and cure hundreds of diseases amongst mankind. (Episode: Decision) After arriving on the planet, the Taelons were divided on the issue on Humanity and how to combat the threat posed by the Jaridians. Some Taelons were of the opinion that mankind needed to be turned into a weapon that was to be directed at the Jaridians whilst others believed that a joining of the species was needed in order to reclaim an important genetic link that was lost in their search for perfection. (Episode: The First of its Kind) This was because at this stage of development, Humanity was at a crossroads in their evolution which the Taelons intended to observe and supervise. (Episode: Decision)

After revealing themselves to humanity, the presence of the Taelons challenged the most belief systems of millions of people on Earth. The resultant psychological fallout came under an umbrella term known as Companion Reaction Syndrome (CRS). At its peak, the condition led to symptoms ranging from mild depression and confusion to mass suicides. As such, it tended to be an abberant behavior found in groups of people rather than individuals. (Episode: To Float Like a Butterfly) One of the key individuals on Earth from the Taelon's was Da'an who served as the North American Companion. After an assassination attempt on his life by the Liberation movement, he appointed William Boone as his chief of security as well as director of interspecies relations. (Episode: Decision) After arriving, they began numerous attempts at furthering their agenda on the planet Earth one of which involved a public relations exercise where they restored the limbs of a girl called Julie Payton. (Episode: Miracle) At the time, the Taelons kept the existence of their Mothership a closely guarded secret from Humanity. (Episode: Wrath of Achilles)

On Earth, the Taelon's began a project to reawaken the shaqarava within their bodies as part of their plans which saw scientist Rho'ha getting genetic material from a Human donor into his body. This, however, led into Rho'ha becoming violent and rogue which led to him being imprisoned. (Episode: Pandora's Box) When Companion agent Ronald Sandoval's CVI malfunctioned and he went rogue, the Synod ordered their implants to terminate him as he possessed critical information on the Taelon's activities on Earth which they did not wish to reveal to their enemies. However, he was later returned and a new CVI was implanted in him thus ensuring that the Companion agenda remained unknown. (Episode: Sandoval's Run) Later, the Taelons managed to discover the location of Ma'el's tomb located in Ireland at Strand Hill. There, they sent their implants to recover the scientist's data log in order to conclude his findings on whether the Taelons future was on Earth. When it was recovered, they discovered to their dismay that Ma'el had destroyed his research and left a message warning his brethren not to come to Earth. Divided, the Synod communed with their leader who determined that they had to remain on Earth as their future was now tied to that of Humanity. Thus, they would seek either their salvation or their destruction equally on the planet. (Episode: The Secret of Strand Hill) When a virus began infecting Earth-wide Taelon technology, the mothership came to Earth in order to purge the affected systems which demonstrated the great power the Taelons had. (Episode: Wrath of Achilles)

After the death of the Synod leader Qu'on at the hands of a Replicant, the Taelons shared with humanity the truth of the mysterious assassin - that it was the creation of the Jaridians who now knew of their presence on Earth and would undoubtably attempt to attack it. (Episode: The First of its Kind) Thus, new Synod leader Zo'or orchestrated a number of projects to prepare a defense against an impending attack one of which involved taking volunteers consisting of individuals on death row where they were implanted with weaponized bioengineered creatures designed to enhance their aggression and warrior skills. It was intended to use these individuals as soldiers in the coming war. (Episode: Moonscape) However, as time went on, there were increasing encounters with the Jaridians one of which involved a probe landing on Earth and transforming itself into a transciever which created a rupture within the Commonality. This forced the Taelons to round up Humans to serve as a backup telepathic link until the problem was solved. (Episode: Sleepers) Despite the Companions attempts at bio-engineering as well as preparing the Human race for the coming Jaridian invasion; they found that their endorsed American president candidate Thompson to be more interested in keeping his hold on the presidency. Later, when Jonathan Doors entered the political race to presidency, Zo'or talked to Doors and offered him an alliance in exchange for his help in fighting the Jaridians; he ultimately refused the offer. (Episode: Isabel)

During this phase of their operations, the Taelons possessed hundreds of colonies throughout space. However, each was facing various stages of destruction at the hands of the Jaridians. In fact, the Taelon Homeworld itself had fallen prey to the Jaridians and had been destroyed; nothing was left behind but a barren wasteland. (Episode: Defector) The Taelons also made use of the Volunteer Program to train Human soldiers to fight the Jaridians on distant planets through the portal system. (Episode: Volunteers) Furthermore, it was known that whilst the Taelon's possessed a sizable amount of space within their empire, the Jaridians empire was much larger indicating that the Taelons were losing their war. (Episode: Hijacked) Defeat almost came at the hands of the Taelons when the Mothership was hijacked by a Jaridian Replicant who took over it and intended to take it to the Jaridian homeworld where its technology was to be used against its creators. However, it failed due to the efforts of Liam Kincaid and Lili Marquette. (Episode: Hijacked) Later, the Taelon fleet had adopted a policy of aggressive engagements against the Jaridians but were forced to retreat at one point in the Regula System. This was part of a strategy created by Synod Leader Zo'or to trick the Jaridian fleet into a holding action over a Taelon colony that had been abandoned when the soldiers in the Volunteer Program were recalled from their campaign. However, this allowed the Taelons to deploy their Forge Project; a weapon that harnessed the magma on Earth and shot it through an interdimensional portal that went 75 light years away to strike at the Jaridian fleet. (Episode: Heroes and Heartbreak)

A group of Taelons and Jaridians attempted to solve the core energy crisis by making use of the regeneration chamber of the scientist Ma'el who left a facility at a volcano on Earth. Members of the two race's gathered at the Atavan energy pool where they merged in an attempt to save their species from extinction. (Episode: Point of No Return) However, this led the re-emergence of the Atavus race with the Taelon civilization ceasing to exist. Though a single Taelon known as Ra'jel remained as the repository of the Taelon Commonality which sought to end the Atavus menace. (Episode: Unearthed)

Background

Biology

Physiology

Da'an taking on a partial energy state.

The Companions were apparently a humanoid looking species though despite their visage, they were in fact primarily composed of energy. (Episode: Fissures) This human appearing facade was actually created by a simple touch to a human alowing the Taelon to sample that races DNA. Through this simple touch, they were capable of altering their skin tone to match that of the chosen species into a form that was more familiar to them. (Episode: Defector) A Taelon was capable of taking on a more solid fleshed based appearance though they could change to their energy form. Sometimes, they were capable of "blushing" where parts of their true form were capable of being seen. (Episode: Live Free or Die)

They were ultimately much further along the evolutionary ladder when compared to Humanity with one of the benefits of their biology and evolution was the fact that they could psychically manipulate organic matter. Thus, through the power of their mind if focused on healing allowed the species to heal repair damage to their bodies at a remarkable level. However, an unknown factor to many was that their evolution and split with the Jaridians had left a vital element from their DNA which was necessary for their evolution. Thus, they were a dying race and had become so incompatible with the Jaridians and they were incapable of using Jaridian DNA to restore the missing link. (Episode: Between Heaven and Hell) This was attributed to the Taelons quest for spiritual perfection which left them on a path to extinction. (Episode: Gauntlet)

According to normal Human scanning equipment, a Taelon apparently possessed no brain; there was no evidence of lobes being present or a cortex. There was an energy consiousness capable of being registered but the mind/body relationship was considered bizzare. Another unique concept of their biology was the fact that they could will themselves to die; a change that was capable of being sensed by other Taelons. In this state, they had little energy to move and wisps of their energy were seen sparking from their form. (Episode: Live Free or Die) They also had names for aspects of their body such as the Ee'kee'haa pathway which was located in the center of their forms. Incisions in these locations allowed for genetic material such as neurons of humans to be administered into a Taelon's body which used them as a catalyst that was able to bring about devolution. (Episode: Pandora's Box)

A Taelon whilst it is resting.

The Taelons were adrogynous in appearance and whilst referred to as a "he" or as a "she", such terms had no true meaning of them. (Episode: Decision) During the reproductive cycle of a Taelon which is known as the Ka'ath'am, a Taelon begins to have violent dream's as well has difficulty in holding their Human appearance. (Episode: The Cloister) Young Taelon's embryo's were maintained within the Taelon Mothership where the ship's intelligence monitors over their development. (Episode: Phantom Companion) Unknown to many, the Taelons had locked themselves in their quest to spiritual perfection to the point that they had lost the ability to truly reproduce. (Episode: Gauntlet)

According to Da'an, the Taelon offspring gained full genetic knowledge of their parents and knew everything that they knew. (Episode: The First of its Kind) While not directly able to breed with Human's, the Taelon's were capable of creating Taelon-Human hybrid children. These offspring appeared entirely Human but possessed the shaqarava organ in their palms. (Episode: A Little Bit Of Heaven) Such an initiative was possibly made to escape their slow genetic extinction due to their growing core energy problem.

A biological legacy that the species inherited from their genetic ancestor, the Kimera, was the organ known as the shaqarava. Whilst amongst the Kimera it was the essence and totality of their being, the Taelons were incapable of truly controlling it which necessitated them in forming the Commonality. Through the calming and peaceful influence of the Commonality, the Taelons were able to suppress the shaqarava's violent impulses. (Episode: A Stitch in Time) This was also the source of the split with the Jaridians as the Taelons lost their sense of emotions and became more alien as a result of the influence of the Commonality. (Episode: Gauntlet) Since that time, the shaqarava became a vestigial organ that had laid dormant within their biology and was incapable of being accessed through normal means. (Episode: Pandora's Box)

It was possible through an experiment in controlled devolution which involved the implantation of neurons from a more aggressive species that allowed for a regression in the Taelon's anatomy. This allowed them to remanifest the shaqarava in their palms and allowed them to use the organs despite unnumbered generations of being suppressed. However, this also increased the aggression of the Taelon in question and led to them taking actions that were against the actions of their species. Some believed that such experiments were necessary in order to create a possible warrior caste among their race. Those Taelons that developed the ability to use the shaqarava were capable of firing powerful energy blasts from their palms as well as gained the capacity to travel at incredibly speeds far above that of a normal Human. This was in contrast to the slow movements and docile nature of normal Taelons. A single touch of the organ was capable of killing another being. (Episode: Pandora's Box)

The Jaridians were genetic brethren of the Taelon race and were in fact at a time one species. (Episode: Gauntlet) Due to the close genetic link between them and the Jaridians, the two races were capable of merging with one another in order to restore the Atavus precursors which they thought was a way of solving their genetic problems. However, if done without artificial means, the process was unstable and after some time the merged being separated back into it's two genetic components. The Taelon is capable of surviving this merger but the Jaridian dies in the process. (Episode: The Summit) Furthermore, Humanity serves as a genetic link between the Taelon's and Jaridians. (Episode: Abduction)

Furthermore, they were capable of injecting themselves with Human DNA which begin's a process of de-evolution and linking the individual to the person who's DNA was used. This turned the Taelon into a much more aggressive and violent creature capable of using it's shaqarava for destructive purposes. (Episode: Pandora's Box) Some Taelon's such as Da'an were of the opinion that they required an joining with the human race in an attempt to reclaim that which was lost to them in their drive to perfection. Such an act would result in the creation of a new species though other Taelon's such as Zo'or believed that such an action would devolve their race by a million years in their evolution. (Episode: The First of its Kind)

Telepathy and Abilities

The Commonality.

The Taelon's are linked through one another through their energy which binds them together and form's the basis of the Commonality. This was a psycho-dimensional web of shared energy which binded the species together with each individual Taelon appearing as a blue orb with strands connecting them together into a single matrix. When separated from this unifying telepathic presence, a Taelon begin's to regress and revert to an Atavus based form which hunger's for life spirit. (Episode: Atavus) The Commonality linked all Taelons together but it did not allow the race into every part of an individual members mind. The return of a severed Taelon into the Commonality was something beyond the means of the race and something that only the Kimera were capable of accomplishing. The same psychic web that linked the Taelons was also capable of being used to sense the Kimera. (Episode: A Stitch in Time) They were also capable of providing mental stimulus to a Human mind through a mind probe. (Episode: Street Chase) It was possible to replicate the signal of the Commonality which had a euphoric quality on the human mind. (Episode: Atavus) The replication of the signal involved the creation of subatomic particles. (Episode: Sleepers)

The unifying aspect of this telepathy meant that no Taelon was ever truly alone. (Episode: Miracle) Separation from it was noted as being both a liberating and terrifying aspect as a Companion would be alone with their thoughts. As such, it was often known that the Commonality was a great comfort to a Taelon as they knew they were never alone. (Episode: Defector) This spiritual nexus that linked all the consciousnesses of the species was capable of being ruptured through artificial means which potentially meant that the entire Taelon species could potentially devolve into proto-Atavus. The only remedy was through the draining of mental energy from sentient beings such as Humans who were used as a second temporary spiritual nexus in order to prevent such a de-evolution until the Commonality was restored. These subjects were left in a near death experience and had their psychokinetic energy siphoned by the Taelons as the sleepers were kept in a state where lived through their own version of heaven in their minds. If the tear in the Commonality was not found in time, these individuals would reach a state of permanent death where their souls departed their bodies and necessitated the replacement of the subjects with new sleepers. The length of time the individuals lasted depended on the mental and spiritual state of the sleeper with some lasting longer than others. (Episode: Sleepers)

Whilst all Taelon's were linked to one another, it was possible for individuals to cut themselves off from it whenever they chose though few of them ever did such an act. (Episode: Wrath of Achilles) Amongst parents and children, Taelons were capable of reading the residual psychic signatures left behind at locations. Through simple touch, they were capable of witnessing events that occured in an area allowing them to see actions committed by their kin. (Episode: The First of its Kind) They were also capable of ascertaining the truthfulness of another being by placing their palm to the others. (Episode: Dimensions) Through the use of their energy and their own machinery, a Taelon was capable of transfering their essence into a Human body thus taking control of it as well as being subject to it's emotions. Once they returned to their own form, they were capable of sharing this experience with other's of their kind. (Episode: Through Your Eyes) Through their link to one another, Taelons were capable of experiencing the death of members of their kind which sent ripples through their consiousness even from distant planets. (Episode: The Secret of One Strand Hill)

Though the Commonality was said to not be a locator and thus it was not possible for Taelons to track one another, this was only partly true. The basis of the it was a psychic link that brought together all Taelons and eventually it was possible for one Companion to track another. Furthermore, no Taelon was capable of willingly severing themselves from the Commonality. Whilst it was possible to sever the link, the danger there lied in the Taelon regressing into an Atavus. However, it was possible to sever the link and instead direct it to a Human who temporarily took the place of the Commonality allowing the Companion to remain in control of themselves. It was known that once within the presence of the Commonality, Taelons typically did not act against the wishes of the majority even though they might know that the majority were wrong. (Episode: Defector)

Those Companions that had genetic material of Humans implanted into their bodies tended to form a psychic link with their donor allowing them to hear their thoughts. (Episode: Pandora's Box) One of the dangers that the Taelon's always believed was that the Commonality was capable of being infiltrated by external minds; such as those of psychic Humans which they thought were a great danger to their collective mind. (Episode: If You Could Read My Mind)

Core Energy

The natural energy form of the Taelons.

Companions were races that were primarily composed of energy which meant that there were typically no bodies left behind when they died. (Episode: The Secret of Strand Hill) Being energy based beings, a Taelon was capable of absorbing energy that was released allowing them to protect Human's from explosions that might kill them. (Episode: Inteview)

A Taelon that lacked core energy entered into a crystalline state which was a form of death to their kind. However, this being the case, some Taelon's were able to willingly enter this form and return to their natural energy based selves in order to trick potential enemies. (Episode: The Forge of Creation) Dark matter also had a negative impact on the Taelon body which slowed time for them and forced them into a frozen state that resembled stasis. (Episode: Dark Matter)

In a time when their core energy was too low to sustain their race, the Taelon's were capable of entering into a hibernative state known as Death Stasis which allowed them to survive for extended periods of time but meant that they were inactive. However, this state terrifies certain Taelons who are willing to steal another's core energy to avoid the stasis. If aborted, the Taelon's will then be incapable of re-entering this state which mean's unless they find the secret of core energy then they will die. (Episode: Epiphany)

The core energy had healing properties on the Human body allowing them to cure illnesses and were part of a short lived venture known as the Blood Ties project. This energy lingered within the body and was capable of being drained for reuse by the Taelon's themselves from the Human; a process which killed them. (Episode: Blood Ties) Similarly, this energy was capable of being gifted to another Jaridian or child in order to aid them through a birthing process. (Episode: The Forge of Creation) They were equally capable of stealing the core energy of their own kind in order to sustain themselves. (Episode: Limbo) A more fascinating feat was the capacity of certain Human's being able to spiritually commune with the Taelon's by modifying their energy to match that of the Taelons. (Episode: The Cloister)

Weaknesses

Due to their unique biology, amongst mankind it was not known initially if there was any way to kill a Taelon. (Episode: Live Free or Die)

While they are an energy based creature, the Taelon's are subject to some diseases which included the ancient Pesh'tal plague of which at the time there was no cure until an anti-toxin was developed. Once infected, the individual in question entered into a coma-like state as they slowly died. Those Human's exposed to the virus are capable of being infected and suffer from psychotic episodes. Furthermore, the infected Taelon is eventually capable of releasing enough neutron energy to cover a 50 mile radius that will cause a plague of madness and turn humans into homicidal psychopaths within in minutes. (Episode: Sanctuary) Another virus was capable of cross infection and was able to kill both Taelon's and Humans. (Episode: Infection)

Though their energy selves made them immune to physical attacks, it meant that they were vulnerable to creatures that devoured sources of energy and essentially fed off the Taelons. (Episode: Fissures) Similar to Human's, they were also vulnerable to affect's of a mini-teleportation device which transported a small explosive into the centre of their body which was capable of killing a Taelon. (Episode: Payback) Furthermore, their energy based form's proved to be quite vulnerable to an energy parasite that came from a crack in interdimensional space. (Episode: Fissures)

One requirement of Taelon biology when entering alien environments such as Earth was the injestion of the compound known as Kryss. This was, however, addictive and an overdose resulted in the Taelon suffering from a toxic reaction causing them to fall unconscious. (Episode: The Sins Of The Father) The substance was a requirement by the Taelon's who grew the plant on Earth which in turn developed within the body's of Human's. (Episode: The Fields)

The Jaridian's had technology capable of disrupting the Commonality with the only way of temporarily remedying the problem being taking the mental energy of human beings until the telepathic rupture was repaired. (Episode: Sleepers)

Psychology

The Taelon's lacked emotions and instead prefered the hive mind-like quality of the Commonality. (Episode: Gaunlet) It was believed by some that this was because they were afraid to face their own thoughts alone. (Episode: Wrath of Achilles) The primary imperative of the Companions was the welfare of their collective sentience and not the survival of a single individual. (Episode: Live Free or Die) Some, however, felt that certain emotions were capable of giving them the need to survive despite challenges facing them. They were capable of injesting these essences when crystallized in a form of Taelon energy. (Episode: Essence) In regards to grief, the Taelons had no fear in passing on to the next level. (Episode: Decision) Infact, they did not fear death as Humans did as long as it served their people. If it did so, than a Taelon would gladly embrace death and allow themselves to die. Whilst all Taelons were taught this, they did experience fear in the final moments before their life expired. (Episode: Live Free or Die)

They believed that the Human instinct for survival and their emotion's would serve as a potent tool for the Taelon race in their war against the Jaridians. (Episode: Through Your Eyes) Despite this being the case, they did feel that Human's wanted to evolve a type of unity that the Taelon's possessed through the Commonality. (Episode: Deja Vu) Some among the Companions did feel that Humanity were not a challenge and thus not worthy adversaries to them. (Episode: Resurrection) They also felt that they were so far down the evolutionary ladder that a "joining" of the species was not possible and risked the Taelons devolving by a million years in their evolution. (Episode: First of its Kind)

Taelon emotions were hidden deep under many layers of their being and had been suppressed during their evolution. It was, however, possible to awaken these ancient desires through experimentation by linking a Companion consciousness to a Humans. (Episode: Pandora's Box) In fact, in some cases, it was possible to see the emotions within the eyes of certain Taelons who held particular hate for another of their kind. (Episode: Defector)

Though the majority of the Companions believed in bio-engineering other races to fight their war against the Jaridians, there was a small minority that felt that this was wrong and resisted such actions. (Episode: Defector)

Societal Overview

Government

The Synod assembled together on the Mothership.

The ruling body within the Taelon race was the Synod with a central leader who directed the actions of their race. (Episode: Decision) All members of this body were allowed the right to inspect scientific projects being conducted. (Episode: Moonscape) In regards to failed public experiments, the Synod often ordered for "isolation" procedures to commence; this involved the removal of the subject in the public relations exercises and covered up the failure of the experiment. (Episode: Miracle) They also had an edict which prevented human technicians from examining captive Jaridians in order to prevent mankind from identifying with the Taelons enemy. (Episode: Gauntlet) Another edict from the Synod was a ban that prevented Humanity from entering into space as they wished to control the species and thus giving them the freedom to explore was seen as being counterproductive to that goal. (Episode: Horion Zero) Within the Synod resides the position of War Minister which was an important political role. (Episode: Keep Your Enemies Closer) If a leader of the Taelons was found guilty of breaking their laws, than the Synod was capable of being convened to determine whether the individual should be stripped of their position. (Episode: Gauntlet)

Whilst the Companions were said to possess no means of dictating public policy, they were noted initially quite popular with the voters and thus many world leaders did not dare oppose them on their decisions. (Episode: Horizon Zero) This meant that any Human leader who had the support of the Synod was nearly guaranteed to win in the political elections. (Episode: Isabel) They also declared in some cases for the experimentation of humans in order to explore their own past by inducing controlled devolution. Its noted by some that since the creation of this body at a time before memory, no Taelon had ever taken the life of fellow Taelon. (Episode: Pandora's Box) Members of the Synod also had the right to take steps to ensure their technology did not fall into the hands of their enemies. (Episode: Hijacked)

During their time on Earth, the Taelons were known to had possessed hundreds of colonies throughout space. (Episode: Defector) However, it was known that the Jaridian empire was in fact much larger and it was clear that they were winning the war. (Episode: Hijacked)

Culture

A display of the Taelon language.

The Taelons possessed their own language which was also known as Taelon. (Episode: The Scarecrow Returns) As of their time on Earth, there was no known Human being who was capable of speaking the Taelon language. (Episode: Avatar) There had been attempts by the Australian Companion who had implanted the knowledge within an aborigine's mind at their request to chronicle the Taelon's time on Earth in their own tongue but the attempt had failed. Even CVI enhanced minds were typically unable to accomplish such a feat though in the case of James Pike, he had managed to speak as well as write the Taelon language without any mentoring. When William Boone requested to be taught, it was noted that he had remarkably managed to learn the language where others had failed. To read the language, a reader had to avoid the inclination to read the text in a left to right linear fashion. There were no grammatical rules in reading Taelon when compared to Earth languages; this was because the Taelons felt what they read. The feeling allowed them to see and understand the words. As such, the Taelon language and ability to read it was more experiencial rather than being visual; this meant readers had to feel the spirit of the text they were reading. (Episode: The Scarecrow Returns) Taelon language consisted of a number of ancient dialects. (Episode: The Secret of Strand Hill) There was also some similarity to their language to that of the Jaridians own language which seemed as a separate dialect of the Taelons. (Episode: The Scarecrow Returns)

The species were noted to possess a unity of being through their society and were divided into a number of castes. These were functional castes which included burueacrats, diplomats, artists but there was never a warrior caste. (Episode: Pandora's Box) A Companion typically had a number of human agents working for them which were typically given a variety of bioengineered devices to improve their effectiveness as well as ensure their loyalty. Such individuals were often referred to as Implants by the Taelons who served as extensions of their will. (Episode: Horizion Zero)

A Taelon energy sharing ritual conducted on a Human.

The Taelons possessed fire on their own world but unlike Humanity, they did not use it for the preparation of food. They did not even use it for heating purposes as they had more sophisticated methods for generating the temperatures for their own comfort. Instead, they only used fire for the ectastic pleasure it gave them. They also had the ability to direct their energy to a specific part of the body as part of an energy sharing ritual. Such gestures were only shared to specific individuals as everything that defined that individual Taelon was felt during the ritual. This included their feelings and emotions which were directed through the hands with the palm facing the palm of another that was a deep personal experience between the two individuals. Humans when facing this experience had a near ectastic quality to the ritual. (Episode: Wrath of Achilles)

According to the Companions, no Taelon had ever taken the life of another since the creation of the Synod. (Episode: Pandora's Box) In fact, according to some, it was said that the Taelons did not casually kill one another like Humans did so. (Episode: Payback) However, it was known that some made use of hidden means of killing off other Companions. Furthermore, the rules regarding the taking of another Taelon life did not apply if the Companion in question devolved into an Atavus. (Episode: Defector)

Some felt that the greatest weakness of their race was the Commonality and that it needed to be destroyed. (Episode: Subterfuge)

One ritual commonly present amongst the Taelons that was sacred was the Ka'ar'paaj. This was a meditative cleansing rite typically conducted on the untamed areas of the Taelon homeworld. It involved the Companion journeying through these regions with the most important part being the process of observing the alignment of the three moons of the homeworld. If it was not possible to conduct the trial on their home planet, it was possible to use an artificial setup that was capable of being created through a virtual reality simulator. Despite it being an important and sacred rite, few modern Taelons engaged in such practices. However, some felt more compelled to engage in this act as they believed it to be a rite for self examination. (Episode: Defector)

During ancient times, there existed a trial by combat known as Pad'Ar which allowed the Taelon's to sole disputes amongst themselves. In time, it evolved into a ritual. (Episode: Pad'Ar)

A common game played amongst the Taelons involved a board called a Foovlasha which required the placement of pieces on the system to complete a special circuit. There were varying levels of difficulty and those who held the title of a lasha master were capable of beating skilled Taelons in the game. (Episode: The First of its Kind)

A musician playing a Taelon instrument.

While they are considered a peaceful people, the Taelon race did possess some barbaric ritual's from their past. One of which includes the P'raj'rath which was a duel to the death. It involved the use of a game board called a Foovlashaa which is played to the extreme. The player's must channel their mental energy across the entire game util the other tries out and expand's their power on their last move after which they cease to exist. (Episode: Time Bomb)

Though they were quite alien to humanity, the Taelons shared one thing that could be enjoyed as well as appreciated by mankind which was music. (Episode: Old Flame)

They also possessed a meditative rite known as the Sum'had which was a near-death state that the Taelons were capable of inducing in themselves. In this state, their energy levels decreased and the emissions did not attract creatures that hungered for energy. A Companion was not cogniscent whilst in this state and it was roughly compared to Human unconsciousness. (Episode: Fissures)

Among their society, the acquisition of profit and money laundering were considered blasphemous acts which can result in an individual Taelon being banished or exiled from the Commonality. When done, the Taelon can exist as a manevolent ghost that attempts to seek it's vengeance. To banish this creature, a ritual known as the Hjarth'ra must be performed to exorcise the Taelon entirely from the Commonality for eterntiy. However, those that find a measure of redemption are cleansed and can move on in peace. (Episode: Appartition)

Though they were separated from Earth by millions of light years, there were some fables that were similar to their Human based counterparts in the Taelon legends. One such story was the equivalent of Earth's story of the tortoise and the hare. In the Taelon version, the ever dependable Ma'lee defeated the gifted but less disciplined La'shaa. (Episode: The Scarecrow Returns) Another story was similar to the Human story of the Roman soldier Horatio who had fought an army at a bridge. Within the Taelon equivalent, the Companion was known as Quo'ee between the Cliffs. (Episode: Heroes and Heartbreak)

Amongst the species was an ancient tale of two twins known as Urath'ma and Shaqarava. At one point according to the mythology, an omen came in the sky and the two argued over its meaning. During the argument, it was Urath'ma who casted his brother into the void but it does not consume Shaqarava; through anquish and denial he emerged with the fury of truth. This burnt away all the illusions of Urath'ma who became known as the voice of all lies. In general, the Taelons feared a figure within their mythology known as the Sleeper. (Episode: Avatar)

A noted fable amongst the species was the story of the great Taelon leader Po'om which spoke of his servant coming to his master after death had smiled at him in the market place. The servant believed that this meant that his demise was approaching and being certain of this, he asked his master to be transferred to the Ge'rom outpost. Po'om agreed to this and later met with death in the market place and asked it why it had smiled at his servant. Death replied stating that it was surprised to see the servant as it had an appointment within him at the Ge'rom outpost. Thus, Taelons believed that the future could be altered but only if fate allowed it to happen. This was because the Taelons never tempted fate which was why they had banned travel in the fourth dimension namely time travel itself. (Episode: A Stitch in Time)

The Taelons also possessed an ancient threat that concerned an entity known as the "Sleeper". (Episode: Avatar) Typically, it was said that "the Sleeper comes, embrace the void" which was considered a dire omen. Their beliefs stated that the "Sleeper" dreamt oblivion onto its enemies leading to their destruction. (Episode: Pandora's Box)

Tactics

The Taelon's attempted to foster better relation's with the Human race and decided to give them access to their interdimensional portal technology. Through the Portal Project, they planned on allowing for a high level of travel for Human's around the world through various Portal Stations. This was also used as a way of secretly conducting experiment's and genetic tests on Human's who were transported into a secret facility where they were in stasis before returning them to their destination. (Episode: Through The Looking Glass) They also attempted a limb restoration project on Humans as part of a public relations exercise where they regrew lost body parts. (Episode: Miracle)

Another method through which they manipulated Humanity was through negative violent event's that they orchestrate in order to cause Mankind to stop certain developments. This was seen in their enhancement of weaponry that could destory Virtual Glass in order to stop Humanity from further developing the technology. (Episode: Moonscape)

Some among the Taelon's believed in terraforming the planet Earth into a replica of the Taelon homeworld though the act would destroy the Human race. (Episode: Subterfuge)

At one point, the race believed that in order to combat their foes they required a return of emotion's and aggression. Thus, an experiment was sponsored to create a type of cross species warrior caste which would be injected with Human DNA to begin the de-evolution of the Taelon to a much more aggressive state. (Episode: Pandora's Box) Other attempt's included bio-engineering experiments on certain Human's into a partially energy based state for the Inter-dimensional Flight Training Program in order for them to better withstand the rigors of space travel. (Episode: Live Free Or Die)

Humanity was seen by some Taelon's as a tool to fight their foes the Jaridians. This initially took the form of a secret programme which took those on death row to the mothership where they were given a series of implants and tasked with fighting one another to develop their bioenhancements. These metahumans were prepped both in mind and body in order to combat the horrors of fighting another alien species. Shortly after arrivsl, all volunteers were subjected to aggressive gene therapy which stimulated the limbic centers of the subjects brains in an attempt to rouse their aggressive instincts. During field test experiments, subjects were forced to fight one another and their visual centers were altered to make them see that they were fighting their mortal enemy the Jaridians. (Episode: Moonscape) As such, they developed the Taelon Volunteer Program which attracted teenagers who became militaristic stormtroopers for the Taelon race. These soldiers were then sent through an Interdimensional portal to fight the Jaridian's in another galaxy. (Episode: Volunteers)

The Synod believed that Humanity should not interact or encounter the Jaridians as they might see something of themselves in their mortal enemy and thus be sympathetic to their cause. (Episode: Gauntlet)

There were a number of tactics as well as programs initiated by the Taelons during their tenure on Earth which include:

• Bio-engineering - the Companions had a history of finding numerous species and genetically modifying them to serve as soldiers, weapons and other similar abilities for use in their war against the Jaridians.
  • Skrills - though once a sentient living race, the Taelons were responsible for subjugating them and transforming them into living weapon implants for their soldiers. (Episode: Scorpion's Dream)
  • Interdimensional Flight Programme - created at some point early during the Taelon's arrival on Earth and made with the approval of the US military. It was designed with taking human soldier volunteers and genetically modify them with the intention of them to survive the rigours of interdimensional flight. This left the subjects with malleable skin and partially energy based bodies. (Episode: Live Free or Die)
  • Controlled Devolution - the Companions never possessed a warrior caste and thus relied on other races to fight their wars. The Synod had at one point authorized the creation of an experiment in devolution which involved the soldier Johnson and the scientist Rho'ha. By the implantation of human genetic material into a Taelon, they successfully brought about the remanifestation of the shaqarava in Rho'ha but the Companion went rogue due to his mindlink with Johnson leading to the end of the project. (Episode: Pandora's Box)
  • Warriors - in order to combat the Jaridians, the Taelons were involved in numerous attempts at enhancing the human race to turn it into a weapon to fight their enemies. Thus, for a time, they took numerous humans on death row to the mothership where they were given numerous warrior implants designed to enhance aggression, capabilities and to fixate them into hating their enemies. One of the successful subjects of this project was Lazarus before he turned against Zo'or. (Episode: Moonscape)

• Improvements - though highly advanced, the Taelons were involved with improving their own technology.
  • Virtual Glass - the Companions gave the secrets of their virtual glass technology to Russian scientists as part of research in further enhancing this item of their technology. (Episode: Moonscape)
  • Forge - a project created by Da'an which was to be the first as well as last line of defense for Earth in wake of the Jaridian invasion. It was primarily overseen by Human scientists who sought to create a means of projecting magma from the Earth's molten core into a weapon that was propelled through ID space at the Jaridian armada. The project was shut down in light of the fact that an interdimensional doorway was formed by the weapon allowing for the Jaridians to nearly reach Earth. (Episode: Heroes and Heartbreak)

• Public Relations - these were programs designed to better the Companion's public image to the Human race.
  • Limb Restoration Program - suggested by Da'an and approved by the Synod, this project was designed with the intention of applying Taelon advanced genetics technology in regrowing lost Human limbs. The first test subject was Julie Payton but she later faced degeneration within her hands but despite this she supported other Humans joining the limb restoration program. (Episode: Miracle)
  • Second Chances - a secret project created by Zo'or and developed by numouerous business groups on Earth. It was designed to give a veritable "fountain of youth" to elderly humans by transforming subjects into energy and reformed into a younger body. A secret aim of this programme was also the implantation of programming within the human brain during the process which rewrote their memories as well as made them loyal to the Taelons. (Episode: Second Chances)
  • Bio-Surrogates - a project created by Da'an with the intention of helping the disabled through a melding of Human, Taelon and Jaridian technology. It was designed with the intention of transfering the mind of a disabled person into a genetically grown body through Jaridian virtual programming. Zo'or later tampered with the project in order to create supersoldiers whose minds would be inhabited by Earth soldiers for use against the Jaridians. (Episode: One Man's Castle)

• Agents - the Companions had a history of using and developing the human race to suit their own motivations.
  • Protectors - after arriving on Earth, the Taelons began to recruit certain Humans to serve as their personal bodyguards who took on the title of Protectors. These individuals were given CVI implants to not only improve their performance but to ensure the loyalty of these agents. (Episode: Decision)
  • Volunteer Program - this was created by Da'an in an effort to help the youths amongst the Human race who were neglected by their parents. The program was designed to impart discipline and training to the young humans allowing them to defend their world if it came down to it. They were initially given implants but only with the subjects consent and so long as they demonstrated the capacity to master them. Zo'or later used the program as a means of creating his own shock troopers for use against the Jaridians. (Episode: Volunteers)

The Taelon's were noted to had adopted a policy of aggressive engagements against the Jaridians. (Episode: Heroes and Heartbreak)

Technology

General

Taelon technology being used to create a cathedral in a matter of moments.

The technology of the Taelons was primarily organic in nature and were capable of growing entire buildings to suit their needs (Episode: Miracle) As such, it was known that their structures such as their embassies were actually living creatures. It was known that failing Taelon systems tended to send a distress signal to other all Companion facilities in an effort to gain assistance. The facilities also possessed their own internal defense system capable of firing numerous energy blasts at intruders that it saw as "intruding aliens". The central processor was the primary control system of living structures with a direct route to them being through arterial conduits that were not designed for Humans. Their computer programming also had their own programming but it was possible to design a virus to bypass this filter system. Despite the difference in technology, it was possible to infect these devices with a computer virus. These structures possessed their own central processors which were capable of infecting further Companion facilities with any corrupt viral program. One of the dangers of this attack was that the living systems of the Taelons were capable of mutating the virus leaving any counter virus in effective. Similar to most living creatures, the living structures had their own immune system which sent massive bursts of energy to purge itself of infection through the conduits. (Episode: Wrath of Achilles) Their embassies were incapable of defending themselves from ships in interdimensional space but if forced into real space, the automatic systems of these living buildings came into effect. They were able to seal themselves into a near impenetrable skin and able to fire numerous energy bolts at enemy vessels. These capabilities made the embassies veritable fortresses for the Taelons. (Episode: Friendly Fire)

The central processor of a Taelon embassy.

One of the noted development's of the race was the creation of Virtual Glass a near transparent substance that was immune to Human weapon's. It was highly durable despite its fragile appearance and apparently did not require to be cleaned. (Episode: Truth) Despite its advanced nature, the Taelons were not above employing Human scientists to help further perfect the technology which involved data on the virtual glass matrix. Whilst it was said to be indestructible, through a specific sequence it was capable of cracking the glass. (Episode: Moonscape) However, the development of the Hammerlin CD-57 Pulse Gun with a transducer resulted in the first weapon capable of breaking through virtual glass. (Episode: )

The genetic technology of the Taelon's was quite advanced in some fields and was capable of restoring fertility in Human women through a regeneration lattice. (Episode: Lost Generation) They also had the capacity to induce regeneration allowing for limbs to be grown for Human's though the process was not perfect and in time brought about the slow degeneration of the regrown organs. (Episode: Miracle) They were also quite capable of gene-engineering individuals with bioenhancements who were given various implants to improve their warrior nature. Furthermore, they had the capacity of transplanting the minds of individuals into other bodies whilst the original was kept in stasis. (Episode: Moonscape)

Further genetic engineering allowed them to create what was termed as Bio-Surrogates which were identical appearing human constructs that were organically grown. These beings were part of a project designed to help the disabled by transfering the victims mind into a biosurrogate body allowing them to live the life of a normal human being. However, the Taelon lacked the means to accomplish the latter feat and thus turned to Jardian Replicant technology which allowed a users mind to be virtually downloaded into a biosurrogate. The project was later tampered and altered by Zo'or who wanted to use them as weapons similar to the Replicants with their programming changed to make them tools of war to fight the Jaridians. These altered organic human machines possessed full complement of Jaridian style weaponry along with threat identification systems programmed into their basic intelligence. (Episode: One Man's Castle) They also demonstrated the means of making Human beings younger through the Second Chance project by having the subjects transformed into energy where their body was scrubbed and reformed into a younger healthier body. (Episode: Second Chance)

The Pad'Ar warriors were considered an improved Bio-surrogate and were to serve as supersoldiers to fight against the Jaridians. (Episode: Pad'Ar) In addition, they were capable of re-engineering a species to turn them into biological weapon's of war such was the case with the Skrill. (Episode: Emancipation) This even included the capacity to transform individual's into a partially energy state in order to better withstand the rigors of interdimensional as well as space travel. (Episode: Live Free Or Die)

The Taelons's were quite adept in the use of deep stasis technology the protocols of which were only known to the Synod itself as a carefully guarded secret. (Episode: Trapped in Time)

Weapons

According to Da'an, the species did not make use of weapons except those designed to disable those of their enemies. One noted ability was an information warfare weapon similar to an electromagnetic pulse designed to shut down technology. (Episode: Better The Devil You Know) The Taelon Mothership had proton missiles as part of its armaments. (Episode: Atonement) They also possessed a form of particle based weaponry. (Episode: Second Wave)

A notably powerful weapon within the Companion's arsenal was the Forge Project which was considered primarily a defensive weapon. It was the combination of a long range weapon emplacement and made use of interdimensional technology which gave it the capacity to easily strike targets that were within 75 light years radius. Initially, Forge had never been fully tested as its use was only contemplated as being a weapon of last resort. Essentially, it was a massive cannon that was capable of propelling a cubic mile of molten magma to a hundred light year radius with accuracy. A problem with the project was that the intense energy created an instability in the interdimensional field that sometimes led to the creation of a latency shard which infected organic beings and dropped them into an interdimensal tear. Furthermore, another problem was that it was possible that the anomaly could travel down into the planet's core where it could become self sustaining thus leading to the creation of a black hole in the center of the world. (Episode: Heroes and Heartbreak)

Another weapon in their arsenal was the deadly Quantum Vortex weapon that was capable of mass destruction on a planet which was capable of killing thousand's of people. (Episode: Scorched Earth) A more devastating weapon was capable of harnessing the molten magma of a planet and projecting it through inter-dimensional space to strike distant targets. However, this weapon resulted in tear's occuring in the fabric of space and created a stable wormhole connecting the two locations (Episode: The Forge)

In terms of personnel weapons, it was known that amongst their Volunteer forces - the Taelons tended to equip these shocktroopers with energy rifles. (Episode: Volunteers)

Implants

The Taelons are quite skilled in the use of biological implants which are placed within the body of a host Human. This includes a security implant that can be covertly placed on a person. (Episode: Street Chase) Another was a neural implant which allowed the visual's of the host to be transmitted to the Taelons making it a surveilance device. (Episode: The Summit)

There was one form of neurological implant that was typically implanted amongst Volunteers. Though believed to be similar to a CVI, they were actually far different as it did not effect the higher reasoning powers of the host body thus they did not possess a motivational imperative or mentally control their host. Instead, they were designed to enhance the senses as well as the reflexes of their subject. Amongst humans, a problem with these implants was that their bodies were not designed to handle this hyperstimulation for long periods. Thus, the hosts of this form of implant had a lifespan of two years at most as their implant began to slowly damage their nervous system. They were easily removed and their hosts often stated that their experiences and perceptions often were different with images being duller and sounds being less sharp. (Episode: Volunteers)

Nanomitters were another form of technology that was capable of being implanted within the body of a person and allowed for access to system's forbidden to normal personnel. This was also capable of producing a link to another Human which was so strong that the other believed the nanomitter equipped person with with them through a form of mind-link. (Episode: Hearts & Minds)

One noted implant was the CVI. Two such cyber viral implant's that possessed an indentical frequency were capable of shorting out the other. If within a host, then this resulted in the death of the Human. Such implant's are produced through the infusion of Taelon energy into Human incubators who are in a zombie-like state. (Episode: Lost Generation) They also made use of Skrill's who served as a weapon implant for the Taelon Volunteer's and Drones. (Episode: Emancipation)

Transportation

Where Human physics recognized only twelve dimensions, Taelon physics had established the existence of sixteen dimensions. As such, they developde touchpoints for Humanity as one of these dimensions crumpled Human's sense of 3d space. (Episode: Horion Zero) This led to the development of one of the trademark aspects of Taelon technology which was the secret of interdimensional flight. They were the sole possessors of the interdimensional drive units allowing them to travel at great distances with ease and was an advantage they had over the Jaridians who were restricted to slower than light travel. (Episode: First of its Kind) A part of the science beyond interdimensional portals was the branching quadratic; this was the threshold where if energy was increased into an interdimensional field then chrono-cohesion broke down to the point where time was not the same in all sixteen dimensions. Such events created a latency that were closed in three dimensions but open in others. If such an instability was made, it was possible for individuals to absorb a shard of interdimensional space into their bodies. These unfortunate beings experienced constant pain as their bodies were warped and eventually they were sucked into the dimensional tear located inside their own bodies. Typically, such deaths occured straight away but the process was capable of being slowed by dampening fields though it was only a matter of time til the latency's instability sucked its occupant into the dimensional hole. (Episode: Heroes and Heartbreak)

Through the technology, they were capable of travelling to distant galaxies with apparent ease. (Episode: Horizon Zero) In addition, they had smaller portal terminals which served as a personal form of transportation between two different locations so long as there was a recieving portal on the other end. After offering humanity the portal system, it quickly became a popular means of global transportation. So much so that the high level of traffic forced the Taelons to chart new interdimensional routes that they had never explored some of which possessed their own forms of life. (Episode: Fissures)

Interdimensional travel required huge power generators such as those found in a portal or in a shuttle engine. Even then, it only created a shorter quicker pathway between two points that served as a form of wormhole through which a body can travel through. This differed it from true teleportation technology that allowed users to travel anywhere in an instant. It was known that the Taelons had been using the portal system for centuries and had not suffered from any incident with them. There had been an attempt at developing true teleportation technology in the past on the Taelon homeworld but the results were a failure. (Episode: Payback)

A cold fusion energy core was capable of powering a transportational portal that can allow travel between two distant locations. (Episode: The Summit) This was quite capable of teleporting individual's or large troop regiment's from Earth to another galaxy. (Episode: Volunteers)

They were capable of using their ID technology to perform a non-invasive form of surgery which was accurate enough to remove fetuses from pregnant women. (Episode: A Little Bit Of Heaven) This was also used to transport Human's into facilities where experiment's were conducted on travelers. (Episode: Through The Looking Glass)

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