The Dark Crystal: Everything you need to know about the notable races and characters in one of the best movies to come out of the 80's!

With the upcoming release of the Netflix prequel, I figured it's time to get some folks learnt.

I posted this quite a while ago but I'm re-posting (my own content) again for those in need!

This movie was a HUGE part of my childhood. I thought I'd share some fun facts about the characters and races involved in the movie, to give a bit of background and illustrate just how great this movie really is...

Gelflings:

These humanoid, elf-like beings were once a flourishing civilization. Victims of genocide, Jen and Kira are the only remaining Gelflings on Thra, the planet in which The Dark Crystal takes place. When a male and female Gelfling touch one another, they can communicate telepathically using a process called dreamfasting. Female Gelflings also have wings they can use to glide, but not fly.

Notable characters:

Jen (Pictured right) - Adopted by the Mystics, Jen becomes the protagonist of the movie when he is burdened by UrSu, the Master with the task of healing the Dark Crystal to restore peace to Thra. (Voiced by Stephen Garlick and puppet-work by Jim Henson.)
Kira (Pictured left) - Kira was raised by Podlings and is incredibly kind and compassionate. She can speak to all living things, including flowers and other plants. Loves to yell at Fizzgig for being a little shit. (Voiced by Lisa Maxwell and puppet-work by Kathryn Mullen.)

Jen and Kira find each other after believing themselves to be the only remaining Gelflings on Thra. They join forces on the epic adventure that is The Dark Crystal.

Fizzgigs:

A furry dog-like creature with sharp teeth, big mouths, and very loud growls. Found in the jungle areas of Thra. Podlings have domesticated Fizzgigs and keep them as companions and warning systems.

Notable characters:

Fizzgig (Pictured) - Loyal companion of Kira. Don't underestimate this little guy. His role in the movie is much larger than it seems at first glance and is essential in restoring order to Thra.

urRu (Mystics):

Peaceful beings and counterparts of the evil Skeksis. Connected by an astral bond, urRu and Skekis share their fate with their counterpart in death (if an urRu or Skeksis die, the opposite equivalent dies too). The urRu have an extra set of arms and tails and slightly resemble dinosaurs.

Notable characters:

urSu the Master (Pictured) - Jen's mentor and adoptive caretaker. He allows himself to die of old age, first charging Jen with the task of healing the Dark Crystal. By dying, he causes the death of the Skeksis emperor, weakening the Skeksis by the ensuing struggle for the throne. Voiced by Sean Barrett and puppet-work by Brian Muehl.
urZah the Ritual-Guardian - Also voiced by Sean Barrett and puppet-work by Brian Muehl.
urIm the Healer - Puppet-work by David Greenaway
urSol the Chanter - Described as capable of two distinct voices: one deep and the other light, each able to alter it's respective reality. He's the counterpart of SkekSil, the Chamberlain. During a struggle with Jen, SkekSil's hand is injured, resulting in urSol's hand being hurt as well. Puppet-work by Simon Williamson.
urTih the Alchemist - Described as a manipulator of states of matter. He spontaneously combusts when his Skeksis counterpart skekTek falls to his death. Puppet-work by Toby Philpott.
urAmaj the Cook - Associate of urNol the Herbalist. Puppet-work by Hugh Spight.
urNol the Herbalist - Puppet-work by Swee Lim.
urAc the Scribe - He is a chronicler of the "simpler thoughts" of his compatriots. Puppet-work by Hus Levant.
urYod the Numerologist - He is the timekeeper and mathematician among the urRu. Puppet-work by Robbie Barnett.
urUtt the Weaver - The maker of the urRu's robes. Puppet-work by John Pierre Amiel.

Skeksis:

There are 10 Skeksis, one malevolent counterpart to match each urRu. Skeksis are reptilian bird-like creatures with a second set of arms just like the urRu. Unlike the urRu, Skeksis' extra arms have become small and frail, and are often hidden under their cloaks. Each Skeksis is supposed to represent one the seven deadly sins, despite there being 10 of them. (Blame Henson, not me.)

Notable characters:

skekSo the Emperor (Pictured) - Dies of old age near the start of the movie, turning the remaining Skeksis against each other in a fight to take up his throne.
skekZok the Ritual-Master - The courts high priest, governing the others through prophecies and rites invented by himself. Second-most-powerful after the various Emperors. Voiced by Jerry Nelson and puppet-work by Jim Henson.
skekUng the Garthim-Master - The strong, aggressive General who becomes the new Emperor. He represents the Deadly Sin of Wrath. Voiced by Michael Kilgarriff and puppet-work by Dave Goelz and Rollie Krewson.
skekSil the Chamberlain - Exiled after skekUng successfully challenged his claim to the throne; later reinstated after he captures Kira. He is sly and speaks in a wheedling voice that the other Skeksis loathe. Voiced by Barry Dennen puppet-work by Frank Oz.
skekTek the Scientist - A mad scientist performing unspecified deadly experiments on animals, and deriving 'essence' from Gelflings and Podlings to rejuvenate his compatriots. Destroyed by his prisoners at the behest of Kira and Aughra. Puppet-work by Steve Whitmire.
skekAyuk the Gourmand - Commander of slaves where he has them create complex meals for the Skeksis. He represents the Deadly Sin of Gluttony. voiced by Thick Wilson and puppet-work by Louise Gold.
skekNa the Slave-Master - The cruel Slave-Master who oversees the enslaved Podlings at the castle. Voiced by David Buck and puppet-work by Mike Quinn.
skekOk the Scroll-Keeper - The smallest and weakest of the Skeksis, who preserves inaccurate records of their history. Voiced by John Baddeley and puppet-work by Bob Payne.
skekShod the Treasurer - The Court Treasurer. Voiced by Charles Collingwood and puppet-work by Tim Rosee.
skekEkt the Ornamentalist - One of the vainest Skeksis, who designs and makes their garments. Puppet-work by Brian Muehl.

urSkeks:

The urSkeks were the original beings that were split during The Great Division, creating the urRu and Skeksis. The urSkeks are not native to Thra and were part of a race that did not tolerate imperfection. 18 imperfect urSkeks were banished from their home world to planet Thra.

Notable characters:

UngIm - The combined form of Garthim-Master skekUng and Healer urIm.
SilSol - The combined form of Chamberlain skekSil and Chanter urSol.
ZokZah - The combined form of Ritual-Master skekZok and Ritual-Guardian urZah.
AyukAmaj - The combined form of Gourmand skekAyuk and Cook urAmaj.
NaNol - The combined form of Slave Master skekNa and Herbalist urNol.
OkAc - The combined form of Scroll-Keeper skekOk and Scribe urAc.
ShodYod - The combined form of Treasurer skekShod and Numerologist urYod.
EktUtt - The combined form of Ornamentalist skekEkt and Weaver urUtt.
SoSu - The combined form of Emperor skekSo and Master urSu.
TekTih - The combined form of Scientist skekTek and Alchemist urTih.

Podlings:

Native creatures of Thra, Podlings are named after their seed-like pod houses. Podlings are a gentle race and have such a profound connection with their planet they're able to speak to both animals and plants. Many Podlings are kidnapped by Skeksis and used as slaves to assist in their evil bidding.

Notable characters:

Ydra - The adoptive mother of Kira.

Garthim:

Used as soldiers by the Skeksis, Garthim are basically giant beetle-crustacean hybrids that appear to have been mechanically altered in some way. Garthim are portrayed as unintelligent and bumbling beings but are incredibly powerful.

Crystal Bats:

Used by the Skeksis as spies, these winged crystals were bred from artificial crystal and are able to send images back to the Skeksis lair.

Landstriders:

Long-legged quadrupeds native to the forests of Thra. Described in the literature as having ant-eater like faces, despite clearly looking like hairy, long-legged catfish. Landstriders were used a method of transportation by various races, taking advantage of their long legs and massive stride.

The Landstriders were performed by professional stilt-walkers Robbie Barnett, Swee Lim, and Hugh Spight, operating on four stilts.

Aughra:

Aughra is the name of the sole member of an unidentified species. Commonly known as The Oracle, she is a keen astronomer. Aughra maintains an observatory atop a mountain, known as High Hill, which houses an enormous, working orrery of all the worlds orbiting Thra's Three Suns; which she used to predict the Great Conjunction, which was to be used by the Skeksis to manipulate the power of the dark crystal.

A large chunk of this info was taken from the Wikipedia page for the movie and character pages, as well as The Dark Crystal wiki. If you haven't seen this movie I highly recommend checking it out if you have the chance. Not only is it a great story, but an utter masterpiece in puppetry and stage design. The amount of work put into this movie combined with the amazing chemistry between puppeteers and actors is very easy to see and makes the film incredibly fun to watch!

Thanks for reading!