A hive mind, group mind or gestalt consciousness is a collection of separate, distinct organisms with a shared consciousness, which may or may not mean that the creatures are without individuality.
In the case of a hive mind, though, the general idea is that the same mind exists in multiple, separate beings or that each being's mind is linked with the others, allowing all organisms to know what is happening to just one organism of the hive. Also a trait of a hive mind, each individual of the hive refers to itself as "we" or "us" rather than "I" showing that it speaks for the entire hive mind.
Examples of hive minds include
- The Nestenes (DW: Spearhead from Space, Terror of the Autons, Rose)
- The Axos (DW: The Claws of Axos)
- The Wirrn (DW: The Ark in Space)
- The Rutans (DW: Horror of Fang Rock)
- The Fendahl (DW: Image of the Fendahl)
- The Darkness (MA: The Well-Mannered War)
- The Xaranti (PDA: Deep Blue)
- The Tractators (DW: Frontios)
- The Isolus (DW: Fear Her)
- The Gappa (NSA: Snowglobe 7)
- The Toclafane (DW: The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords)
- The Vashta Nerada (DW: Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead)
The Ood, the Bane and the Family of Blood were psychically linked but still retained their individualism. Some hive minds even have leaders: the Amaryll were lead by the Alvega Controller, the Wirrn had a leader, the Rutans had a Queen and the Shalka were led by Shalka Prime.
Because of their abilities and similarites with known hive minds, both the Vespiforms and the Hervoken may be hive minds as well. (DW: The Unicorn and the Wasp, NSA: Forever Autumn)
