The Warhammer 40,000 universe features action on an unimaginably massive scale, and to bring its rich background to life on screen takes everyone from voice actors to environment artists. We find out below how the animation team at Lost Legion Studios worked with the Warhammer Studio to litter their production with deep cuts of T’au Empire lore – but first, we caught up with the inimitable Clancy Brown, the voice of the Exodite himself!
From barbarian to crustacean, Clancy brings decades of acting experience to this corner of the 41st Millennium. There are spoilers ahead, so if you’ve not yet watched the three glorious episodes of The Exodite, go away and do that first!
Clancy Brown: I was very peripherally aware of the Warhammer universe. My son is a collectible card game enthusiast and, while he was browsing in various game stores, Warhammer always stood out. It had beautiful and provocative art, a complex and clearly defined sociology and cosmology, and sophisticated rules and lore.
Neither my son nor I ever took the leap into the Warhammer universe – but we appreciated it from the outside, so when the team behind The Exodite asked if I might be interested in a project, their infectious enthusiasm sealed the deal. It took a while to come together but, when it finally did, it was even better than I imagined.
Actors rarely get to choose their roles, but I’m glad they chose Kelseth for me. He’s very complex… superhuman (or maybe super-aeldari) in so many ways, yet so relatable in his grief, exhaustion, righteousness, and despair.He’s near god-like in his manipulation of the T’au and the Imperium. There’s so much going on – from despising war while masterfully commanding the art of death, to his cynicism about empire and technology – and whatever I couldn’t pull off in performance, the team covered in the story-telling.
The real acting work, the emotional and character work, took place as we recorded. I had a very specific brief about the character’s backstory, worldview, and motives, and our director knew what he wanted to hear – and knew when he heard it. Ben Stranahan (who voices Dorom) read all parts opposite me brilliantly!
It was a very fun and rewarding process, and collaborative in the best way. The enthusiasm and love for story and Warhammer drove everything.
Ruby Modine turned in an amazing performance as Lako’ma, showing all of her resoluteness and dedication to her mission – she’s a fanatic, a true believer of the T’au mantras, while Kelseth is a jaded, weary veteran of war. He is familiar with her kind and it saddens him. But he also recognizes himself in her – his youthful, warrior self – and while he is still determined to accomplish his ends, he tries to get through to her, to free her from the tyranny of zealotry and expose the emptiness of conquest. Perhaps, with Lako'ma's final act of violence, Kelseth may have penetrated through her righteousness with his wisdom. Perhaps...
I don’t know what may happen to Kelseth after this, but I love how open-ended it is! Is Kelseth rising from the “ashes” of war like a phoenix to a new beginning? Even more Intriguing is where Lako'ma ends up! What has she wrought for herself... and the T’au? I really enjoyed being Kelseth but it was too short – what did the Harlequin mean by “tell future stories and explore the universe”? Maybe he and Lako’ma can meet again in the dark city!?
But right back atcha… What do you think will happen?
Thanks Clancy! Much to ponder there – so in the meantime, let’s take a quick look at a few of the deepest cuts of T’au Empire detail to be found in The Exodite.
The Nicassar Dhow
As fans of Battlefleet Gothic will know, T’au Empire fleets are frequently joined by ships from an allied race known as the Nicassar. These semi-nomadic ursine xenos are powerful psykers, and were among the first to join the Greater Good, but the T’au are careful to keep the Nicassar off the front lines. After all, if there’s one thing the Imperium hates more than aliens or psykers, it’s psychic aliens.
Their distinctive dhows can be seen in the background during the first episode. Upgraded with T’au weaponry, these elegant void-yachts often take the role of scouts and patrol ships in a T’au fleet, and are a great example of how the Empire’s many different races support each other.*
Ta’lissera Rituals
The knife-shaped decals on the Stealth Team’s battlesuits mark them as having completed a bonding ritual called the Ta’lissera. This is the ultimate sign of respect and dedication for any group of T’au to share, akin to human marriage ceremonies, and is most commonly sworn between a team of Fire Warriors who’ve been through thick and thin. It shows that La’koma’s squad have a deep and inseparable bond, forged over years of military service.
The Sounds of Combat
Not all the hidden easter eggs are visual, and the sounds of weapons and battlesuits call back to various earlier appearances. The Aeldari long rifle, the Imperial volcano cannon, and T’au burst cannon are all featured in old Munitorum Dataslates, and although we’re glad to hear them in action once again, we’d definitely question the wisdom of firing Titan-killing guns at a flight of Crisis battlesuits.**
Before you catch the nail-biting final episode of The Exodite, have another watch of the first two episodes of to see how many more details you can pick out – like newly bulked-up Mantas, scaled to accommodate their realistically-sized Devilfishes. If you haven’t caught it yet, it’s time to subscribe to Warhammer+ for an epic conclusion.
* Their limited personal mobility means that Nicassar are found almost exclusively among the Air Caste’s space fleets – though one does make a rare appearance in The Book of Martyrs.