Ep 1. I Worship His Shadow

In the first episode of the Canadian-German science fiction television series Lexx, we meet the cast of characters that will follow us throughout the series. The show has been created by Paul Donovan, and this episode is titled "I Worship His Shadow."

The series is set in the year 7690, in a universe ruled by His Divine Shadow. The leader lives in a massive, planet-sized structure called the Cluster, which is surrounded by planets that provide resources to the Cluster. His Divine Shadow is an immensely powerful and feared leader who is worshipped by all the inhabitants of the Cluster.

The episode starts in space, where a giant cloud of energy is moving towards a planet. The planet's inhabitants are a peaceful race, unaware of the danger that is looming over them. Suddenly, a massive, insect-like spaceship appears in the planet's orbit.

The ship is the Lexx, a bio-engineered war machine created by the Divine Order. The ship is piloted by Stanley Tweedle, a low-level security officer who has stolen the Lexx from the Divine Order. Tweedle is accompanied by Zev Bellringer, an attractive woman who was she was sentenced to become a love slave and then altered into a half-cluster lizard creature after being rejected for service.

The ship is also home to Kai, a 2000-year-old assassin who has been cryogenically frozen for centuries. The trio has escaped to avoid punishment from the Divine Order. Unknown to them, the planet they arrive on is inhabited by a group of religious zealots who are awaiting the coming of the "cyclops" to "cleanse" them of sin.

The crew is quickly captured by the religious group, but they soon find themselves fighting for their lives when a monster of uncertain origin begins to terrorize the village. They are rescued by Thodin, the leader of the planetary rebellion against His Divine Shadow. Thodin sees an opportunity in the Lexx to destroy the Cluster and gain his planet's freedom.

Thodin is later revealed to be a former member of the Divine Order, and the captain of the Divine Executioner, a ship built to destroy entire planets. The group uses knowledge from Zev's past to incapacitate Thodin's executioner, very nearly succeeding in their plan to engage Thodin's weapon.

The episode ends as the crew begins to understand the gravity of their situation. They are the only hope of freedom from the Divine Order for an entire planet. The crew decides to take a stand against their powerful oppressor, setting the tone for the entire series.

"I Worship His Shadow" sets the stage for the rest of the show, introducing the primary characters and the persistent themes of rebelling against a powerful and oppressive force. The show is known for its bold approach to storytelling, often pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on television. The first episode is a fantastic start to an unforgettable series.