Iratus bug
From SGCommand
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 An Iratus bug attached to the neck of John Sheppard
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- "Some sort of funky alien bug attached itself to his neck. He's completely immobile."
- —Aiden Ford
The Iratus bug is a type of invertebrate insect that is native to worlds in the Pegasus galaxy.
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[edit] Overview
These creatures were small black carapaced creatures that shared the Wraith's tendency of draining the life from other living beings. They accomplished this by jumping and latching onto the neck of a creature where they wrapped themselves around the body after which they began to drain it of life. Physical attempts at removing the bug simply made it tighten its hold over its prey. (ATL: "Thirty-Eight Minutes")
They preferred dark and dank conditions where they formed their nests. In such conditions, they typically gathered in large numbers with several large eggs sacs suspended in the ceiling of a cave. These creatures reacted violently to the presence of other life forms and treated them as a threat. However, they were not aggressive to a creature that contained Iratus bug DNA. (ATL: "Conversion")
The Iratus bug had breathing organs that were sensitive to salt water. (ATL: "Thirty-Eight Minutes")
The Iratus bugs live on at least three worlds: the Wraith homeworld where they first evolved into a Wraith, a planet where they have a big nest and a planet three day's journey from Atlantis that Todd went to to be cured of a cancer like disease. However, this world may have been the same as the previous world, but it is never said for sure.
[edit] History
It was believed that the Iratus bug were the ancestor of the Wraith species who developed after the Lanteans came into the Pegasus galaxy and began seeding it with Human life. These planets contained the Iratus bug which began to feed on the humans on their worlds and thus began to incorporate their DNA into their own. In time, this resulted in the birth of the Wraith species who grew to more humanoid proportions. The Ancient's did some minor studies on the creature and left their findings in the Atlantis database. (ATL: "The Gift", "Instinct", "Conversion", "Spoils of War")
The Atlantis Expedition first came into contact with these creatures when the First Atlantis Reconnaissance Team were fleeing from a Wraith attack. As then-Major John Sheppard was attempting to escape a Wraith warrior, he suddenly came under attack from an Iratus bug which latched onto his neck. The Wraith warrior then abandoned him rather then kill him as he believed his fate to have been sealed by the bug. However, when taken back to the Gate ship, his fellow expedition members managed to get the creature off him. (ATL: "Thirty-Eight Minutes")
After a study on the creatures, Doctor Carson Beckett developed the Iratus bug retrovirus in an attempt to finding a cure for the Wraith's tendency on feeding on human life by suppressing the Iratus bug DNA in the Wraith. However, the experiment failed when Ellia attempted to use it on herself and instead enhanced the Iratus bug DNA. (ATL: "Instinct")
The next encounter with the Iratus bug came when John Sheppard got infected by the mutated DNA of Ellia. This resulted in a slow but steady transformation turning him into an Iratus bug monster. In an attempt to save him, the Atlantis Expedition attempted to get some Iratus bug eggs in order to use them to reverse the process. However, while attempting to enter their nest, the creatures became violent and attacked the team. This nearly stopped any cure for Colonel Sheppard who was almost condemned to his new fate. But, Doctor Beckett believed that Sheppard's new Iratus bug qualities would mean he could enter the lair without provoking the creatures which he did allowing the process to be reversed. (ATL: "Conversion")
The Human-form Wraith Michael Kenmore made use of the Iratus bug as part of his experiments in developing a new servant species to protect him from his enemies. He used the bugs to feast on the life of the Taranian people on their new homeworld. After gorging itself on the new food, Michael manipulated the creature in order to alter the resultant egg as well as manipulate the growing offspring. Through this means, he created the Bug People who served as a perfect animal to do his bidding. One Iratus bug was let loose on Teyla Emmagan and almost fed on her but Ronon Dex managed to save her. (ATL: "Vengeance")
[edit] Behind the scenes
- Iratus means "angry" in Latin.
