Wirrn
The Wirrn (or Wirrrn) were a race of Human-sized insects native to the Andromeda Galaxy.
Biology
Physical characteristics
The Wirrn were roughly Human-sized, though with an anatomy more like an Earth-based insect. Their head was made of two large golden eyes, long, floppy antennae and a three small mandibles. Underneath the head were larger mandibles which they use to talk. They communicate by squeaking, though Noah was able to speak Human languages. The head in attached to a long thorax which has six long arms attached to it. Though thin, these arms are as strong as a human and can be used for similar tasks. Underneath the thorax is a long abdomen.
- While in an area with gravity, the Wirrn somehow move on their abdomen. This may be accomplished by a modified Ovipositor. In space, on the other hand, the Wirrn just drag themselves along with their arms.
Wirrn lived in space for most of their life and thus they could reuse their waste products with special enzymes, allowing them to survive without fresh air for years. They would only occasionally land on planets to gather air or food or to breed.
- Given their apparently non-technological nature it is unclear how the Wirrn are able to make planetfall without burning up on entering an atmosphere, let alone launch themselves back into space or travel intergalactic distances.
They were very tough, being able to survive repeated energy blasts. The Wirrn's most important weakness was their vulnerability to electricity. (DW: The Ark in Space)
Life Cycle
Wirrn had an unusual life-cycle which was shown on the Ark. The Wirrn start breeding with a queen, who searches for a suitable planet. The Wirrn used cattle-like creatures in the Andromeda Galaxy, but they can also substitute humans. When the queen finds a suitable host, it lays an egg in the host. The larva gains all the racial memories of the Wirrn, as well as the host's knowledge. Eventually, the larva eats the host and escapes.
This larva is a large, green, slug-like creature with several small limbs. These larva, while not as tough as an adult, are still resistant to a large amount of damage. The larva can also infect other creatures and turn them into adult Wirrn. These infected individuals gain all the knowledge of the Wirrn and the previous host. Their natural hostst were mindless herbivores, but infecting advanced beings like humans could give a great boost to a Wyrrn colony, due to the technological knowledge inherited.
Eventually, the larva start to metamorphasize, turning into large pupa. After a few hours, full grown Wirrn come out of the pupas and set out to do the bidding of the swarm. (DW: The Ark in Space)
History
The Wirrn have had a presence in the universe for a long time. A dead Wirrn was found in a prison ship that launched in 2000 BCE. (DW: The Stones of Blood)
When humans first reached the Andromeda Galaxy and started to expand there, they started taking the Wirrn Breeding Colonies, and thousand years of fighting between the two species began, until the Wirrn were driven out of their own galaxy and forced to drift into the universe.
One queen ended up in Mutter's Spiral and discovered the frozen survivors of an irradiated Earth in the Ark. Though the queen was killed by a security device, it was able to implant an egg in one of the Humans (Dune).
Eventually, the larva escaped and was able to infect Noah. The Wirrn intended to use the sleeping humans as a food source and to gain their advanced knowledge to help take over the "empty" Earth. However, Noah's human side reasserted itself and led the Wirrn into the Ark's transport ship, even though he knew it was rigged to explode. (DW: The Ark in Space)
