Species 8472, formally known as Undine, is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

extraterrestrial species in the

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

'' 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. They are Cyborg, cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a Group mind (science fiction), hive mind called "The Collective". The Borg co- ...

. The multiplayer game ''

Star Trek Online ''Star Trek Online'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game 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''. ''Star Trek O ...

'' 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 in which 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 ki ...

", and season 5 episode 4 " In the Flesh". 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 zones ...

and try to assimilate its

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

, 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 main character of the television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', which aired between 1995 and 2001. She served as the captain of the Starfleet starship USS ''Vo ...

hatches a plan to construct a weapon, based on a treatment that

the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

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

armed with modified nanoprobes, developed by the

Doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

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 for several months. Concerned about the threat posed by humanity, Species 8472 builds 13 "terraspheres" in the Delta Quadrant and recreates

Starfleet Academy Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for condu ...

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 re ...

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, ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

'' ranked the Species 8472 the eleventh most bizarre aliens in ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

''. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''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 is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of both fields. In a career spanning more than 40 ...

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