It would be a concrete explaination about why the less honourable and scrupulous Immortals would adhere to the one-on-one rule. And ‘Damn, those Immortals are a superstitious lot’ doesn’t hold a lot of appeal for me.
I loved that episode. The Native (South) Americans in question were called the Moche. Actually existed, although in the real world, their empire collapsed and the Incas took over the region, long before the Spaniards arrived (the villain of the episode was a Conquistador). They actually did worship a deity whom archaeologists dubbed “the Decapitator” because he was always depicted carrying a weapon and a severed head. If you were a Highlander screenwriter, you would have to do an episode with the Moche.
Regarding the Immortal’s ability to regenerate, I remember one episode where the villain recalls getting burned at the stake, and griping about how long it took to recover. Immortal healing ability seemed to vary depending on which writer was doing the episode.
There were also discrepancies with basic things like gunshot wounds. Sometimes an Immortal would be shot and get up practically right away. Other times there was enough time for the police to finish their onsite investigation, cart the body to the morgue, and stick it on ice. (Then the Immortal would have to break out of the morgue.)
I used to just tell myself that the older Immortals that had a lot of Quickenings healed a lot faster than the younger ones, though I don’t think that was ever really how it worked. I think it just depended on the writer.
DocCathode you stole my thunder, I was going to talk about the tv series. I only saw a couple of episodes and thought for a children’s cartoon, they handled the story rather well. I also liked the idea of it taking place during a post apocolyptic future…it just seemed like a fitting place to have it. I missed the first episode that explained how Remirez came back and where all the new immortals spawned from, anyone care to give a quick rundown?
As for where they come from, I was under the impression they were just born that way. At least, that’s the impression the original film gave me. Did they ever talk about Connor’s parentage?
I was also under the impression that quickenings went to the nearest immortal. I kinda had a storyline mixing in my head for a little while about a cowardly immortal that hired a group of thugs to track down immortals, then he’d go out with his hunting party, hide in the back and let them do the dirty work, then take the quickenings himself. I don’t know if there’s a limit though on the distance that it takes before a quickening disperces completely, though. in both the second film, and a couple episodes of the show, someone gets killed by a train and their quickening goes to the nearest immortal (Duncan was fighting one who’s sword hit the third rail and incapacitated him enough that he couldn’t get off the track in time, so even though they were fighting, Duncan didn’t directly decapitate him, and still got the quickening).
I missed the part of the episode where his priest friend gets it…what happens to an immortal that’s killed on holy ground? I remember Duncan claiming his quickening was lost because there were no immortals there, but did his death on holy ground negate it completely, or was there still a lightshow for the mortals to see?
They are born that way, and immortals have the ability to sense whether a mortal has the potential to become an immortal. That’s why Duncan took Richie under his wing.
They do. There’s an episode where the renegade watchers kill an immortal woman and force her immortal husband to take the quickening.
Joe Dawson once said that the only recorded incident of an immortal killing another immortal on holy ground happened in Pompei: just before Vesuvius erupted.
And now that I’ve thouroughly shown myself to be a geek, I will bow out gracefully.
I don’t think they addressed it in the first movie (at least not that I can remember), but it was added as cannon in the TV series. It may have been picked up in the movies in time for the fourth film in which Connor goes back to rescue his mom, Caiolin, from the clutches of Kell. The interaction with Connor’s mom was minimal, so I don’t remember with any certainty if she said anything about him being adopted. Kell had an adoptive father.
I don’t think anything in particular happens if an Immortal is killed by mortals on holy ground. I’ve always been under the impression that it’s a strict no-no only for two Immortals to fight and kill each other on holy ground.
This is something that’s been unclear to me too.
Thanks Johnny, but I guess for my third question, what I really meant was “What happens to an immortals quickening when he’s killed by a mortal on holy ground?” There was at least one episode where there were a group of humans going around and doing just that, and at the beginning of the episode, they killed one of Duncan’s good friends, but I missed that part, so I was just curious as to what happened?
A-ha! I found a Highlander FAQ and they refer to Hugh Fitzcairn in “The Hunters” as saying (just as some mortals are about to load him into a guillotine): “This…this is madness! There are no Immortals here. All I have will be wasted! What do you want!!! There will be no Quickening! What do you want? You are mad!”
So it appears that if no Immortals are close enough, then there is no Quickening at all. The FAQ says that if a mortal decapitates and Immortal, nothing happens.
FTR, I agree with Fitz. An Immortal dying without a quickening is a waste.
Maybe a stupid question, but I cant for the life of me remember. What happens once there is only one immortal left??
Thanks
-Mith
Just watched the movie right now. I’d remembered the Prize, but I wanted it confirmed.
It seems to be mortality and near omniscience.
They win “The Prize” which consist of knowledge of everything and everyone and omnipotence and, possibly, becoming ruler of the entire planet. Then they make a bad sequel and you lose the whole thing.
They make sequels that totally ignore that fact.
ahh well thats a shame 
thanks guys
-Mith
Inteesting factoid: apparently, the omniscience bit was tacked on. As originally conceived, the Prize was nothing more than the right to grow old, have children and die like everyone else.
It should also be pointed out that the TV series cast some doubt on the existence of the Prize.
Wouldn’t it be kinda pointless if the Prize was just mortality? I mean, you’ve struggled for centuries, risking your life in kill-or-be-killed combat, and finally killed your last opponent. And as a reward, you die too? I don’t get it.
And what’s all this about a fourth movie? I thought there was just a first one and a third. When was it made?
Again, The movies were-
Highlander
That Which Is Not To Be Spoken Of
Highlander The Sorceror
Highlander Endgame
Re The Prize
OTTOMH ‘I know what people are thinking, all over the world. It’s like a hurricane in my head. But if I concentrate, I can guide them, help them and help them to understand eachother’
‘So, what am I thinking?’
‘You’re wondering if I can have children now. I can. I can grow old and have children, just like everybody else.’
The Prize does involve becoming mortal again. But, it also includes becoming a massively powerful telepath who could easily rule the world as godemperor.