GELF Chief

GELF Chief
Race	Kinitawowi
Place of Origin	Kinitawowi moon, GELF Zone, Deep Space
Appearances	RD: Emohawk
Alter Egos	GELF Chief Kinitawowi Elder Chief Ech Fachen-Mach-Ech-Noch-Ahach-Ech
Family	Dave Lister (son-in-law) Daughters - Ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech and two others
Actor	Ainsley Harriott

The Chief of the Kinitawowi tribe was a powerful GELF encountered by the Starbug crew.

History

Trader

When the Boys from the Dwarf suffered extensive damage to their craft, they crash-landed on a swampy moon and ventured forth to trade for supplies with the local GELFs.

They made their way into a village populated by the Kinitawowi, an aggressive tribe of traders. The chief was a large and fearsome looking male GELF who demanded, in his own language, to know what the Dwarfers wanted. Lister placated him with gifts and compliments while Kryten (worried that Lister was touching the sphincter in the chief's face when he offered the chief a Cuban cigar) explained their predicament - they needed an Oxygen Generation Unit / (OG) unit and were willing to barter for it.

The chief brought them to his watunga (or hut) and they sat down to begin the bargaining process. Cat was astounded to see the chief had a strange pet, which Kryten identified as an Emohawk. The partially tamed polymorph was used by the chief to steal emotions which he could resell, since emotions were a highly valued trading commodity among the GELFs.

The chief then explained his price for the OG unit. He wanted Lister to marry his daughter, an even bigger and more ugly GELF. He gave them no other alternatives and told them to decide within five hannuka (minutes). Lister refused to consider a wedding, but had no option but to agree. He married Ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech and Kryten took the OG unit.

Warrior

After the ceremony, Lister ran out of the wedding hut and escaped back to Starbug with his colleagues before his enthusiastic new GELF bride could consummate the marriage. The chief tried to console his bereaved daughter, who had been abandoned by her new husband. Declaring that no-one stole from the Kinitawowi, he sent his emohawk to drain the Starbug crew of their emotions as punishment. Although the emohawk got aboard Starbug and caused various mischief, it was eventually defeated. ("RD: Emohawk: Polymorph II")

The Kinitawowi chief later pursued the Dwarfers across Deep Space with his daughter aboard a Kinitawowi battle cruiser. The Kinitawowi even infiltrated non-space to attack Starbug, demanding Lister return. With the skills of recently-acquired Dwarfer and veteran navigation officer Kristine Kochanski, the cruiser crashed on an ice planet during a chase with Starbug, killing the GELFs. ("Ouroboros")

Gallery

Making offerings of levi jeans, Swiss watches and Cuban cigars

The Chief seems quite pleased

The Kinitawowi chief, his daughter, and pet Emohawk in his watunga

Trivia

• An interview between the Chief's eldest daughter Ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech-ech and Talkie Toaster on the official Red Dwarf website reveals more information about the Chief, and the history of the Kinitawowi. Among other things, it is revealed that the Chief's GELF name is "Fachen-Mach-Ech-Noch-Ahach-Ech", and he was "a good, kind, peaceful man with the biggest collection of mounted animal heads you've ever seen". The Chief was originally captain of a garbage ship, which had been sent out from the Saturnian rings with them aboard as genetic waste, including Alberogs and Snugiraffes.

Behind the Scenes

• TV chef Ainsley Harriott portrayed the GELF Chief, and Ainsley would later go on to host Can't Smeg, Won't Smeg as part of Red Dwarf Night.