Species 8472 is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

extraterrestrial species in the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

'' Star Trek: Voyager''. Species 8472 is a designation given to them by the

Borg The Borg are an alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the ''Star Trek'' fictional universe. The Borg are Cyborg, cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a Group mind (science fiction), hive mind called "the Collective". The Borg ...

. The multiplayer game ''

Star Trek Online ''Star Trek Online'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Cryptic Studios based on the ''Star Trek'' franchise. The game is set in the 25th century, 30 years after the events of '' Star Trek: Nemesis''. ''Sta ...

'' gives their proper name as Undine. When the USS ''Voyager'' made contact with them, Species 8472 were engaged in a war with one of Star Trek's perennial antagonists, the Borg. They are noted for being a tripedal and telepathic species and for their use of biotechnology. They originated from what is called fluidic space and fought a successful war against the Borg for a time. They made peace with the Federation by negotiations with Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager in the later 24th century.

''Star Trek: Voyager''

Relevant episodes of '' Star Trek: Voyager'' in which Species 8472 appear include season 3 episode 26 (season finale) " Scorpion: Part 1" and season 4 episode 1 (season premiere) " Scorpion: Part 2", season 4 episode 16 "

Prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

", and season 5 episode 4 "

In the Flesh In the Flesh may refer to: Books * ''In the Flesh'' (2009 graphic novel), a collection of stories by Koren Shadmi Film and TV * ''In the Flesh'' (1998 film), an American gay-themed murder mystery film * ''In the Flesh'' (2003 film), an Indian ...

". Species 8472 are discovered by the

in 2373 when the Borg invade fluidic space (" Scorpion: Part 2") by opening a rift in space using a deflector dish. The Borg discover Species 8472 in the

Delta Quadrant Several films and episodes of the science fiction franchise '' Star Trek'' are set in distinct astrographical regions of space. Some of these fictional locations exhibit anomalous physical properties; others are defined as sensitive buffer zone ...

and try to assimilate its

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

, which is more advanced than anything the Borg have seen. The Borg quickly realize that Species 8472 is immune to assimilation and that contemporary Borg technology is no match for it. In fact, 8472 is one of the few species so advanced that its ships are able to destroy Borg cubes in seconds. Species 8472 invades the

in retaliation for Borg aggression and begins a systematic extermination of the Borg as well as innocent species. Over the course of five months, tens of billions of drones are lost, as well as several hundred planets and ships. When the crew of ''Voyager'' realizes that it has no choice but to go through Borg space to continue home in any kind of timely manner, Captain

Kathryn Janeway Kathryn Janeway is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. She was the Captain of the Starfleet starship USS ''Voyager'' (on '' Star Trek: Voyager'') while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. After re ...

hatches a plan to construct a weapon, based on a treatment that the Doctor had created, to kill Species 8472 and use it as a bargaining chip with the Borg, in exchange for safe passage through Borg space. The Borg reluctantly accept. In conjunction with Janeway, the Borg develop a high-yield

warhead A warhead is the forward section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: * Explosiv ...

armed with modified nanoprobes, developed by the

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

, the ship's

Emergency Medical Hologram The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram (or EMH for short), is a fictional character portrayed by actor Robert Picardo on the television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', which aired on UPN between 1995 and 2001. He is an artificial intelligenc ...

(EMH), from the Borg's own technology, that is effective at killing 8472 and forces them to retreat to fluidic space. In return for Janeway's help, the Borg allow ''Voyager'' safe passage through their space for the duration of their cooperative efforts. However, upon Species 8472's retreat from normal space, the Borg terminate the alliance in favor of (unsuccessfully) assimilating ''Voyager''. A member of Species 8472 is left in the Delta Quadrant during the retreat and is relentlessly hunted by a group of

Hirogen ''Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinoff series. A major motif of the ...

for several months. Concerned about the threat posed by

humanity Humanity most commonly refers to: * Humankind the total population of humans * Humanity (virtue) Humanity may also refer to: Literature * Humanity (journal), ''Humanity'' (journal), an academic journal that focuses on human rights * ''Humanity: A ...

, Species 8472 builds 13 "terraspheres" in the Delta Quadrant and recreates

Starfleet Academy In the Setting (fiction), fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's mot ...

within, as a staging ground for an intelligence gathering mission on Earth. The plan is uncovered by ''Voyager'' and peace talks commence. Janeway convinces 8472, led by an individual posing as Boothby, that the

United Federation of Planets In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'' the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly refe ...

has no quarrel with them – in fact, the Federation is not even aware of the existence of Species 8472, except for the Voyager crew, and the crew is well aware that the Borg themselves started the war between the two species by invading fluidic space to assimilate the superior technology of Species 8472.

Video games

Species 8472 appear as villains in the video games '' Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force'' and '' Star Trek: Armada II''. They also make an appearance in ''

'', in which they are referred to as the Undine. In Star Trek: Alien Domain they are the primary antagonists.

Reception

In 2017,

ScreenRant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scree ...

ranked the Species 8472 the 11th most bizarre aliens in

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

's Vera Rule said that their design reminded them "of HR Gigerish bio-nastiness but with

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Might ...

animation".

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * *

External links

{{Star Trek Star Trek species Fictional ungulates de:Völker und Gruppierungen im Star-Trek-Universum#Spezies 8472 sv:Lista över utomjordiska raser i Star Trek#Art 8472