How many Quickenings did the Kurgan have?

[Andrew NDB]

We know that Jacob Kell was the most powerful Immortal in 2004 with 665 Quickenings or so... but how many did the Kurgan have in 1985?

[Nicholas Ward]

Only a handful that we know of:

Kastagir, Ramirèz, Yung Dol Kim, Osta Vasilek and the Mongol.

I think the comics and watcher files credit him with a few more so maybe a dozen at most?

[dubiousbystander]

I'm going to arbitrarily say over a hundred. He was, after all, the head-hunting sort. I wonder if, in the series continuity, he might just have stumbled upon Connor rather than been seeking him specifically before he was even born. In that case, his path might be littered with the heads of pre-Immortals.

[Nicholas Ward]

If going by number of Quickenings is the proper indication of power, then he's bound to have more than Connor had in 1986.
We know from Endgame Connor had 262 with an rough average of 1 Quickening every 2 years.

So the Kurgan likely had a minimum of around 300 Quickenings to account for the power difference but if he would match Connors average he would have been twice as powerful as Kell, which is doubtful. Therefore between 300 an 600 is probably the range he's at. Not a very proficient head hunter given his lifespan.

That is IF the numbers represent actual heads taken by the mentioned immortals and not an estimate of total Quickenings gathered.

[dubiousbystander]

That makes sense. And how is your future story going? Where is Duncan?

[Nicholas Ward]

What future story?

[Aleander]

Realistically, he probably have several thousand. He was an active headhunter, and at least in one universe almost won the Prize. Even with a hundred or two years in seclusion, he didn't hesitate - with very few exceptions, every Immortal he faced was finished the moment he met them.

[Aleander]

No, I'm refering to his kills. And why not? How do we know how many Immortals existed in the 3000 years he was alive? How do we know? Heck, we even learned there was an Immortal civil war, according to the Four Horsemen audio plays, and the numbers on that one was a LOT, let me tell you.

[dubiousbystander]

True enough. So tell me, how many other Immortals did Methos meet before he stumbled upon Dilijan?

[dubiousbystander]

Though the numbers on that one were not exactly a lot. Karniel's marauders numbered 200. I'm not sure if that number included Karniel. Caspian's Immortals numbered 20, that might not have included Caspian. Methos already had forgotten his past by the time he took his first head, and then he never met another Immortal who didn't fight to the beheading. For a thousand years nothing really happened and he got so fed up he had to hire someone to help him research. That one eventually found a battered, disintegrating record written by another Immortal and even mentioning Methos by name and description. Dilijan had, I think, four other Immortals travelling with him when he came upon Kronos, and then Methos. And there was Silas who was not in the the earlier groups.

[Darth Reaper]

It is fair to point out that we have no idea how many Immortals there are on the planet at any given time. There might be a few thousand or there might only be a few dozen. I get the impression that the population of Immortals compared to mortals is usually quite small. And, there weren't always as many humans on the planet period as there are now. A smaller human population means an even smaller Immortal population. It's entirely possible that even after 3000 years The Kurgan's head count was surprisingly low, simply because Immortals can be hard to find, and the ones who know what they're doing usually make an effort not to be found. We can't really rule anything out.

But, I'm sure The Kurgan was strong enough to take on Kell.

[MoreOrLess]

It is fair to point out that we have no idea how many Immortals there are on the planet at any given time. There might be a few thousand or there might only be a few dozen. I get the impression that the population of Immortals compared to mortals is usually quite small. And, there weren't always as many humans on the planet period as there are now. A smaller human population means an even smaller Immortal population. It's entirely possible that even after 3000 years The Kurgan's head count was surprisingly low, simply because Immortals can be hard to find, and the ones who know what they're doing usually make an effort not to be found. We can't really rule anything out.

But, I'm sure The Kurgan was strong enough to take on Kell.

I'd say the original film gives the impression the number of immortals isn't that high, not only don't see see many but the Kurgan and Ramirez spend many years searching for Conor. To me it gives the impression its really more the Kurgan who is the main "head hunter" and most immortals are mainly focused on their own lives rather than the game.

[johnnybear]

If the original film was really the end of the Game, then the Kurgan would have had half the number of all the immortals who had ever lived or maybe even two thirds if we assume that Macleod wasn't as savage as the Kurgan!
JB

[dubiousbystander]

If the original film was really the end of the Game, then the Kurgan would have had half the number of all the immortals who had ever lived or maybe even two thirds if we assume that Macleod wasn't as savage as the Kurgan!
JB

Aside from that, it seemed that the numbers didn't matter so much. As though the power just evened out between the Immortals. Power only the One could access.

[Andrew NDB]

or maybe even two thirds if we assume that Macleod wasn't as savage as the Kurgan!
JB

Connor wasn't savage at all. He only defended himself, when need be. He didn't really "play" the Game at all.

[johnnybear]

That's what I was getting at! The Kurgan sought out his opponents to take their heads while Connor enjoyed all the fruits of life and only used his sword in defence of himself or those who couldn't fight back!
JB