While Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has renewed a love of puppetry, Jim Henson's fantasy worlds, and Gelflings, fans also have grown affections for an unlikely group: The Skeksis. Despite being creatures of pure selfishness, the Skeksis all are very elaborate, bombastic, and oddly charming, in their own ways. They may not be great people, but they are fantastic personalities to watch play out on screen.
However, which Skeksis is the best? Now, this won't just depend on who is the least evil; then some of the most boring Skeksis might end up near the top. This will be a hybrid judging system based on fan-favoritism, personality, and their actions.
Without further ado, here are All Skeksis, Ranked.
Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD.
SkekVar (The General)
Of all the Skesis, SkekVar, the General, is by far the worst. While all of them are selfish beings, SkekVar enjoys hurting Gelflings the most. He actively wants to start a war so that he can bathe himself in Gelfling blood. Even SkekMal, the hunter, only enjoys hurting things for the thrill of the hunt. He doesn't just arbitrarily want to end lives left and right; only worthy targets are worthwhile.
Worse, SkekVar isn't at least entertaining or fun to watch, as a villain. He's just a bloodthirsty old man, trying to cause conflict even though it hurts his own people. He is by far the worst Skeksis, with really nothing redeemable about him.
SkekLach (The Collector)
SkekLach isn't a pleasant one to look at. This Skeksis has pus constantly dripping out of their face like a faucet. Selfish like the others, SkekLach is the designated Collector. He goes around to Gelfling villages and takes tribute for the great and powerful Skeksis lords.
Even though the way he insists he used to have a beautiful face is a little adorably pitiful, SkekLach still is one of the worst Skeksis (as far as viewers are concerned). He takes from the heroic Gelflings, he is obsessed with his own beauty (or lack thereof) and is otherwise very uninteresting, a crime for the wildly fascinating group.
At least he exploded at the end.
SkekEkt (The Ornamentalist)
By far the king of fabulous execution with a brutal let-down, SkekEkt has a fantastic design but is possibly the most boring Skeksis. Between this guy's lack of dialogue and true involvement in the story, he seems more like a posh grandparent just enjoying the scenery while everyone else calls the shots.
Maybe that's his whole thing, honestly. If it is, kudos to him.
However, fans don't get to see much of it. As far as they can tell, he's a beautiful, yet useless and boring, member of the Skeksis.
SkekAyuk (The Gourmand)
The fact SkekAyuk is the father of the disturbing triple-stream peeing debate could put him lower or higher on the list. In this case, a bit of both. He could be lower because he doesn't do much in the series, but he could also be a bit higher possibly if he didn't take any and every chance to be a selfish pig. Perhaps for some, that's part of his charm.
The Gourmand, SkekAyuk, is most often seen around the grand buffet table, stuffing his face. He especially loves good food, but he'll take any, really.
While there are other Skeksis that get little personality, his particular iconic nature puts him a grade higher. However, he still lacks much distinct characterization, so a lower-tier Skeksis he will be.
SkekZok (The Ritual Master)
While selfish like the rest of his Skeksis counterparts, the Ritual Master also seems to have some ambition, a trait he shares with The Chamberlain and The General. SkekZok is desperate for The Emperor's ear. However, unlike the other two, he wants it for his own gain and for the betterment of the Skeksis. The Ritual Master truly doesn't want the Gelfling situation to blow up and threaten their position of power.
However, he also lets terrifying, puppeted worms eat people's eyes so, he has his flaws.
At least he tried, so he's easily not the worst Skeksis, but not the best for any reason, either.
SkekOk (The Scroll-Keeper)
All the fans who love Brea, please stand up. While everyone has a soft spot for the bookish Princess, her biggest fans will immediately know why The Scroll-Keeper is higher on the list than many Skeksis. His rank isn't just for "fun villain" reasons, either.
SkekOk, along with being a selfish Skeksis, does seem to care desperately about knowledge and his library. Sure, he still doesn't care for the Gelfling, but he's probably the Skeksis that tries the hardest to be friendly towards them. He helped protect Brea from her mother's wrath, after all. Dude deserves kudos for that.
SkekSo (The Emperor)
In the original movie, fans only saw SkekSo briefly before he disintegrated into a dust pile. In this prequel series, though, fans get to see just how dark and power-hungry The Emperor of the Skeksis really is. While he's easily swayed to whatever he thinks will get him the power he craves, that craving and hunger makes him so very interesting. All the Skeksis are selfish, gorging creatures, but SkekSo is on another level. He isn't just pompous and gluttonous; he's insatiable.
For a race obsessed with immortality, him risking his life to get the power he craves makes him an interesting, flawed villain that fans adore seeing.
SkekSil (The Chamberlain)
No Skeksis list could ever be complete without ranking the infamous Chamberlain pretty high. In the original movie, he was the only Skeksis that viewers saw a lot of, with his manipulating ways and his insidious, bone-chilling little hum. Of course, the prequel's Chamberlain is no different. He's willing to destroy the Skeksis themselves to get the things he wants. He's the most Skeksis of them all, a being of pure selfishness.
Watching him spend all season being so horribly himself was a treat for new and old fans alike. Only a few Skeksis dare be ranked higher than him (and if he knew, he'd probably do something terrible to them).
SkekTek (The Scientist)
Fans have fallen in love with the long-suffering Scientist. Like the other Skeksis, SkekTek isn't a great person. He's still selfish, he's more than happy to drain the life from other creatures, and he's a little bit violent (see the finale).
However, in a community of selfish lords, it's still compelling to see an underdog who gets blamed for all of their problems. Between not being asked to their table, losing his eye, and generally being shunned despite his best efforts, The Scientist is treated like a Podling, not a Skeksis.
Moreover, he does have a close bond with the little green, bird-like creature that hangs in his lab, something far more wholesome than one would expect out of a Skeksis.
SkekMal (The Hunter)
Long-time fans would probably never expect it, but after watching the new series, they'd get the truth behind these next two rankings. By far, the best Skeksis are the new ones, and first comes SkekMal. Unlike the other Skeksis getting their fill of foods and clawing for immortality, SkekMal acts out his selfishness is being an expert hunter with little disregard for his fellow Skeksis.
When seeing him come after the Gelflings, viewers aren't scared of his power, like the others of his kind. They are actually scared of his prowess in battle and his bloodthirsty ways. Even though he is no one's hero but his own, SkekMal The Hunter was a top tier villain for the first season. His journey (and eventual demise) were epic.
SkekGra (The Heretic)
While all Skeksis are wild personalities, none are as wild and wonderful as SkekGra. Sure, it may be biased to say the only good guy Skeksis is the best. However, he's the best one because he's got a fabulous personality and fights for the good of everyone.
An elder historian who works with his Mystic counterpart to help save Thra, The Heretic came to care for the world the Skeksis came to conquer. Ultimately, he chose the world over the others. Maybe, in his own way, that was his selfishness: caring for what he loves against Skeksis wishes.
Every moment he's impatient with Urgoh, or puppeteering, or being the wholesome idealist he is, SkekGra is more and more endearing. He is, by far, the best Skeksis.