 | |
| Altrusian | |
| Continuity: | Land of the Lost |
| Category: | Alien |
| Status: | Extinct |
| Homeworld: | Altrusia |
| Body type: | Insectoid |
| Average height: | 6' |
| Limbs: | 4 |
| Eyes: | 2 |
| Sub-groups: | Sleestaks |
| Representatives: | Enik |
| Allies: | Marshall family (Rick Marshall; Will Marshall; Holly Marshall; Jack Marshall) |
| 1st appearance: | Land of the Lost: The Stranger |
Altrusians are an interdimensional race of beings featured in the Land of the Lost television and film franchise. They are the forerunners of the Sleestak subspecies and are usually represented by the character of Enik. The Altrusians first appeared in "The Stranger" episode of the original Land of the Lost television series.
History[]
The Altrusians were an ancient reptilian race that originated on an unnamed world colloquially referred to as the "Land of the Lost". They were one of the few sentient species native to the world and were regarded as the keepers of time and space. The Altrusians were telepathic by nature and as such, had an acute perception of their own emotional state of mind. Because of this, the Altrusians attempted to suppress their more base, negative emotions such as hate, fear and deception. Embracing cold logic and the splendors of technology, they were responsible for the creation of several artifacts, which led to the discovery of interdimensional worlds. They erected monolithic structures, which they referred to as Pylons, and powered them with light jewels which formed naturally beneath the planet's surface. Through these devices, they were able to locate and repair dimensional doorways and travel through time and space.
At some point during their pre-history, the Altrusians brought about their own destruction. The exact details behind this are unclear, but it is believed that they gave in to their more aggressive emotions, which caused a massive schism within Altrusian culture, leading inevitably to civil war. Those that survived were no longer capable of maintaining their psychic abilities and they eventually devolved into a more primitive state, giving rise to the splinter caste known as Sleestaks.
At a point in the distant past, an Altrusian scientist named Enik traveled through one of the dimensional doorways into what he believed was his own past. An unknown disturbance caused a distortion in his journey and he actually found himself displaced into the far future. Enik was horrified to find that his once proud race had now devolved into the violent, warlike Sleestaks. Enik met a family of time-lost adventurers named the Marshalls, who helped Enik affect repairs to his Mageti crystal and open a doorway in the hopes of returning to his own time so he could warn his people of the calamity that was to come. [1]
Notes & Trivia[]
- According to Enik, Altrusians are incapable of lying. The logic behind this stems from the fact that they are telepathic and are aware of the emotional states of others. [2]