Percival Tachyon

Percival Tachyon
Biographical information
Homeworld	Kreeli Comet
Residence	Reepor
Membership	His own empire
Physical description
Species	Cragmite
Gender	Male
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by	Andy Morris

"Emperor Percival Tachyon! Crown prince of the Cragmites, conquerer of space and time, and, pending the obliteration of a few insubordinate species, ruler of the universe!"

― Emperor Tachyon introducing himself to Ratchet and Clank

Emperor Percival Tachyon is the main antagonist of Tools of Destruction. He is the self-declared crown prince of the cragmites, and built an empire that conquered much of the Polaris Galaxy, determined to wipe out the lombaxes and return the cragmites.

Tachyon was once raised by the lombaxes themselves, after his egg was discovered on Kreeli Comet by lombax trillium miners. He lived with them peacefully until he learned of his true origins, at which point he built himself an empire over time. Using the space pirates to help gather materials and the lombax technology, he constructed an Imperial Army after recruiting the drophyds to his cause. After then defeating and driving away the lombaxes, Tachyon built an empire that conquered much of Polaris, intent on both destroying what remained of the lombaxes and finding the "Lombax Secret" to restore his race. After attempting to kill Ratchet and unwittingly leading Ratchet to Polaris, Ratchet and his allies eventually defeated Tachyon and banished him to dimension A2-66.

Tachyon was a small cragmite with a large head, who wore a crown with a large red jewel and travelled atop a giant walking throne to compensate for his short height. Tachyon was also a genius inventor and a smart strategist who was able to bide his time before turning on the lombaxes. When in power, he was a tyrannical and authoritarian ruler.

History

Pre-Ratchet & Clank

File:Tachyon&lombaxes.png

Emperor Tachyon presents himself to the Lombaxes on Fastoon

"Those filthy creatures had the gall to pity me! I spent years building an army large enough to lay waste to this infernal planet!"

― Emperor Tachyon and Ratchet

"One day, we were approached by an inventor with incredible ideas; technology light years beyond what we were using. The inventor was someone… Someone your father warned me not to trust. Our kind had grown suspicious of him, but I was convinced that this was the right thing to do - for the galaxy! I granted him full access to our technology. All of our secrets. Only, when he was finished…"

― General Azimuth to Ratchet

Tachyon's egg was found frozen on the Kreeli Comet, long after the cragmites had been banished to dimension X2-49 by the lombaxes during the Great War. When the miners discovered him, they took pity on him and raised him as one of their own on planet Fastoon. Tachyon was peaceful, up until he learned of his true origins, at which point he began to develop a deep hatred of the lombaxes.

Tachyon then became an inventor. In secret, he developed the space pirates, which he would use to salvage the galaxy for technology to steal to use for himself. He also approached the lombaxes with ideas for technology that was light years beyond what they were using at the time. Most lombaxes grew suspicious of him, though General Alister Azimuth, reasoning that Polaris was still in great danger despite the cragmites being gone, granted Tachyon full access to lombax technology, to develop his new machines.

File:Tachyon's attack.jpg

Emperor Tachyon and the Imperial Army attacking Fastoon and the Lombaxes

Tachyon then banished the space pirates to Praxus Seven once he had acquired all that he needed. He then recruited the drophyd species on planet Zaurik, presenting them with a fortune in Raritanium and equipping them with the advanced battle suits he had created using lombax technology, to recruit them to his cause. The drophyds formed the core of Tachyon's new Imperial Army. After assembling the army, Tachyon laid waste to Fastoon and killed many of the lombaxes. The lombaxes then used the Dimensionator that they had previously used to banish the cragmites to flee to their own lombax dimension, leaving behind only Kaden, his son Ratchet, and the exiled Alister Azimuth.

Tachyon then used his new army to conquer much of the Polaris Galaxy. He made his home on Reepor, the homeworld of the cragmites, and possessed an empire that spanned many planets including Cobalia, Kortog, Mukow, Rykan V, Viceron, Ebaro, the Black Rock Moons of Ebaro, and Zaurik.

Tachyon then sought to hunt down the remaining lombaxes. He killed Kaden, though Kaden had already hid the Dimensionator away on planet Jasindu. Some time after Going Commando, he hunted down Angela Cross of the Bogon Galaxy, though she and Max Apogee fled the dimension.

Tools of Destruction

File:Tachyon Metropolis.jpg

Emperor Tachyon confronts Ratchet and Clank in Metropolis for the first time

Tachyon tracked Ratchet down to the city of Metropolis on planet Kerwan, in the Solana Galaxy, and invaded the city. Qwark, working as the head of the Planetary Defense Center, initially attempted to fight back and sent a distress call to Ratchet and Clank, though he eventually gave in and surrendered to Tachyon, frozen in a block of ice and taken to Tachyon. Ratchet and Clank fought to repel the invasion themselves, with Tachyon revealing himself and telling Ratchet that if he surrendered his life, the city would be unharmed. Instead, Ratchet disabled Tachyon's walking throne temporarily, and stole his cruiser to go to Polaris.

Tachyon later returned to Polaris himself. He attended the Imperial Fight Festival on planet Mukow, where he watched many contestants battle in the gladiator arena, including Ratchet himself (disguised as "mustachio"). Qwark, serving as Tachyon's confidant, served as the commentator for the fights, though he secretly provided information to Ratchet during them.

File:Tachyon ad.jpg

Emperor Tachyon on Reepor, advertising the Imperial Army on holo-vision

Tachyon's army began to scour the galaxy for the "Lombax Secret", which he knew was the Dimensionator, and raced against Ratchet and Clank, as well as their allies Talwyn Apogee, Cronk and Zephyr, to find it first. Ratchet acquired the Dimensionator on Jasindu, before the space pirates took it and returned to the Ublik Passage. Qwark then took the Dimensionator to attempt to heroically throw it into a black hole, but instead went to Reepor, where Tachyon took it from him. Armed with the Dimensionator, Tachyon then brought the cragmites back into the universe.

Tachyon's Imperial Army was now bolstered both by drophyd forces and by cragmites. He then attacked Meridian City on planet Igliak, the capital of Polaris and the symbol of free Polaris that was yet to succumb to his rule, and frequently gloated through broadcasts about the return of the cragmites as his army laid waste to the city. Ratchet helped fight off the invasion, before Tachyon then invaded Fastoon once more.

File:Tachyon final battle 1.jpg

Emperor Tachyon preparing to battle Ratchet and Clank atop his throne

Ratchet and his allies then fought Tachyon's army on Fastoon, and after a long battle, Tachyon told them to meet him in the Court of Azimuth. Here, Tachyon explained to Ratchet that the lombaxes had fled the dimension, and offered Ratchet a chance to join his race or to stay and die. Ratchet declined to rejoin the lombaxes, and instead fought Tachyon. Tachyon's Dimensionator began to malfunction, sending him, Ratchet and Clank to an asteroid dimension. Here, the two defeated Tachyon, who goaded that only he knew the truth of Ratchet's purpose, and that the lombaxes would never be safe, before being banished him to dimension A2-66.

Subsequent appearances

File:Artemis Zogg and Emperor Tachyon confrontation.jpg

Tachyon stranded and in heated conflict with Zogg in dimension A2-66

"Emperor Percival Tachyon was one of the most dangerous tyrants in the history of the Polaris Galaxy. A Cragmite filled with contempt for Lombaxes, he took over most of Polaris while he hunted for the elusive Lombax Secret used to transport his kind into another dimension."

― Docent 427

Tachyon was mentioned at several points. When on Hoolefar Island, Ratchet heard hoolefoids speculating, one saying: "The way I heard it, he defeated Tachyon with both hands tied behind his back, a strained pectoral muscle, and a stubbed toe."

After Artemis Zogg had been banished and pulled into a dimensional rift by the Surinox Shard, he too was sent to dimension A2-66. Here, Zogg crash landed on the same planet fragment that Emperor Tachyon had landed on, with the two arguing over which planet fragment they deserved to rule over.

Tachyon earned a place in a section of Igliak's Intergalactic Museum of History for the universe's greatest criminals, and was considered one of the universe's most dangerous tyrants, alongside Dr. Nefarious. He had two statues in the museum, one at the Hall of Villainy and the other at the Lombax History Wing.

Characteristics

Appearance

Tachyon is a small cragmite, much shorter than other adult cragmites. He has a large head, on which sits crown with a large red jewel. He also travels atop a giant walking throne. These compensate for his short height while representing his status as emperor.

Personality

Tachyon is a tyrannical ruler who wished to be regarded as the conqueror of space and time, and to become ruler of the universe. While he was manipulative and evil, it was noted by Aphelion that he was nowhere near as evil as other cragmites.

Tachyon had at first seemed harmless to other lombaxes, though over time as an inventor, most grew suspicious of him with the exception of Azimuth. He had developed a deep loathing for them when he learned about the history of his race, and was driven by hatred and by a quest to conquer the universe thereafter. Tachyon was also very insecure, and when made fun of by Ratchet, was very insulted, before reminding Ratchet of his status.

Abilities

Like the rest of his race, Tachyon is capable of atomizing himself to move around and warp small distances, capable of doing so faster than other cragmites and also split his entire walking throne with him.

Tachyon could also pilot his giant walking throne in combat. This was used to lead his invasion of Fastoon the first time, as well as to fight and kill Ratchet's father. Tachyon was able to also hold his own against Ratchet when using the throne, but ultimate was defeated by the lombax.

He also possessed limited piloting skills, although he was not very skilled and was prone to crashing into things as he flew.

Behind the scenes

File:Tachyon Art.jpg

Concept art of Emperor Tachyon

File:Tachyon Art 2.jpg

Concept art of Emperor Tachyon's other considered appearances

Tachyon was designed as the Napoleon of the Polaris Galaxy, and required several weeks and fifty production sketches for his art to be finalized. He was originally going to have a small pet of an unknown species with him, as depicted in the concept.

Tachyon was also going to send an unknown bounty hunter to search for Ratchet. Tachyon's name is a pun on tachyons, which are hypothetical particles that travel faster than light.

Andy Morris provided the voice of Tachyon.

Tachyon's appearance is comparable to Ripto, one of the main villains of the Spyro the Dragon series. Both villains have a short size, large head, wield a scepter and a large red jewel, and retain a strong hatred for the species of the main protagonist.

Emperor Tachyon appears as a multiplayer skin in Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault.

Gallery

QForce skin - Percival.png

Percival Tachyon skin on the blue team in Full Frontal Assault

References

This article uses content from the Ratchet & Clank wiki.