Since it debuted, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has taken fantasy fans by storm. The beautiful world, charming characters, and compelling conflicts have only improved on the fantastical groundwork that the original film built.

However, speaking of The Dark Crystal, its prequel series has also taken some creative liberties. While most everything looks and feels like a natural evolution of the story, not everything is the same. Only the most attentive, devoted fans will notice some of these changes. And others? Well, some are pretty obvious, if anyone’s ever watched The Dark Crystal before.

The General

During the finale of Age of Resistance, The Chamberlain takes his final revenge on The General usurping his place by The Emperor’s side. After showing that his plans fell through, SkekSil took humiliating SkekVar one step further. He cornered The General after the battle and stabbed him, ending his life.

While it was an epic scene, there’s just one problem: The General was the only person who seemed anything like the Garthim-Master from the original Dark Crystal. Though they had different names, fans were probably assuming The General would take the role of the guy who took over after The Emperor. After all, that guy had a rivalry with The Chamberlain, too. Since he’s gone now, that’s a big difference in the two stories.

Different Skeksis

Speaking of the Skeksis, the Skeksis of the The Dark Crystal and The Age of Resistance are different, which is wild.

While The Chamberlain, The Scientist, and The Emperor are in The Dark Crystal, AoR has new Skeksis. Some of the grisly bird-turkeys like SkekLach, SkekGra, and SkekMal were never in the original movie. Similarly, some Skeksis from The Dark Crystal do not appear in the prequel series. These include SkekUng, SkekShod, and SkekNa.

While fans know that the AoR Skeksis were always doomed, where are those missing Skeksis? Not having the Garthim-Master, Slave-Master, and Treasurer involved in AoR is pretty confusing.

Podling Ambition

Throughout The Dark Crystal movie, Podlings are either slaves of the Skeksis or in constant hiding. While it makes total sense that their lives shifted to be so reclusive, the film encouraged people to think that The Podlings were always a simple, reclusive people.

However, as far as AoR is concerned, that isn’t true. Podlings live out in the open near the Vapra, they work for Aughra, and there’s even Hup, a Podling who dreamed of being a paladin. Considering how the first movie portrayed them, these are very different Podlings. While they are both lively, wholesome people in both, there are more facets to their personalities and goals in AoR.

Resistance Vs Slaughter

The Dark Crystal made it clear that the Skeksis decimated the Gelfling, but the stories are different from AoR to the original movie. As far as the original film was concerned, the Skeksis descended upon the Gelfling with no warning and destroyed them all, save a rare few.

However, in AoR, it’s clear that there was a serious resistance movement. Fans still aren’t sure if the prequel plans to follow the original film and lead into its storyline, but it is a different route. Even if the Gelfling fall, that’s still a far cry from being destroyed with one swift hand of the Skeksis.

Many Clans

Sure, the background of the Gelfing and Thra are pretty vague and unknown by The Dark Crystal. After all, Kira and Jen are the only ones left and the Mystics (generally) stayed out of the fighting.

However, from the ruins and history, they do learn, and how important clans were to the Gelfling, they probably would have figured that much out. Instead, they just know the population as a whole was a threat to the Skeksis and were wiped out because of it. AoR’s Gelfling have a complex clan system, unlike the simplicity of The Dark Crystal’s portrayal.

Fall Of The Emperor

The original Dark Crystal starts with the loss of The Emperor. After centuries of elongating their lives, they ran out of crystal power and Gelfling. The Emperor, the oldest and wisest of them, simply ran out of life first.

This isn’t quite what happens to him in AoR. While The Emperor isn’t gone yet, it’s clear that it’s his connection to The Darkening that’s wasting him away much faster than his fellow Skeksis. That’s quite a different sickness that just wasting away.

That Post-Drain Look

Draining became an important process and scientific discovery for the Skeksis; since the crystal itself was struggling to sustain them, they need a supplemental source.

Well, draining in the original film versus AoR is very, very different. The Dark Crystal initially showed draining to be this brutal process that sucked the very life from their skin. It could end someone’s life, but the Skeksis were too desperate for life and bodies to completely drain anyone.

In AoR, though, draining goes a step further. It doesn’t just give people dead eyes and sunken skin, but takes every ounce of them until there is nothing left, not even a body.

Mistaken Shattering

In The Dark Crystal, the UrSkeks tell Kira and Jen that the crystal shattered by accident and that Thra has been dealing with the fallout of that ever since. Not only does that explain away the division of Skeksis and Mystics, but it also absolves the UrSkeks of blame.

Well, in AoR and the mythos-filled comics, the whole thing goes a little differently. Neither the division or the shattering was an accident. A dark-hearted UrSkeks entered their crystal-based purification ritual with ill intentions. Because of this, they split and then the Skeksis started fighting each other and the Mystics. In the scuffle, they destroyed several Skeksis and Mythics as well as chipped the crystal.

While they didn’t mean for the division to happen, none of it was a mistake. An UrSkeks meant for bad things to happen and the Skeksis meant to hurt the crystal.

Aughra’s Involvement

Aughra has always been around Thra, trying to care for the planet like it was her own child. However, there are differing accounts on how involved she was in The Great Division and how much she knew about the Skeksis. During The Dark Crystal, she knew all about what happened. Similarly, in the comics, she watched the UrSkeks divide and fight over the crystal.

However, in AoR Aughra was distracted and manipulated by the Skeksis to let them take care of the crystal. She seemed much less aware of their brutality and treachery. Pretty different roles there, huh?

Gelfling Parentage

Throughout The Dark Crystal, Jen and Kira’s parents were only known for their bravery and sacrifice for saving their children. There was nothing else to say about them. The Mystics acted like they were absolutely unremarkable, common Gelfling, no matter their bravery.

AoR implies that is very different. As far as the show seems to be going, Jen and Kira could be the children of some of our heroes. Considering they are the leaders of the Resistance, the only people stopping the Skeksis from destroying Thra, the Mystics definitely would at least have some knowledge of them. They are not random Gelfling; they are Thra’s hope.