“Lloyd Gallagher”

Context

The Hidden was a 1987 action-horror movie. It wasn’t a commercial success – genre movies seldom were back then. But it was intriguing, distinctive and well-made.

This profile is intended to be read after the Altarian criminal character profile, to avoid excessive repetition.

This profile has S P O I L E R S.

Background

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Powers and Abilities

Ras Alhague has the same abilities that his long-time enemy has. Yet he seems to be an alien being of pure light.

He can possess another beings body by entering it through the mouth. The possessing is total, taking control of the brain and nervous system.

It even buffs  the body’s ordinary characteristics, including speed and strength, by pure willpower.

To possess and to hold

Once in possession of a victim, Alhague has no sense of pain. He is superhumanly endurable and resilient. Alhague, like the Altarian, is almost impossible to take down by the use of guns.

His possession also greatly revitalizes the victim. Even a corpse will be resurrected, and will continue to work as long as under the possession of Alhague.

Having control of the brain, and suppressing the mind of the victim, also gives full access to memories of the victim.

Other assets

Alhague was also very good at sensing the emotions and motivation of various individuals.

Ras Alhague is an experienced intergalactic police officer and is an adept detective and scientist. His combat skills are fine and his skill with any type of vehicle is great. Additionally, his weapons skill is superior to that of nearly any human. He’s a true crack shot.

Ras Alhague’s only limitations are his inferior skills at human interaction and the fact that he has to hide his true identity from everyone.

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History

Unless you’ve seen the movie The Hidden I strongly recommend that you look it up.

Since most of the history was told in the write-up of his nemesis the Altarian Alien,here’s a shorter story still :

Ras, ras, ras-police

Ras Alhague is an alien law-enforcement officer. He has been hunting the criminal named the Altarian Alien for a long time throughout the galaxy.

Hunting the Altarian to the Earth, they both possessed humans for disguise and to better fare on this new world. Alhague first possessed a human named Robert Stone, who probably had been killed by the Altarian at that point. He continued to hunt the Altarian who was changing bodies as they became used up.

When an FBI agent with the name Lloyd Gallagher died Alhague possessed him. That was in order to avenge his death and gain access to the FBI’s criminal records and to get the right credentials to continue the hunt properly.

For eight years Gallagher was tracking the Altarian and finally caught up with him in a big city. There, after long, action-filled tracking, Gallagher and police officer Tom Beck finally caught up with the Altarian.

After the manhunt

In the end Tom Beck was killed by the Altarian. But the killer was, after having been exposed to a flame-thrower, blown up by the alien weapon that Gallagher wielded.

Sparing Beck’s family the grief of losing Beck, Gallagher, whose body was too lethally damaged for continued existence, possessed the deceased Beck. He thus resurrected him. The possessed Beck then continued life with his family, who were unaware of the truth. Alhague again got the chance for the happiness and peace that he deserved by gaining a new family.

Description

The true form of the alien Alhague, who poses as Lloyd Gallagher, is like a floating plasma of light.

Gallagher himself is a blue-eyed, dark, slender and handsome man in his late 20s (he looks exactly like Kyle McLachlan since that is who plays Gallagher ! :-) ).The body language is near human although the speech can, at times, be a bit strange and distracted.

Personality

Alhague’s sole mission on Earth is to capture the man who killed his colleague and his family – the Altarian Alien. He will obsessively hunt down the Alien and will break the law if need be, even though he wears the guise of an FBI agent. For example, he stole a Ferrari just to get to the city where the Altarian was seen faster.

As Gallagher, he is very secretive, innocent and extremely formal. He kindly refuses to leave out any information about the Altarian, even though that could be helpful. He probably fears revealing his true identity by doing so.

Yet he does occasionally reveal information about himself, although in the forms of riddles or plays. For instance, if asked where he’s originally from he’ll just point up with a finger.

Other traits

Although greatly guilt-ridden for having failed his family and very obsessive, he does have a kind hearth. He will speak kindly to children and attempt to never raise his voice in anger to anyone,regardless of what they are doing or have done.

Him having possessed Gallagher for so long indicates two things.

1. He thinks he doesn’t really have the right to possess a human and thus steal his life.
2. He cares a lot about individual freedom and love, since he will only possess someone who’s dead and whose resurrection would bring happiness to someone.

Quotes

“Explanations won’t help you”

Tom Beck: “What, do you read minds or is that just a shot in the dark ?”
Lloyd Gallagher: “No, I read minds.”
Tom Beck: “Really ? What am I thinking right now ?”
Lloyd Gallagher: “That I’m full of shit.”
Tom Beck: “Impressive.”

DC Universe History

Hmm… Ras Alhague would be an intergalactic police officer whose sole mission was to capture the Altarian Alien. The Alien could have fled to Earth during the Invasion  or come here at some earlier or later point. It would probably be wise to keep them both as members of the same minor alien race from the Altarian System.

Considering his light-based existence,he could actually bean angel, which was nearly hinted at in the movie, and in such a case he could possibly work together with Supergirl or Zauriel of the JLA.

By Peter S Piispanen aka The Angel.

Source of Character: The Hidden – movie.