where did cluster lizards come from?
*Ahem*
According to one published report, the Cluster Lizards are the last or only known species of native life from the Cluster. Hence the name ‘Cluster’ Lizard.
According to a treatment from December, 1997, for an episode titled “The Clizzards of Woz” the Cluster Lizard is an endangered species and the sole export from the planet of origin, Woz. The episode was extensively changed and the Cluster Lizards angle was dropped.
According to Dave Albiston and David Cullen, original storyboard and effects artists, the Cluster Lizard was originally just that, a reptile. It was a cross between a pit bull and an alligator. Drawings and maquettes (small sculptures used to guide production) were made. This goes back to 1993.
The Cluster Lizards shifted to rolling segmented creatures comparatively late in production, after July, 1995, Paul Donovan’s concept of Cluster Lizards changed to segmented rolling creatures.
The whole rolling, tail in its mouth thing, might be a reference to greek or norse mythology, a reference to the metaphor of time running in a circle, inspired by the American hoop snake, or perhaps something as simple as rolling a tire with a stick as kids sometimes do. Quite likely part of it was simply that a rolling creature is easier for physical effects to do than a four legged puppet, which almost always looks bad.
The segmented thing is trickier. But we know that Paul Donovan was into bugs right from the start. So eventually, he may have simply decided to make them more insectlike
and less reptile.
Conceptually, the rolling segments of Cluster Lizards gave rise to the LEXX symbol, and to the development of the look
of the Gigashadow and its larvae. In a sense, the Cluster Lizards are ancestors of the Insects.
Having said all that: Now allow me to go all geek boy and speculate.
Cluster Lizards are segmented creatures whose behaviour appears to include rolling.
They are capable of surviving vaccuum without trouble, are thought to tolerate extremely hostile environments, prefer heat
reproduce every seven years and lay eggs
which give rise to recognizeable but immature larvae. They were exclusive to The Cluster so far as we know.
Cluster Lizards share many features with the
Insects. Particularly, the insects survive vaccuum without trouble, are segmented, can roll into a ball, and appear to lay eggs giving rise to recognizeable larvae. That bit about eggs comes from the early lexx web site from Jeff.
My theory is that there are enough similarities to roughly place both the insects and the cluster lizards in the same evolutionary lineage. I think its likely that they’re related, and that Cluster Lizards were probably a parasite species
living on the insects, the way flees might live on a dog, or mice in a house.
How’s that?