Forever Knight - Canon & Trivia
I've been working on this project on and off for a few years and am finally ready to post the bulk of what I've done in the hopes that it will not only answer questions, but provide a place where fic writers who want to work within the realm of canon can find both information and the episodes that support it.
Please note the definition of "canon" is what you hear and see on the screen (full Canadian version)! Behind-the-scenes interviews, script writer's intentions, edited-out portions of scripts, etc., are not taken into account.
Most of the info here is about Nick, Nat, LaCroix, Schanke, and Janette. I wasn't much of a stickler on collecting data on the 3rd season newcomers, but will probably add more later. If there is any information you need but can't find here, information that you have and would like to see included here, or if you notice any blunders, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Conclusions were reached considering the episodes in chronological order. "Undetermined" means either the subject was not brought up, or there is conflicting evidence of equal weight.
FK Vampires in General (Below)
Nick
Nat
LaCroix
Janette
Schanke
Tracy, Vachon,
Urs, Screed, The Captains
Other
Characters & FK Places and Things
FK VAMPIRES IN GENERAL
1. Do they have perfect
memories?
NO. Both
Nick and Lacroix have admitted to have forgotten things. While
some people have taken Nick's flashbacks as an indication of
perfect memory, it must be pointed out that both mortals (CRCH)
and "souls" (Francesca) have had clear flashbacks
throughout the series and that flashbacks are merely a device to
impart the story to the viewer.
2. Do they all live
nomadic lifestyles, moving every few years or decades?
NO. In the
episode 'Francesca', Francesca said she lived at Cote de Rhone
for 400 years.
3. Do FK vampires really
live forever?
UNDETERMINED. Although the reference to "eternal" life
occurs frequently, there is also contradictory evidence. Nick
mentions 1,000 lifetimes in ND; Janette tells Nick he shouldn't
reach midlife for 1,000 years in ILCK; and in BM, Lacroix tells
Nick the old mafia guy should be healthy for another 100 years,
suggesting that his lifespan is limited. (It's also possible that
Lacroix did not bring the man across, but gave him some blood to
extend his life similar to the story in ILCK)
4. Does it normally take a
long time for a new vampire to learn how to be a vampire?
NO. Most
vampires are left to their own devices after being brought across
and Janette, for example, instinctively knew how to feed
immediately. According to Vachon in Black Buddha, Angel taught
him and the Inca the "ways of the night" in one night.
5. Are vampire hunters
less skilled at hunting than vampires?
NO. According
to Lacroix they are equally skilled, "Hunters as
accomplished as ourselves" (Hunters).
6. Can vampires feed on
humans whenever they desire?
NO. Among
other examples, in LYTD, Janette says to Nick, "You know how
rarely any of us gets to feed on humans anymore."
7. Is human blood is the
preferred food of all FK vampires?
NO. Screed
prefers rats. First hunger is described in Fever which reveals
that you don't hunger for humans if your first kill wasn't a
human.
8. Do they require human
blood to survive?
NO. According
to Vachon in 'Fever', "If your first kill isn't human, you
don't hunger for humans." If a vampire doesn't hunger for
human blood in particular, he obviously doesn't require it.
9. Do vampire bodies
always contain blood?
NO. In
StF, Natalie said, "...vampires don't have blood unless
they've just fed, then their blood is full of digestive
enzymes". Although we usually see them bleed, Nick has been
shot and not bled; and Vachon wasn't terribly bloody after losing
a hand. (There is also much leeway in the time period of
"just fed", depending on how often an FK vampire
"normally" feeds -- something not determined in the
series). In the end, there's no solid evidence to contradict
Nat's direct statement, but there is evidence to support it - DK
and Francesca both infer that it is actually the ingested blood
that runs through the vampires' veins, and in KI, Lacroix says to
Nick, "Do you feel her blood surge in your veins,
Nicholas." Once the blood is in the vampire's veins (and no
doubt changed by those enzymes), it would be considered vampire
blood.
10. Do they always
disappear when they die?
NO. Although
Nick said in ILCK that vampires disappear when they die, we have
seen many who haven't disappeared including Screed, Urs, Vachon,
Spark, and Divia. (Also, in AtA, Lacroix asked Nick about the
bodies.) They do disappear if they are killed by sunlight,
however, e.g. Erica, Tran, Richard, and Angel.
11. During the process of
being brought across, is every mortal given the opportunity to
choose death over vampirism?
NO. While
Near Death showed that both Nick and Janette were given a choice
and that Lacroix had knowledge of the "light", it was
not established that this phenomena was universal. There is, in
fact, evidence that it is NOT universal -- Nick tells Fleur in
BMV, "He will make you one of us whether you want it or
not," and Lacroix says re Daniel in FFi "...we choose
for him." Less conclusive evidence is found in HoD when Urs
says to Vachon, "I asked you to kill me, not to bring me
across." Her statement suggests that had she been given the
choice, she would have chosen death.
12. Is being bitten by a
vampire is always an enjoyable experience?
NO. Among
several others who didn't appear to enjoy it, Lacroix himself
cried out in agony when Divia bit him. (AMPH).
13. Does vampirism change
a person's DNA?
YES. Natalie
once discovered extra nucleotides on Nick's DNA that evaporated
when they were removed from the host cell (The Fix).
14. If a carouche creates
another vampire, is the new vampire also a carouche?
UNDETERMINED. From 'Blind Faith' the only things we know about
carouche are that they are a "lower form of vampire,"
(wide open to interpretation), can occur in human form (like
Screed), and "mostly" feed on vermin. Perry and Raleigh
may or may not be carouche. There is no indication given of what
makes a carouche -- maybe they're created by other carouche,
maybe something goes wrong when they're brought across, or
possibly something else.
15. Does an FK vampire's
heart beat once every ten minutes?
UNDETERMINED. Lacroix referred to his own heart as being
"still" in BMV and "dead" in UTV, indicating
that it no longer beats whereas Nick said Richard would get a
heartbeat about every ten minutes. However, because Nick's
statement was possibly given as a fact of vampirism rather than
something specific to Richard, that makes it a contradiction and
the answer becomes "undetermined". Possibilities
include: Lacroix using the words figuratively for a heart that
doesn't beat very often, the heart beating every ten minutes only
until the person awakens as a vampire, or the heart eventually
stopping as the vampire ages.
16. When injured, do they
need to ingest blood to heal?
NO. After
being blown to pieces in OtL, Nick healed quite nicely before he
drank any blood; same thing in NiQ after being burned by the sun;
and in several eps after being shot (including The Fix when he
was partially mortal). There is also Vachon in BBu who was able
to simply reattach his severed hand and wasn't shown to have
ingested any blood. Although Nick was given blood by Nat and a
wrist exchange by Lacroix in NiQ there's no evidence that either
was necessary, although it may have sped up the healing process
or possibly, in LC's case, strengthened Nick's vampirism.
17. Do FK vampires have a
constant mental link between them?
NO. Throughout
the entire first season, Nick did not realize that Lacroix was
"undead". In both Fatal Mistake and Black Buddha,
Alexandria and the Inca appeared to have been searching for Nick
and Vachon respectively for centuries. While distance often seems
to be a factor, Nick's frequent refrain, "Where's
Janette?" when he enters the Raven, Lacroix following Nick
around in BMV, Nick not realizing that Lacroix's cohorts in LYTD
were vampires, Nick with amnesia not knowing Lacroix in NiQ, and
the hidden 'Jacqueline' personality being unrecognizable to other
vampires in HoD, indicate other factors can weaken or extinguish
the mental link.
18. Do vampires need to
have blood in their systems in order to heal?
UNDETERMINED. Although in OtL, Nick started to heal before his spilled
blood even slithered back into him, there is no way to determine
how much blood was already in his body.
19. Is an older vampire
always more tolerant of sunlight?
NO. In
AFWTD, Janette visits Nick at the loft. Nick is quite comfortable
with the blinds partially open, but he must close them before
Janette is able to approach him and uncover her head. While IWR
establishes aging as improving tolerance to the sun, Nick's
higher tolerance level indicates there are other, more effective,
means.
20. Do FK vampires always
require blood to be brought across?
NO. As
well as those we never actually saw get blood (Richard, Serena,
Alyce, etc.) there are some who did not have the time and/or
opportunity - Jack and Bridget in "Bad Blood", and
Perry and Jody in "Blind Faith" - who were still able
to become vampires.
21. Does becoming a
vampire change one's sexual orientation?
NO. Nick
and Lacroix, as mortals and later as vampires, both displayed
*definitively* sexual attraction only to women. Both Divia's
(AtA) and Elizabeth's (IWR) manner and dialogue suggest that they
too were hetero as mortals and as vampires. Serena (BaBa) can't
really be used as an example because of her conspicuous motive in
both forms -- wanting to become pregnant. Nick's own sexual
orientation is further verified in 'Father Figure'. Lisa asks,
"Are you straight?" and Nick responds,
"Yeah."
22. Can FK vampires have
human sex?
NO. At
least for the males. (Undetermined for the females - BaBa and
THF) There is no evidence in the series that any male vampires
have had sex, only evidence that they cannot. LYTD - (FB) Lacroix
- "There really are only three choices in this matter. Try
to love her as a human, but we all know that's impossible so
let's move right along. Continue to gaze at her over the
balustrade like a love struck mongrel, which would be a terrific
waste of eternity. Or, consummate your intense love for her in
the most intense way. Take her. Kill her." BMV - Lacroix -
"there are many mortal pleasures we cannot experience",
HoD (Tag) Nat talks to Nick re the human personalities being able
to do things vampires can't - sunlight, food, sex, and LNMTA -
(FB) Nick on being a vampire - "You would have to give up
the women".
23. Is an older vampire
always physically stronger than a younger one?
NO. Apart
from Nick's struggles with the younger Richard (IWR) and Spark
(AMPH) which are speculative examples, and his triumph over
Francesca who was older than him, solid evidence is found in
Alexandria's (FM) belief that she was stronger than Nick
("I'm much stronger than you now"), even though she
knew she was younger.
Other factors - fear, anger, blood, evil, etc., are also speculative - they can result in no noticeable change at all (there's no evidence that any of the vampires are any stronger now than they were when brought across), an opposite effect (Divia's evil weakened Vachon in AtA) or in simply bringing the individual vampire to his own full potential (i.e., Nick was weakened in DK because he was starving and still managed to stake Lacroix twice).
24. Do all FK vampires
cast reflections?
UNDETERMINED. Natalie's remark about Nick being able to see himself in
the mirror in Father Figure seems to indicate that this wasn't
always the case. Although Nick's reflection is evident in
numerous episodes, and both he and others see it, that doesn't
automatically mean every vampire has a reflection.
25. Can FK vampires turn
into animals?
UNDETERMINED. Believe it or not! While it's generally understood and
most likely that FK vampires don't have the ability to turn into
animals, there is actually no proof one way or the other.
26. Can FK vampires
dematerialize?
YES. Thanks
to Lacroix's virtual disintegration and magical reappearance,
vampire dematerialization is possible in the FK universe. Whether
or not he had any control over it isn't known. While FK vampires
are usually stopped by doors and walls, etc., there are two other
scenes that can be interpreted as an ability to dematerialize and
move through matter:
a) Spark's ability to appear in Nat's room in a couple of seconds
with the door and windows closed.
b) In Bad Blood, Liam (the vampire hunter) was waiting at
Bridget's grave for her. Assuming her grave was undisturbed (if
it was, he would have no reason to wait there), it's possible she
rose through the grave rather than from it.
27. Do FK vampires need to
breathe in order to function?
UNDETERMINED. There's no conclusive evidence one way or the other --
we see them breathe, but it's something never discussed and not
continuously visible. It's possible that they go into a suspended
state and can't function without an air supply, but it can't be
proven. (Divia for example could have been 'revived' simply
because she [or whatever part of her] was able to breathe again)
28. Do any FK vampires
sleep in coffins?
UNDETERMINED. Although Nick obviously doesn't, some might. A coffin
was shown in the basement of the Raven, but it's unknown whether
it was occupied. A female vampire was, however, sleeping in the
closet, hanging upside down like a bat. (Hunters). The only other
mention of a coffin occurs in 'Dying to Know You' when the
psychic says to Nick, "I saw you in a coffin". Nick
replies, "I don't sleep in a coffin." Whether or not
Nick was ever in a coffin is also undetermined because Denise's
accuracy can be questioned (i.e., she had to ask Nick if the
things she saw were real and his reply was, "I'm sure some
of them were".)
29. Is there an unseen
entity, evil or otherwise, responsible for vampirism?
YES. In Killer Instinct, Lacroix said,
"Follow the vibration. It is the force that joins us and
makes us what we are."
30. Can an FK vampire
starve to death?
YES. Lacroix
indicated in AMPH that younger vampires would die if the asteroid
collision obliterated their food source. (It wouldn't necessarily
be out of place for Divia to survive without food because she
proved an aberration in other areas - surviving beheading,
inflicting non-healing wounds on other vampires, extraordinarily
powerful).
31. Can animals become
vampires?
YES. Dogs
at least can. In both the flashback and present day of Blind
Faith, dogs were turned into vampires. The same episode reveals
that dogs can also turn people into vampires!
32. Do vampires need to
drink blood to "feel life"?
YES. Nick
relates this to Natalie in Francesca.
33. Do the FK vampires
draw lifeforce from the blood of their victims?
YES. This
is brought up more than once in the series. In a CL flashback,
Lacroix says to Nick, "One moment we gorge on the lifeforce
and the next only silence fills us and we are empty again, then
whisperings of renewed thirst.." In FFo, Thomas believes a
past civilization knew of vampires, "It was the first clue
that I had discovered something of huge importance to our kind.
One of the creatures of the dark world, neither dead nor alive,
and here, one of the creatures of the underworld, are drawing
sustenance from the lifeforce of the living."
34. Was Screed the only
vampire to die from the retrovirus in the Fever episode?
NO. This
was my original answer, but after listening to the tape again, I
realized that LaCroix's radio monologue could have gone either
way - it's not clear whether the dozen he mentioned were dying or
already dead. I started leaning towards the former because of the
words, "How to prepare them for the bitter end," and
"living their last", but in the context of his whole
speech, it's really inconclusive. Most of his conversation with
Calvin went the same way <sigh>. The only piece of dialogue
I could find to use as confirmation that others have died is,
"They die silently, invisibly, out of the light. I am their
only voice and my people cry out for revenge."
35. Are the physical and
non-physical aspects of vampirism separable?
YES. There
are several episodes that prove vampirism is more complex than
"you are or you're not". In The Fix, Nick proclaimed
that the vampire was "gone", he could eat food and
withstand the sun. In HoD, Ellen/Monica could eat, withstand sun,
and have sex; even though the third personality, Jacqueline, was
a vampire. In The Human Factor, Janette lost her ability to vamp
out, but did not sense the "killer" in her was gone
until Robert's death. In Blackwing, the spiritual aspect of the
vampire left Nick and invaded Marion (and vice versa) without any
biting, yet Nick still drank blood and burned in the sun. In NiQ,
Nick could eat, but by morning he couldn't tolerate the sun and
started hungering for blood.
36. Does a vampire learn
everything about a mortal from their blood?
YES. Nick
makes this clear in Francesca, "to know all their
secrets..." (While at first glance the rest of the sentence,
"to let them know yours" suggests the information
exchange is mutual - the vampire must be able to control how much
information is imparted. Nick has had Lacroix's blood [when he
was brought across and in NiQ], but didn't know who LaCroix's
master was, Janette didn't know what happened between Nick and
the ballerina in LYTD, etc.)
General Trivia