The name or term "Arachnids" should not be confused with Pseudo-Arachnid.
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The Arachnids (more commonly known as Bugs, and Archies[1]) are a hostile alien species that have conquered many planets across the galaxy, creating an empire that is directly at odds with the human-dominated United Citizen Federation. They were originally believed to be mindless creatures, devoid of what made a being truly sentient. When Johnny Rico and Carmen Ibanez dissect Arkellian sand beetles, the biology teacher states that the Arachnids have millions of years of evolution behind them and are, in the case of survival capability, the perfect species. They have the ability to colonize planets "by hurling their spore into space" and possess a social structure which perfectly compliments their mental capabilities.
The only good Bug is a dead Bug! | ||
As the Arachnid War progressed, it became clear that they have a caste system, with each subspecies filling a specific niche in Arachnid society. Brain Bugs and the God Bug have effective psychic abilities that can be used to control all bugs in a given colony, and to communicate with their confederates across space.
Most types of Bug are, overall, less intelligent than an average human, save for those belonging to leadership castes such as the Brain Bug, Control Bug, God Bug, and the Queen.
History[]
As the United Citizen Federation expanded its territories across the Galaxy, it came into contact with the Arachnid Species, who had by that point created a vast empire of their own. The Federation initially considered the Arachnids to be a less advanced civilization, below the notice of such higher beings as themselves. However, to avoid conflict, the region of space the Arachnids had colonized was Quarantined to prevent any human settlement within it. However, unofficial colonies were created on Arachnid planets, often ending with the Arachnids discovering such installations and attacking them in force, wiping them out in short order. This fate was suffered by many an unwary colony, such as at Port Joe Smith, where the inhabitants were cut down and the bodies left behind, bloody and torn, to adorn the empty streets like grotesque decorations.
When a meteor left the Arachnid Quarantine Zone and destroyed Buenos Aires, the Federation claimed that the Arachnids were responsible, and that this action was a clear and certain declaration of war. The following conflict would come to be known as the first Bug War, later followed by the Second Bug War.
Species[]
Name | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|
Chariot Bug | Not a deadly threat, these bugs are workers and not fighting bugs. | |
Sentinel Bug | A small support Bug. Seen during Battle of Hesperus | |
Worker Bug | A variant of the Warrior Bug. These bugs were used for borrowing tunnels. | |
Rhino Bug | A large shortsighted worker. | |
Drone Bug | Juvenile Warriors. These bugs are smaller and have a weaker shell than the adults | |
Warrior Bug | The most common Arachnid. These service as the main bulk of any invasion force | |
Tiger Bug | This species is a sub-variant of the Warrior with much tougher armor making it a more deadly threat. | |
Heavy Bug | A large Warrior variant encounter during the Battle of Fort Casey | |
Fire Warrior Bug | The Fire Warrior is more than meets the eye; even though it has the same abilities as the Warrior, they are resilient to the lava pools and all Federation fire-based weaponry[2] | |
Royal Guard Bug | A verocious variant of Warrior Bug. These deadly bugs are commonly encountered defending colonies with either a Brain bug or Queen bug. | |
Royal Warrior Bug | Like the Royal Guard Bug this Arachnid defends colonies and command bugs. | |
Super Tank Bug | A heavilly oversized Warrior; one was encountered at Fort Casey | |
Rhino Bug | Encountered on Hesperus | |
Spitter Bug | A variant of the Warrior with a ranged attack. Encountered at the Battle of Fort Casey | |
Spitter Bug | Encountered during the Battle of Kwalasha. These bugs fired a ranged green spray at its enemies. | |
Gunner Bug | Encountered during Battle of Valaka. A large bug with projectile weapons. | |
Chameleon Bug | A silent deadly soldier; capable of turning invisible.[3] | |
Hopper Bug | A bug capable of flight. These bugs pounce upon targets of opportunity from above. | |
Firefly | A flying bug similar to Hoppers. This Bug shoot flames. | |
Rippler Bug | A suicidal flying bug | |
Bomber Bee | Encountered on Gehenna | |
Pyrofly | Enountered on Gehenna | |
Blaster Bug | ||
Inferno Bug | Acclimatized to the extreme heat. Its fire-resistant carapace not only repels most fire-borne attacks but also conventional small-arms. Glands near the rear of the Bug produce a highly viscous flammable liquid, similar in consistency to napalm, which then feeds into an organ that ignites and launches it.[4] | |
Stinger Bug | Encountered on Gehenna | |
Immolator | A large bug that ejects an incendinary substance. Suicial when heavily wounded.[5] | |
Scorpion Bug | These large Bugs fire deadly Plasma from their tails which is capable of crushing bunkers and knocking out M11 Babars | |
Plasma Grenadier Bug | These are effect mobile artillery bugs, but lack accuracy. | |
Tanker Bug | A large deadly bug that spews acid from its mouth. | |
Plasma Bug | These huge bugs are are used as heavy artillery capable of providing fire support on the ground, as well as firing at ships in space. | |
Bombardier Bug | These small suicide bugs fire themselves towards enemies and detonate. | |
Chaser Bug | A suicidial bug encountered at Fort Casey[6] | |
Bug Larva | Infant bug. Limited perception.[7] | |
Consort Bug | Breeder Bug. Indicates the presence of a Queen Bug.[8] | |
Control Bug | These small bugs are capable of infecting a human body taking over the host for infiltration | |
Brain Bug | These highly intelligent bugs command Arachnid armies on worlds. | |
Queen Bug | These leadership bugs presumably breed to expand the species. | |
God Bug | The leadership of the Arachnid species. One of these brainwashed a human Sky Marshal to obtain his intelligence information. |
UCF controlled bugs
Name | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|
X-Bug | A genetically modified Royal Warrior created by Millitary Intelligence. It was designed to attract as many Bugs from as far as two hundred klicks into its direction through the use of a special pheromone generated by the X-Bug. | |
Intel Bug | These captured Warriors were experimented on and mind controlled by human psychics. Effective against standard Warriors. |
Notes[]
- The name "Arachnid", derived from "spider" in Greek, apparently originates from "Pseudo-Arachnids", the antagonist looking like giant spiders from the novel. However, none of the Arachnid species resembles a spider by far.
- The term "Arachnids" was originally an alternative name for the Pseudo-Arachnids in the Starship Troopers board wargame.
- In Starship Troopers: The Miniatures Game, the Arachnids are referred as the Arachnid Empire.
- In the Miniatures Game, SICON Military Intelligence believes the Arachnid Empire is a bio-engineered race created to serve as the military of a different alien species, similar to the Zentradi from Robotech (also known as Macross in Japan).
- An arachnid sticker can be seen in "Match Masters", an IOS/Android game, on the sticker album named "Area 51", third page, with the number 504 on it.
Appearance[]
References[]
- ↑ Starship Troopers 3: Marauder
- ↑ Battle for Agni Prime More Bugs
- ↑ Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy
- ↑ Battle for Agni Prime More Bugs
- ↑ Starship Troopers: Terran Command
- ↑ Starship Troopers: Invasion "Mobile Infantry"
- ↑ Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy
- ↑ Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy