Expert: ImmortalJedi - 7/13/2004

Question
We've seen time and time again Duncan and various immortals getting shot, falling off buildings and getting every bone in their body broken, regenerating minor cuts in a matter of seconds, etc.  Why, then, can't Xavier St. Cloud regenerate a measly missing hand? (For Tomorrow We Die).

You could "be-head" an immortal from the bottom up!

Answer
This was never clearly defined in the series and was a hot topic of discussion in many Highlander chat rooms and between friends who watched the show when that episode, and then Counterfeit Parts 1 & 2 were originally aired. The best answer is that although immortals can regenerate by healing bones and tissue, since the bones from the hand suddenly became missing, then there was nothing there to re-grow or regenerate, and the tissue surrounding where the cut was made simply healed and formed a stump. Of course, there is lots of speculation about what would have happened if Xavier was still around in 100 years or so and if the hand would have been able to regenerate by then. But again, many people think that since there was nothing there to build upon, then nothing could have re-grown.

Charley