First, I must say that the original Highlander (1986) movie is a stand-alone classic.
However, although I know that Highlander II: The Quickening and Highlander: The Source are the two unloved and unwanted stepchildren of the franchise, I actually like them both. And as the Renegade Version/Director's Cut/Special Edition of The Quickening removes the entire 'aliens from the planet Zeist' aspect, it's occurred to me that The Quickening and The Source could fit together in the same continuity. So here goes (Note that this timeline only contains the events of The Quickening and The Source, and unless it is stated on-screen that something happened in a specific year, I've placed events whenever I choose. I've also decided that The Prize and The Source are not the same thing);
A long time ago, before recorded history... a mighty civilization rises, ruled over by General Katana, who belongs to a race of immortals living alongside normal men. Opponents to his reign are exiled to the future, scattered throughout time. As a side effect of being displaced from their proper time-period, they are also rendered immortal. If they seek each other out over the centuries and fight until only one survives, that remaining individual will receive The Prize. He or she can choose to either grow old and die in the future, or return to their original time period in the ancient past.
The last great rebellion against Katana's rule is led by Ramirez and Connor MacLeod. Both are captured and exiled. Using the civilization's advanced technology to gaze into the far future, Katana learns that Connor eventually wins The Prize. He sends assassins Corda and Reno to kill Connor, and when they fail he travels to the future himself. He does not return.
Subsequently, due to many wars and various disasters both natural and man-made over several centuries, the civilization eventually falls. All it's knowledge and technology is lost and as time passes there is eventually no trace that it ever existed.
Some time later, an approaching planetary alignment causes the remaining immortals from this era to seek out The Source, accompanied by a mortal woman who has a psychic connection to it. Arriving at the exact site of the alignment, the two remaining immortals are confronted by another immortal warrior, who has been appointed by The Source as it's Guardian. Only an immortal who defeats The Guardian is deemed worthy of gaining access to The Source, but while one immortal battles The Guardian, the other tries to access The Source anyway, but is unable to do so. The immortal battling The Guardian manages to kill him, but fails to do this before the planetary alignment ends. Having been exposed to the power of The Source but without gaining full access to it, both immortals are cursed: the immortal who slew The Guardian becomes his replacement, while the other is doomed to slowly decay over the course of several millennium.
Recorded history begins. The exiled rebels from the past start to arrive, and The Game commences. The sole remaining original immortal continues to age and deteriorate, eventually becoming immobile. He is found by a religious order, who care for him and name him The Elder.
The mid-1960s: in preparation for the next planetary alignment, the mortal woman who had a psychic connection to The Source is reincarnated. Her parents name her Anna.
The early 1990s: Anna meets and marries Duncan Macleod. Only after they are married does Duncan reveal that he is immortal and cannot father children. Feeling betrayed because Duncan knew how important having a family was to her, Anna leaves him.
Due to decades of pollution, the ozone layer above the Earth is destroyed and fatalities due to skin cancer increase by the hundreds of thousands. Connor's mortal wife Brenda is among the victims. With hospitals unable to cope and seemingly no solution to the crisis, public unrest and mass protests across the globe lead to widespread rioting and looting that engulfs several countries. In many parts of the world, governments fall, law and order breaks down and society descends into chaos.
The mid-1990s: another planetary alignment is fast approaching, and The Guardian awakens. Most of the remaining immortals - including Connor and Duncan - consider The Source to be nothing more than a fairy tale, but Zai Jie, Reggie Weller, Giovanni and Methos join forces to seek it. Duncan also joins the quest when informed by his mortal friend Joe Dawson that Anna is assisting Methos and the others. The immortals learn of The Elder's existence and have an audience with him. He warns them that as they approach the location of The Source, they will become mortal. The group eventually discover that the exact site of the alignment is an island in Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, when order in that region started to collapse and the governments of several surrounding countries could no longer run their prisons, the most dangerous and violent inmates were dumped on the island, left to fend for themselves, and have become cannibals to survive. Meanwhile, The Guardian has been hunting the group, and Zai Jie, Joe, Reggie (who fails to recover from his wounds due to becoming mortal) and Giovanni fall victim. On the island The Guardian kidnaps Anna. Methos leads the cannibals away so Duncan can pursue The Guardian to the site of the alignment, where Anna has already gained access to The Source. Duncan fights and defeats The Guardian but does not kill him, thereby dooming him to remain The Guardian until the time of the next alignment. Duncan then joins his wife within The Source.
Rendered mortal by their exposure to The Source, Duncan and Methos are removed from The Game. Duncan and Anna learn that she is pregnant.
The late 1990s: Connor wins The Prize, but instead of returning to the past he honours his promise to Brenda to save the human race from the increased solar radiation, Using his new ability to influence people's minds he persuades the world's leaders and scientists to work together.
1999: the electromagnetic shield to protect mankind from solar radiation is activiated.
2024: Connor is now an old man. He is contacted by environmental terrorist Louise Marcus, who has learnt that The Shield Corporation is covering up the news that the ozone layer has repaired itself. Corda and Reno arrive from the past, their presence rendering Connor immortal again. He fights and manages to kill them both, and their Quickening restores his youth. Katana arrives and seizes control of The Shield Corporation. Connor eventually confronts and kills Katana, then uses their combined energy to bring down the shield.
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