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My previous video looked at the Scarrans, our friendly, neighborhood warlords. Now, I’ll look at the Charrids and the Kalish. I’ll look at them together because of their association with the Scarrans, though the two species are in some ways quite different.
We’ll start with the Charrids, who we meet for the first time in the show’s grim turning point of “Infinite Possibilities.”
<Charrid first appearance clip>
It’s the start of a new stage of the grand story arc, but it also connects us with some backstory.
<Rygel explains clip>
So, Charrids are nasty critters, and butt ugly. They are warlike, but more than anything, Charrids are good at getting shot.
<Charrid battle clips>
We know from Rygel’s comment that the Charrids had been independent of the Scarrans. The reasons behind their recent alliance with the Scarrans are never explained. Who the Charrids are, where they’re from, what their society is like, anything about them is never explained. They are just there to be ugly, smelly, and easy to shoot.
The Charrids on Katratzi function as military police and probably as shock troops and cannon fodder.
<more Charrid battle clips>
It is on Katratzi that we meet the other species working with the Scarrans, the Kalish. Yes, earlier we meet Sikozu, and my video on her discusses the oddities of her character. Because she is at least part bioloid, we can’t assume she is a typical Kalish and we don’t get to know anything more about the Kalish people beyond their function on Katratzi as technocrats.
< Secretary Vakali clip>
Both the Charrids and the Kalish believe they are essential to the Scarran Empire. The Kalish’s belief is probably more accurate because we know that Scarrans are intelligent only because of the flowers.
<dog could beat them at checkers clip>
Secretary Vakali is probably correct that the Scarrans depend on the Kalish’s technical and managerial expertise. Whether they depend on the Charrids is debatable.
<Charrid Kalish argument clip>
The Charrids aren’t very good soldiers, as we’ve seen. How good the Kalish are at anything is less than obvious, though Sikozu sure talks a good game.
We learn from Sikozu that Kalish live in Scarran territory, implying that they were conquered by the Scarrans and assimilated into their empire. The Kalish now work for the Scarrans. Not all Kalish are willing collaborators, and there is a resistance movement. There is no indication of any Charrid resistance to Scarran rule, and Rygel is probably correct that the Charrids are fooling themselves in thinking the Scarrans consider themselves partners.
Farscape the original series was never given an opportunity to fully explore the Scarran Empire, the Charrids or Kalish. What role they have in any future revival is a mystery.