Lexx
Encyclopedia
Lexx is a science fantasy
television series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the organic space craft Lexx. They travel through two universes and encounter planets including a parody
of the Earth.
The series is a Canadian and German co-production, with some additional funding from Britain's Five. Not originally produced for a US network, the series features more sexual innuendo
and nudity
than audiences in the United States are generally accustomed to seeing in non-premium programming. The Sci Fi Channel
purchased the series from Salter Street Films
and began airing versions of Season 2 episodes for United States' audience in January 2000.
Lexx was co-produced by Salter Street Films, later absorbed by Alliance Atlantis
. In Canada, Lexx aired on the Alliance Atlantis-owned Showcase
network.
The series was primarily filmed in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada
) and Berlin (Germany), with additional filming on location in Iceland
, Bangkok (Thailand), and Namibia
.
The crew of the Lexx includes:
The plot unfolds across a time span of over 6,000 years. Kai's death (or undeath) occurs roughly 2000 years before the beginning of the events of the series. For the first two seasons, each episode is focused on space travel and usually one different planet; The last two seasons focus on a single location for each season, used for all episodes. At the beginning of Season 3 the crew spends about 4,000 years in cryostasis. In Season 4, the Lexx reaches our Earth in the present.
Kai needs protoblood to live outside of his cryochamber. Looking for protoblood, the Lexx returns to the Cluster to learn that a huge insect survived. This insect had controlled The Divine Order and His Divine Shadow in order to eat all human inhabitants of the 20,000 planets. The insect then begins a metamorphosis into the Gigashadow. Gigashadow produces protoblood. With the help of Zev, Kai manages to fill up his store of protoblood. Kai places the cluster lizard Squish in the brain of the insect and thus is able to destroy it.
In the meantime the crew keeps getting into difficult situations and is usually rescued by Kai. At the end of the season they destroy Mantrid. Unfortunately the Light Universe is also destroyed. The crew flees into the Dark Zone.
The crew meets people they knew from the Light Universe, but these survivors can not remember their past in the parallel universe, though their personalities are still the same. Fire is ruled by the charismatic Prince. Water doesn't seem to have a ruler. The inhabitants of both planets live in isolated towns. On Water they live on islands in a huge ocean and on Fire there are big towers divided by desert.
Prince wants to win the crew over to his side, especially Xev. The Prince tests their sense of morality through various temptations. The crew is frequently separated, forcing them to act individually. After jumping from the Lexx to the surface of Fire, Kai has trouble functioning normally without the other crew members. On Water, deep beneath its surface, Kai encounters his soul essence which awaits rebirth. Stanley dies and a trial is held over the destination of his soul. All his bad decisions are weighted against his good deeds and he is sentenced to eternal punishment on Fire.
At the end of the season both planets Fire and Water are destroyed, and Stan's soul is set free and is able to return into his body, though he can not remember what happened to him on Fire. The souls of all inhabitants of Fire and Water are also released, and travel to a planet that looks like Earth.
The Lexx travels to Earth looking for food. It is located in the very center of the Dark Universe and the crew assumes that it must be a very dangerous place. The President of the United States accidentally destroys Orlando, and frames Cuba for the act to justify his destruction of that nation.
The crew again meet several people they knew from the Light Universe, and from Fire and Water. Only Prince is able to remember his life on Fire.
Kai's soul is stuck because he is undead, and he decides to die to release his soul. To do this, he must regain his mortality. He plays chess with Prince to regain mortality and wins, but Kai remains dead.
The Earth is threatened by a being that resembles Lyekka. The crew finds out that the fake "Lyekka" destroyed all human life on her way through the Dark Zone. Kai decides to destroy the asteroid that is the source of the entity. Prince keeps his promise and restores Kai's mortality. Minutes later, Kai finally dies destroying the asteroid, saving all inhabitants of the Dark Zone.
-sized, planet-destroying bioship
in the shape of a giant wing
less dragonfly
. It was grown by ingesting organ collections from the protein bank on the Cluster, the seat of the Divine Order, for use by His Divine Shadow
. The Lexx was originally intended as the ultimate deterrent
: the threat of a weapon that could instantly obliterate any planet would keep the remaining "Heretic" worlds of the Light Universe in line, and those that refused to capitulate would be summarily destroyed to reinforce the point. This plan was foiled when the crew commandeered it to escape from the Cluster.
The most important function of the Lexx is its ability to destroy entire planets with a single, high-powered blast. Its only weapon is initiated by command from the captain only, followed by a highly dramatic sequence when the Ocular Parabola found on the surface of its eye tissue flips from a smooth surfaced dome into a complex array of satellite dish-like structures. Huge amounts of yellowish-orange particles are released en masse from the array and focused by Lexxs nervous system to a point just above its mouth. Once focused, the particles burst into a massive, forward-moving, planar wave which expands ahead of the Lexx exponentially until colliding with an object of sufficient mass to disperse it, usually a planet. The wave instantly vaporizes smaller ships without losing momentum. Though the Lexx is designed to destroy entire planets, it can fire less intense blasts to hit smaller targets; however, the smallest area it seems capable of destroying is roughly the size of an entire city such as Ottawa
.
A special living energy being known as the "key" is required to control the Lexx, and it will usually only respond to its owner. However, if the ship is in a deficient mental state, it may respond to anyone. A special holographic hand-scanner on the bridge
confirms that the captain of the ship possesses the key. The captain then controls the Lexx through voice commands.
The Lexx itself is sentient, but not very intelligent. The show's creators have it compared to a dog. The Lexx often takes orders literally, even when it's not being addressed directly (Stan accidentally orders the Lexx to destroy a planet when he explains its function to some astronauts). It acknowledges commands and comments with a droning
, simple male voice; for example, "As you command, Stan." The Lexx has emotions (it actively enjoys destroying planets, for instance, and becomes rather petulant when denied the opportunity), and is, to a small extent, capable of acting of its own accord when in defense of itself. In the final episode of the show, as the Lexx is dying, it tells Stan that he was always its favorite captain, since they both enjoy destroying planets.
Being alive, the Lexx needs to eat. It can digest any form of organic matter, and will usually land on a planet's surface to scoop up suitable organic foodstuffs; however, it is content to simply blow up a planet and feast on the sizable chunks. When denied food, the Lexx can become rather cranky, but will always attempt to follow orders no matter what is happening. The moral dilemma of destroying inhabited worlds for Lexxs functioning and survival is a recurring plot theme, and occasionally Lexx will swallow passing ships without informing the crew. Another means of collecting energy is to "resorb" discarded items left on its floors.
The Lexx has various amenities for the crew, though unusual in their implementation. It has showers which use long, phallic, writhing shower-heads that are activated by squeezing a pair of nearby balls. Food suitable for the crew consists of a blue paste-like substance, which is squirted from phallic dispensers, much to Stan's disgust. Lexx has commodes that use large, waggling tongues for user sanitation. A cryo-chamber is also available, primarily used by Kai to preserve his protoblood supply.
The Lexx also hosts a contingent of smaller bio-engineered ornithopter
-like craft called "moths", which the crew often use for short-range travel in space, in a planet's atmosphere, or even within the vast Lexx itself. The moths are insect-like ships (as befits their name), and twitter constantly as they travel. The moths fly themselves, with a joystick used by the occupants only to direct their movement. The moth only uses its wings when in an atmosphere, and has a "jet pack" of sorts on its underbelly when traveling through space. Stan usually sleeps in the husk of one of the dead moths. The Lexx has a crew of moth breeders, zombie-like
human slaves re-engineered entirely for moth breeding, to produce these craft when necessary.
When the Lexx arrives on Earth
, it becomes pregnant after an encounter with an Earth dragon fly, suggesting that the ship is in fact female even though it speaks in a male voice (in the English-language version; the version shown in Germany
gave the ship a female voice). Similarly, when a sex-changing virus sweeps through the ship, the Lexx is affected and develops stereotypical feminine characteristics, suggesting that it is normally male.
The Lexx ages several thousand years during the run of the series, and in later seasons its advanced age and decrepitude following millennia of starvation and neglect lead to it becoming increasingly unstable. In the final episode of the series, Lexx dies, giving birth to a smaller, very Lexx-like ship, the result of a brief union with an insect from Earth. The new ship, dubbed "Little Lexx" by Stan and Xev, imprints upon Stan when he tells it that he is its captain. This causes Little Lexx's key, blue instead of Lexx's yellow, to bind with Stan's right hand.
The Light Universe was completely dominated by His Divine Shadow
and the League of 20,000 Planets, while the Dark Zone is often referred to as the universe of evil, chaos, and depravity. The Brunnen-G originally lived in the Dark Zone on Brunnis, until their sun was no longer able to support life, after which they moved to Brunnis-2 in the Light Universe. Earth
is located at the center of the Dark Zone, as are Fire
and Water
, planets that are similar to hell
and heaven
.
Most of the matter in the Light Universe was converted into biomechanical drones (Mantrid drones) by Mantrid
, who then caused a Big Crunch
by summoning all the Mantrid drones to a single spot in the universe to do battle with the Lexx. Little matter escaped into the Dark Zone, most of it being the Lexx itself.
The Dark Zone is the parallel universe
that His Divine Shadow
cannot enter. The Dark Zone is referred to as the universe of chaos and disorder. It is also where the crew finds, among other inhabited planets, Earth, where they spend the entirety of the fourth season. At the end of the first movie, "I Worship His Shadow", the Lexx enters the dark zone through a fractal core located using coordinates found inside one of Stanley Tweedle's teeth. The Lexx remains in the Dark Zone during the second and third movies, and parts of the fourth. The Lexx returns to the Light Zone in the first episode of the television
series. Following the destruction of the Light Universe (or Light Zone) by Mantrid's drones (at the end the second season), the Lexx is shifted into the Dark Zone where they remain for the rest of the show.
as a means of controlling the human population of the Light Universe, and ultimately to use them to destroy themselves (since as stated by His Divine Shadow
, being the last of the insects, he alone could not destroy all of humanity). It is ruled over by His Divine Shadow
, who gets advised by the previous brains that were inhabited by the essence of the shadow, known as Divine Predecessors.
, Stan, and Kai
escape in the beginning. His Divine Shadow
, his Divine Predecessors, and religious leadership rule from The Cluster. The Cluster is the capital of the Divine Order, center of the bureaucracy, and place where all criminals/heretics are taken for punishment (provided they survive the trip). The planet has become an over centralized, overcomplicated mess, with most decisions being automated by an impersonal computer system prone to devastating and/or deadly mistakes at the slightest technological malfunction.
Humans also created humanoid robots. They are cyborgs and are designed for specific tasks.
All lifeforms in the two universes understand each other, so they seem to speak the same language. The Brunnen G song is the only hint of another language, it is sung in the ancient language of the Brunnen G.
790 is a humanoid robot. Originally it possessed a human body, a robot head and a small part of a female human brain. Unfortunately its body was eaten by a cluster lizard early in the first movie, but it can survive even without a body.
Mothbreeder are also cyborgs. They were specially designed for mothbreeding and have very limited intellectual capabilities.
A nameless surviving insect hides on Cluster, the main planet of the League of the 20,000 planets. It rules through the Divine Order and His Divine Shadow over the humans of the 20,000 planets. In the fourth movie of the first season it becomes the Gigashadow.
Physically a human, His Divine Shadow as representative of the Divine Order is controlled by the insect on Cluster. According to the prophecy His Divine Shadow will be killed by a Brunnen G after he leaves the Cluster.
After the death of a Divine Shadow his brain is removed and transferred into a device that maintains his vital functions over hundreds of years. The brains of the Divine Predecessors are stored on large columns. They are able to communicate with each other and with His Divine Shadow. The bodies of the Divine Predecessors are sent to Ruuma. There they live a life similar to zombies.
Lyekka becomes the fourth regular crewmember. She is a carnivorous plant and resembles an early love of Stan. Lyekka is hungry all the time, but she refrains from eating the crew because she likes them. She usually eats additional passengers on board of the Lexx . At the end of Season 2 her pod is attacked by Mantrid drones, and she is thereby doomed to die. She sacrifices herself for the crew and helps to defeat Mantrid.
"Lyekka" in Season 4 is a colony of plants that made it to the Dark Zone. She pretends to be the Lyekka whom Stan once knew in order to win the confidence of the crew. She and her colony are the source of the killer carrots sent to earth. On their tour through the Dark Zone, they devastated all planets they encountered. All life on the planets became extinct. Earth is next. After destroying Tokyo, it comes to a showdown with the LEXX and crew.
song is sung by Cam Hawkins, Marty Simon and Stan Meisner.
The Brunnen-G song is first sung in the first scene of the first episode ("I Worship His Shadow", 1.1) by the still living Kai and his companions trying to defend their homeplanet Brunnis-2. The Brunnen-G song is sung in the ancient language of the Brunnen-G and it is the only hint at a different language in the whole Lexx- Universe. The Brunnen-G on Brunnis in The Dark Zone traditionally sang the song preparing for battles and to assure themselves that it's all about the struggle.
Kai sings the Brunnen-G song in some of the following Lexx- episodes especially in critical and hopeless situations. In the episode "The Rock" (4.6) Kai plays the Brunnen-G song in a pub on the piano and thus creates a jazzy version. At the end of the episode the whole pub sings the song in an Irish folk style.
The last episode of the fourth and last season ("Yo Way Yo", 4.24) derives its name from the Brunnen-G song. Kai sings the Brunnen-G song when he kills the last remnants of the Plant Civilisation.
From the third Season on the Brunnen-G song is the intro of the series.
All songs are performed by the actors themselves:
on 18 April 1997, consisted of four two-hour TV movies (sometimes screened as eight one-hour episodes), alternatively titled Tales from a Parallel Universe. However, some episode guides don't list the two-hour movies as a series but list the subsequent seasons as the first through third.
The second season consisted of twenty 48-minute episodes, with an overall story arc concerning an evil scientist called Mantrid, who attempts to kill everyone by converting the entire mass of the universe into one-armed Mantrid drones.
The third season comprises 13 episodes in which the Lexx is trapped in orbit around the warring planet
s Fire
and Water
, and the crew encounters Prince
, the enigmatic and cheerful evil
ruler of Fire
, who is much like the Devil
, though he actually identifies himself as death incarnate at the end of season four. The two planets orbit
each other at an extremely close distance, and share a tunnel of atmosphere
between them, allowing the inhabitants of Fire to carry out raids on Water to cause chaos. Fire is filmed between the dune
s of Namibia
and the Gothic architecture
of Berlin
. Prince reincarnates whenever it suits him. Water appears to have no opposing ruler, and contains a small population of hedonists
on floating island
s.
In the fourth and final season of 24 episodes, the Lexx arrives at Earth
in the year 2000, only to find that Prince (now named Isambard Prince and head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which more or less runs the United States) and several other old adversaries have also arrived there. Between them, Prince and the Lexx manage to demolish large chunks of the Earth — including Orlando, Florida
; Ottawa
(a Canadian metonymical
in-joke);Tokyo and Holland, which the Lexx eats — before the climactic final episode, televised on 26 April 2002.
The Lexx is responsible for the destruction of Fire, Water, Pluto, Mars, Venus, and lastly Earth.
Also, Priest, the President of the United States, manages to destroy via thermonuclear bombs the following countries or territories: Cuba, Newfoundland, Vietnam.
Acorn Media released seasons 2-4 on DVD in single volume collections as well as complete season sets in 2002-2004. These releases have now been discontinued and are out of print.
On October 7, 2008, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment released season 1 on DVD in the US only.
In Canada, Alliance Home Entertainment
has released all four seasons on DVD.
Region 2
Seasons one to three of Lexx were released on VHS and Region 2 DVD in the UK by Contender Limited, although the Season 3 DVDs were initially exclusive to the MVC Entertainment chain of stores and all volumes have since been deleted. Contender failed to obtain the rights to Season 4, which instead went to Momentum Pictures
(a subsidiary of Alliance Atlantis
). Momentum Pictures has not yet released any DVDs.
MediumRare Entertainment released the complete run of Lexx in a 19-disc boxset in the UK in early 2011.
All four seasons were also released on Region 2 DVD in Germany
. Unlike the rest of the world (bar Australia), the German DVDs of season 1 do still appear to be in print . However, the episodes of the first season of the German DVD release were cut to receive a 16 and up rating.
Region 4
Beyond Home Entertainment released all 4 seasons on DVD in Australia in 2007/2008. On May 13, 2009, Beyond Home Entertainment released Lexx- The Complete Series, a 19-disc boxset featuring all 61 episodes of the series in a special collectible tin.
and Hulu
(recently expired on Hulu) both offer streaming versions of all Lexx episodes. The versions available are the editions edited for US broadcast.
Lexx was shown originally on Global Television Network
in Canada, then later picked up by Space, Channel 5 in the UK and then the Sci-Fi Channel
in the United States. On Sci-Fi, it aired in the same Friday night lineup as Farscape
, and the somewhat similar set-up for both shows (with a misfit crew flying through space on a huge, living starship) was often noted by critics, despite Lexx having premiered two years prior to Farscape
. Lexx did achieve some mainstream notice (with Xenia Seeberg as "Xev" appearing on the cover of TV Guide
, for instance).
Lexx was voted 23rd in a recent poll by SciFiNow
magazine in June 2009 in the '25 Greatest Sci-Fi TV Shows'
Unlike the DVD edition, the German TV release was re-cut to include some flashback scenes at points where they mattered within the story, and not in the chronological order in which they happened. For example, Stanley's capture by the pirates was shown as a flashback in the fourth episode ("Gigashadow") of the miniseries, whereas the DVD version includes it prior to the Cluster scenes early on in the first episode of the show, somewhat out of context.
Science fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
television series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the organic space craft Lexx. They travel through two universes and encounter planets including a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the Earth.
The series is a Canadian and German co-production, with some additional funding from Britain's Five. Not originally produced for a US network, the series features more sexual innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
and nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
than audiences in the United States are generally accustomed to seeing in non-premium programming. The Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
purchased the series from Salter Street Films
Salter Street Films
Salter Street Films was a Canadian television and film production company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.- History :The company was founded by brothers Paul and Michael Donovan in 1983. Paul Donovan was trained as a director at the London Film School; Michael graduated from Dalhousie University’s...
and began airing versions of Season 2 episodes for United States' audience in January 2000.
Lexx was co-produced by Salter Street Films, later absorbed by Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon and Sydney.Alliance Atlantis was acquired by Canwest...
. In Canada, Lexx aired on the Alliance Atlantis-owned Showcase
Showcase Television
Showcase is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media. Showcase is a predominantly fiction-based service centred around scripted television series and films....
network.
The series was primarily filmed in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
) and Berlin (Germany), with additional filming on location in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Bangkok (Thailand), and Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
.
The crew
The crew of the Lexx is motivated largely by fear, lust, and insatiable hunger — factors which gradually came to dominate the storylines more and more, eventually making Lexx famous for its sexual themes and often bizarre storylines. Each episode in the later seasons takes the crew through another stage of their journey through chaotic, hostile universes without any legitimate authority while exploring the relationships between the protagonists and their individual histories.The crew of the Lexx includes:
- Stanley H. TweedleStanley TweedleStanley Tweedle is a character on the science fiction series Lexx.-Background:Originally an "assistant deputy backup courier" for the Ostral-B Heretics against His Divine Shadow, an evil galactic dictator, Stanley H. Tweedle was given a responsibility that he really did not merit: smuggling the...
(Brian DowneyBrian Downey (actor)Brian Downey is a Canadian actor perhaps best-known for his portrayal of Stanley Tweedle, in the science-fiction television series Lexx....
) of planet Ostral-B, Security guard 4th class, the Arch Traitor, agent of a failed rebellion, and, by accident, captain of the Lexx - Zev/Xev BellringerZev (later Xev) BellringerZev of B3K is a major character on the sci-fi television show Lexx. Zev was portrayed by Eva Habermann and Xev is portrayed by Xenia Seeberg; fat Zev was portrayed by Lisa Hines in "I Worship His Shadow" and "Woz"....
of planet B3K, a half cluster lizardCluster LizardCluster lizards are a fictional species of carnivorous reptile on the science fiction series Lexx.These lizards exist on The Cluster in the Light Zone, where they are sometimes used as a means of capital punishment. They often roll themselves into a tire shape when moving, and somewhat resemble...
, and half renegade love slaveLove slaveA love slave is a person that, usually, would do anything for affection from their "master". Love slaves can be men or women.-See also:*Dominatrix*BDSM*Male dominance*Female chauvinism*Kajira*Misandry*Misogyny...
. Played by Eva HabermannEva HabermannEva Felicitas Habermann is a German actress who has appeared in numerous films and TV series. She is best known for playing the role of Zev Bellringer in the television series Lexx...
(as Zev) in the first season and the first 2 episodes of the second season, and Xenia SeebergXenia SeebergXenia Seeberg is a German film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Xev Bellringer in the science fiction television series Lexx. She also debuted as a singer in 1996 on the EMI Electrola label with her maxi single "Heartbeat"...
(as Xev) thereafter. - KaiKai (LEXX)Kai, Last of the Brunnen-G, is an undead assassin on the science fiction television show Lexx. He is played by Michael McManus.-Character history:...
(Michael McManusMichael McManus (actor)Michael McManus is a Canadian actor, known for his portrayal of characters such as the ex-assassin Kai, in the sci-fi series Lexx.-Early life:Michael McManus was born in London, Ontario, Canada...
), last of the Brunnen-GBrunnen-GThe Brunnen-G are a race of humanoids on the TV series Lexx. They were a society of romantic warriors, most famous for their key part in defeating the Insect Civilization during the Insect Wars...
, an emotionless, undeadUndeadUndead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
Divine AssassinDivine AssassinDivine Assassins are fictional characters in the science fiction television series Lexx. They are portrayed as undead creatures that carry out the will of His Divine Shadow, in adherence to a religious cult called the Divine Order....
. - 790790 (robot)790 is a robotic character on the science fiction series Lexx.790 is simply a head with three screens, two displaying eyes, the last displaying a mouth. His original semi-organic body was devoured by a Cluster Lizard, during Zev's love slave transformation...
/791/769 (Jeffrey HirschfieldJeffrey HirschfieldJeffrey Hirschfield is co-developer of the international cult science fiction series Lexx. He wrote for three of its four seasons and voiced the character of the robot head 790....
), a robot head that received the love slave programming meant for Zev, in love first with Zev, then, starting in season 3, with Kai. - The Lexx itself (voiced by Tom Gallant), with which Stanley regularly interacts.
- LyekkaLyekkaLyekka is a character on the science fiction series Lexx.Lyekka is not human. She is, in fact, a man-eating plant. She originally came onboard when her space-travelling pod came in contact with The Lexx...
(Louise WischermannLouise WischermannLouise Wischermann is a former actress who is best known for her appearance in the science-fiction television series LEXX....
), man-eating plant woman and occasional Lexx crew member.
Villains
- His Divine ShadowHis Divine ShadowHis Divine Shadow is a fictional character in the TV series Lexx. He is portrayed as the absolute ruler of the Divine Order and the League of 20,000 Planets.-His Divine Shadow:...
, ruler of the Divine Order (first season) - The GigashadowGigashadowThe Gigashadow is the last fully grown denizen of the long-lost Insect Civilization, in the sci-fi television series Lexx.- The Back Story :...
, last of the Insect CivilizationInsect CivilizationIn the science-fiction television series Lexx, the Insect Civilization is an ancient race of massive millipede-like organisms bent on destroying the Brunnen-G and all of Humanity.-The Early War:...
(first season) - MantridMantridMantrid was the main antagonist of the second season of Lexx. He was played by Dieter Laser.When he was alive, he was the supreme Bio-Vizier of His Divine Shadow , until His Shadow exiled him to a barren snow-covered world...
(Dieter LaserDieter LaserDieter Laser is a German actor.He is known to English speaking audiences for his roles in Lexx, The Ogre and The Human Centipede , for which he won "Best Actor" at the Austin Fantastic Fest....
), supreme Bio-Vizier with a vast army of robot arms (second season) - Isambard PrinceIsambard PrincePrince is the main antagonist of season three and a main antagonist in season four of Lexx. In season three he is the cruel ruler of the Planet Fire and in the fourth season he reappears as Isambard Prince, head of the United States' Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and secret master of...
(Nigel BennettNigel BennettNigel Bennett is an English actor/director/writer who has been based in Canada since 1986. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series Forever Knight, for which he won the Canadian Gemini Award for best supporting actor in a dramatic series.-Life and...
), ruler of the planet FireFire (LEXX)In the sci-fi television series LEXX, the fictional planet "Fire" is the afterlife for all evil souls, and the location for much of Season 3. It shares a tight mutual orbit and an atmosphere with the Planet Water, which is the afterlife for all good souls...
/head of the ATF (third and fourth season)/the Angel of Death (final episode) - GiggerotaGiggerotaGiggerota the Wicked is a character played by actress Ellen Dubin on the science fiction series Lexx.Giggerota the Wicked is a cannibalistic female creature from the Light Zone...
(Ellen DubinEllen DubinEllen Dubin is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her part in the television mini-series Lexx, playing the role of Giggerota.Dubin was born in Toronto, Ontario. From 2004-2006 Dubin starred in the TV series The Collector as Jeri Slate. She was nominated for a Gemini Award for this role...
), cannibal/queen/real estate agent/Pope
Plot summary
The main characters of the series are the Lexx and her crew. The crew consists of the captain of the Lexx, Stanley H. Tweedle, the loveslave Zev/Xev,the undead former assassin Kai, last of the Brunnen-G, and the love-crazed robot head 790. Together they are looking for a new home. The background conflict of the series is the war between Mankind and the Insect Civilization, in which each side seeks the annihilation of the other. It was foretold to Kai that one day he will destroy the last remnant of the Insect Civilization.The plot unfolds across a time span of over 6,000 years. Kai's death (or undeath) occurs roughly 2000 years before the beginning of the events of the series. For the first two seasons, each episode is focused on space travel and usually one different planet; The last two seasons focus on a single location for each season, used for all episodes. At the beginning of Season 3 the crew spends about 4,000 years in cryostasis. In Season 4, the Lexx reaches our Earth in the present.
First season
Stan, Zev and Kai accidentally steal the Lexx, the most powerful destructive weapon in the two universes. After successfully fleeing from the Cluster, the main planet of the League of the 20,000 Planets, they are looking for a new home.Kai needs protoblood to live outside of his cryochamber. Looking for protoblood, the Lexx returns to the Cluster to learn that a huge insect survived. This insect had controlled The Divine Order and His Divine Shadow in order to eat all human inhabitants of the 20,000 planets. The insect then begins a metamorphosis into the Gigashadow. Gigashadow produces protoblood. With the help of Zev, Kai manages to fill up his store of protoblood. Kai places the cluster lizard Squish in the brain of the insect and thus is able to destroy it.
Second season
The main conflict of the second season is the fight against Mantrid, the former biovizier of His Divine Shadow. The crew had inadvertently helped him transfer his mind into a machine in the first episode of the season while accidentally fusing it with a remnant of His Shadow. Mantrid's goal is to transform all matter in the Light Universe into Mantrid Drones.In the meantime the crew keeps getting into difficult situations and is usually rescued by Kai. At the end of the season they destroy Mantrid. Unfortunately the Light Universe is also destroyed. The crew flees into the Dark Zone.
Third season
The Lexx is running out of food and must fly slowly to conserve energy. 790 computes that it might take thousands of years until they reach an inhabited planet. The crew enters cryostasis to survive the voyage. After 4,000 years in cryostasis, they reach the twin planets Fire and Water. The entire third season takes place on these two planets.The crew meets people they knew from the Light Universe, but these survivors can not remember their past in the parallel universe, though their personalities are still the same. Fire is ruled by the charismatic Prince. Water doesn't seem to have a ruler. The inhabitants of both planets live in isolated towns. On Water they live on islands in a huge ocean and on Fire there are big towers divided by desert.
Prince wants to win the crew over to his side, especially Xev. The Prince tests their sense of morality through various temptations. The crew is frequently separated, forcing them to act individually. After jumping from the Lexx to the surface of Fire, Kai has trouble functioning normally without the other crew members. On Water, deep beneath its surface, Kai encounters his soul essence which awaits rebirth. Stanley dies and a trial is held over the destination of his soul. All his bad decisions are weighted against his good deeds and he is sentenced to eternal punishment on Fire.
At the end of the season both planets Fire and Water are destroyed, and Stan's soul is set free and is able to return into his body, though he can not remember what happened to him on Fire. The souls of all inhabitants of Fire and Water are also released, and travel to a planet that looks like Earth.
Fourth season
The fourth season has satirical and political undertones. Among the topics parodied are the President of the United States, armed Southerners, suburban housewives, reality TV, arrogant actors, vampire legends, American patriotism and secret government organizations.The Lexx travels to Earth looking for food. It is located in the very center of the Dark Universe and the crew assumes that it must be a very dangerous place. The President of the United States accidentally destroys Orlando, and frames Cuba for the act to justify his destruction of that nation.
The crew again meet several people they knew from the Light Universe, and from Fire and Water. Only Prince is able to remember his life on Fire.
Kai's soul is stuck because he is undead, and he decides to die to release his soul. To do this, he must regain his mortality. He plays chess with Prince to regain mortality and wins, but Kai remains dead.
The Earth is threatened by a being that resembles Lyekka. The crew finds out that the fake "Lyekka" destroyed all human life on her way through the Dark Zone. Kai decides to destroy the asteroid that is the source of the entity. Prince keeps his promise and restores Kai's mortality. Minutes later, Kai finally dies destroying the asteroid, saving all inhabitants of the Dark Zone.
The Lexx
The Lexx is a bio-engineered, ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
-sized, planet-destroying bioship
Bioship
A bioship is a type of spacecraft or starship described in science fiction. Bioships differ from other types of spacecraft in that they are composed, either predominantly or totally, of biological components, rather than being constructed from manufactured materials...
in the shape of a giant wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
less dragonfly
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
. It was grown by ingesting organ collections from the protein bank on the Cluster, the seat of the Divine Order, for use by His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow is a fictional character in the TV series Lexx. He is portrayed as the absolute ruler of the Divine Order and the League of 20,000 Planets.-His Divine Shadow:...
. The Lexx was originally intended as the ultimate deterrent
Deterrence theory
Deterrence theory gained increased prominence as a military strategy during the Cold War with regard to the use of nuclear weapons, and features prominently in current United States foreign policy regarding the development of nuclear technology in North Korea and Iran. Deterrence theory however was...
: the threat of a weapon that could instantly obliterate any planet would keep the remaining "Heretic" worlds of the Light Universe in line, and those that refused to capitulate would be summarily destroyed to reinforce the point. This plan was foiled when the crew commandeered it to escape from the Cluster.
The most important function of the Lexx is its ability to destroy entire planets with a single, high-powered blast. Its only weapon is initiated by command from the captain only, followed by a highly dramatic sequence when the Ocular Parabola found on the surface of its eye tissue flips from a smooth surfaced dome into a complex array of satellite dish-like structures. Huge amounts of yellowish-orange particles are released en masse from the array and focused by Lexxs nervous system to a point just above its mouth. Once focused, the particles burst into a massive, forward-moving, planar wave which expands ahead of the Lexx exponentially until colliding with an object of sufficient mass to disperse it, usually a planet. The wave instantly vaporizes smaller ships without losing momentum. Though the Lexx is designed to destroy entire planets, it can fire less intense blasts to hit smaller targets; however, the smallest area it seems capable of destroying is roughly the size of an entire city such as Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
A special living energy being known as the "key" is required to control the Lexx, and it will usually only respond to its owner. However, if the ship is in a deficient mental state, it may respond to anyone. A special holographic hand-scanner on the bridge
Bridge (ship)
The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway the bridge is manned by an OOW aided usually by an AB acting as lookout...
confirms that the captain of the ship possesses the key. The captain then controls the Lexx through voice commands.
The Lexx itself is sentient, but not very intelligent. The show's creators have it compared to a dog. The Lexx often takes orders literally, even when it's not being addressed directly (Stan accidentally orders the Lexx to destroy a planet when he explains its function to some astronauts). It acknowledges commands and comments with a droning
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
, simple male voice; for example, "As you command, Stan." The Lexx has emotions (it actively enjoys destroying planets, for instance, and becomes rather petulant when denied the opportunity), and is, to a small extent, capable of acting of its own accord when in defense of itself. In the final episode of the show, as the Lexx is dying, it tells Stan that he was always its favorite captain, since they both enjoy destroying planets.
Being alive, the Lexx needs to eat. It can digest any form of organic matter, and will usually land on a planet's surface to scoop up suitable organic foodstuffs; however, it is content to simply blow up a planet and feast on the sizable chunks. When denied food, the Lexx can become rather cranky, but will always attempt to follow orders no matter what is happening. The moral dilemma of destroying inhabited worlds for Lexxs functioning and survival is a recurring plot theme, and occasionally Lexx will swallow passing ships without informing the crew. Another means of collecting energy is to "resorb" discarded items left on its floors.
The Lexx has various amenities for the crew, though unusual in their implementation. It has showers which use long, phallic, writhing shower-heads that are activated by squeezing a pair of nearby balls. Food suitable for the crew consists of a blue paste-like substance, which is squirted from phallic dispensers, much to Stan's disgust. Lexx has commodes that use large, waggling tongues for user sanitation. A cryo-chamber is also available, primarily used by Kai to preserve his protoblood supply.
The Lexx also hosts a contingent of smaller bio-engineered ornithopter
Ornithopter
An ornithopter is an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designers seek to imitate the flapping-wing flight of birds, bats, and insects. Though machines may differ in form, they are usually built on the same scale as these flying creatures. Manned ornithopters have also been built, and some...
-like craft called "moths", which the crew often use for short-range travel in space, in a planet's atmosphere, or even within the vast Lexx itself. The moths are insect-like ships (as befits their name), and twitter constantly as they travel. The moths fly themselves, with a joystick used by the occupants only to direct their movement. The moth only uses its wings when in an atmosphere, and has a "jet pack" of sorts on its underbelly when traveling through space. Stan usually sleeps in the husk of one of the dead moths. The Lexx has a crew of moth breeders, zombie-like
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
human slaves re-engineered entirely for moth breeding, to produce these craft when necessary.
When the Lexx arrives on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, it becomes pregnant after an encounter with an Earth dragon fly, suggesting that the ship is in fact female even though it speaks in a male voice (in the English-language version; the version shown in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
gave the ship a female voice). Similarly, when a sex-changing virus sweeps through the ship, the Lexx is affected and develops stereotypical feminine characteristics, suggesting that it is normally male.
The Lexx ages several thousand years during the run of the series, and in later seasons its advanced age and decrepitude following millennia of starvation and neglect lead to it becoming increasingly unstable. In the final episode of the series, Lexx dies, giving birth to a smaller, very Lexx-like ship, the result of a brief union with an insect from Earth. The new ship, dubbed "Little Lexx" by Stan and Xev, imprints upon Stan when he tells it that he is its captain. This causes Little Lexx's key, blue instead of Lexx's yellow, to bind with Stan's right hand.
The Light Universe and Dark Zone
In the fictional mythos of the television series Lexx, there are two universes: the Light Universe and the Dark Zone. Two of the Season 1 movies and the whole of Seasons 3 and 4 take place in the Dark Zone, while two of the Season 1 movies and nearly all of Season 2 takes place in the Light Universe.The Light Universe was completely dominated by His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow is a fictional character in the TV series Lexx. He is portrayed as the absolute ruler of the Divine Order and the League of 20,000 Planets.-His Divine Shadow:...
and the League of 20,000 Planets, while the Dark Zone is often referred to as the universe of evil, chaos, and depravity. The Brunnen-G originally lived in the Dark Zone on Brunnis, until their sun was no longer able to support life, after which they moved to Brunnis-2 in the Light Universe. Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is located at the center of the Dark Zone, as are Fire
Fire (LEXX)
In the sci-fi television series LEXX, the fictional planet "Fire" is the afterlife for all evil souls, and the location for much of Season 3. It shares a tight mutual orbit and an atmosphere with the Planet Water, which is the afterlife for all good souls...
and Water
Water (LEXX)
In the television series Lexx, the fictional planet "Water" is the afterlife for all good souls, and the location for much of Season 3. It shares an atmosphere and a tight mutual orbit with Planet Fire, which is the afterlife for all evil souls...
, planets that are similar to hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
and heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
.
Most of the matter in the Light Universe was converted into biomechanical drones (Mantrid drones) by Mantrid
Mantrid
Mantrid was the main antagonist of the second season of Lexx. He was played by Dieter Laser.When he was alive, he was the supreme Bio-Vizier of His Divine Shadow , until His Shadow exiled him to a barren snow-covered world...
, who then caused a Big Crunch
Big Crunch
In physical cosmology, the Big Crunch is one possible scenario for the ultimate fate of the universe, in which the metric expansion of space eventually reverses and the universe recollapses, ultimately ending as a black hole singularity.- Overview :...
by summoning all the Mantrid drones to a single spot in the universe to do battle with the Lexx. Little matter escaped into the Dark Zone, most of it being the Lexx itself.
The Dark Zone is the parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
that His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow is a fictional character in the TV series Lexx. He is portrayed as the absolute ruler of the Divine Order and the League of 20,000 Planets.-His Divine Shadow:...
cannot enter. The Dark Zone is referred to as the universe of chaos and disorder. It is also where the crew finds, among other inhabited planets, Earth, where they spend the entirety of the fourth season. At the end of the first movie, "I Worship His Shadow", the Lexx enters the dark zone through a fractal core located using coordinates found inside one of Stanley Tweedle's teeth. The Lexx remains in the Dark Zone during the second and third movies, and parts of the fourth. The Lexx returns to the Light Zone in the first episode of the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series. Following the destruction of the Light Universe (or Light Zone) by Mantrid's drones (at the end the second season), the Lexx is shifted into the Dark Zone where they remain for the rest of the show.
Divine Order
The Divine Order is a fictional religion in Lexx, created by the last of the Insect CivilizationInsect Civilization
In the science-fiction television series Lexx, the Insect Civilization is an ancient race of massive millipede-like organisms bent on destroying the Brunnen-G and all of Humanity.-The Early War:...
as a means of controlling the human population of the Light Universe, and ultimately to use them to destroy themselves (since as stated by His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow is a fictional character in the TV series Lexx. He is portrayed as the absolute ruler of the Divine Order and the League of 20,000 Planets.-His Divine Shadow:...
, being the last of the insects, he alone could not destroy all of humanity). It is ruled over by His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow is a fictional character in the TV series Lexx. He is portrayed as the absolute ruler of the Divine Order and the League of 20,000 Planets.-His Divine Shadow:...
, who gets advised by the previous brains that were inhabited by the essence of the shadow, known as Divine Predecessors.
The Cluster
Another major setting in the world of "Lexx" is The Cluster. The Cluster is at the very center of the Divine Order and is also the planetoid from which ZevZev (later Xev) Bellringer
Zev of B3K is a major character on the sci-fi television show Lexx. Zev was portrayed by Eva Habermann and Xev is portrayed by Xenia Seeberg; fat Zev was portrayed by Lisa Hines in "I Worship His Shadow" and "Woz"....
, Stan, and Kai
Kai (LEXX)
Kai, Last of the Brunnen-G, is an undead assassin on the science fiction television show Lexx. He is played by Michael McManus.-Character history:...
escape in the beginning. His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow
His Divine Shadow is a fictional character in the TV series Lexx. He is portrayed as the absolute ruler of the Divine Order and the League of 20,000 Planets.-His Divine Shadow:...
, his Divine Predecessors, and religious leadership rule from The Cluster. The Cluster is the capital of the Divine Order, center of the bureaucracy, and place where all criminals/heretics are taken for punishment (provided they survive the trip). The planet has become an over centralized, overcomplicated mess, with most decisions being automated by an impersonal computer system prone to devastating and/or deadly mistakes at the slightest technological malfunction.
Fire
Fire is an inhospitable planet, the entire surface of which is covered in desert and open seas of lava. Even when the sun beats down mercilessly on the desert sands, the ground below is hotter still than the sky above. Fire is said to have no water of its own, and people on the open sands during daylight quickly die. The inhabitants of Fire live in enormous towers, each of which contains a single city. These provide them shade from the sun and possibly keep them cooler by raising them away from the planet's warm surface.Water
The inhabitants of Water live in several large floating settlements, each of which seems to be centered around some particular pastime. During their stay on Water, the crew of the Lexx visit the settlements of Gametown, for those who like sports; Boomtown, for those who like sex; and Garden, for those who like gardening. Life on Water seems to have been meant to be full of unmarred beauty and contentment, but this is shattered by frequent war parties from Fire, which arrive via hot air balloons through the planets' shared atmosphere.Earth
Earth is a life-bearing planet, half covered with water, in the same orbit as the Fire-Water binary system but on the opposite side of its sun. It is also a "type 13" planet, inhabited by a disorderly human civilization.Minor characters
- The Divine Predecessors, previous incarnations of His Divine Shadow living on as disembodied brains
- PriestReginald J. PriestPriest is a character in the sci-fi TV show Lexx.Priest's first appearance was in season 3, as chief underling to Prince, the ruler of the planet Fire. Like all people on the planet Fire, Priest was the reincarnation of someone who lived once before, and he wasn't born, but rather "woke up" as an...
, Prince's right-hand man - ThodinThodinThodin is a character in the film I Worship His Shadow that started the TV series, Lexx, played by Barry Bostwick.Thodin is the leader of the Austral-B Heretics, intent on the destruction of the Divine Order of the League of 20,000 planets and in particular, its ruler His Divine Shadow...
(Barry BostwickBarry BostwickBarry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Brad Majors in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, and playing mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City...
), a leader of the Ostral-B Heretics - Vlad, Divine Executioner
- Dr. Longbore, resident of Earth
- BunnyBunny (LEXX)Bunny is a character in the sci-fi TV show Lexx.Bunny first appeared in season 3 as a resident of Gametown on the planet Water. Like all people on the planet Water, she wasn't born, but rather "woke up" one day as an adult. After waking up, Bunny played games every day until the arrival of the...
, resident of the planet WaterWater (LEXX)In the television series Lexx, the fictional planet "Water" is the afterlife for all good souls, and the location for much of Season 3. It shares an atmosphere and a tight mutual orbit with Planet Fire, which is the afterlife for all evil souls...
(and later Earth) - Fifi, another resident of Water
- Squish, an infant Cluster LizardCluster LizardCluster lizards are a fictional species of carnivorous reptile on the science fiction series Lexx.These lizards exist on The Cluster in the Light Zone, where they are sometimes used as a means of capital punishment. They often roll themselves into a tire shape when moving, and somewhat resemble...
that thinks Kai is its mother
Places
- Brunnis-2 - Second home of the Brunnen-G, where Kai originates from but which was ultimately destroyed in the first few moments of "Lexx 1.0: I Worship His Shadow"
Hardware and technology elements
- The Key - a living entity, originally produced by the Divine Order, that allows whoever is hosting it to captain the Lexx. The key Stan uses throughout the series is actually a copy that the Ostral B heretics had made for them (at the cost of millions of lives) by bio-code experts. Originally carried by Thodin on a mission to steal the Lexx, Stan unknowingly obtains it when he stands near Thodin's lieutenant at the moment the lieutenant is eaten by a Cluster Lizard. The key can be passed to others only during moments of extreme emotion such as being brought to "the height of sexual ecstasy" or at the moment of the key holder's death. While it is passed to several other characters during the run of the show, Stan always manages to get it back.
- Protoblood - substance that gives the ability to resurrect the dead for a period of time.
- Moth - a semi-hollow bio-mechanical shuttle, in the shape of a moth (from which it is named), that the crew uses to travel great distances in and outside of the Lexx.
- Narcolounger - a machine that lets its users live in their dreams, once owned and operated by Gubby, and possibly the only one in existence.
- Bad Carrots - probes from an asteroid-like ship, sent down to Earth to find different types of food.
- Black Pack - A weapon from the light universe, specifically the Cluster, that fires brilliant sheets of green shrieking energy. It instantly disintegrates carbon-based structures, and can also be used as a stun weapon.
- Protein Regenerator - A device kept in the Lexx
' s Cryo chamber. It can heal wounds and cure infectious diseases. - Squawker - Handheld communicator device.
- Lusticon - A Machine located in the Cluster and on a few outlying planets, that changes some females into love slaves.
Lifeforms
During the four Seasons we meet several sentient lifeforms: humanoids, insectoids and plants.Humans also created humanoid robots. They are cyborgs and are designed for specific tasks.
All lifeforms in the two universes understand each other, so they seem to speak the same language. The Brunnen G song is the only hint of another language, it is sung in the ancient language of the Brunnen G.
Mankind
Humans inhabit the Light Universe as well as the Dark Zone. They fight against the Insect Civilisation since ancient times. The goal of the insects is the extermination of mankind. Humans created several governments. Explicitly mentioned are:- League of the 20,000 planets (Light Universe)
- The Reformed Planets (Light Universe)
- Brunnen G on Brunnis 2 (Light Universe), earlier on Brunnis in the Dark Zone
- Fire and Water (Dark Zone)
- Earth (Dark Zone)
Humanoid robots
- 790
790 is a humanoid robot. Originally it possessed a human body, a robot head and a small part of a female human brain. Unfortunately its body was eaten by a cluster lizard early in the first movie, but it can survive even without a body.
- Mothbreeder
Mothbreeder are also cyborgs. They were specially designed for mothbreeding and have very limited intellectual capabilities.
Insectoids
The insects are enormous in size. They can survive in space and fought mankind in the ancient Insect Wars. Their goal is the extermination of mankind.- Gigashadow (Season 1)
A nameless surviving insect hides on Cluster, the main planet of the League of the 20,000 planets. It rules through the Divine Order and His Divine Shadow over the humans of the 20,000 planets. In the fourth movie of the first season it becomes the Gigashadow.
- His Divine Shadow (Season 1)
Physically a human, His Divine Shadow as representative of the Divine Order is controlled by the insect on Cluster. According to the prophecy His Divine Shadow will be killed by a Brunnen G after he leaves the Cluster.
- His Divine Predecessors (Season 1 and 2)
After the death of a Divine Shadow his brain is removed and transferred into a device that maintains his vital functions over hundreds of years. The brains of the Divine Predecessors are stored on large columns. They are able to communicate with each other and with His Divine Shadow. The bodies of the Divine Predecessors are sent to Ruuma. There they live a life similar to zombies.
Plants
- Lyekka (Season 2)
Lyekka becomes the fourth regular crewmember. She is a carnivorous plant and resembles an early love of Stan. Lyekka is hungry all the time, but she refrains from eating the crew because she likes them. She usually eats additional passengers on board of the Lexx . At the end of Season 2 her pod is attacked by Mantrid drones, and she is thereby doomed to die. She sacrifices herself for the crew and helps to defeat Mantrid.
- Lyekka (Season 4)
"Lyekka" in Season 4 is a colony of plants that made it to the Dark Zone. She pretends to be the Lyekka whom Stan once knew in order to win the confidence of the crew. She and her colony are the source of the killer carrots sent to earth. On their tour through the Dark Zone, they devastated all planets they encountered. All life on the planets became extinct. Earth is next. After destroying Tokyo, it comes to a showdown with the LEXX and crew.
Brunnen-G Song
The Brunnen-GBrunnen-G
The Brunnen-G are a race of humanoids on the TV series Lexx. They were a society of romantic warriors, most famous for their key part in defeating the Insect Civilization during the Insect Wars...
song is sung by Cam Hawkins, Marty Simon and Stan Meisner.
The Brunnen-G song is first sung in the first scene of the first episode ("I Worship His Shadow", 1.1) by the still living Kai and his companions trying to defend their homeplanet Brunnis-2. The Brunnen-G song is sung in the ancient language of the Brunnen-G and it is the only hint at a different language in the whole Lexx- Universe. The Brunnen-G on Brunnis in The Dark Zone traditionally sang the song preparing for battles and to assure themselves that it's all about the struggle.
Kai sings the Brunnen-G song in some of the following Lexx- episodes especially in critical and hopeless situations. In the episode "The Rock" (4.6) Kai plays the Brunnen-G song in a pub on the piano and thus creates a jazzy version. At the end of the episode the whole pub sings the song in an Irish folk style.
The last episode of the fourth and last season ("Yo Way Yo", 4.24) derives its name from the Brunnen-G song. Kai sings the Brunnen-G song when he kills the last remnants of the Plant Civilisation.
From the third Season on the Brunnen-G song is the intro of the series.
Brigadoom
The episode "Brigadoom" (2.18) is a musical episode. It describes the destruction of Brunnis-2 and the death of Kai.All songs are performed by the actors themselves:
- Brigadoom
- Dull Dull Dull
- Go Beyond
- Beyond Reprise
- Farewell
- Time Prophet
- His Shadow Is Coming
- Guilty
- Sentenced
- Two Hearts
- Sweet Relief
- Brunnen G
- A Good Way To Die
- Jerhume Brunnen G
- Final Stand
Episodes
There are four seasons of Lexx totaling 61 episodes. The first season, debuting in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on 18 April 1997, consisted of four two-hour TV movies (sometimes screened as eight one-hour episodes), alternatively titled Tales from a Parallel Universe. However, some episode guides don't list the two-hour movies as a series but list the subsequent seasons as the first through third.
The second season consisted of twenty 48-minute episodes, with an overall story arc concerning an evil scientist called Mantrid, who attempts to kill everyone by converting the entire mass of the universe into one-armed Mantrid drones.
The third season comprises 13 episodes in which the Lexx is trapped in orbit around the warring planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s Fire
Fire (LEXX)
In the sci-fi television series LEXX, the fictional planet "Fire" is the afterlife for all evil souls, and the location for much of Season 3. It shares a tight mutual orbit and an atmosphere with the Planet Water, which is the afterlife for all good souls...
and Water
Water (LEXX)
In the television series Lexx, the fictional planet "Water" is the afterlife for all good souls, and the location for much of Season 3. It shares an atmosphere and a tight mutual orbit with Planet Fire, which is the afterlife for all evil souls...
, and the crew encounters Prince
Isambard Prince
Prince is the main antagonist of season three and a main antagonist in season four of Lexx. In season three he is the cruel ruler of the Planet Fire and in the fourth season he reappears as Isambard Prince, head of the United States' Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and secret master of...
, the enigmatic and cheerful evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
ruler of Fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, who is much like the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, though he actually identifies himself as death incarnate at the end of season four. The two planets orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
each other at an extremely close distance, and share a tunnel of atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
between them, allowing the inhabitants of Fire to carry out raids on Water to cause chaos. Fire is filmed between the dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s of Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
and the Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Prince reincarnates whenever it suits him. Water appears to have no opposing ruler, and contains a small population of hedonists
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
on floating island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s.
In the fourth and final season of 24 episodes, the Lexx arrives at Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in the year 2000, only to find that Prince (now named Isambard Prince and head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which more or less runs the United States) and several other old adversaries have also arrived there. Between them, Prince and the Lexx manage to demolish large chunks of the Earth — including Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
; Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
(a Canadian metonymical
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept...
in-joke);Tokyo and Holland, which the Lexx eats — before the climactic final episode, televised on 26 April 2002.
The Lexx is responsible for the destruction of Fire, Water, Pluto, Mars, Venus, and lastly Earth.
Also, Priest, the President of the United States, manages to destroy via thermonuclear bombs the following countries or territories: Cuba, Newfoundland, Vietnam.
DVD
Region 1Acorn Media released seasons 2-4 on DVD in single volume collections as well as complete season sets in 2002-2004. These releases have now been discontinued and are out of print.
On October 7, 2008, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment released season 1 on DVD in the US only.
In Canada, Alliance Home Entertainment
Alliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
has released all four seasons on DVD.
Region 2
Seasons one to three of Lexx were released on VHS and Region 2 DVD in the UK by Contender Limited, although the Season 3 DVDs were initially exclusive to the MVC Entertainment chain of stores and all volumes have since been deleted. Contender failed to obtain the rights to Season 4, which instead went to Momentum Pictures
Momentum Pictures
Momentum Pictures , an Alliance Films company, is one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland and releases approximately 20 theatrical films a year, with several stv releases....
(a subsidiary of Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. was a Toronto-based media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Madrid, Barcelona, Shannon and Sydney.Alliance Atlantis was acquired by Canwest...
). Momentum Pictures has not yet released any DVDs.
MediumRare Entertainment released the complete run of Lexx in a 19-disc boxset in the UK in early 2011.
All four seasons were also released on Region 2 DVD in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Unlike the rest of the world (bar Australia), the German DVDs of season 1 do still appear to be in print . However, the episodes of the first season of the German DVD release were cut to receive a 16 and up rating.
Region 4
Beyond Home Entertainment released all 4 seasons on DVD in Australia in 2007/2008. On May 13, 2009, Beyond Home Entertainment released Lexx- The Complete Series, a 19-disc boxset featuring all 61 episodes of the series in a special collectible tin.
Online
NetflixNetflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
and Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
(recently expired on Hulu) both offer streaming versions of all Lexx episodes. The versions available are the editions edited for US broadcast.
Broadcast history and legacy
The show's seasons had very different tones. While the original TV movies and the second season were mostly science fiction drama with plenty of dark comedy, the "Fire and Water" season took a more serious tone, while the show's final season — set on Earth in the year 2000 — took many turns into pure farce and introduced magic (as in the episode A Midsummer's Nightmare) and other new elements.Lexx was shown originally on Global Television Network
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
in Canada, then later picked up by Space, Channel 5 in the UK and then the Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
in the United States. On Sci-Fi, it aired in the same Friday night lineup as Farscape
Farscape
Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
, and the somewhat similar set-up for both shows (with a misfit crew flying through space on a huge, living starship) was often noted by critics, despite Lexx having premiered two years prior to Farscape
Farscape
Farscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
. Lexx did achieve some mainstream notice (with Xenia Seeberg as "Xev" appearing on the cover of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, for instance).
Lexx was voted 23rd in a recent poll by SciFiNow
SciFiNow
SciFiNow is a British magazine published every four weeks by Imagine Publishing in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, covering the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres. It launched in April 2007...
magazine in June 2009 in the '25 Greatest Sci-Fi TV Shows'
Different versions
There are two versions of Lexx, the European and the American one. One point of difference is in the beginning of the first film: in the American version, there is no scene where Stanley is fooled and captured by Feppo. In the European version, this scene is between the death of Kai and the time when Stanley wakes up on the cluster (2008 years later).Unlike the DVD edition, the German TV release was re-cut to include some flashback scenes at points where they mattered within the story, and not in the chronological order in which they happened. For example, Stanley's capture by the pirates was shown as a flashback in the fourth episode ("Gigashadow") of the miniseries, whereas the DVD version includes it prior to the Cluster scenes early on in the first episode of the show, somewhat out of context.