Scarran
The Scarrans are a large bipedal reptilian species that appear in Farscape.
Contents |
History
There was Scarran presence within the Sebecean Breakaway Colonies and they dispatched an envoy in the form of Sastaretski Cargn to form a covenant with the people of the Royal Planet. This led to a plot where Cargn attempted to help propel Prince Clavor to the position of leadership of his people and thus betray them to the Scarrans with the resultant act leading to the possible death of millions. After the arrival of Moya and its crew, Cargn's plans were interrupted by the sudden compatability between Princess Katralla and John Crichton. This combined with the appearance of a Peacekeeper Command Carrier in orbit under the command of Scorpius led the Scarran into believing that this was possible the signs of further Peacekeeper invasion into the Breakaway Colonies. Thus, he met with Aeryn Sun in the mistaken belief that she worked for Scorpius in order for her to give a message to her "commander". Following this, Cargn poisoned Princess Katralla's DNA in order to eliminate her. (Episode: Look at the Princess - A Kiss is but a Kiss) An attempt was also made on the life of Crichton but this was thwarted by the intervention of a Peacekeeper undercover operative. (Episode: Look at the Princess - I Do, I Think) After the failure in this plot, Cargn was involved with chopping off the statue-like head of Crichton who was frozen in stasis. However, the head was saved leading to Cargn trying to relocate it where he was opposed by Ka D'Argo and Scorpius. When Prince Clavor attempted to remove himself from his alliance with the Scarran, Cargn mercilessly killed him. Later, Cargn fought both Scorpius and D'Argo but was pushed into a pool of acid by Crichton thus eliminating the envoy. (Episode: Look at the Princess - The Maltese Crichton)
The Imperium later received a diplomatic initiative from Commandant Grayza of the Peacekeepers asking for a secret conference to be held at a commerce planet that held the remains of a fused Leviathan. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon) The Scarrans decided to agree to the conference but this was only a ploy in order to kidnap Grayza. (Episode: Prayer) After agreeing, the Scarrans dispatched War Minister Ahkna along with her adjutant and four Charrids as escorts to the meeting where they met with a similarly armed delegation of Peacekeepers. During the secret conference, Grayza asked for peace with the Scarrans and offered them the entirety of the Luxan Territories as part of the deal. In exchange, the Imperium was to relinquish all claims to the disputed sectors of the Uncharted Territories. War Minister Ahkna was, however, suspicious and stated that this was not an equitable exchange to which the Peacekeeper Commandant highlighted the fact that the Luxan worlds were wealthy whilst there was little value within the Uncharted Territories. She further stated that the Luxans were an expendable asset despite holding a mutual defense pact with the Peacekeepers with Grayza highlighting them as being warriors but not diplomats. Despite this offer, the Scarran delegation spoke about Peacekeeper disarmament though Commandant Grayza stated that the meeting was more about territory rather than a reduction in weapons. The topic quickly shifted to the wormhole weapons supposedly in Peacekeeper hands and the War Minister highlighting that many in the Scarran Hierarchy believing that the Peacekeepers were vulnerable as they possessed no such weapons. Just as the treaty was signed, the Scarrans killed the Peacekeeper protectors leaving only Captain Meeklo Braca and Grayza alive in order to interrogate them. However, the intervention of Aeryn Sun and her allies allowed them to be freed whereupon they escaped Scarran custody as well as repudiated the treaty. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon)
A second diplomatic initiative was later launched by Commandant Grayza who journeyed to the Scarran stronghold base of Katratzi where she met with Emperor Staleek and attempted to bluff her way into the signing of a peace treaty by stating that the Peacekeepers were building more wormhole weapons. The diplomatic meeting involving the Peacekeepers to the Scarrans along with their client races namely the Charrids and Kalish were interrupted by the sudden arrival of John Crichton. But before Crichton could be arrested, he revealed he had a thermonuclear device attached to his lifesigns that guaranteed him along with his crew safety during the conference. Once there, he claimed that he was selling his knowledge of wormholes to the highest bidder which the Scarrans attempted to win whilst at the same time trying to circumvent the explosive device on Crichton. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi) The incident led to no peace being signed with the Peacekeeper delegation and John Crichton escaping with his comrades after they destroyed the Crystherium plants at Katratzi which seriously affected the war footing of the Scarran Imperium as a result. (Episode: We're So Screwed - La Bomba)
Finally, hostilties openly broke out with the Peacekeepers when Scorpius launched a surprise attack against a Scarran fleet. This turned out disastrously for the Peacekeepers as even though the initial attack was successful; the Scarran reprisals were heavy with star system after star system lost to the Scarran Imperium. Emperor Staleek took his flagship and troops to attain the wormhole information from John Crichton. The war ended when Crichton detonated a wormhole weapon from the information in his mind which threatened to destroy all of existence. In exchange for stopping the weapon, the Scarrans agreed to form a tense peace treaty with the Peacekeepers thus ending the war. (Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars)
Overview
Biology
The Scarrans were a powerful and intelligent species who were quite ambitious as well as had the steadfast belief in their own superiority. Not all Scarrans had the same appearance as those belonging to the ruling order had more Humanoid shaped heads. (Episode: I Shrink, Therefore I Am)
One aspect of their biology was their strikingly high body temperature. This allowed them to employ this heat as a tol which gave them heat projection abilities that can be used to extract the truth from their victims. They were capable of even using this to kill their enemies and was projected from their hands.
In addition to this, they possess great strength which combined with their thick hides made them difficult to subdue. This greatly diminished if the heat producing gland was removed which severely weakened them.
A cruel effect of the heat probes was the capacity to direct its power to allow a Scarran to kill a foetus within the womb of its mother. (Episode: Prayer) It was known that it was possible to remove the heat projection gland through surgery which was typically done so to Scarran prisoners in order to deprive them of this ability as well as generally weakened them. (Episode: Fractures) The same gland was also a source of weakness for the Scarrans as the Kalish had developed a specific form of radiation that targeted this biological trait within their species and its emission ultimately killed a member of their kind. (Episode: We're So Screwed - La Bomba)
They were also known to be immune to the effects of Hynerian dermaphollica. (Episode: Episode: We're So Screwed - Fetal Attraction) One item that was essential to their biological development was a flower known as Crystherium which was known to their kind as the "bird of paradise". It was considered a delicacy by their people and was an acquired taste. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi) The plant had an extremely important role for the Scarrans who were typically a simplistic brutish species. Consumption of the flowers actually stimulated mental development and made them more competitive; without the Crystherium, the Scarrans intellectual capacity greatly diminished as a result. (Episode: We're So Screwed - La Bomba)
A member of the species was capable of breeding with other races most notably Sebaceans with limited success creating hybrid offspring. (Episode: Incubator) Male genatalia, also known as mivonks, were not external which meant that a strike at the groin region did little to hurt a Scarran and instead actually wounded the offending party. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi)
Society
The government of the race was the Scarran Imperium which bidded for control over the Breakaway Colonies which was a strategic buffer state between them and the Peacekeepers. They were keen in the development of wormhole technology and weapons.
The leadership of the Imperium was an individual who held the position of Emperor. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi) Politics often dominated the higher authorities of the Scarran Hierarchy with power struggles being apparent amongst political rivals. In fact, it was not uncommon for advancement to the position of Emperor being made by destroying the predecessor of that post. (Episode: Bad Timing) Amongst the highest authorities within the Scarran Hierarchy was that of the War Minister who was third in ranks within their fleet and was typically attended by an adjutant. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon) Despite holding ultimate authority as Emperor, both that post and those of the ministers were capable of being judged harshly for failure by the Hierarchy. (Episode: Bad Timing) Typically, diplomatic negotiations often involved the use of proconsuls. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon) One of the branches of the Scarran government was the Ministry of Dissimulation that was a haven for the spy corps of the Imperium who were involved in intricate plans as well as awarded special identification codes. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Fetal Attraction) A number of laws were dictated by the Hierarchy which included a set out a quarantinee policy that needed to be followed in order to halt the spread of diseases that needed to be followed. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Fetal Attraction)
Scarrans were shown to despise weakness and any signs of this; instead they preferred concepts of strength as well as endurance. (Episode: Incubator) In fact, in lesser races they expected them to bow down in worship especially in the case of members of the ruling order. (Episode: I Shrink, Therefore I Am) Their interrogation techniques meant that they were considered to be very able and good in finding out the truth from captured beings. (Episode: We're So Screwed - La Bomba)
One secret weakness of the Scarrans was their dependency on Crystherium Utilia with the true nature of the flower being so concealed that not even their client races were aware of its importance. The growth of these flowers required specific and rare conditions which meant only a few sites were able to grow them. A single mother plant was needed to fertilize the others and thus was highly valued over the others to the point that they were typically shielded from weapon fire that was a later new addition. As such, the Scarrans were only able to project and propel their power forward from these locations. The destruction of any of these cavernous facilities was able to set back Scarran invasion plans back by hundreds of cycles. (Episode: We're So Screwed - La Bomba)
Within the Scarran nation were a number of client races that served their Imperium in different roles. The first of these were the Charrids who were footsoldiers and warriors that were paid by the Scarrans to fight with them against their enemies. Deployment and actions of the Charrids were ultimately the responsibility of the War Minister. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi) Another species that served the Scarrans were the Kalish who were conquered and served the roles of functionaries in order to continue to survive. (We're So Screwed - Fetal Attraction) Kalish were ultimately responsible for the administration of the Scarran system of government and thus ultimately their empire. Their abilities meant that they served a perfect role as technicians within the Imperium. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi) It was known that there was a great deal of enimity and hatred between the Charrids and the Kalish. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi) The Scarrans were known to possess a formidable advantage in numbers with it being stated that they held a ten to one advantage against the Peacekeepers. (Episode: Incubator)
Scarrans have displayed a keen interest in reproductive genetics with varying degrees of success. Male members of the species were not above raping females of others in order to produce hybrid children in order to test their strengths. (Episode: Incubator) When the Scarrans learn of a race with abilities that interest them, they typically engage in these breeding experiments in order to produce offspring with desirable traits that they could use in their efforts. (Episode: Prayer) The only known case against the Sebaceans was part cruel experiment in order to determine if that species genetics could serve the Scarran cause. This had met with only limited success as there had been 90 such matings with both the offspring and the mother dying in the birthing process. Amongst the only survivors of a successful mating was Scorpius; a Sebacean/Scarran hybrid who was initially raised with the mistaken belief that his father was a Sebacean that forced himself on his Scarran mother. This was in order to instil a hatred of the Sebacean species on the child. Ultimately, it was deemed that Sebecean genetics were useless, even as breeding stock and a change in policy meant that the Scarrans decided to eradicate the entire species. (Episode: Incubator) When foetuses were shown to produce no enhancements within their mothers womb, they were typically terminated through the application of a heat probe. (Episode: Prayer)
They possessed their own language which was described by the species or those familiar with them as the mother tongue. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon) Their kind also had their own blood vows which was a promise made between two individuals on the completion of a certain task. The act involved gutting the finger of one individual after which the person cut their own until they were both dripping with blood. To complete the vow, the individuals were required the suck the blood on the finger. (Episode: Prayer) The Scarrans also held a number of death rituals which involved the leadership caste. (Episode:We're So Screwed - La Bomba)
Technology
The Scarran race were a highly technologically advanced species which made use of massive Scarran Dreadnought's which were similar to the Scarrans themselves in that they were extremely difficult to destroy. Amongst their starships included large ore freignters. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon)
A noted piece of technology of the Scarrans was the capacity of employing complex methods of interrogation that created delusions in a subject's mind which slowly collapsed the person's mental resistance to information exctraction. The medical technology of the Imperium were equally advanced as it allowed them to possibly recover incumbent knowledge from the fetal DNA. (Episode: Prayer)
Among the technological abilities of the species was the capacity to create perfect replicas of organic beings who were actually robotic constructs known as bioloids. This allowed them to insert sabotuers disguised as enemy friendlies and thus subvert them for the Scarran cause. The devices used in their construction replicated living flesh and were previously known to the Peacekeepers but never encountered. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon)
They also made use of small robotic drones called Sentinels that served as guards and looked similar to DRDs but were more offensively orientated. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Fetal Attraction)
Members
- Staleek : male ruling caste who was Emperor of the Scarran Imperium. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Hot to Katratzi)
- Ahkna : female ruling caste who held the position of War Minister. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon)
- Pennoch : male Scarran who served as adjutant to War Minister Ahkna as well as her enforcer. (Episode: Bringing Home the Beacon)
- Tauza : female Scarran who was responsible for oversight of the hybrid Scarran/Sebecean known as Scorpius, she taught him strength and endurance whilst she watched over him onboard a Scarran Dreadnaught. He ultimately escaped from her captivity though she managed to recapture him until Tauza was killed by his hands.
- Axikor : male ruling caste Scarran who disguised himself as a Coreeshi bounty hunter and led members of that species to capture John Crichton and Scorpius. Ended up killing the Coreeshi and fighting Crichton where he was killed when John shrunk him whereupon the Scarran was stepped on. (Episode: I Shrink, Therefore I Am)
- Jenek : male of the ruling caste, he was a freighter captain who captured Aeryn Sun and attempted to learn more about Crichton's wormhole knowledge through her. Discovered that she was pregnant with Crichton's child and attempted to use that as leverage until she was rescued. (Episode: We're So Screwed - Fetal Attraction)
Planets
- Katratzi : a small fortified moon that was said to be the seat of Scarran pwoer which disgusied its presence by mirroring the orbit of one of the moons of Trilask. (Episode: Prayer)
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