Taelon Commonality
Encyclopedia
The Taelon Commonality is a phenomenon which occurs in the science fiction
television series Earth: Final Conflict
. The Commonality is a psychic link between all Taelon
s, a race of humanoid
aliens.
The alien race called the Taelon
s (or Companions, as they are called in early seasons) are bound together by a psychic
link with all other Taelons at all times. This link is known as the Commonality. Relatively little is revealed about the Commonality, this is partly due to the subtle nuances of Taelon phrasing (rarely lying, but often only giving part of the truth), the difficulty in trying to explain such a concept in understandable language, the need to keep the deeply spiritual Taelons mysterious and alien.
The Commonality is not a group mind
per se, Taelons have individual personalities and minds, and the Commonality is referred to as "collective sentience". While Taelons can, in some cases, detect lies or actions through the Commonality (as when Da'an
discovers that Zo'or
has murdered William Boone), the Commonality does not generally allow Taelons to read each others' minds.
Humans with significant psychic abilities have been able to touch the Commonality. Since the Taelons consider the Commonality sacred and pure, they have not responded well to what they perceive as a potential invasion.
In the third season episode "Time Bomb", Da'an implies that every Taelon who ever existed continues to exist within the Commonality. This implies that Taelons, who have a more tangible connection to their spirit
selves, do continue to exist in some form, conscious or otherwise, after their physical bodies die.
Renee Palmer and Liam Kincaid refer to the Commonality as being a "virtual plane" upon which the Taelons commune. If a Taelon's connection to this plane is severed, then they revert to an "Atavus
"; an ancient life-form from which the Taelons themselves evolved. This term is problematic, as the term has been applied to three visually distinct and separate species over the course of the series. The Atavus have active shaqarava
an organ situated in the palm of the hand, which they use to drain life-force from any prey that they hunt. The Taelons do not consider anyone who has fallen from the Commonality to remain Taelon. Interestingly, the psychic link can be damaged or broken by technological interference, as shown when the computer genius Augur accidentally separates Da'an from his brethren. Active shaqarava are required to reconnect a Taelon's consciousness to the Commonality, therefore the Taelons are incapable of restoring the link, though a Kimera
can do it.
In the fifth season, a single Taelon survives - Ra'jel. He does not degenerate into an atavistic state. He is said to be the first Taelon and the "sire of the Synod
" (the Synod being the Taelon ruling body) and that he contains the entire Commonality of the Taelon race within him. As far as anything in the final season is implied, it is implied that, as the first Taelon, he is the only member of his species to have never needed other Taelons to bond with.
The future of the Commonality is uncertain, while it still exists, there is but a single Taelon left.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
. The Commonality is a psychic link between all Taelon
Taelon
The Taelons are a fictional race of humanoid aliens appearing in the Canadian science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict. The arrival of the Taelons on Earth at first appears to be an unmitigated blessing, with their advanced technology bringing great prosperity...
s, a race of humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
aliens.
The alien race called the Taelon
Taelon
The Taelons are a fictional race of humanoid aliens appearing in the Canadian science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict. The arrival of the Taelons on Earth at first appears to be an unmitigated blessing, with their advanced technology bringing great prosperity...
s (or Companions, as they are called in early seasons) are bound together by a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
link with all other Taelons at all times. This link is known as the Commonality. Relatively little is revealed about the Commonality, this is partly due to the subtle nuances of Taelon phrasing (rarely lying, but often only giving part of the truth), the difficulty in trying to explain such a concept in understandable language, the need to keep the deeply spiritual Taelons mysterious and alien.
The Commonality is not a group mind
Group mind (science fiction)
A group mind, hive mind or group ego in science fiction is a single consciousness occupying many bodies. Its use in literature goes back at least as far as Olaf Stapledon's science fiction novel Last and First Men ....
per se, Taelons have individual personalities and minds, and the Commonality is referred to as "collective sentience". While Taelons can, in some cases, detect lies or actions through the Commonality (as when Da'an
Da'an
Da'an is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict, played by Leni Parker. He is a member of the Taelon race, an androgynous race of energy beings...
discovers that Zo'or
Zo'or
Zo'or is a character in the science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict, played by Anita La Selva.He was the leader of the Taelon Synod, and one of four children of Da'an, the North American Companion. Zo'or is the youngest of all Taelons, and the last to be allowed to grow...
has murdered William Boone), the Commonality does not generally allow Taelons to read each others' minds.
Humans with significant psychic abilities have been able to touch the Commonality. Since the Taelons consider the Commonality sacred and pure, they have not responded well to what they perceive as a potential invasion.
In the third season episode "Time Bomb", Da'an implies that every Taelon who ever existed continues to exist within the Commonality. This implies that Taelons, who have a more tangible connection to their spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
selves, do continue to exist in some form, conscious or otherwise, after their physical bodies die.
Renee Palmer and Liam Kincaid refer to the Commonality as being a "virtual plane" upon which the Taelons commune. If a Taelon's connection to this plane is severed, then they revert to an "Atavus
Atavus
The Atavus are a fictional race of humanoid aliens appearing in the Earth: Final Conflict science fiction series. Several variations of Atavus have been observed in the series and their supposed history is confusing. The three versions of the Atavus are the Season 2 "monster" version, the season 4...
"; an ancient life-form from which the Taelons themselves evolved. This term is problematic, as the term has been applied to three visually distinct and separate species over the course of the series. The Atavus have active shaqarava
Shaqarava
The Shaqarava is an organ used by several fictional species in the science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict. When active, it manifests as an energy whorl in the palm of the creature wielding it. The Taelons, Jaridians, Kimera and Atavus are able to use the Shaqarava in a variety of...
an organ situated in the palm of the hand, which they use to drain life-force from any prey that they hunt. The Taelons do not consider anyone who has fallen from the Commonality to remain Taelon. Interestingly, the psychic link can be damaged or broken by technological interference, as shown when the computer genius Augur accidentally separates Da'an from his brethren. Active shaqarava are required to reconnect a Taelon's consciousness to the Commonality, therefore the Taelons are incapable of restoring the link, though a Kimera
Kimera (species)
The Kimera are a fictional alien species from the television series Earth: Final Conflict. Members of the species are first seen in the final episode of the show's first season, when a Kimera named Ha'Gel is recovered by an independent salvage crew from the bottom of the ocean...
can do it.
In the fifth season, a single Taelon survives - Ra'jel. He does not degenerate into an atavistic state. He is said to be the first Taelon and the "sire of the Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
" (the Synod being the Taelon ruling body) and that he contains the entire Commonality of the Taelon race within him. As far as anything in the final season is implied, it is implied that, as the first Taelon, he is the only member of his species to have never needed other Taelons to bond with.
The future of the Commonality is uncertain, while it still exists, there is but a single Taelon left.
Characteristics
- The basis of the Commonality is a psychic link between all Taelons.
- Taelons cannot voluntarily sever their link to the Commonality.
- There is great comfort in the Commonality in knowing you are never alone.
- As a part of the Commonality, Taelons can never act against the interests of the majority of Taelons even when they know the majority is wrong.
- They are governed by a set of rules.
- Taelon children are more dependent on the Commonality than are the individual parents.
- Each Taelon has a Commonality frequency that can be tapped into but the results are almost deadly for the Taelons. They revert to a primitive state known as the Atavus when their connection to the Commonality is broken. This creature is vampire like, draining the life force from their victims in order to reshape flesh.