Any Highlander fans out there? I have some questions.

[thefourthvine]

Do you know HL? I need some help from people who have seen Highlander canon. Here's what I'd like to know:

1. What are all the ways to permanently kill an immortal? I know cutting off heads, but is there anything else? And is it different the first time they die? And does it matter if the whole head doesn't come off - like, can they come back if the neck is only mostly severed?
   
   
2. What happens the first time they (don't) die? I mean, they think they're mortal for a period of time, right? And then they die, except they don't, and they say, "Whoa, dude. I must be immortal, because that sure as shit should've killed me." (Although I think most people would assume the injury or whatever just hadn't been as bad as they thought, so - do some of them have to die a lot before they figure it out?) But I'm a little foggy on the whole deal, frankly. Do they have to be buried and then rise again, like vampires? Or is it more of an instantaneous thing?
   
   
3. What happens if you shoot an immortal (who has already done the first not-death, if that matters) in a way that would kill a human but won't kill him? (Like, gaping chest wound, something like that.) I'm pretty sure he has at least a period of, shall we say, limited activity, but how long is he down for? And exactly how limited is his activity? And what happens - like, do the wounds visibly close over and heal, or does he just suddenly sit up all better, or what?

As much detail as you've got, that's how much I'd like.

And if you know any sources for getting this kind of information without bugging my friends list - like, a Highlander encyclopedia or whatever - I would love to know about it.

Comments

[unovis-lj.livejournal.com]

Some misinformation in the answers I've seen. Most of the things you're asking about were not addressed directly within the original TV show or were inconsistantly shown, on a plot by plot basis as the stories demanded.

As far as Highlander canon goes, you have a choice of what sources to accept (You have to make choices, since there are contradictions among these) -- the movies; the two TV series that aired; the out-takes of those series on DVDs (some interesting developments shot but not aired); the Watcher Chronicles, which came out on CD and then in expanded form on the DVDs; and the tie-in novels. The numerous commentaries and interviews on the DVDs over the past couple of years reveal the intentions and interpretations of the actors, writers, and producer, and there have been arguments over whether or not their ideas were clear onscreen. Some things I've seen in your comments branded as fanon actually came from behind the scenes or tie-in novels. The movies don't jibe with TV series canon (or each other) at all, not even the last two movies that include Duncan and Methos et al.

For 2) The violent first death requirement was only canon in Highlander: The Raven (spinoff series), where it became a major plot point for the series finale episodes (Amanda shoots pre-Immortal Nick, who is dying of disease, to make sure he becomes Immortal). Otherwise, it never came up in Highlander: The Series.
There were several shows that dealt with Immortals who didn't know what was happening when they kept reviving after death--at least three that I can think of offhand. The necessity for a teacher, for someone to show the new Immie the ropes, was discussed frequently. Recovery time in *all* cases depended on the needs of the plot. Richie revives after his first death in a matter of minutes. Others are shown taking hours to a day.

For 3) The main writer and others said that they originally wanted the loss of a limb for an Immortal to be permanent. Two characters in canon have wounds that never healed: Kalas had a scarred throat and impaired voice for at least 70 years after Duncan cut him; Xavier St Cloud had his hand cut off by Duncan and it was still gone a few years later. The issue was never discussed or made clear within the series, however. Later, some of the behind the scenes folks suggested that limbs might regenerate very slowly.

A good place to ask is highlander_lj. Wikipedia has good lists of characters and episodes, but the in-depth canon information isn't reliable. Some older sources were posted before the DVDs came out. Seventh Dimension hasn't been updated with new stories in about three years; you can find newer things on the Highlander Fiction archive (http://hlfiction.net/) or in the LJ story lists maintained by hl_flash.