Glukkon

Overview

Glukkons are the ruthless corporate overlords who serve as the primary antagonists for several games in the Oddworld franchise. Little is known of their race's history, but Glukkons are believed to have migrated to the continent of Mudos from another uncharted region of Oddworld long before the events of Abe's Oddysee.

Physiology

Although it's never made explicit in the games, Glukkons were eventually conceptualized by Oddworld Inhabitants artists as an evolutionary branch of the Octigi family of sentient mollusks. Two of the other branch species, the Gloktigi and Oktigi, are encountered in Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath.

A history of delegating physical labor to other species has taken its toll on the Glukkons' physiology. Their atrophied limbs are usually completely hidden beneath layers of expensive clothing; this severely restricts their movements and reflects the societal expectation that they rely on underlings for any physical task. Glukkon-style garments are designed to hide the fact that they technically use their hands, attached to elongated arms, for locomotion. Their feet and legs dangle uselessly beneath minuscule torsos and no longer seem to serve any purpose. Smoking is mandatory; Glukkons are rarely seen without a lit cigar or cigarette between their lips.

Female Glukkons were planned to be introduced in Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee in the form of Lady Margaret, Queen of the Glukkons, but she was ultimately cut from the game and reduced to a recurring article in the interstitial newspapers shown between levels.

Society

Highly industrialized, Glukkons value material wealth above all else. Their behemoth factories are wholly-owned and operated by the Magog Cartel, a sinister consortium of the most powerful members of Glukkon society. As a rule, a Glukkon's station can usually be determined by the relative value of his clothing and the width of his shoulder pads. Abe's Exoddus is the first Oddworld title to depict the societal hierarchy of Glukkons; Junior Executives jockey for additional wealth and status within a company in the hopes of advancing to the rank of Big Cheese, the de facto leaders of the Magog Cartel.

Munch's Oddysee expands on the hierarchy by introducing additional social strata, all of which are based purely on a Glukkon's individual wealth. Puds, the lowest working class, may advance to Chumps by becoming small business owners. Wanna-Bes are equivalent to Junior Executives and answer directly to Big Cheeses. Only a few elite individuals have achieved the highest rank of GlockStar, a title given to the most extravagantly-wealthy and ostentatious members of the Glukkon race.

The ecology and less-developed native species of Mudos suffer greatly in Glukkon-controlled areas; environmental impact, resource sustainability, worker safety and cultural preservation are all thoroughly ignored in favor of Glukkon business interests. Populations of Scrabs and Paramites, two livestock species, have dwindled as they are continuously slaughtered at the Magog-owned RuptureFarms, and a third species called Meeches are already extinct due to over-harvesting. Manual labor in these facilities is typically handled by captive Mudokons, intelligent bipeds long ago subjugated by Glukkons and monitored by surly Slig security forces.