Embedded video below
<I’m Rygel clip>
We never get to talk with any of his 600 billion subjects in the original series, save one.
and she didn’t stay long.
So, yes, with Hynerians we have a similar difficulty we have with Leviathans, Luxans, and Delvians – we meet so few of them in the original series. We do know that Rygel is NOT a typical Hynerian. He is royalty, not a commoner. So we know his tiny, shiny, hiny was pampered from birth. And we can assume that not all Hynerians are as selfish, egotistical, self-centered, and condescending as is Rygel. < Supreme Eminence clip >
But here’s what we know about Hynerians. They are less than a meter tall, so smaller than all of the other sentient species we meet. And, yes, that does come in handy for our heroes on Moya. Hynerians are bipedal, though we seldom see Rygel walk. His throne sled is a symbol of royalty and an understandable expediency for Jim Henson Productions. Yes, Hynerians are puppets <I’m nobody’s puppet> Sorry, creatures, or whatever. But they are anatomically correct creature. Hynerians are short and squat, have an extended brow ridge, four digits on each limb, a large mouth leading to three stomachs that apparently must be constantly refilled, and scaly skin, which is green unless frozen.
Hynerians have a high metabolism, as Rygel exhibits constantly, though the one other Hynerian Orrhn, shows us that overeating is not unique to Rygel.
And yes, Hynerians are also known for their distinctive flatulence. < helium clip >
We also learn very early on that Hynerians are aquatic. < You’re aquatic clip >
But Rygel gets no chance to be aquatic until the opening scene of Peacekeeper Wars. One of the very few times where to creators use cgi instead of animatronics. Cool scene though.
Hyneria is the only alien home planet we get to visit, and even then only in the comics. We are shown Hyneria as a rather unimaginative, stereotypical city of the future. Other than that loss to comic book cliches, we do get to see many other Hynerians who have a highly advanced technological society that is every bit a match for the other civilizations. Obviously, the Hynerian Empire is an autocracy. Rygel is “Dominar” and we see a little of the royal court in the comics. We learn that Rygel himself was a tyrant, though now he regrets his actions, having learned much from his time in imprisonment and working with his friends on Moya.
At the end of the comic book cycle, the situation on Hyneria is up in the air, as it is throughout the galactic region. The Farscape story does continue. We need to find out what our friendly neighborhood Dominar and his loyal subjects are up to.