Dominar Rygel XVI

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Dominar Rygel XVI
Farscape character

Title	Dominar
Homeworld	Hyneria
Race	Hynerian
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Moya's crew
Portrayer	Jonathan Hardy

Dominar Rygel XVI (called simply Rygel) is a fictional character and one of two regular puppet characters on the television science fiction series Farscape. Rygel was operated by John Eccleston, Sean Masterson, Tim Mieville, Matt McCoy, Mario Halouvas and Fiona Gentle. His voice was provided by Jonathan Hardy.

Standing all of 26 inches tall -- when he deigned to stand at all -- Rygel XVI was once the royal sovereign of more than 600 billion loyal (or so he claimed) subjects, the ruler of the Hynerian Empire. Unfortunately for him, none of them were with him in the Uncharted Territories. Over 130 cycles before the events of Farscape, Rygel's cousin Bishan overthrew him and seized the throne. Rygel never discussed the political causes for the coup, though he intended to avenge himself as soon as he got the chance. Bishan turned the dethroned Dominar over to the Peacekeepers, who held him prisoner for more than 130 cycles. Rygel initially spent his confinement aboard the Peacekeeper Command Carrier Zelbinion, where he was regularly tortured and humiliated by the ship's captain, Selto Durka. He survived, but grew to hate Durka and Peacekeepers in general because of it.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

He was eventually transferred off the ship, and endured an unknown number of prisons before finally landing onboard Moya. The Leviathan had numerous passages and conduits that only someone of his size could use, and he began to secretly come and go from his cell as he liked, hiding food and valuables where the Peacekeepers couldn't find them. His efforts eventually paid off when he became the guiding force behind Moya's escape from Peacekeeper servitude: he had obtained the necessary code keys and bribed the guard drones in order to make the prison break possible. Of course, if Rygel could have freed the ship alone, he might just as easily have left his fellow inmates Ka D'Argo, and Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, in chains. After the escape Rygel spends his time aboard Moya as the ship's main negotiator, obtaining food and supplies.

Though Rygel does at times provide valuable services for the crew, he often causes a lot of problems. In one instance, Rygel tried to betray his shipmates to Crais and Scorpius in exchange for resources to return him to Hyneria. He only repents and returns to Moya when he learns that Scorpius plans to kill him anyway.

Rygel, in short, is greedy, self-absorbed, and egotistical. He makes a habit of "procuring" items from his fellow shipmates, eating all the time (he has three stomachs and a very fast metabolism) and more often than not putting those around him in danger. But there is another side to Rygel. When absolutely necessary he has put himself in harm's way for the rest of the crew, though he then reminds them of it repeatedly afterward. He is instrumental in saving Moya from the Drak. He joins Aeryn, Crais, Stark, and one of the twinned John Crichtons aboard Talyn when the Peacekeeper retrieval squad commanded by Xhalax Sun attacks both Moya and Talyn. While John and the Ancient, Jack, are busy constructing a displacement engine, Rygel holds off a small army of Charrids, nearly single-handedly. He even negotiates the safe passage of the crew aboard Scorpius' Command Carrier.

Since the destruction of Scorpius's Command Carrier, Rygel has warmed to his role as a member of Moya's crew and has willingly sacrificed himself at the expense of his crewmates. For their most complicated plan to date, Rygel incites the Charrids to attack the Kalish on the Scarran base.

As a personal victory, Rygel was able to exact revenge on his tormentor Durka, who had gained control of the Zenetan Pirates. He kills him and carries his decapitated head around for one episode. But Rygel still awaits his most major of victories. Through the Peacekeepers, he has received reports that the subjects of the Hynerian Empire are unhappy with Bishan's rule, and that the time might soon be ripe for Rygel to reclaim his rightful place on the throne. Until that happens, however, he intends to obtain as much wealth and glory as he can by whatever means possible.

If and when he does return home, one thing is certain: his cousin will rue the day he crossed Dominar Rygel XVI.

Crichton often refers to Rygel as "Sparky," "Guido," "Fluffy," "Spanky" or "Buckwheat."