From talking bears to witches that live hundreds of years to angels that live even longer, the world of His Dark Materials is full of incredible creatures that are closer to humankind than one may think at a first glance. And every new season, the series’ list of fantastical beings just gets longer. Fans that have tuned in on HBO (or HBO Max) these past few days for the first two episodes of the show’s third and final season have been greeted with yet another addition to this cohort of amazing creatures - a tiny, almost imperceptible addition that nevertheless has a huge impact in the series’ story.
Season 3 of His Dark Materials has finally brought to the screen a magical species that fans of Philip Pullman’s series of books had been dying to see for quite some time: the Gallivespians. Played by Sian Clifford (Fleabag) and Jonathan Aris (Sherlock), the two Gallivespian characters introduced this season are of extreme importance for the events that will develop over the course of the show’s final eight episodes. Sure, they may be about the size of a human pinky, but their role in Lord Asriel’s (James McAvoy) rebellion is certainly no small part.
But while book fans have been excited about the imminent appearance of the Gallivespians for a while now, if you’re a more casual viewer, chances are that you have only one question on your mind: what on this Earth and the others is a Gallivespian? Here are some things you need to know to get on the fandom hype train and enjoy Agent Salmakia’s (Clifford) and Commander Roke’s (Aris) contributions to His Dark Materials to the fullest.
How Do the Gallivespians First Appear in the His Dark Materials TV Show?
The first Gallivespian to pop up in His Dark Materials is Commander Roke, who accompanies Lord Asriel and Stelmaria (voiced by Victoria Hamilton) to the rescue of Commander Ogunwe (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) in Season 3, Episode 1, “The Enchanted Sleeper”. Roke leads a small battalion of others of his kind, all of whom are able to fly with the help of a set of mechanical wings and carry a poison that they inoculate in their enemies, knocking them out immediately. Due to both their technology and their diminutive size, Commander Roke and his men prove to be essential to Ogunwe’s rescue, taking down guard after guard with an agility that Lord Asriel and Stelmaria could only dream of.
In Episode 2, “The Break”, it’s time for Agent Salmakia to make her first appearance. The tiny spy is shown in an arguably much more dangerous scenario than Commander Roke, keeping an eye on the goings-on of the Magisterium and following Father Gomez (Jamie Ward) incognito in his search for Lyra (Dafne Keen). It is thanks to her and her nifty poison that Lyra and Will (Amir Wilson) are able to escape not just Father Gomez, but Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) - not that allowing the kids to go free was Agent Salmakia’s mission in the first place. Much like Roke, Salmakia works with Lord Asriel in the fight against the Authority, and, it is no secret that Lord Asriel couldn’t care less about his daughter’s wellbeing. Her goal was to find the two children and take them to the Republic so that Lord Asriel would have access to the Aesahaettr, the god-killing knife that is currently in possession of Will. Alas, Lyra and Will refuse to go to Lord Asriel with her, and there’s little Agent Salmakia can do before the kids jump to another universe. Not that it would have mattered anyway, since Mrs. Coulter broke Will’s knife before being taken down by Salmakia’s poison.
Who Are the Gallivespians in the His Dark Materials book series?
In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, Roke and Salmakia are but two of the many Gallivespians working with Lord Asriel to bring down the Authority. They are mentioned for the first time in the third book of the series, The Amber Spyglass, in which it is explained that the Gallivespians are tiny humanoids that evolved in parallel with humankind in their version of Earth, known by fans as the Gallivespian world. They have very short lifespans, reaching adulthood in less than a decade and dying before old age.
Much like humans, the Gallivespians have developed a politically complex and scientifically advanced society. They divide themselves in clans, in which they are known by nobility titles such as Lord, Lady and Chevalier. Despite being called Agent in the show, for instance, Salmakia is a Lady in Pullman’s original work. Roke, on the other hand, is a Lord. Besides Lady Salmakia and Lord Roke, the other two most important Gallivespians in the trilogy are Madame Oxentiel and Chevalier Tialys, both of whom are also on Lord Asriel’s side.
Despite being similar to humans in many ways, the Gallivespians are also completely different from us, and not just because of their tiny stature. According to Pullman, the Gallivespians have evolved to have spurs in the back of their heels that can inject a dangerous poison into whoever they perceive as a threat. In small doses, this poison causes its victim to fall asleep, but it can also lead to insurmountable pain and even to death. In the HBO series, it is not made clear whether the poison Commander Roke and Agent Salmakia inject in the prison guards and Mrs. Coulter, respectively, comes from their spurs or from something else.
However, one difference between the books and the series that has been made quite clear is regarding the Gallivespians’ ability to fly. In the show, Commander Roke, Agent Salmakia, and the other Gallivespians are all propelled into and across the air by two pairs of retractable mechanical wings. In Pullman’s books, the flight of the Gallivespians is a little more conspicuous: instead of elegant, state-of-the-art wings, the tiny humanoids fly with the help of dragonfly-like insects that are bred specifically for this purpose.
What Role Do the Gallivespians Play in Lord Asriel’s Rebellion?
The dragonflies were used by the Gallivespians in their fight against the humans of their world. Mostly servants of the Authority, the “big people” of the Gallivespian world believed their fellow humanoids to be demonic and tried to exterminate them. This led to a bloody war that lasted many generations.
Because of the persecution they endured in their world, the Gallivespians became opposers of the Authority and eventually agreed to join Lord Asriel’s multiversal rebellion. Like Agent Salmakia, they are usually shown to work as spies in the Magisterium. It’s a dangerous position, even if the Gallivespians diminutive size allows them to hide in the most unexpected of places: they might be very small, but they are still visible to the human eye.
His Dark Materials airs on Mondays on HBO. Episodes are available to stream on HBO Max.