| Arachnid (Starship Troopers) | |
 Arachnid Warrior | |
| |
| Sapience level | Sapient |
| Location / range | Klendathu |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Social unit | Colony |
| Nature | Aggressive |
| Population status | Abundant |
| Danger rating | Lethal |
| Subspecies | See Below |
The Arachnid Empire (more commonly known as Bugs, Archies, and Arachnids) are an alien race that has evolved and conquered several planets outside Federation space. Their name comes from their insect-like appearance.
Despite their primitive appearance, they do in fact possess technological prowess, likely bio-organic. Klendathu, Tango Urilla, and Planet P are the only worlds explicitly shown to be colonized by Arachnids, though an unspecified number of planets are under their control.
Anatomy and appearance[]
Arachnids are large, insectoid creatures that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on caste. They have millions of years of evolution behind them and are, in the case of survival capability, the perfect species, though they are highly susceptible to radiation and chemical attacks.
They have the ability to colonize planets by hurling their spore into space; Plasma bugs have developed the ability to fire spores into orbit, utilizing an organic warp drive. The spore can travel to other systems and collide with planets, thus spreading Arachnid eggs and colonizing the planet.
They possess a social structure which fits their mental capabilities. As the Arachnid War progressed, it became clear that they have a caste system, with each subspecies filling a specific role. Brain Bugs and Behemacoatyl have extreme psychic abilities that can be used to control all bugs in the colony.
Society and culture[]
Despite their primitive appearance, Arachnids have spacecraft, beam weapons, and other advanced technology. Their entire existence seems to be based on colonization and the conquering of planets in the name of their empire.
It is believed all Arachnids worship the entity known as Behemecoatyl, the God Bug. According to the Federation, without the God Bug's guidance the Arachnids would lose the war. However, this could also have made the Arachnid armies even angrier and more powerful than ever before, fighting even more violently and than before.
Subspecies[]
Various castes are present in the Arachnid Empire, each with a different role and appearance.
Warrior Bug[]
The Warrior Bug is the basic grunt of the Arachnid species. They are used on every front by the Arachnid Empire in conflicts; the Warrior is able to be reproduced in much larger numbers than other Arachnids.
Warrior bugs are four-legged insectoids, approximately 6-9 feet long. They are often colored to match the terrain; for example, desert Warriors will be tan with black and yellow stripes. The rearmost pairs of legs are much longer than the two front forelegs, and serve as the primary locomotion, the forelegs being 1/3 shorter. Warrior bugs are quite agile and fast, and can climb and burrow.
These bugs utilize powerful, pincer-like mandibles that arecapable of crushing rock, metal and severing limbs. The two upper forelegs or "side mandibles" are utilized in a manner similar to swords. It was thought to use these as 'hands' for grasping objects in the manner of a praying mantis; this is in fact not the case as a Warrior has no dexterity with them, and as such they are merely stabbing and slashing implements. They are devastating in this role as they reach out to well over 3 feet.
It is said that they can lose a limb and still fight with 86% efficiency. It would also seem that Warrior bugs have very tough exo-skeletons, being able to take a large amount of fire before they succumb to their wounds.
Tanker Bug[]
Tanker Bugs resemble a giant beetle and assume the role of heavy armor support in the Arachnid Empire. The Tanker Bugs are generally black in color and are nearly as large as Plasma Bugs. It has evolved the ability to spray a stream of flammable, corrosive liquid; it ejects the chemicals responsible from a nozzle-like spout on the top of the head. Their thick exo-skeleton provides them with excellent, though not imimpervious, protection from damage. They are, however, highly vulnerable to explosives such as grenades. They are capable of burrowing beneath the ground and emerging behind enemy lines.
Hopper Bug[]
The Hoppers are a flying strain bug that were used on Planet-P for hit and run tactics against small units, and as air support for larger attacks. The Hopper is essentially a warrior bug with wings. Hoppers are swift and agile fliers, but their light and poorly armored bodies makes them vulnerable and easy to kill. They attack enemies by grabbing and stabbing them with a pincer located on the rear end of its tail, or by swooping down to slash with their claws, then quickly flying away before the remaining enemies can have a chance to attack it.
Scorpion Bug[]
The Scorpion Bug is a huge, slow bug able to shrug off almost any amount of small-arms fire. It has a flamethrower-like plasma cannon in the tail, which it uses for siege purposes. It has been described as a cross between a tanker and a plasma bug, or the next step in evoloution for plasma bugs. It is 42 feet long, 2o feet tall, and dark black in color.
Bombardier Bug[]
The Bombardier Bug is a small, ball shaped Bug. The bombardier has two states; closed state in which it is dormant, and the open state in which it self-destructs. It is essentially a living grenade that can cause a massive explosion. It is the smallest of the known Arachnid castes.
Plasma Bug[]
With each bug specially engineered for a specific role in combat, Plasma Bugs serve as planetary defense, anti-aircraft and artillery units. They have an enormous abdomen which swell up and launch a plasma burst into orbit; the burst is powerful enough to deflect an asteroid or slice a ship in two. It is believed that they serve as the launching points for spore capsules. They are one of the largest Arachnid castes.
Brain Bug[]
Brain Bugs are the leadership caste amongst the Arachnid forces, and serve a vital role as hive brain for their colonies. They are highly intelligent and command entire Bug colonies and direct their forces against enemy threats. In contrast to the Warrior Bug, the Brain Bug is physically defenseless, apart from a high pitched screaming noise capable of bursting blood vessels in human heads at a short distance. They resemble large fleshy slug-like creatures that are so fat that they are incapable of traveling on their own; instead they were carried by a swarm of Chariot Bugs. They have multiple eyes on their head and a fleshy mouth.
They are known to be highly intelligent and are adept in a range of telepathic powers. These abilities allow the creature to control its colony. It is heavily defended by Warrior Bugs, which fight to the last to protect it. In fact, if there is a direct threat to the Brain Bug, the Arachnid hordes will cease attacking until it manages to escape.
One of the more dangerous abilities of the Brain Bug is its' capacity to steal the knowledge from the minds of other beings. It accomplished this through the use of a sharp proboscis that protruded from its' mouth. This appendage is designed to break through the skull of a sapient being, and penetrate into the brain itself. Once this is accomplished, the Brain Bug begins to consume the preys' brain matter and absorbs all of their memories and knowledge. This also enabled Brain Bugs to temporarily control a human body, using it to call for reinforcements on radio equipment. This provided the Bugs with a great deal of intelligence on their enemies as they were capable of learning vital secrets from their foes. As such, any human captured was at times brought before the Brain Bug for this form of interrogation.
God Bug[]
The God Bug, also known as Behemecoatyl, is the ultimate caste of the Arachnid species. This massive creature is deeply rooted into a planets' surface. It uses it' numerous appendages to capture and kill prey, and is also capable of creating large fissures on the planets' surface. Behemecoatyl is capable of speaking through other organisms.
The God Bug is capable of extending its head from the ground, and appears to share many qualities with the Brain Bug. Its large mouth contains numerous appendages which allow it to absorb the memories of other organisms - namely humans. It is unknown if there is more than one God Bug.