Krill

This article is about the species. For the episode, see Krill (episode). For the planet, see Krill (planet).

## Krill

A Krill landing party raids the Epsilon Science Station of Epsilon 2.

### Planet

Krill

The **Krill** were an aggressive, reptilian species from a planet of the same name, located in the same quadrant of the galaxy as the Planetary Union.

Krill society was ruled by an extreme theocratic government dominated by the worship of an omnipotent vengeful creator god named Avis who commanded the destruction of all non-Krill through "the divine fight," a state of perpetual conflict. The majority of Krill viewed other species as soulless and unworthy of life. Thus, they were in conflict with virtually all other species.

Because Krill territory abutted Union space, they were the Union's primary antagonists of the early 25th century until the landmark Lak'vai Pact of Tarazed 3, which saw the two uniting against the new threat of the Kaylon against all sentient life. This peace, however, was later shattered by the election of Supreme Chancellor Teleya, who advocated a return to the principles of Avis and dissolved the agreement between the two peoples.

The Krill were not always so extreme in their religious beliefs. According to Captain Ed Mercer, the Krill were much less "fanatical" adherents prior to achieving space flight and first contact with other worlds. Only after the Krill discovered they were "just one species among a vast diversity of life forms," did the Krill "ratchet up their xenophobia."

## Biology

Krill were a bipedal reptilian humanoid species. They had tough, scaly skin with three bony ridges running along their skulls. Their height and strength are roughly the same as humans. Males had two bone protrusions from the base of their chins, called "chin horns."

There were at least two Krill phenotypes. The first had pale white skin with entirely black eyes. The second had blue-grey skin with black irises and white sclerae. The Krill homeworld, also called Krill, was covered in a shroud of darkness; and evolutionary adaptation to that environment had caused the Krill to be vulnerable to even mild exposure to the ultraviolet radiation in lights and sunlight.

All observed Krill had the same slender physique. Lieutenant Unk briefly mentioned that Krill women can be "chubby," though the extent to which that is only prurient fantasy is unknown.

## Politics

As a whole, politics were shaped by a supremacist interpretation of Krill religion, although the Union suspected progressive movements existed "within the Krill power structure."

### Lak'vai pact

A lak'vai pact was a joint resolution between two parties with a statement of goodwill and an intention to conduct open treaty negotiations in the future. A lak'vai was not a ceasefire, but initialized peace talks.

 One notable example was the Lak'vai Pact of Tarazed 3 between the Krill and the Union, signed by Ambassador K.T.Z. and Captain Ed Mercer.

In the wake of the pact, the Krill proved themselves open to requests for passage through areas of their space to unknown regions that had previously been off-limits. Negotiations for this were hosted by Admiral Paul Christie, who proved a deft negotiator, both securing access while agreeing to certain terms stipulated by the Krill.

### Dissolution and resumption of war

Later in 2422, the governments of Krill and the Planetary Union were in negotiations for a treaty. This was outgrowth of the lak'vai pact in order to create a more formal treaty of the union between the two peoples against the Kaylon threat. The negotiations on the Krill side were hosted by Supreme Chancellor Korin, who at the time was nearing the end of his term and up for re-election. His opponent was Teleya, a Krill woman whom had once secretly infiltrated the Orville and had intimate relations with Captain Ed Mercer.

Teleya preached a fiery rhetoric which advocated a return to the core practices of the Krill and worship of Avis, completely renouncing all ties with the Planetary Union. Against expectations, Teleya won the election as Supreme Chancellor. Though Korin attempted to call for a recount, she succeeded in affecting his immediate capture on charges of treason. She then personally executed him by stabbing, later cutting off his head and having it mounted in the planet's capitol. She then had the Planetary Union delegation, including Ed, captured as well, and ordered the capture of Orville, which was currently in orbit.

Teleya ordered the Planetary Union group held captive pending their execution as well. She, however, had Ed brought before her and he tried to appeal to her on the basis of the past. Though she seemed unpersuaded, she secretly allowed him to go free. He was then approached by members of a splinter group within Teleya's faction, who brought him before a girl named Anaya, who appeared to be half-human and half-Krill. They explained that she was Ed's daughter, born of the romance between him and Teleya. They felt that she could be a powerful symbol that could reset the balance and once again bring peace between Krill and the Union in light of the Kaylon threat. In order to do so, however, they explained that Ed would have to convince Teleya to go along with the decision, or else if she was simply deposed another autocrat would rise to take her place.

Ed returned to Teleya, revealing that he knew of Anaya's existence. He again tried to sue for peace, asking why she had even gone through with birthing the child if not for this. In response to this, she asked him if he knew what they did on their planet to those who had abortions. She then showed him how they would create a simulation of the unborn child as they would be if they were old enough to talk, then have this simulation personally ask the parents why they had chosen to "send them away." She then had Ed returned to the other prisoners and attempted to execute them, but only got as far as stabbing the Union President Alcuzan non-fatally before the group was rescued by a team from the Orville. The damage, however, was done, as the two great powers were again at open war with each other and thus vulnerable to the Kaylon threat.

The Krill, under Teleya’s leadership, would later go on to form an alliance with the Moclans (who had recently been expelled from the Union), in opposition to both the Union, and the Kaylon. They would work together in the construction of a super weapon (acquired from Union dissidents) designed to wipe out all Kaylon. This would lead the latter to reluctantly ally with the Union, as they launched a combined assault on the planet research was being held on, which ended with Teleya being captured, the weapon detonating, and causing a chain reaction which annihilated both the Krill and Moclan fleet. With much of their military devastated, and their leadership effectively decapitated, the Krill’s political future was left uncertain.

## Religion

The Krill religion revolved around the worship of a supreme deity named Avis, whose stories and philosophy were recorded in the Anhkana, the Krill sacred text. Avis created the Krill independent of all other life and granted dominion over all things in the universe to them. All other life was soulless and thus unworthy of existence. Even complex species were regarded as non-sentient, their actions compared by the Krill to the generated responses of an advanced computer. Avis commanded the destruction of all other godless life.

Krill gather for *services*, religious rituals, inside rooms or buildings known as chapels. Chapels may be found throughout the Krill home world and in their destroyers. Services were led by a high priest, flanked by two priests.

A basic chapel consisted of a single room with an altar at its center-front; a copy of the Anhkana and a ceremonial bell rested on the top of the altar. Two rows of pews flanked the sides of the room, separated by a single center aisle. The walls of the chapel were adorned with Krill writing proclaiming belief in Avis.

### Services

At the start of services, the priest opened services by twice ringing the ceremonial bell and greeting the congregation: "A blessed evening. *Temeem Emedeen*." Congregants replied, "Temeem Emedeen."

After the salutation, a blood sacrifice was presented for the glory of Avis. The priest uttered, "Let us now cleanse," and the sacrifice was presented. For example, during services on the *Yakar*, the severed head of a human from the Union colony planet Chara 3 was placed upon the altar. The priest produced a ritual dagger and explained the reason for the sacrifice's death.

Finally, the priest destroyed the sacrifice. The priest said, "Hail, Avis! Hail, victory! Temeem Emedeen," and plunged the dagger into the sacrifice. The Priest proceeded to mash the sacrifice with the dagger while the congregation chanted “Temeem Emedeen."

## Cuisine

A delicacy of the Krill is Kahspid cider, which is made from native Kahspid plants.

## Military

The Krill military was an extension of the society's religion, and participation in the military was known as joining "the divine fight" against other lifeforms.

The Krill operated warships called *destroyers* for military operations. Destroyers were led by a captain in charge of all operations aboard the ship. The captain was assisted by a high priest who oversaw religious affairs. Some destroyers may self-cloak.

There were at least two tiers of Krill military rank: the captain in command of a destroyer and the soldiers who comprised the bulk of the Krill force. Soldiers were highly trained for hand-to-hand and weapon-based combat. Soldiers were in charge of minor operations, enforcing the commands of leaders aboard destroyers or leading ground teams on military strikes.

### Armor and weaponry

Krill armor was durable yet flexible, having the same toughness as their rifles. Armor covered nearly all of the body of a soldier, although it was not entirely for protection in combat; because Krill were extremely sensitive to light, the armor blocked out deadly ultraviolet radiation. When on the surface of well-lit worlds like Epsilon 2, Krill soldiers wore helmets that guard the face at all times possible. The helmets opened and retracted automatically.

Soldiers carried several types of weapons, an assault weapon known as a plasma rifle, a single-handed plasma gun, and a sword for close-quarters combat. Some Krill (notably Captain Haros) carried daggers, which featured a trademark dagger-within-a-dagger design.

Krill used electrified batons as an instrument of torture on prisoners, which had at least nine levels of intensity to hurt the victim. It is assumed that higher levels were extraordinarily painful and harmful as the Krill themselves were only able to survive up to level eight.

### Prison

Captured enemies were temporarily stored in the brig of a ship, but long-term captives such as Orrin Channing were held in prisons.

## Relations

The Krill were hostile towards non-Krill species of space, raiding or attacking other civilizations such as the Planetary Union and the Chak'tal. The Krill-Chak'tal conflict erupted when the Krill attacked Chak'tal colonies, and the Chak'tal launched a punitive campaign in retaliation.

### Planetary Union

Main article: Krill-Planetary Union conflictFrom at least the 24th century until the early 25th, the Krill were adversaries of the Planetary Union, a longstanding hostility known as the Krill-Planetary Union conflict. The Union was careful to avoid an official declaration of war. As Admiral Ozawa elaborated, the Krill saw a declared war with the Union as "a holy crusade," which meant it would last decades.

From 2418 through 2419, the Krill converted Doctor Derek Ashton into a spy, and with his help nearly captured a sophisticated quantum-field technology known as a *quantum accelerator*, a device capable of rapidly aging anything within a "quantum bubble." They were stymied by the USS *Orville* in the Battle of Epsilon 2.

The Krill peppered Union colonies with military raids throughout 2419. The destroyer *Yakar* conquered the colony of Chara 3 and killed its settlers. Later, a different, unnamed destroyer attacked the USS *Druyan*, but was defeated by the intervening Orville. Around December, the *Kakov* attempted to raid the colony planet Kastra 4 but was destroyed by the Orville. Dozens of Union settlers were confirmed killed.

Captain Ed Mercer and Helmsman Gordon Malloy captured the Yakar in late 2419 - killing most of its crew and taking its schoolteacher, Teleya, captive. Teleya escaped prison in early 2420 and rejoined the Krill (although how she managed to accomplish that is unknown). The military seeded Teleya into the Union as "Janel Tyler," a dark matter cartographer.

In late 2420, Talla Keyali served aboard a ship that had their "butts kicked" by the Krill.

### Emergence of the Kaylon threat

Main article: Kaylon conflictA turning point in Krill-Union relations came when the Kaylon launched a campaign to eradicate all biological life in the galaxy in January 2421. The Kaylon sent a war armada to attack the Union's headquarters at Earth, but First Officer Kelly Grayson and Gordon were able to send an advance warning to the Krill. With a common threat, the Krill successfully aided the Union at the Battle of Earth in February.

The Krill and Union signed a ceasefire agreement soon after the battle, followed by the Lak'vai Pact of Tarazed 3 signed in March. This agreement, however, was nullified following the election of Teleya as Supreme Chancellor.

## Technology

Krill used dedicated broadcast frequencies for communications and distress signals that other civilizations identified as distinctive to the Krill.

## Education

Krill children were educated in space vessels such as destroyers, exposing the children to warfare on the ship and indoctrinating them into the Krill's military society. A classroom consisted of roughly a dozen pupils led by a single teacher.

## Other culture

Some Krill women chose a life of dedicated child-rearing.

Unmarried Krill women had maiden names before they adopt a new name at marriage. One such maiden name is Kalavus, belonging to the mother of Ambassador K.T.Z.

The Krill considered a region known as the Kalarr Expanse to be part of their territory, but never entered it. Their Anhkana warned of "Shadow Realms" within this space, said to be gateways to depths of the underworld where demons waited to possess the souls of those who strayed within their reach. In fact, the area was the home of the arachnids, a species which reproduced by rewriting the DNA of other sentient species.

The Krill considered the Merchant Class to be the backbone of their civilization, having been stable for tens of thousands of years. The Grand Marketplace was their center of commerce and merchants from every corner of the planet could be found there.

## Notable Krill

* Anaya (half-human hybrid)
* Haros
* Korin
* Kratok
* K.T.Z.
* Sazeron
* Teleya

## Production

Years before *The Orville* was greenlit, creator Seth MacFarlane envisioned an alien species of religious extremists that viewed all other life as inferior. His vision evolved into the "Krill:" a highly religious species and a metaphor of fundamentalist religions on 21st century Earth. As cinematographer Marvin Rush explained, "The Krill are very religious in a way for instance that ISIS or ISIL is. ... We're not saying this is the story of ISIS, we're not telling that story, but there's a corrupting effect that religion can have."

Yet despite the fact that the Krill are the primary antagonists of the Planetary Union, MacFarlane was careful to show that the Krill are not wholly evil. During the premiere of *Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes*, MacFarlane elaborated: "We wanted to create an enemy that felt threatening on the surface, but with an underlying humanity that we have to patiently unearth over time." At San Diego Comic Con in 2019, MacFarlane stated that he wanted to make sure that "no alien species is 100% evil" in the show.

### Design, make-up, and costumes

Design of the Krill was heavily influenced by the classic film *Nosferatu*. More specifically: their sensitivity to light and their vampiric appearance. Howard Berger, make-up department head for Season 1, recalled that "we did a series of design work on them - Seth [MacFarlane] said they're vampiric, they should be pale, black eyes and scary." Yet MacFarlane originally envisioned simpler aliens with nose and forehead prosthetics and make-up. To convince the man that realistic, large-scale Krill costumes were possible, Berger dressed his wife and two men in his vision of the Krill in November, 2016 and presented them to MacFarlane. He was impressed and immediately approved Berger's idea.

Artists designing the Krill chose to contrast the Krill people against Krill architecture by aiming for "polar opposites." The grey and blue-grey skin of the Krill moved the production team to design Krill architecture that is very dark; the gentle ridges on Krill bodies meant sharp angles on the walls; the soft skin of the Krill led to hard, metallic surfaces and harsh lighting.

Krill costumes have three generic types: adult male, adult female, and child. Berger notes: "We came up with a male and female version and a child version because there's an episode [*Krill*] with children, and on that episode we ended up doing 111 Krill in eight days." Only particularly important Krill characters received unique prosthetic masks, such as Chris, Haros, and Teleya.

Each costume is comprised of a prosthetic head, face, and chin piece, which are pre-painted to save time and then added to the actor. Application of the prosthetic and blending them into the skin take roughly one hour per person.

A concept sketch of a basic Krill soldier by the show's wardrobe designer, Joseph Porro.An older concept sketch of a Krill soldier. Note the significant differences in appearance.
## Trivia

* Actors portraying Krill wore dentures in the pilot episode *Old Wounds*. Unfortunately, the collection of dentures was lost after filming.
* Howard Berger says that, once in costume, extras portraying Krill curiously tend to eat their meals together, isolated from the rest of the cast.
* The name 'Krill' was invented by Seth MacFarlane, but what inspired the name is unknown.
	+ The name has been confirmed *not* to be based on the Krell from *Forbidden Planet*.
	+ A krill is a type of crustacean found in all of the Earth's oceans, but it is unknown if this in any way inspired the name of this species.
	+ This can be a hybrid of two alien races names from Marvel Universe, Kree and Skrulls.
* In Krill society, sunlight is a symbol of death, while rain and darkness are symbols of good.

## Gallery

Krill being exposed to UV light.The Krill's escape pods come equipped with a portable distress beacon for emergency situations.
## External links

* Sioux City Journal - One of the earliest public production discussions of the Krill.

## Appearances

* *Episode 1x01: Old Wounds*
* *Episode 1x02: Command Performance* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear*
* *Episode 1x05: Pria* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 1x06: Krill*
* *Episode 1x11: New Dimensions*
* *Episode 1.5x01: New Beginnings, Pt. 1*(mentioned only)
* *Episode 1.5x03: The Word of Avis, Pt. 1* (flashback)
* *Episode 1.5x04: The Word of Avis, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 2x01: Ja'loja* (in human form only)
* *Episode 2x02: Primal Urges* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes*
* *Episode 2x05: All the World is Birthday Cake* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 2x08: Identity, Pt. 1* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 2x10: Blood of Patriots*
* *Episode 2x11: Lasting Impressions* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 2x12: Sanctuary* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 2x13: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow* (mentioned only)
* *Episode 2.5x01: Launch Day, Pt. 1*
* *Episode 2.5x02: Launch Day, Pt. 2*
* *Episode 3x04: Gently Falling Rain*

## Notes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Teleya: "To become a soldier in the divine fight." Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes
2. ↑ Ed Mercer as "Chris" calls them such to a Krill guard. Episode 1x06: Krill
3. ↑ These Krill attacked during the Battle of Epsilon 2. Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
4. ↑ This is the most commonly encountered Krill phenotype, including in the Battle of Kastra 4 and the infiltration of the *Yakar*. Episode 1x06: Krill
5. ↑ The writing of which has not yet been deciphered. See Krillain.
6. ↑ The meaning of this phrase is unknown.
7. ↑ The sword is not seen in any episode but depicted and described in the book *The World of the Orville* as a double-bladed sword for close combat.

## References

1. ↑ Episode 2.5x01: Launch Day, Pt. 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Episode 1x06: Krill
4. ↑ Episode 2x02: Primal Urges
5. ↑ Perry. Episode 2x10: Blood of Patriots
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Episode 2x10: Blood of Patriots
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Episode 3x02: Shadow Realms
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Episode 3x04: Gently Falling Rain
9. ↑ Episode 3x09: Domino
10. ↑ Bond, Jeff. *The World of the Orville*. Titan Books. 2018. Pg. 94.
11. ↑ Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
12. ↑ Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear
13. ↑ Episode 1.5x04: The Word of Avis, Pt. 2
14. ↑ Episode 2x05: All the World is Birthday Cake
15. ↑ Episode 2x08: Identity, Pt. 1
16. ↑ Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2
17. ↑ Unk states that there are Krill "housewives." Episode 2x02: Primal Urges
18. ↑ Pascale, Anthony. "Interview: David A. Goodman On ‘The Orville’ As Sci-Fi Gateway And How ‘Futurama’ Landed ‘Enterprise’ Job". TrekMovie.com. Oct. 23, 2017.
19. ↑ Bond, Jeff. *The World of the Orville*. Titan Books. 2018. Pg. 109.
20. ↑ @SethMacFarlane. "We wanted to create an enemy that felt threatening on the surface, but with an underlying humanity that we have to patiently unearth over time.". Twitter. Jan. 17, 2019.
21. ↑ Bond, Jeff. *The World of the Orville*. Titan Books. 2018. Pg. 105.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "PLANETARY UNION NETWORK: EPISODE 20". Planetary Union Network. June 17, 2018.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Bond, Jeff. *The World of the Orville*. Titan Books. 2018. Pg. 110.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "The IMDb Show | Episode 103: Amber Stevens West, the FX of “The Orville,” and Shows Ending in 2018". *The IMDb Show*. Dec. 1, 2017.
25. ↑ The Martini Shot Show. "Ep. 5 Howard Berger talks The Orville, breaking into the industry, and more!". Youtube. March 2, 2018.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 David A. Goodman, Executive Producer and Writer. Quantum Drive. May 10, 2022.