In ‘Dark Crystal’, Are the Podlings Made Into Eunuchs?

When the Skeksis drain the Podlings of their “vital essence,” are they castrating them?

In Jim Henson’s 1982 film The Dark Crystal, the evil rulers, the Skeksis, capture and enslave the much smaller, gentle Podlings. The Skeksis drain the Podlings of something called “vital essence.” Does this represent castration?

The Skeksis Drain the Podlings of Their ‘Vital Essence’

According to the film’s backstory, once upon a time, the Skeksis developed the custom of capturing members of a human-like race called Gelflings and draining them of their “vital essence,” which the Skeksis drank as a tonic to regain their youth and beauty. After the genocide, the Gelflings became nearly extinct. Only two survive.

The Skeksis still demand vital essence, but now they must acquire it from Podlings, a separate race or species whose vital essence the Skeksis consider to be an inferior product.

In this scene from the film, the scientist Skeksi pulls a Podling from a cage. The terrorized Podling whines incoherently. The Skeksi says: “You’re next, little Podling! This won’t hurt. We just want to drain your living essence. Then you can be the same as the other Podlings here, a…