Quickening (Highlander)

This redirect is about the fictional phenomenon. For the film, see Highlander II: The Quickening.

The Quickening is a fictional concept related to the immortal characters of the Highlander franchise, first introduced in the 1986 movie Highlander. Originally, the Quickening referred to the energy immortals are born with that makes them invincible to death unless beheaded. An immortal can take another's Quickening after beheading them, increasing their personal power. It is said that eventually there will be only one immortal, who will gain the Prize, the collective energy of all immortals who've ever lived.

The concept was expanded on in the live-action spin-off Highlander: The Series, where characters often use the word "Quickening" to refer to the process of when an immortal's energy is released after death and absorbed by the immortal who killed them. The TV series also cemented that the transfer of Quickening energy included a transfer of some knowledge and skills. The series producers stated, "The power of the Quickening is the equivalent to a major electrical storm hitting—windows explode, lights short circuit, it is almost as if the victorious Immortal is in the center of a lightning storm." Across the franchise, a side-effect of being born with the potential for immortality is that the person cannot biologically have children.

Film Description

Highlander (1985)

In the original movie Highlander, humans who are born immortal possess an energy within them that can be absorbed by another immortal if they kill the former. An immortal ages normally until experiencing a fatal incident. After this First Death, they no longer age. In the original film, the Egyptian warrior Ramírez demonstrates to protagonist Connor MacLeod that they are immortals and have a connection to nature. As he shows Connor that they can survive being struck by lightning, as well as sense the emotions and heartbeat of a nearby stag, he explains that this power and the sensations it brings "is the Quickening." The film also shows that the Quickening energy allows immortals to sense each other.

When an immortal kills another in the movie, a bright light manifests around the victor as wind rises and surges of electricity affect the surrounding area. Often, the victor is temporarily levitated into the air and in pain as they absorb the energy and power of the dead immortal. The process lasts moments.

Ramírez explains to MacLeod that many immortals hunt each other in order to absorb more energy and power. This "Game" has one rule: never to fight on holy ground. Ramírez says this rule is one no immortal will violate, remarking "it's tradition." He also explains that one day where there are only a few immortals left, those who remain will feel a pull "towards a faraway land" where they will fight for the "Prize": the collective Quickening energy of all immortals before them, granting them enough power to enslave humanity. At the end of the film, Connor MacLeod becomes the last living immortal in 1985 and screams "The Quickening overpowers me" as he absorbs the Prize, adding "I know everything! I am everything!" He then explains that the Prize has not only made him mortal but has increased his ability to sense other living things. Now he can know the thoughts and dreams of anyone alive on Earth.

Highlander II: The Quickening (1990)

The 1990 movie Highlander II: The Quickening contradicted several aspects of the first movie and created a new alien-based origin for the immortals. It was now said that Connor MacLeod and Ramírez were revolutionaries on the planet Zeist. They and other criminals are exiled to Earth, becoming immortal in the process (though how is unexplained), and told they are to kill each other. The last survivor will be made mortal again, allowed to remain on Earth or return to Zeist with amnesty. In this movie, the Quickening no longer refers to an energy present in all immortals and is not the source of their immortality. Instead, the Quickening is a form of magic used by Ramírez, who is depicted here as a sorcerer. The Quickening forges a bond between Connor and Ramírez that allows them to resurrect and help each other even after one has died by being beheaded. Later, Ramírez uses the magical Quickening to delay a death trap so Connor can escape.

This film is not considered canon by the third film Highlander III: The Sorcerer or by Highlander: The Series.

Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994)

Also known as Highlander: The Final Dimension, this 1994 film indicates the Quickening may transfer knowledge as well as power. When the immortal sorcerer Nakano is beheaded by the evil immortal Kane, his killer now also possesses the same magic. It is not clear if Nakano's sorcery was an inherent power or something that he needed to learn. If the former, then it was a transfer of power to Kane rather than of knowledge.

The film shows an immortal die from being beheaded by a guillotine during the French Revolution. Only mortal people are around when this death occurs and there is no visible Quickening, confirming the release of explosive power only occurs if another immortal is close enough to absorb the energy.

This film indicates the rule against immortals fighting on holy ground may be more than tradition. When Kane attacks Connor at a Buddhist shrine, the Highlander warns him that this is holy ground. Kane ignores the plea and attacks. They duel but once they are close to the altar, Connor's sword explodes when Kane's blade makes contact, and the two immortal sense powerful energy around them as wind rises. Rather than continue the fight, Kane flees.

File:Macleod01.jpg

Duncan MacLeod receives a Quickening.

TV series spin-offs

Highlander: The Series (1992-1998)

This live-action show depicts a timeline where the events of the original movie still took place but in a world where many more immortals exist. As a result, Connor's battle with the Kurgan in 1985 does not result in him winning the Prize. The series follows Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), born and adopted by the Clan MacLeod decades after Connor discovered he was immortal.

The immortals in Highlander: The Series do not have the connection to nature that Connor and Ramírez display in the original film. When they use the term "Quickening," they are often referring to the process of one immortal absorbing the energy of another. The lead cast member of the television series, Adrian Paul, explained, "The Quickening is the receiving of all the power and knowledge another immortal has obtained throughout his/her life. It is like the receiving of a sacrament or a massive orgasm." Visually, the release of the Quickening is depicted as a glow or mist emerging from and enveloping the dead immortal's fallen body, sometimes surrounding the victory in wisps of mist as well. Lightning erupts in the area, causing damage and often explosions to varying degrees. On occasion, clouds darken or gather. On rare occasions, levitation of the surviving immortal or nearby objects occurs.

The producers were required to make the beheadings less violent, thereby adhering to television standards. William Panzer, who was Peter S. Davis's partner and a joint executive producer, explained, "In the movies, you know, we had a lot more license. But this being television in the early 1990s, we couldn't have a lot of body parts flying around. So, we tried to use something that created the idea that somebody got their head cut off, but that it was more like a jolt of light came out of the head, and the lightning flew around them. This, I suppose, was less violent than the movie version." Consequently, the Quickening scene in the pilot episode, "The Gathering," is described in the script as follows:

"We will call this shot for want of a better term, the Quickening Thrust. This will be one of our signature shots of the show. Perhaps it is a strobed, slow-motion shot. Perhaps there is particular glint to the sword as it slashes towards us on a POV shot, representing the coup de grâce which is about to be delivered. In any event what we will NOT see, is a decapitation. No head leaves the body, indeed no sword strikes the neck. Instead, we cut to : The Quickening is a blinding flash of blue light emanating from what was the bad guy and filling the screen and arcing into anything electrical nearby. Thus, street lamps, car headlights, windows, etc. are blown out."

The series indicates that the rule against fighting on holy ground also applies to immortals fighting with mortals. On multiple occasions, Duncan finds a mortal enemy at a cemetery or crypt and realizes he is not allowed to attack them. This is treated as a rule of honor, similar to the first movie. In the episode "Little Tin God", the character Joe Dawson describes a legend that says the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was caused by "two Immortals going at it in a Temple of Apollo" in Pompeii, breaking the rule. However, he admits this is only a rumor with no evidence to back it up.

The series indicates that this is a transfer not just of power but also of physical skills. Some episodes indicate a temporary transfer of knowledge, with immortals experiencing visions of the dead one's life. On rare occasion, personality traits and mannerisms temporarily manifest. In the fifth season episode "Haunted", Richie Ryan briefly takes on the voice and appearance of Alec Hill, an immortal he killed the previous year, when meeting Hill's wife. In the film Highlander: Endgame, which continues the canon of the TV series, Duncan MacLeod reluctantly absorbs the Quickening of an immortal he considers family and later manifests the man's face and voice during a battle against a mutual enemy, as if briefly possessed by a soul still inside him.

On even rarer occasions, the Quickening overwhelms an immortal with personality traits of the immortal they killed, resulting in corruption (a "Dark Quickening") or a new perspective that leads them towards remorse and altruism (a "Light Quickening"). The immortal Darius was said to have been ruthless until absorbing the Quickening of a particular immortal turned him into a kind pacifist, leading him to become a monk. The immortal Native American named Coltec is said to have a special gift to absorb the darkness and madness of others and uses this power to remove some darkness from Duncan MacLeod. After centuries of this and hunting many evil immortals, he became overwhelmed and corrupted. Forced to kill Coltec, Duncan is overwhelmed by the Dark Quickening and engages on a violent rampage until he kills a wise and noble immortal whose Quickening partially restores his balance (he later undergoes further healing).

In agreement with the movie Highlander II and Highlander: The Final Dimension, the series showed that immortals didn't need to be beheaded by a sword in order to die and that there would be no energy released if there wasn't an immortal standing close to them. When mortals threaten to behead the immortal Fitzcairn, he warns that without another immortal nearby all of his power and "knowledge" will be lost. The series producers later said, "if there is no immortal present, then the Quickening just goes to the Source." The Source is never fully explained, but is meant to be an energy well that gives newborn immortals their initial power.

The series occasionally showed that an immortal only needed to be in close proximity to a beheaded immortal to absorb their power and didn't necessarily have to be their killer. According to the series produces, "what we thought was, as long as an Immortal is present, he gets the Quickening."

Along with being able to sense each other while alive, some immortals seem to be able to sense a close friend or loved one who is immortal has died if they are nearby. When Lucas Desiree is beheaded in one episode, close friend Duncan MacLeod is nearby and feels that his friend has died rather than the immortal who attack them.

Producer William S. Panzer said the most elaborate Quickening in the television series appeared in the Season 1 episode "Band of Brothers." He explained, "When the pyrotechnics went off, it was shot in slow motion, and so the actual take, the wide shot was two and a half minutes long, and I was still, it was probably the most amazing Quickening that we ever had."

Highlander: Endgame (2000)

The 2000 movie Highlander: Endgame follows the continuity of Highlander: The Series. It shows an immortal named Kell absorbing Quickening energy from multiple newly killed immortals at once. One of these scenes takes place in the Sanctuary, a site described by another character as holy ground. Fan complaints regarding this scene resulted in the DVD release of the film removing all references that the Sanctuary was holy ground.

Highlander: The Source (2007)

This movie, continuing the continuity of Highlander: The Series and Highlander: Endgame, introduces the energy well known as the Source and an immortal, magically empowered Guardian. In the movie's plot, immortals can challenge the Guardian for access to the Source. If they lose, their Quickening returns to the Source directly rather than go to the Guardian. If they behead the Guardian, they absorb his Quickening and are forced to take his place. Alternatively, if they win the fuel but choose to spare the Guardian, they will have access to the Source.

Highlander: The Animated Series (1994-1996)

Taking place in its own timeline, this show follows Quentin MacLeod, an immortal and the last of the Clan MacLeod, who lives on Earth in the 27th century. Seven centuries previously, a meteorite caused great devastation across Earth, leading Connor MacLeod and other immortals to renounce their lives of violence and act as guides and helpers to humanity. One immortal, Kortan, refused and became ruler over much of Earth.

Aimed at young children, Highlander: The Animated Series had to limit its violence (any beheadings happened offscreen) and also wished to have its young hero Quentin grow in power through means other than regular murder, particularly as all immortals beside Kortan were now established as altruistic pacifists. In this series, the immortals are able to pass their Quickening to another immortal if both grip the same sword and wish it to be so. This allowed Quentin to grow in power while also helping other immortals finally gain mortality, giving them the chance to start families and age naturally.