Swarm (disambiguation)

This article is about the space-borne organisim. For the creatures from Planet of the Dead, see Alien Stingrays.

The Swarm was a type of space-borne organism which had hung dormant in a cloud-like area of space near Saturn for millennia, until in 5000 it was picked up by the crew of a Titan Shuttle. It infected the relief crew for the Titan Base, and through them eventually most of the Bi-Al Foundation

The Swarm worked like a disease, spreading by electrical pulses, which needed to make contact with a victim's eyes. This would turn victims into agents of the Swarm, answering to a nucleus, a microscopic and virus-like sentient organism that controlled the swarm. Visually, an infected lifeform could be recognised by their growing of grey filaments around their eyes and hands.

There was no physical matter for the virus, which existed in a state in the mind/brain interface (though the nucleus had a crustacean-like form). This meaneant the swarm could affect non-living sentients such as robots and would have a diminished effect on individuals that relied on instinct rather than reason.

Certain individuals (such as Leela) had certain antibodies that could defeat the virus. Addiitionally, the virus could be slowed simply by not thinking. (DW: The Invisible Enemy)

Known Victims

• The Doctor (DW: The Invisible Enemy)
• K-9 (DW: The Invisible Enemy)
• Professor Marius (DW: The Invisible Enemy)
• The crew of the Titan Base
• Most of the Bi-Al Foundation (DW: The Invisible Enemy)