Rygel has a long history. After ruling for an unknown number of years as Dominar of the Hynerians, he was overthrown by his cousin Bishan. After the overthrow, which occurred over 130 cycles (years) before the events of "Farscape", he became a prisoner of the Peacekeepers. During this time, he was imprisoned in several places and tortured, most notably by Selto Durka, captain of the near-legendary ship, the "Zelbinion", and was eventually transferred to Moya. Due to his size and cunning, he is able not only to leave his cell at will, but also to organize and carry out a revolt among the other prisoners placed on Moya, allowing them to escape Peacekeeper control. After the escape (i.e., during the series), Rygel is shown to be cunning and resourceful but also focused almost entirely on his own personal goals and wealth. As time goes on, his egocentric attitude becomes less prevalent and he warms to his role as a member of Moya's crew. A recurring gag in "Farscape" involves him flatulating helium when he gets nervous, causing everyone's voices to have a higher pitch by the offensive gas. At the end of the series, Bishan pleads with him to return to help reunite their people and Rygel departs to do so with a devastated Chiana.