Acquarans

The **Acquarans** are a subspecies of Sebaceans who were once subjects of the Hynerian Empire.

## History

The ancestors of the Acquarans were sent by Dominar Rygel X to expand the influence of the empire into the Uncharted Territories. After reaching a planet in the sector, however, they discovered that all of their electronic equipment had ceased to function. They were forced to adapt to a low-tech lifestyle while stranded on this planet.

As the Acquarans developed their own culture and society, only their spiritual leaders knew the truth of what had transpired -- that a device powering a negative power vortex had been sent with them, hidden in a statue of their Hynerian liege. These priestans exploited this knowledge for generations, gaining power over the lower castes of the developing society.

After hundreds of cycles, change finally came to Acquaran society. After being inadvertently abandoned by *Moya*, John Crichton crashed on Acquara in his *Farscape-1* module. Though Crichton lived apart from the Acquarans, he interacted with them enough to attract the attention of Lishala -- the daughter of the Acquaran chief. This did not sit well with Neera, who hoped to use her son Rokon's feelings for Lishala as a bid for power. She convinced Rokon to eliminate Crichton -- only the timely arrival of Ka D'Argo and Rygel XVI saved his life.

Initially, the Acquarans were terrified of their alien visitors -- but when it appeared that Rygel shared the exact appearance of their deity, the masata, the Acquarans came to believe that an ancient prophecy was coming to pass. Unfortunately, this involved burying Rygel alive. In order to prevent this, Moya's Pilot traced the center of the negative power vortex, allowing Aeryn Sun and Zotoh Zhaan to send the coordinates to their crew mates on the ground. Crichton and Rygel were able to disable the vortex before any sacrifices had to be made -- subsequently revealing the deception of the priestans.

## Culture

Acquaran culture was highly religious prior to the arrival of Rygel XVI. Much of their faith centered around a holy book called the Timbala, which only the priestans were permitted to read from. This allowed Acquaran culture to be heavily controlled by the priestans -- even giving them a degree of power over the Grondeer, or village chief, who is given complete legal power in Acquaran civilization.

The punishment for lawbreaking was often quite severe, though sentences were decided exclusively by the Grondeer. These sentences would often include imprisonment at Lomota-Kai or death.

Though the Acquarans did ultimately remain on their planet and continue a relatively low-technology lifestyle for many generations after the negative power vortex was deactivated, they began to demand more openness from their Grondeer and priestans. No longer were they as trusting of authority figures. Not only have they given much more power to the common man on their planet, they have also remained fiercely independent of any and all factions that encroach upon their planet.

Food was -- and still is -- of great importance to the Acquaran people. It is one of the highest honors to be invited to sit beside the Grondeer during a feast, often an honor reserved only for the village's best hunters. If a man offers a woman food, it is considered a sign of romantic interest. It is a woman's right to choose whom she will be with, as marriage is a union that is unbreakable in Acquaran culture.

## Notable Members

* Grondeer Kato-Re
* Priestan Neera
* Lishala
* Rokon

## Source

Acquarans are seen in one episode of the first season of *Farscape*.