CULTHAN race CULTHAN race
Classification: Semi-humanoid extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations: Planet Culth, 6th planet in Cultha system (system 72), sector 5, quadrant 13, Andromeda galaxy
Known Members: Heth'sa; unidentified judge;
unidentified other prison security guards; unidentified rioting prisoners (both groups shown in main image (past time travel image) and lower left image (flashback to original event))
Affiliations: Gambit (Remy LeBeau), Ronan
Enemies: Unspecified Culthan prison rioters;
formerly Gambit (Remy LeBeau)
First Appearance: Gambit III#23 (December, 2000)
Powers/Abilities: The numerous sharp teeth, with some degree of overlapping.
They are larger than average for human and appear to be physically powerful, but they have not demonstrated anything to support or refute having anything greater than human level strength and/or durability.
The properties of the armor he wore are unrevealed, and it is almost certain that they lacked most features of the X-Cutioner armor; it is unrevealed whether he had access to spatial or time-travel technology otherwise, but he could activate and utilize such equipment within the X-Cutioner armor.
Traits: The Culth have knowledge of advanced technology, including at least one orbiting prison (with the technology for life support, artificial gravity, maintaining orbit, etc.), and energy blasters.
The security guards at the orbiting prison wore suits of armor of uncertain specifications. A suit of such armor was adapted by the X-Cutioner, but it is not known exactly what properties the armor originally had and/or what X-Cutioner added to the armor.
Heth'sa, at least, had access to technology that allowed him to track and locate specific desired techology, as well as to access technology to break through security doors.
Heth'sa, at least, had access to a scoutship that could travel from New Orleans, Louisiana to Oklahoma in 15 minutes.
Little is known of Culthan society beyond the existence of a judicial system and a penal system, with inmates and security guards.
Heth'sa, at least was so regretful of having fearfully abandoned his post in the past that he traveled through time to try to force his younger self to stay and fight (even if it killed his younger self).
Type: Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; solid white color seen)
Fingers: Two (plus opposing thumb; there
was one image that made it look like Heth'sa might have three fingers
and a thumb, but every other image I saw made it look like the Cultha
had two fingers and a thumb)
Toes: Unrevealed (likely three)
Skin color: Pink-red
Average height: Approximately 6'8"
History:
(Gambit III#23 (fb)) - The Cultha had at least one orbital penitentiary above planet Culth.
(Gambit III#23 (fb)) - "Years ago" there was a riot on the orbital penitentiary, and the guards were overwhelmed.
Panicking, Heth'sa abandoned his post and his co-workers, all of whom died standing their ground during the fighting.
(Gambit III#23 (fb)) - Heth'sa
was tried and convicted of cowardice. As he could not be placed in a
Culthan jail, he was transferred to a Shi'ar penal system instead,
where he served out his sentence.
(Gambit III#23 (fb) - BTS) - Carl Denti culled the armor and weaponry of the Culthan security officers to become the X-Cutioner.
(Gambit III#23 (fb)) - During the events of Maximum Security, Heth'sa and his entire outpost was relocated to Earth as part of a plot to distract humanity to prevent them from interfering with intergalactic affairs. Heth'sa used equipment made available to him as one of Ronan's wardens to learn of Gambit's recent battle with the X-Cutioner on New York City's streets. He sought to access the armor.
(Gambit III#23) - Heth'sa confronted and introduced himself to Gambit and members of the Unified Guild of Thieves and Assassins (specifically Bella Donna Boudreaux, Mercy LeBeau, and Emil Lapin) in New Orleans after they had overcome a portion of the Ego-plague overrunning Earth.
(Gambit III#23) - Heth'sa explained to the Guild of his desire to locate the X-Cutioner armor, and his needing their assistance to access it. Heth'sa further explained that the armor system had a database that contained information collected by the High Evolutionary that might help Earth's ecosystem slow down Ego's growth.
(Gambit III#23) - After the Guild helped Heth'sa access the Oklahoma missile silo containing the X-Cutioner armor, Heth'sa activated the armor's space-time transit mechanism and vanished.
(Gambit III#23 (fb) - BTS) - Heth'sa traveled via "Stargate route 13.45" to the Culthan prison with a temporal egress into the past of four solar rotations, six lunar rotations, and 13 interplanetary rotations (see comments).
(Gambit III#23 - BTS) - Via donning the X-Cutioner helmet, Gambit identified the location and time period of Heth'sa's travel and followed him there.
(Gambit III#23 - BTS) - In the time of the violent riot on the orbital penitentiary on which Heth'sa worked, Gambit arrived, using his powers to disable some weaponry so he could locate Heth'sa. After the X-Cutioner helmet tracked the temporal energies to Heth'sa's location, Gambit removed the helmet.
(Gambit III#23) - As Heth'sa's past self panicked and broke ranks, the time-traveler Heth'sa knocked him down, revealed his identity, and instructed his past self to get back in there and fight, as dying was preferable to what he had gone through the past 4 years. When past-Heth'sa refused, his present self threatened to kill him, at which point Gambit intervened, blowing up present Heth'sa's weapon. Present Heth'sa angrily yelled at Gambit, who explained that he could not be allowed to change the timestream and instead offered him what appeared to be his past self's helmet. After present-Heth'sa donned the helmet, Gambit was returned to the present.
Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Yanick Paquette, Sean Parsons, & John Stanisci.
The planet is clearly called Culth by Heth'sa; the adjective Culthan is used repeatly to refer to Culthan troops, etc. Cultha is used when referring to the location to which Heth'sa was traveling; it is unclear whether this was referring to the planet or perhaps the star/sun.
The temporal egress seems to be specifying 4 years, 6 months, and 13 days...but it would seem quite likely that this is referring to Culthan measurements of time, and there's no reason to assume that a Culthan year (planetary rotation around the sun) is the same as an Earth year (it could be significantly shorter, significantly longer, or roughly the same).
It is unclear what actions Heth'sa ultimately took, and it is similarly unclear whether his and/or Gambit's actions were significant enough to diverge a new reality, or whether they changed nothing and reality persisted.
It is further unclear what past and present Heth'sa did after they were last seen. I would guess that past Heth'sa went on to flee and live out the life his future self had done, and that present-Heth'sa went back to fight the rioters. If past-Heth'sa lived out a different life and/or present-Heth'sa did anything more than join the fight, die at the rioters' hands, and not change the outcome significantly, then a new reality would have diverged. And while there is almost certainly a reality where those things happened, we have no reference to such realities, so there will be no designation until such a reality is referenced or seen.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Culthans should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Gambit
III#23, pg. 8, panel 3 (riot)
panel 5 (trial/judges);
pg. 16, panel 3 (riot via time travel);
Appearances:
Gambit
III#23 (December, 2000) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Yanick Paquette
(penciler), Sean Parsons & John Stanisci (inkers), Mike Raicht
(assistant editor), Mike Marts (editor)
First Posted: 11/30/2017
Last updated: 11/30/2017
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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