- This page is about the
TV character. For the books incarnation, see Karal (Books).
 Books character
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TV character
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Karal was a Belter and a longtime Outer Planets Alliance operative, serving as operative of the Free Navy under Marco Inaros.
Biography[]
Personality[]
Karal was one of Marco Inaros's most trusted lieutenants, tough and unrelenting, as capable as she was ruthless. She has been greatly influenced by her rough upbringing as an orphan on Pallas and by the Solar System's disregard for the lives of Belters, forcing her to become hardened and merciless in order to survive. She harbors a bitter hatred for anyone who belongs to the Inner Planets or aligns themself with them, and the oppression that she has suffered at the Inners' hands has made her vengeful and uncompromising towards them. She was fiercely defensive of her Belter tribe and its heritage; As she tells Oksana, her only goal was to feed and protect the Belt.
Strong and self-sufficient, Karal was also loyal to an extreme. Her devotion to Marco's cause can be very despotic, as she demands the same dedication and unhesitant violence against Inners from everyone around her and was not above threatening or punishing others to ensure obedience.
Though she usually has a calm and calculating approach, Karal has occasionally been shown to be very antagonistic or outright cruel when she perceives someone as an enemy: She taunts Drummer over the deaths of her loved ones and amusedly tells Oksana that she found Drummer's rage and grief "fun to see".
The trauma and injustice Karal has experienced has, ultimately, made her very angry and self-protective. Her worldview was strictly black and white, where everyone around her either agrees with her and was her ally, or stands against her and was her enemy who must be expunged. This was most evident in her relationship with Naomi: Karal says that she was happy when Naomi departed, but her discussion with Oksana reveals that she felt hurt and betrayed when she was left behind by her former friend, something that Karal refuses to forgive.
Background[]
According to the MCRN file on Naomi Nagata shown by LT Lopez to James Holden while onboard the MCRN Donnager, Karal, along with Cyn, Captain Rokku, and Marco Inaros were OPA associates of Naomi.[1]
Based on dialogue between Cyn, Karal, Marco and Naomi, it appears that the four of them grew up together as orphans on Pallas. Karal herself described their arrangement as "a family". Their harsh and oppressed upbringing led them to become reactionary and rebellious since very early in their lives, and Karal took part in many schemes orchestrated by Marco. Their family became fractured once Marco used some program code that Naomi wrote to destroy the Augustin Gamarra without her consent, causing hundreds of deaths and ruining their relationship, and eventually leading Naomi to try and escape with her and Marco's newborn son, Filip. Though Karal disapproved of Naomi's choices and believed that their actions were necessary to further their cause and defend the Belt, and she developed great contempt for Naomi, it was unknown if she aided Cyn and Marco in hiding baby Filip from his mother.
Throughout the series[]
“Battle for humanity” — "Exodus" · Bonafide space oddity[]
Karal was one of Filip Inaros's team and helped to board the UNS Hasami, take the ship's Memory Core and Communications Buffer, and kill the entire crew in order to prevent them from analyzing asteroid fragments near Venus that might lead to them discovering Marco Inaros's plans to attack Earth.[2]
"Mother" · Knuckles goes back to Pallas[]
…[3]
"Mother" · Secured for flight[]
She was part of Filip's crew when he took over the Chetzemoka at Pallas and took Naomi prisoner.[4]
"Gaugamela" · Naomi steps foot on the Pella[]
…[5]
"Down and Out" · Marco tries to get Naomi to eat[]
…[6]
"Tribes" · Cyn stands up to Marco[]
When Marco orders Filip to space Naomi, Cyn tells Marco that he will not stand idle while Filip is forced to kill his own mother. Sensing the dilemma that Cyn has put him in, Marco turns the decision to Filip and the youngster gives Naomi a reprieve. Karal approaches Marco afterwards asking whether Marco would've really killed Naomi to which he pivots and asks Karal what she thinks. She says, if Marco wants Naomi dead, he should ask Karal to do it.[7]
"Tribes" · Marco offers Drummer a position[]
Karal meets Drummer, Oksana, and Josep at the airlock and welcomes them to the Pella. She demands Drummer yield her weapon citing her widely-reputed temper and declaring the alternative to be that they part as enemies.[8]
"Tribes" · Voluntary conscription[]
When the Drummer faction joined the Free Navy, Karal was transferred to the Dewalt as part of the Free Navy's policy of interchanging crew members from its individual factions. She was swapped with Serge Kylo who now serves onboard the Pella.[9]
"Hard Vacuum" · Scavenging[]
From within Drummer's fleet, Karal monitors the actions of Camina Drummer.[10]
"Hard Vacuum" · Karal antagonizes Drummer[]
From within Drummer's fleet, Karal monitors the actions of Camina Drummer.[11]
"Hard Vacuum" · Karal speaks ill of the dead[]
From within Drummer's fleet, Karal monitors the actions of Camina Drummer.[12]
"Winnipesaukee" · In… control[]
Karal notifies Marco that the faked Chetzemoka distress call they created has been altered which reveals to them that Naomi made it across and is alive working to subvert Marco's plot to kill Holden and destroy the Rocinante[13]
"Winnipesaukee" · Karal and Oksana talk privately[]
Karal sends Josep off the command deck to talk to Oksana. Despite Karal's observation that the Chetzemoka remains on the predetermined flight path, Oksana believes Naomi will find a way to change the situation. Oksana wants to tell Drummer but Karal demands that she will not then warns Oksana what will happen to their family if things don't go according to Marco's plan.[14]
"Winnipesaukee" · Drummer receives new orders[]
… [15]
"Nemesis Games" · Captain now, Camina later[]
Karal takes weapons control as Drummer prepares for engagement. Drummer begrudgingly accepts. Bertold tells Drummer that she doesn't have to be there but Drummer tells Bertold that she will not hide from what she is doing.[16]
"Nemesis Games" · Preferring to win[]
Within moments before the Free Navy contingent enters missile-lock range of the Rocinante, Drummer abruptly grabs Karal's sidearm, ordering her to shut up and abandon the weapons control console. Drummer manages to disable the Mowteng, but Bertold disarms Drummer. When Karal retrieves her weapon and takes aim at Drummer, Michio smashes Karal over the head, forcing her to lose her footing and fall face forward onto a protruding conduit and collapse dead.[17]
Appearances[]
| Season Five | |
|---|---|
| 1 "Exodus" | Appears |
| 2 "Churn" | |
| 3 "Mother" | Appears |
| 4 "Gaugamela" | Appears |
| 5 "Down and Out" | Appears |
| 6 "Tribes" | Appears |
| 7 "Oyedeng" | |
| 8 "Hard Vacuum" | Appears |
| 9 "Winnipesaukee" | Appears |
| 10 "Nemesis Games" | Appears |
Media[]
Notes[]
See also[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ Season 1, Episode 3: "Remember the Cant"
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 1: "Exodus" ("Bonafide space oddity" [01:35])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 3: "Mother" ("Knuckles goes back to Pallas" [11:05])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 3: "Mother" ("Secured for flight" [43:34])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 4: "Gaugamela" ("Naomi steps foot on the Pella" [32:57])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 5: "Down and Out" ("Marco tries to get Naomi to eat" [20:31])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 6: "Tribes" ("Cyn stands up to Marco" [13:21])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 6: "Tribes" ("Marco offers Drummer a position" [27:08])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 6: "Tribes" ("Voluntary conscription" [39:57])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 8: "Hard Vacuum" ("Scavenging" [11:24])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 8: "Hard Vacuum" ("Karal antagonizes Drummer" [44:08])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 8: "Hard Vacuum" ("Karal speaks ill of the dead" [48:49])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 9: "Winnipesaukee" ("In… control" [01:15])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 9: "Winnipesaukee" ("Karal and Oksana talk privately" [15:15])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 9: "Winnipesaukee" ("Drummer receives new orders" [19:42])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 10: "Nemesis Games" ("Captain now, Camina later" [02:29])
- ↑ Season 5, Episode 10: "Nemesis Games" ("Preferring to win" [10:51])