Species (alien species)
Encyclopedia
The "Species" in the movie Species
is an unnamed, aggressive alien species intent on spreading itself throughout the universe by infiltrating and annihilating the intelligent populations of other planets. It is capable of rapid growth and can bond its own DNA to that of other creatures through a number of methods. They are apparently inspired by the mythological succubus
and incubus
, who were demons who seduced their victims to have sexual intercourse with them.
a professor named Herman Cromwell, played by Peter Boyle
, claims that the original species originated in the Large Magellanic Cloud
(called the Magellanic Galaxy), the only other place in the universe where Carbon-based life had apparently been discovered. It is also stipulated that they were a "cancerous" race that visited Mars millions of years ago when its surface was similar to that of Earth, and annihilated all life on its surface before leaving a remnant of DNA in its soil, in case something from another planet came to visit so that their species could continue to infect other planets in a similar manner.
Mankind's first interaction with this particular species occurred in 1994 when the SETI
(Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life) project received a pair of messages from outer space. The first message contained a more efficient use of methane
, while the second contained a DNA
sequence along with directions on how to mix it with Human DNA. As the first message was seen as friendly contact, scientists went ahead and performed the fusion. Three living organisms were created, two of which were put into frozen stasis in liquid nitrogen
, while the third was allowed to grow under the nickname "Sil".
) forms and appearing to be much more agile. Both genders of the Species have skeletal bodies with proportionally smaller heads to their bodies, mouths having two hair-like mandibles and tentacle-like hair. Both genders have the ability to shape shift between human and alien forms and also exhibit a limited ability to morph their alien forms for the purpose of adaptation to given situations. Females have breast tentacles, are able to manipulate their "hair", and can use retractable spikes on their backs in combat. Males are able to split their heads in two, thus forming a dual-headed form and also exposing a long tentacle
from between their "heads" for the purpose of killing. However, it is unknown whether the Species is patriarchal or matriarchal within its own social circles as a population of sufficient size has never been observed in the movies.
Most of the members of the Species seen are actually mutations from humans, but a pure form is seen in the first film. It takes on the form of a blob-like, tentacled monster with a long mouth-like appendage that lashed out at whatever was nearby and grew so fast that it would double in size in a matter of seconds. After a little over two minutes of life, it was killed by immolation.
In the film novelization of Species, the "pure" creature was actually a hybrid between the alien DNA and the DNA of a bat
. This was done so that the creature would know no better than to use its natural free form instead of shielding itself behind a camouflage.
The most prominent example of a mutation induced by the species was that of "Sil". Sil grew into a visible fetus in a single day and then into a young girl on the verge of puberty in a few months. She exhibited great speed and strength, but also suffered from terrible nightmares brought on by her alien DNA. Sil later claims that she thinks the nightmares "Tell me who I am".
While on the run, Sil pupa
tes by forming a ball of maroon-colored flesh. She was horrified by this development and the process appears to be very painful. After a few hours, she emerged as a fully-grown adult.
While still somewhat shy and uneasy, Sil is able to quickly adapt to her surroundings, showing an incredible cunning as she blends into society. Pretty soon, her alien libido takes over and she attempts to mate while in a state of almost constant fertility (She seems to menstruate once). During this time, she demonstrates a strong animalistic survival instinct, regeneration abilities, and an ability to sense genetic flaws in potential mates. She also kills without remorse when she feels threatened.
Her alien form is chitinous and reptilian. Her hair has been replaced with tentacles which are slicked back and her teeth are sharp. Her breasts, rather than storing fat or mammary glands, instead store tentacles which come out of her nipples, serving both as a weapon and as a function in a mating ritual (As shown in the second film). This form seems capable of holding its breath underwater for an extended period.
Her son shows some different traits and, after being born less than an hour after conception, grows at an incredible rate, limbs and spine seeming to grow too fast for his skin to keep up.
It is unknown what level of technological achievement "The Species" are currently at. However, their mentioned mastery of black holes is a testament to their achievements. In the canon versions of both movies and their novelizations, the Species have not been shown to have space travel capabilities; although, in a rejected Species II script, a space faring vehicle of some kind belonging to the original alien race is mentioned.
In the movie novelization of Species II, the Species had once established a colony on Mars
and consumed all of the planet's natural resources before moving on. It is unknown how they got to Mars and there is no mention of space travel
. However, a character speculates that the Species could be literally billions of years old. Their capabilities remain unknown but the human hybrids show an ability to learn and absorb information extremely fast and put that knowledge to practical use.
Species (film)
Species is a 1995 science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson, and starring Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, Marg Helgenberger, and Natasha Henstridge...
is an unnamed, aggressive alien species intent on spreading itself throughout the universe by infiltrating and annihilating the intelligent populations of other planets. It is capable of rapid growth and can bond its own DNA to that of other creatures through a number of methods. They are apparently inspired by the mythological succubus
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
and incubus
Incubus
An incubus is a male demon that has sexual intercourse with sleeping women.Incubus may also refer to:- Film :* Incubus , a film in Esperanto starring William Shatner* Incubus , a horror film starring Tara Reid...
, who were demons who seduced their victims to have sexual intercourse with them.
Origins
In Species IISpecies II
Species II is a 1998 sequel to the 1995 film Species. It stars Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger, all of whom reprise their roles from the first film. It also features actor James Cromwell as "Senator Judson Ross"...
a professor named Herman Cromwell, played by Peter Boyle
Peter Boyle
Peter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
, claims that the original species originated in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby irregular galaxy, and is a satellite of the Milky Way. At a distance of slightly less than 50 kiloparsecs , the LMC is the third closest galaxy to the Milky Way, with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal and Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy lying closer to the center...
(called the Magellanic Galaxy), the only other place in the universe where Carbon-based life had apparently been discovered. It is also stipulated that they were a "cancerous" race that visited Mars millions of years ago when its surface was similar to that of Earth, and annihilated all life on its surface before leaving a remnant of DNA in its soil, in case something from another planet came to visit so that their species could continue to infect other planets in a similar manner.
Mankind's first interaction with this particular species occurred in 1994 when the SETI
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
(Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life) project received a pair of messages from outer space. The first message contained a more efficient use of methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
, while the second contained a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sequence along with directions on how to mix it with Human DNA. As the first message was seen as friendly contact, scientists went ahead and performed the fusion. Three living organisms were created, two of which were put into frozen stasis in liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
, while the third was allowed to grow under the nickname "Sil".
Physical appearance and growth
The Species appear to be sexually dimorphic with males being much larger than females. Males are also quadrupedal with females having smaller bipedal (humanoidHumanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
) forms and appearing to be much more agile. Both genders of the Species have skeletal bodies with proportionally smaller heads to their bodies, mouths having two hair-like mandibles and tentacle-like hair. Both genders have the ability to shape shift between human and alien forms and also exhibit a limited ability to morph their alien forms for the purpose of adaptation to given situations. Females have breast tentacles, are able to manipulate their "hair", and can use retractable spikes on their backs in combat. Males are able to split their heads in two, thus forming a dual-headed form and also exposing a long tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
from between their "heads" for the purpose of killing. However, it is unknown whether the Species is patriarchal or matriarchal within its own social circles as a population of sufficient size has never been observed in the movies.
Most of the members of the Species seen are actually mutations from humans, but a pure form is seen in the first film. It takes on the form of a blob-like, tentacled monster with a long mouth-like appendage that lashed out at whatever was nearby and grew so fast that it would double in size in a matter of seconds. After a little over two minutes of life, it was killed by immolation.
In the film novelization of Species, the "pure" creature was actually a hybrid between the alien DNA and the DNA of a bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
. This was done so that the creature would know no better than to use its natural free form instead of shielding itself behind a camouflage.
The most prominent example of a mutation induced by the species was that of "Sil". Sil grew into a visible fetus in a single day and then into a young girl on the verge of puberty in a few months. She exhibited great speed and strength, but also suffered from terrible nightmares brought on by her alien DNA. Sil later claims that she thinks the nightmares "Tell me who I am".
While on the run, Sil pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
tes by forming a ball of maroon-colored flesh. She was horrified by this development and the process appears to be very painful. After a few hours, she emerged as a fully-grown adult.
While still somewhat shy and uneasy, Sil is able to quickly adapt to her surroundings, showing an incredible cunning as she blends into society. Pretty soon, her alien libido takes over and she attempts to mate while in a state of almost constant fertility (She seems to menstruate once). During this time, she demonstrates a strong animalistic survival instinct, regeneration abilities, and an ability to sense genetic flaws in potential mates. She also kills without remorse when she feels threatened.
Her alien form is chitinous and reptilian. Her hair has been replaced with tentacles which are slicked back and her teeth are sharp. Her breasts, rather than storing fat or mammary glands, instead store tentacles which come out of her nipples, serving both as a weapon and as a function in a mating ritual (As shown in the second film). This form seems capable of holding its breath underwater for an extended period.
Her son shows some different traits and, after being born less than an hour after conception, grows at an incredible rate, limbs and spine seeming to grow too fast for his skin to keep up.
Technology
In the movie's novelization it is mentioned that the signal that came to Earth was transmitted through several Black Holes which served to hide its point of origin.It is unknown what level of technological achievement "The Species" are currently at. However, their mentioned mastery of black holes is a testament to their achievements. In the canon versions of both movies and their novelizations, the Species have not been shown to have space travel capabilities; although, in a rejected Species II script, a space faring vehicle of some kind belonging to the original alien race is mentioned.
In the movie novelization of Species II, the Species had once established a colony on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and consumed all of the planet's natural resources before moving on. It is unknown how they got to Mars and there is no mention of space travel
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
. However, a character speculates that the Species could be literally billions of years old. Their capabilities remain unknown but the human hybrids show an ability to learn and absorb information extremely fast and put that knowledge to practical use.