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Taelon

The Taelons are a fictional race of humanoid aliens appearing in the Canadian science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict. The arrival of the Taelons on Earth at first appears to be an unmitigated blessing, their advanced technology bringing great prosperity. Later it appears that they may have a more complex agenda.

History of the Taelons

The Taelons are an offshoot of another alien race, the Atavus. While there is some debate as to the exact events and their sequence, some members of the Atavus race broke off to devote themselves to the pursuit of spiritual perfection, which eventually led to a state of existence as pure energy. The Taelons started out as a cult in pursuit of immortality. The first Taelon was able to successfully take a significant portion of the life energy of another of his race, greatly increasing his lifespan. Other members of the cult followed this practice, eventually becoming beings of pure energy. Their actions sparked the war between the Taelons and the remaining Atavus. This divergence led to the speciation of the Atavus, producing the Taelons and the warlike Jaridians. Conflict between the two branches of the Atavus family has raged ever since (with the Jaridians largely taking the upper hand). The two species despise one another: the Taelons deride the Jaridians as "bloodthirsty heathens with no respect for life", while the Jaridians consider their more philosophically-minded cousins to be weak, arrogant cowards. The final split between the two is believed to have occurred roughly eight million years prior to the events shown in the series, since that is how long the war has been going on between the two races.

At some point, another, separate species called the Kimera bonded with the ancestors of the modern Taelons and Jaridians, irrevocably changing them. Though to precisely what extent is not made clear, it has been established that the Kimera passed down a vestigial energy organ, known as Shaqarava to both the Taelons and the Jaridians. As a result of this "gift" even more specialization occurred as the Taelons found it difficult to control the darker aspects of the Shaqarava and the Jaridians did not. This resulted in the original formation of the Commonality, in order to pacify the Shaqarava and render it dormant.

Taelons share a partial collective consciousness, known as The Commonality, which serves to create a telepathic link between all Taelons. The Commonality does not directly control individual Taelons, nor does it mean that each Taelon may view the thoughts and actions of another immediately, though Da'an is able to use his link to determine Zo'or's actions on at least one occasion. Bel'lie states that Taelons cannot act against the collective will of the Commonality, even if they feel that the majority is wrong. Individual Taelons are nevertheless able to exercise a good deal of free will.

The Commonality also serves to hold Taelons together in their current state. Any Taelon who becomes disconnected from the Commonality (which has happened on at least one occasion) reverts back to an Atavus, with the reappearance of the dormant Shaqarava.

Several centuries into the Common Era, a Taelon scientist named Ma'el visited Earth. Ma'el's task was to assess the suitability of the human race for first contact with the Taelons, which was thought to be integral to the survival of both races in the fight against the Jaridians. Ma'el concluded that humanity was not ready for contact with the Taelons, as he perceived the gulf between the relative intellects of the two species as too great.

Much later, the Taelons arrive in full force despite Ma'el's warning. Referring to themselves as "Companions", they set about eliminating world hunger and poverty. However, some within the human race have reservations regarding their true intentions.

In season two, it is revealed that the Jaridians have reached the Taelons' home planet. Though several "homeworlds" have been referred to by the Taelons, Jaridians and Atavus, this may be the original planet where their biological ancestors evolved. The planet has at least three large natural satellites, though in season one, Da'an mentions that there are four. The fourth may have been small, another body captured by planetary gravity within Taelon history, or an artificial construct. Upon the Jaridians' arrival, they attack the planet and wreak massive destruction, presumably killing the bulk of the Taelon population.

Government

Taelons are ruled by the Synod, a group of thirteen Taelons who make major decisions about their policy, but a body which also considers individual matters if they are important. Members of the Synod have responsibility for different areas of Taelon life: the War Minister, for example, is T'Than. While the Synod generally rules by consensus, they elect a leader from among their number. Leaders have included Quo'on and Zo'or, though for a few days when Zo'or was infected with a deadly virus, T'Than led the Synod, which is taken as an insult to Da'an as he is second in seniority. Other members of the Synod included Da'an, Ku'don, Hoshin, Ra'am (Latin American companion), Bah'or, and Xia'tan. The "Sire of the Synod", presumably its founder, is Ra'jel, the first Taelon.

Once Zo'or assumes leadership of the Taelons, the Synod plays a less significant role. Zo'or may have been given free rein over the Taelons' activities in order to enhance their chances for success.

The Taelons are, more broadly speaking, governed by their own free will and by the Commonality, with individual Taelons being unable to act against the will of the masses. The Commonality holds the consciousness and energy of every Taelon who has ever lived, and their continuance within it after physical death may represent Sh'hariath - what the Taelons consider to be the next level of existence, or afterlife.

Characteristics

Taelons appear as tall humanoids of a slender build. They have pale, mottled skin, and are hairless. They are androgynous and once reproduced asexually. Now they are infertile. They have high, resonant voices.

They are in reality energy-based beings, composed of what they refer to as "core energy": their skin being an artificial façade that they can generate after sampling the DNA of other species. In their natural state, blue-purple energy can be seen coursing through their transparent humanoid form. There are some individual differences: Zo'or appeared more pink-gold in the first season, while Da'an was often more blue-white. The energy state of Taelons is modified slightly for the second season and is gradually seen less and less over the course of the series.

It is said that no Taelon has killed another through violence in millions of years. The only Taelon to have acted directly to kill another is Zo'or, who murdered another of his kind and absorbed their energy. "Killing by proxy" is nevertheless allowed. This is accomplished by playing a Taelon game called foovlasha in which opponents move markers around a three-dimensional playing board composed of three connected spherical wireframes. In such a game, each Taelon channels their energy and consciousness into their moves whilst the commonality sits in judgement. Eventually, one player must channel all their remaining energy into a move and ceases to exist. A foovlasha game played in this way is called p'raj'rath and is the equivalent of a duel to the death.

Taelons have, by human standards, breathtakingly long lifespans. There is a degree of uncertainty as to the actual average lifespan. Anecdotal evidence suggests that 2,500-3,000 years is about average for the Taelons by the time they arrive on Earth. In spite of this, the season 4 episode "Summit" states that when the Taelons and Jaridians split into two species, Jaridian lifespans were shortened by two thirds, while Taelon lifespans were extended by a factor of 200. An earlier episode states that that the Jaridians have lifespans of approximately 20 years, which suggests that, at least at the time of the split, Taelon lifespans were on the order of at least 12,000 years, or possibly more.

The Taelon language is called Eunoia ().

Technology

Living organic biotechnology

Taelon technology is organic, grown from a substance called "bioslurry". Taelon buildings can act as adjuncts to normal buildings, such is the case with Boone's Interspecies Relations HQ in season 1, or grown independently, such as the American Embassy in Washington that is seen between seasons 1 and 4.

Taelon technology is said to be "millions of years" more advanced than human technology. This may be an exaggeration. Although Taelons have been travelling space for at least two million years (during which time they destroyed several of Saturn's moons to create its ring system), the Taelons embark upon "co-ventures" with several human corporations, such as Doors International, to combine Taelon and Human technology. If Taelon technology were millions of years ahead of human technology, such efforts at reverse engineering would not be even remotely feasible. Nevertheless, Taelon technology is well beyond human capabilities to replicate without extensive assistance.

Rather than have standard security systems, as living organisms, Taelon technology has cyber-antibodies, which will attack and attempt to destroy threats. Taelon embassies are also capable of deploying armoured shells in order to facilitate their defence against external threats. The organic theme of their technology is further carried through into their computer systems, which is said to use pseudo-neurons and be receptive to mental symbiosis to repair damage.

Interdimensional travel

Taelons use interdimensional technology for travel. Interdimensional drives are used on Taelon spacecraft to propel them at velocities ranging from several hundred miles per hour to many times the speed of light. Ground-based "portals" create interdimensional pathways between different points and can be used for near-instantaneous transport. The transport does actually take a certain amount of time, but people are placed in a form of protective stasis while travelling through interdimensional space. Portal travel requires both a sending and a receiving device in order to transport a person or cargo. Units range from small portable devices to huge bulk freight portals.

Skrills, living high energy weapons

Taelons visited a planet that was home to a species called the Skrills. Skrills are self-aware and sentient, though their degree of consciousness and sapience is limited. Skrills were subsequently bio-engineered by human scientists who were unaware of the degree of the species' level of consciousness. The original Skrills vaguely resembled a large fleshy scorpion and were fully ambulatory. The bio-engineered species (which itself incorporated several different generations of refinement) was designed as a weapon, almost entirely reliant on its host, acting as a symbiotic parasite. In return for providing massive firepower, the Skrill gained sustenance and a means of getting from place to place. There is a suggestion in the season 1 episode "Scorpion's Dream" that the energy channelling/generation capacities of the Skrill are inherent to their biology: the Taelons' first contact is described as "carnage unceasing". Skrills require a Cyber-Viral Implant in order to be operated, and are only provided to commanders in the Volunteers and to Companion Protectors.

Other weaponry

Other Taelon weaponry generally consists of various types of energy pulses, beams, or missiles.

Brain implants

Companion Protectors, and at least some of the Volunteer Service are implanted with a Cyber-Viral Implant (or CVIs). There are several different varieties of CVIs, but they are all a cross between a Taelon germ and a computer chip. The CVIs given to Companion Protectors improve reading and interpretation speed, provide total recall of memories, and improve basic abilities, as well as allowing the use of a skrill. They also provide a "motivational imperative". This more sinister capacity is used to re-align the priorities of the implanted person so that they consider the interests of the Taelons to be paramount under all circumstances. This has led to Companion Protectors behaving in a way contrary to their pre-implanted nature. For example, before his degeneration into a scheming self-interest, Ronald Sandoval's CVI led him to remove his much-loved wife, Didi, from his life.

The CVI irrevocably alters the brain structure of an implanted person, meaning that they cannot survive without one. This creates a problem when it is found that the earliest generation of CVIs were fatally breaking down. The human immune system eventually rejected the CVIs, destroying the motivational imperative. As, in later seasons, CVIs can be removed, it appears that the brain can heal itself when the CVI is gradually disabled, rather than removed whole.

Surveillance CVIs do not provide any known benefits to the person implanted, but instead transmit whatever the implant sees back to an observer. Most of the Volunteers have CVIs, but of a simpler design, with varying motivational imperatives and attributes. "Drones" have all their motivations redirected, but may not have benefits to the implant.

Spacecraft

Taelons use the same bioslurry for the construction of most of their spacecraft as they do for the construction of their buildings. The craft they use vary enormously in size.

Taelon shuttles are small craft used for transportation across space. The true range of the shuttle is unknown, but one such vehicle makes a journey to Mars in season 1, another, carrying Lili Marquette, travels at least as far as Alpha Centauri (about 4.5 light years), and another, flown by the Taelon Bel'lie, may have made a much longer journey, possibly even from another galaxy. The shuttles are extremely fast by the standards of Earth aircraft, and, from the second season, are armed with a form of energy cannon. The craft, though quite sturdy, are not indestructible, and can be destroyed in crashes or by enemy fire (in one instance, the resistance are able to use a large shoulder-mounted weapon to destroy a shuttle).

The Taelon cruiser is a much larger vessel. Designated as M'Thraa class, these ships are used for heavy combat, though are not sufficiently powerful to engage the largest Jaridian warships. They are used in support of the Volunteer service, a Taelon program for humans who otherwise have nowhere to go, such as homeless people or high-school dropouts who don't live with their parents. These craft are much larger than shuttles: though their exact size is indeterminate, they appear to be between 50 and 200 metres long, usually appearing closer to the lower end of that range. It is possible that there are several, very similar designs with different sizes, though this would make them subject to the scaling paradox (items cannot simply be scaled up or down, as the ratios of strength and their properties will be altered)

A single Taelon scoutship, originally belonging to the Taelon researcher Ma'el, is seen in the third season episode "Time Bomb". Its total dimensions are not revealed with certainty, but it appears to be of a similar scale to the M'Thraa-class Taelon cruiser. The ship is supposedly long-range, but equipped with minimal armaments. Ma'el's ship is equipped with several stasis units though it is unlikely that these are standard aboard other craft of this design, especially as the stasis units appeared to be for human use: Taelon stasis beds appear in season 4 and look quite different.

While most Taelon spacecraft, such as their shuttles and cruisers, are created from the same material as their embassies, there is a notable exception in the Taelon Mothership. While this vessel had an appearance more consistent with other Taelon craft in season 1, in season 2 it is redesigned to be composed of translucent energy currents - more closely resembling the Taelons' energy form itself, and remains in this form until the end of the series. These translucent energy currents are termed "Virtual Glass". In season 4, the mothership is revealed to be shrinking, as the Taelons shut off sections and reclaim their energy for their conservation efforts. The mothership is nevertheless a gargantuan vessel, big enough to be seen from orbit. It is confirmed in the season 4 episode "Dark Matter", that the ship still maintains at least 153 decks, suggesting an overall size of several kilometres. The mothership is a unique vessel, and is the only ship in the Taelon arsenal powerful enough to fight a Sokara-class Jaridian cruiser. The Taelons are able to upgrade its weaponry in season 4 so the final armaments and capabilities of the mothership are unknown. The mothership is equipped with dozens, if not hundreds of shuttles within a vast landing bay. The ship may also house the cruisers seen in the series, though this is not certain: while the mothership's hangar should be sufficient to house several such craft (especially given the indeterminate sizes of both the cruisers and the mothership itself), and anecdotal evidence from the episode "Second Wave" suggests that the cruisers may be either aboard or externally docked, there is no incontrovertible evidence for it. The mothership also acts as a lifeboat for the Taelon people. Within it are a stasis deck, where the remaining Taelons can be preserved when their personal energy supplies dwindle to near-death. There is also a chamber filled with Taelon embryos in stasis, awaiting a renewed supply of core energy. The fate of these embryos is not known.

Cultural practices

P'raj'rath is the cultural equivalent of a duel to the death. This is the only means by which a modern Taelon (one existing after the creation of the Commonality) may kill another. The practice involves playing the foovlasha game to an extreme level. Foovlasha depletes mental energy as it is played. Since the Taelons primarily exist as a manifestation of mental energy, the game can be fatal: at a certain point, one player must channel all his mental energy into a final move, and ceases to exist. Foovlasha can evidently also be played to a lower level as a game rather than as a duel.

Pad'Ar was a ritual form of combat practiced by the ancient Taelons. The arena was formed of three connected rings, with a central node. Opponents would be armed with staves, and the entire arena had a form of simulated gravity so that combatants always had a subjective 'down'. Thus, if a player fell out of any part of the arena, they would continue in that direction until stopped by safety fields. The rings and node represented various elements of the spiritual world, with the staff being symbolic of connections between them. Thus, for the Taelons, Pad'Ar was both a spiritual and a combat experience.

Embracing the void or Ascending to the next level is a kind of Taelon suicide. While Taelons do, to some extent, continue to live on after death within the virtual plane occupied by the commonality, embracing the void is the release of the physical elements of their being. As Taelons are primarily energy-based entities, ascending to the next level requires them to release that energy and relinquish their physical selves. Because of the race's fear of death and extinction, few Taelons choose to embrace the void. On several occasions, Taelons have been compelled to embrace the void through the mass will of the Synod, or the will of the commonality. A Taelon is able to reverse the energy release until the very last second, as shown with Da'an in season 1 episode Live Free or Die.

Hjarth'ra is the banishment of a Taelon spirit from the Commonality. After death, a Taelon's spiritual form can 'haunt' those on the physical plane. Completion of the Hjarth'ra ritual results in a Taelon being forever banished from the commonality and hence ceasing to exist in spirit form. This ritual is usually undertaken only when a Taelon spirit has been irrevocably soiled, or when the haunting threatens the lives of others.

Ka'ath'am is broadly equivalent to puberty. It is unknown if ka'ath'am represents the beginning of an individual's fertile stage of life, or if it is the beginning, middle and end of a reproductive phase. If the latter is the case, then it likely occurs more than once. Only one example of Ka'ath'am occurs in the series, and is experienced by Zo'or, at an apparent age of approximately 1000. Taelon reproduction is still deeply mysterious, but it is hinted Taelons either reproduce only once, but have multiple offspring in their Ka'ath'am (Da'an has at least five children), or that Ka'ath'am occurs periodically. Ka'ath'am is accompanied by uncontrolled releases of small amounts of core energy, difficulty in concentrating, erratic behaviour and occasional loss of consciousness.

Ka'ar'paaj is a meditative Taelon cleansing ritual. Ka'ar'paaj is carried out in untamed areas of the Taelon home planet. An important part of the process is observing the alignment of three of the moons of Taelon. The setup may be artificially created by a virtual reality simulator. Relatively few modern Taelons engage in the ritual, though both Da'an and T'than have been seen to. Zo'or speaks very lowly of the ritual and most likely does not participate in it himself.