Symbiosis (mutualism) appears in fiction, especially

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 ...

, as a plot device. It is distinguished from

parasitism in fiction Parasites appear frequently in biology-inspired fiction from ancient times onwards, with a flowering in the nineteenth century. These include intentionally disgusting alien monsters in science fiction films, often with analogues in nature. Autho ...

, a similar theme, by the mutual benefit to the organisms involved, whereas the

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

inflicts harm on its host.

Relationships

Relationships between species in early

were often imaginatively parasitic, with the

s draining the vital energy of their human hosts and taking over their minds, as in

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's 1895 ''

The Parasite ''The Parasite'' is an 1894 novelette by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Parasite makes use of a form of mind control similar to the mesmerism of the Victorian era. Plot summary The main character is a young man known as Austin Gilroy. He studie ...

''. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, science fiction moved towards more mutualistic relationships, as in Ted White's 1970 ''By Furies Possessed''; Brian Stableford argues that White was consciously opposing the

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

of Robert Heinlein's 1951 ''

The Puppet Masters ''The Puppet Masters'' is a 1951 science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, in which American secret agents battle parasitic invaders from outer space. It was originally serialized in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' (September, Oct ...

'' which involved a parasitic relationship close to

demonic possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and reli ...

, with a more positive attitude towards aliens. Stableford notes, however, that

Octavia Butler Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction author and a multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship. ...

's 1984 ''

Clay's Ark ''Clay's Ark'' (1984) is a novel by American science fiction author Octavia E. Butler. The last published of her ''Patternist series, Patternist'' series, the novel serves as a prequel that accounts for the arrival of the Clay Ark disease that lea ...

'' and other of her works such as '' Fledgling'', and

Dan Simmons Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American science fiction and horror writer. He is the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works which span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes wi ...

's 1989 ''Hyperion'' take an ambivalent position, in which the aliens may confer powers such as ''Hyperions ability to regenerate continually—but at a price, in its case an incremental loss of intelligence at each regeneration. 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

Trill TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links) is an Internet Standard implemented by devices called TRILL switches. TRILL combines techniques from bridging and routing, and is the application of link-state routing to the VLAN-aware custom ...

were a race of humanoids who incorporated a long-living symbiont. One of them was a main character on the series

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

. In the series Stargate SG-1, both the principal villains, the Goa'uld and their benevolent versions, the

Tok'ra Over its decade of existence, science fiction TV series ''Stargate SG-1'' developed an extensive and detailed backdrop of diverse characters. Many of the characters are members of alien species discovered while exploring the galaxy through the ...

were symbionts who grafted themselves into the human nervous system. The Force in the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' universe is described by the fictional seer

Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...

as "an energy field created by all living things". In '' The Phantom Menace'', Qui-Gon Jinn says microscopic lifeforms called midi-chlorians, inside all living cells, allow characters with enough of these symbionts in their cells to feel and use the Force. In Douglas Adams's humorous 1978 '' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Babel fish lives in its human host's ear, feeding on the energy of its host's brain waves, in return translating any language to the host's benefit.''The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Fit the First'' BBC Radio 4 program, broadcast 8 March 1978 In the Ultraman series, the titular aliens take human bodies to rest in and hide among society, while the hosts gain inhuman levels of speed and strength.

References

{{Science fiction Biology and culture

Relationships

See also

References