WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "The Children of Gabriel," the third episode of The 100 Season 6.
When they first arrived on the alien world of Sanctum, the last remnants of Earth's humanity learned that a previous colonization mission, launched well over a century previously, led to the foundation of a makeshift settlement the planet. Initially finding the encampment deserted, the expedition to the planet's surface led by Clarke has now been confronted by the inhabitants of Sanctum. And, understandably, they treat the new arrivals with caution, placing them under confined supervision until they can learn more about them.
As Clarke and her companions are held in isolation, a previously unseen faction living on Sanctum, dressed in intimidating barbaric gear, surface. Referring to themselves as the Children of Gabriel, the faction attacks a lander left by the expedition, paralyzing Madi and Diyoza with poison darts. With the explorers from the Eligius IV incapacitated, the Children of Gabriel rummage through the ship and discover the bodies of Sanctum inhabitants that had been killed in their own attempt to take over the spaceship. The new faction labels the bodies of the deceased "primes," and begin brutally hacking them to pieces.
A flashback in the season's second episode previously revealed the early colonization efforts on Sanctum. The crew of a previous ship, aptly named the Eligius III, was led by a man named Gabriel, who eventually grew insane due to the planet's eclipsing red sun, murdering his entire family in an uncontrollable rage. With this new faction likely an extension of the Eligius III's ill-fated leader, their more feral appearance in comparison to the refined inhabitants of the established settlement on Sanctum strongly suggests savage origins deviating from the other colonists. And given their violent reaction just at the site of the other colonists' bodies, it implies the two factions are at bloody odds with one another.
This is compounded at the end of the episode, where the Children of Gabriel infiltrate the main settlement and abduct several children within the compound, nearly kidnapping Delilah, the daughter of the colony's leader Russell. Thwarted by Clarke, the kidnapping attempt draws blood, and Clarke's blackened Nightblood is recognized as a mark of royalty among the inhabitants of Sanctum.
Nightblood had been introduced during Season 3, a trait where some survivors' blood ran an opaque black instead of the usual red. The blood signified a rare immunity from lethal radiation and was revered among those that lived on Earth, with Clarke and Madi among the few Nightblood left alive on the planet. The previous episode had revealed that several Sanctum colonists also had Nightblood, and the revelation that Clarke possessed black blood convinces the colonists to allow Clarke and her associates to stay, suggesting it carries a similarly revered reputation on the alien world.
The Children of Gabriel represent a new, hostile faction of inhabitants on this world, people in conflict with their more dignified counterparts. However, while initially much more welcoming than the more crudely appearing faction, in the world of The 100, it is safe to assume that the colonists on Sanctum are likely not as friendly and peaceful as they seem. And with the Children of Gabriel now holding several of Sanctum's own hostage, the conflict between the two factions is certain to escalate.
The 100 returns on the CW for its sixth season on April 30 at 9 pm ET/PT. The series stars Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco, Marie Avgeropoulos, Bob Morley, Henry Ian Cusick, Lindsey Morgan, Richard Harmon and Tasya Teles.