Ta and Sa are two Pakuni who inhabit the Land of the Lost in the Land of the Lost TV series. Ta was played by actor Joe A. Giamalva in the first season and Scutter McKay in the Second Season. Sa was played by actress Sharon Baird.
History
Ta and Sa are two older Pakuni who look after Cha-Ka and sometimes interact with the Marshalls. The exact familial relationship between them is never explicitly stated, but it has been speculated they are siblings with Ta as the oldest, the last survivors of a once indigenous primate native to the land. Ta is a domineering, egotistical and a treacherous Pakuni who never comes to trust the Marshalls. He can be sometimes be bargained, but he usually attempts to cheat the Marshalls, who are usually able to see through the trick. Sa occasionally seems to be a moderating influence on Ta, but for the most part serves as a follower. Ta is sometimes considered to be the "alpha" Pakuni or a "witch doctor" of the group. He has knowledge of some of the workings of the Land of the Lost, which he disguises with a clever use of herbs and phony chanting and dancing to make it appear that he controls them. He has discovered that the Pylon Express only opens when the three moons are aligned and so times his own "opening ritual" to coincide with that. He also knows that the effects of the poison from the carnivorous plant are only temporary and so hurries to sell the Marshalls a "cure" before it wears off on its own. Both Ta and Sa get separated from Cha-Ka during the earthquake that marks the destruction of the area and were not seen there after. Will later described their tracks (in The Longest Day) as "ending at a dead-end cliff-face and disappearing," leaving it vague if they survived or killed in the devastation.
Episode(s)
- Cha-Ka (episode)
- Dopey (episode)
- Tag-Team
- The Paku Who Came to Dinner
- The Possession
- Stone Soup
- Tar Pit
- The Test
- Gravity Storm
- The Pylon Express
- The Musician
2009 film
Rick Marshall and his companions meet Ta and Sa briefly shortly after their arrival in the Land of the Lost, Rick, Holly and Will see Ta and Sa attempting to murder Cha-Ka. They decide to intervene, Will using his lighter to scare them away. Unfortunately, he burns his hand and drops his lighter, allowing Ta and Sa steal it before fleeing.
Notes and Trivia
- Although never referenced within the series itself, the pilot script refers to the Pakuni's full names as "Cha-Ka-Ta" and "Cha-Ka-Sa" but shortens them to "Ta" and "Sa" for the sake of brevity. The youngest Pakuni was just called "Cha-Ka" because he lacked identity with his tribe until such time as he earned his name. Originally, there was also a fourth Paku named "Cha-Ka-Ra" but "Ra" was dropped from the story during pre-production.
- Gerrold referred to Ta as a "small, furry Hitler" in his script.
- Gerrold deliberately left the relationship vague but describes "Ta" and "Sa" as being more akin to Cha-Ka's elder siblings rather than parents.