The Wraith Flag.	The Wraith.		The Wraith Flag.
The Wraith. "Steve" the Wraith. Societal Information: Species: Humanoid Iratus evoloution. Distinctions: Telepathy, advanced healing abilities, need for "lifeforce." Homeworld: Unnamed Planet; Generally reffered to as "Wraith" or "Wraith Prime." Chart Coordinates: Language: Wraith; Tśentrædi; Others as needed. Form of Government: Independent sovereign Hive-ships (once number 31+; Currently unknown) ruled by a Queen; Hive-mind. Alliances: None. "The Wraith allow our kind to grow in numbers, and when that number reaches a certain point they return to cull their human herd. Sometimes a few hundred years will pass before they awaken again. We've visited many, many worlds -- I know of none untouched by the Wraith." -Teyla EMMAGAN. The "Wraith" are a vampiric hive-based species that harvest the 'life-force' of other humanoid beings for nourishment through suckers on their palm. Countless worlds in the Pegasus galaxy live in constant fear of the Wraith, who return periodically to cull their human herds. After taking their fill, the Wraith hibernate (possibly for centuries), watched over by Keepers, before they wake and feed again. History Beginnings "In time, a thousand worlds bore the fruit of life in this form. Then one day our people stepped foot upon a dark world where a terrible enemy slept." -Melia of Lantea. A Hive Queen Watching Her Invasion Forces. The Wraith developed on an unnamed world where an instectile creature called the Iratus bug was native; These creatures are small black carapaced creatures that jump and latch onto the neck of a creature where they wrap themselves around the body after which they begin to drain it of life. Physical attempts at removing the bug simply make it tighten its hold over its prey. At some point in the very ancient past, Humanoids were taken to this world, and they began feeding on them. The Iratus bug also has the unusual quality that it can incorporate the DNA/RNA of creatures they attack, thus they began absorbing the DNA of the Humanoids on their homeworld. Eventually, they began to take on advantageous human characteristics, such as larger brain mass, bipedal locomotion, and opposable digits. The Pegasus Galaxy had an empire (once thought to have been related to the Haydonites) that engaged the Wraith in war; However, for reasons that still are not clear, chose to keep restraint and thus lost the war; The UGC chose to take the gloves off and sent 12 full battlefleets after the Wraith, breaking their empire. Arrival Of The UGC "We're not like the Ancients; We're not gonna sit around and wait. If they don't back off; We have the capacity and the will to go kick their asses for a change." Major John SHEPPARD. The Wraith continued their feeding pattern where they would abduct humanoids and take their life force after which they entered into a hibernative state allowing the "herds" to grow while they slumbered. While this happened, they left a few caretakers to watch over them until the time was right to awaken. This cycle continued for 10,000 years until the UGC arrived in the Pegasus galaxy in hot pursuit of suspected Haydonite colonies. The Wraith first discovered the humans of Terra when Darts were sent to abduct prey for feeding the Caretakers; The Stargate Team that was effected went to the Wraith homeworld on a rescue mission the retrieve their people. When the team arrived to the planet they discovered that their people were taken to a holding cell aboard a hive-ship. Meanwhile, the Keeper interrogated Colonel Marshall SUMNER and learned that plentiful feeding grounds existed elsewhere in the universe, but was unable to determine how exactly to get, since they were outside the Pegasus galaxy (hive ships do not have the ability to travel between galaxies and the colonel managed to kee the secret of how his team got there). Upon her death at the hands of Major John SHEPPARD, the entire hive reawakened. Now that the species was moving, feeding on planets throughout the Pegasus Galaxy, no one was safe. However, there are not enough humans to sustain the Wraith for long. The Second Siege of Atlantis. The Wraith sent a fleet to attack the planet Lanta (then the staging base of the REF in the Pegasus galaxy) with a force of three hive-ships, along with cruiser escorts. One hive-ship was destroyed by an ancient defense satellite that was reactivated by Dr Meredith Rodney "Roddey" MCKAY, though he was not able to keep the system working beyond that (it was so old he was lucky he could even get it working at all; he had wanted to study it, however, but realized that the circumstances were what they were, pressed it into service). Once in orbit they attacked the REF base, hoping to learn the location of Earth. The REF battled to preserve the base with the assistance of reinforcements from a second Strike Force, which succeeded in destroying the Wraith force. A second wave consisting of twelve hive-ships arrived later on and managed to destroy a few but the Wraith force was too strong. It was decided by the expedition that trickery would be used to escape the Wraith where they faked a self-destruct of Atlantis by setting off a timed nuclear warhead and cloaking the city. Dismayed, the Wraith left the world and attempted to sustain themselves by other means. In time, however, with the lack of food and the natural territorial instincts of the Wraith, they entered into a civil war. Stronger Wraith hives began to attack weaker ones for control over the feeding grounds of the galaxy. Wraith Civil War "Hives are forming alliances; The strong are attacking the weak." Michael KENMORE (Terran/Wraith Hybrid). Wraith battle the Asurans. During the Wraith Civil War, the various factions fed on the worlds in their possession as well as against one another and engaged in skirmishes with the forces from the UGC. REF researchers found a retrovirus that repressed the Iratus bug DNA, turning the creature essentially human; Spacy warships fired missiles carrying this virus into hundreds of hives, which worked exactly as predicted; In a panic, "infected" members of the hives killed the uninfected, knowing that they'd gone from shipmates to food. This effectively ended the Wraith Empire; Internally devastated by the civil war (over half the hives had been destroyed by this conflict alone), the death knell of the retrovirus reduced the Wraith to less than 1% of their previous numbers. This by no measure means there are no Wraith left; But they exist in ones and twos, enslaving the minds of a tramp freighter to carry them around to various worlds, where they feed upon a homeless person here or there. Physiology "As long as these cells are properly nourished, I don't see a life form like this ever dying of natural aging the way we do, and they'd be bloody hard to kill. -Carson BECKETT. Their eyes glow in the dark allowing them to see in such conditions. Perception from the point of view of a Wraith. The Wraith are characterized by a pale blue or light-green epidermis, yellow eyes, and white, black, or red hair. As a species they have a social structure similar to that of ants or other hive/nest-based creatures, with distinct physiological differences between castes of Wraith, tailored to facilitate different functions within the society. They also possess powerful telepathic abilities. They have displayed phenomenal physical strength and agility. Their eyes can glow in darkness, giving them night vision, as well as having thermal vision. The majority of Wraith are male. Adult female Wraith have been seen to fill the higher echelons of Wraith society as 'Queens'. Beneath the Queens are workers, soldiers and drones. The lowest echelons are distinctly different; They lack even basic intelligence and are larger and much more muscular, big dumb brutes who's only function is to kill and capture victims for feeding. Wraith exhibit bipedal locomotion and have mostly humanoid characteristics. These characteristics include noticeable sexual dimorphism; Female Wraith have protruded breasts while male Wraith exhibit noticeable facial hair. The Wraith reproduce in a hybrid of mammals and hive insects, with a male impregnating the Queen, who then carries the fetuses for a short time, then placing them in a sack that gestates them the rest of the way. While in these sacks, their sex and caste can be decided by effecting the hormones they intake (more hormones means higher intelligence, raising their caste) and raising or lowering the heat (higher heat means female Wraith). The "soldier" caste exhibit noticeable less imtellignce as compared to the "leadership" caste, who are considerably more intelligent (and more "refined"). According to Michael KENMORE, the soldiers are unimaginative, and possess rigid thought patterns. Within the separate castes members differ very little (though there are males and females). Members of a given caste seem to mate, but only the Queen can bear young (any male can impregnate the Queen, though the Kings jealously guard the right to breed with the Queen to themselves, choosing mates for the Queen based on whatever whim they may have at the moment, including keeping her for himself alone at times). The Wraith appear to maintain a more human appearance until they reach puberty. At this point the noticeable features that define them as Wraith, such as skin tone, come into place. It is also during this time they begin feeding; Before this they eat fruits, vegetables, and etc. Though humanoid in appearance, the Wraith are genetically closer to the Iratus bug than humans. The Wraith possess none of the normal human inhibiting proteins, giving them a frighteningly efficient regenerative mechanism in their genetic makeup, allowing their bodies to heal themselves. Their regenerative abilities are so powerful that, as long as the cells are properly nourished, it is unlikely that the Wraith ever die from natural causes the way that humans do. These abilities are powerful to the point that dismembered body parts have the ability to move on their own. This makes the Wraith incredibly resilient and able to survive weapon fire to the crushing depths of the ocean floor without any form of mechanical assistance. While the Wraith share many elements with the Iratus bug, there are aspects of their biology that are similar to humans. They contain all the necessary organs within their body that are required to digest food, even though they receive little nourishment from food as adults. Feeding "Our current feeding process gives us strength, our ability to heal, our longevity." - "Kenny," A Wraith. Nourishment for the adult Wraith is the humanoid "life force." Humanoids are the only food source that can properly nourish a Wraith, although they are capable of cannibalism. The Wraith require water (or similar fluids) to facilitate bodily functions, but only life force can sustain them. The exact science of the life-force drain is not known, but the few such events actually witnessed is described as like sipping a drink through a straw. The Wraith can drain their victims slowly in order to torture and obtain information, or just to perform an act of sadism (which is pretty common, when circumstances permit). As the victim is drained of life, the victim experiences pain and appears to age rapidly. This is not actual physical aging, but a by-product of the feeding process. Although the Wraith possess teeth, they do not use them to puncture the epidermis of a human. Instead, they drain the life force through the use of a specialized organ that resides in the palm of their hands. They are slammed into the chest of the human typically where the heart resides, then nails puncture the skin and the feeding organ begins to drain the life force. During the feeding process, the victim is injected with a special enzyme which strengthens the body temporarily to ensure that the heart continues to beat so the victim does not die immediately; The feeding process is so traumatic and without the special enzyme, the body of the human would shut down far sooner than the Wraith would like. Simply put, they make a victim stronger so they can take more time to kill them. In most cases the enzyme is released slowly into the bloodstream throughout the feeding process. Large doses of this enzyme have been known to increase the strength, speed and agility of regular humans. An REF Spacy Lieutenant (name redacted) became the first of these 'supermen' when he received a large dose of the enzyme after the death of the Wraith feeding on him. The numerous drawbacks of the high dose include altered brain chemistry and addiction to the drug requiring addicts to actively search for and kill Wraith to obtain it. Some people actually seek out the Wraith to take advantage of this quality, trading some life-force in exchange for the power of Wraith enzyme, though the Wraith usually just kill these people on sight. The Wraith are known to employ the feeding mechanism and the enzyme as a form of interrogation tool in order to brainwash humans. The process involves constantly taking the life of a person and returning it back to them, making them see how they would look as they age; The return of their life has a euphoric quality on the victim. This was one of the methods through which the Wraith gained worshippers. The enzyme is a key component of this process and the worshiper becomes addicted to the feeding. Being deprived of this enzyme results in a withdrawal process that is incredibly painful; The pain alone has caused victims to take their own lives or even been the measurable cause of death in and of itself. This ensures that the worshiper remains loyal to the Wraith and are quite willing to betray their ideals or former friends for the "gift." Due to the traumatic nature of the feeding cycle, the stronger the individual the more indoctrinated they become as weak individuals die in the process. Despite the use of a special enzyme during the feeding process, the act of draining a life force from a human is extremely painful for the prey. For some, even a partial feeding can cause the person to simply die from the trauma they sustained. There have been attempts by the Wraith at improving the efficiency of the feeding process, but these have had limited effect, and the Warrior caste are simply too stupid to do it correctly. The Wraith do consume normal food and drinks, but gives them no nourishment and is strictly done for pleasure. This is apparently considered to be a more sophisticated type of enjoyment, and not all Wraith do this; In fact, it is believed that the Warrior caste is simply incapable of enjoying food, and none have ever been observed to do so. When the Wraith are young however, they consume normal human foods (which explains their possession of a fully functional digestive system). As the Wraith mature, they begin to crave feeding on the human "life force", regardless of whether or not they have tasted it before. Wraith are also able to give back life. "The Gift of Life", as a Wraith referred to it, is typically reserved for devout worshipers and their "brothers." Lt Colonel John SHEPPARD (REF Marine/Stargate Program) was returned to normal and perhaps even younger than he was previously after being fed upon numerous times by a Wraith, who he escaped with from an anti-UGC group's prison (one very rare example of UGC-Wraith cooperation). Dr. Rodney MCKAY (UGC Stargate Program) commented on how he looked younger than he did before. This appears to be done after the Wraith has fed. This can also apparently revive the dead as the Wraith underling uses it to revive a dead UGC-allied villager. The ability to heal is apparently connected to how recently they have fed. If one has recently fed, they will heal almost instantly, though one who hasn't fed in some time is much weaker, but still quite strong. Even bullet holes quickly seal themselves like evaporating water. Females have a much stronger immune system than males; In fact, no female Wraith seemed to have been infected by the Wraith DNA Retrovirus (though many were infected by injected retrovirus) . The species also has advanced telepathic abilities: They can force their prey to see things that are not there, and can use their mental powers to forcefully interrogate humans, though they are incapable of actually reading a human mind, but rather read their intentions (e.g. if they are bluffing). Some particularly strong-willed or properly trained people are able overcoming these effects, but even then they can feel the effect (Lt Colonel SHEPPARD would later stated "it was like seeing ghosts"). The Wraith also release a sticky, web-like substance that they use to cocoon victims for future feedings. The one form of defense against feeding was the Hoffan drug, which poisoned the Wraith by causing their internal organs to shut down simultaneously. However a far more effective (long-term) defense is the Iratus Retrovirus (represses the Iratus bug DNA). Wraithkin In the distant past, a group of human villagers were abducted by a Wraith scientist who added Wraith DNA to their genetic structure in an attempt to make them "tastier" for feeding. These experiments were conducted in secrecy from the rest of the Wraith, who would otherwise disapprove of them. The scientist found that the Wraith genes allowed the humans to access the Wraith telepathic network. He attempted to dilute this capacity by returning them to the village to interbreed, but any amount of the DNA gave them the ability. The scientist gave up his experimentation, and the hive later destroyed the village, in an attempt to kill the test subjects. However, the descendants of these modified people lived on and are known as wraithkin. Telepathy "Do not trust your eyes. The Wraith can make you see things that are not there." -Teyla EMMAGAN. Wraith telepathy. A shadow projected by Wraith telepathy. While the Wraith have tongues and vocal cords, their primary means of communication is telepathic in nature. In effect, the Wraith have developed a telepathic network, allowing for communication over vast distances between multiple parties. A former Wraith (Iratus retrovirus survivor) described it as hearing millions of voices at the same time in a constant "buzz" of noise. The proper introduction of Wraith DNA into human DNA (via gene splicing) permits humans the ability to access the Wraith mental network. Those who fully tap into the network risk being overwhelmed by the Wraith (and thus becoming a slave to them), but any Wraithkin can tap into the network to "listen in" on the Wraith's activities, intentions, even location; Though it only gives them a vague sense of where they are, what they're doing and what they're planning it's still a better idea than none. Even a small amount of properly introduced DNA is enough to allow this telepathic ability to occur; It remained even after a number of generations of the genes being "watered down" by breeding with humans without this modification. After the initial 'infiltration' into the telepathic network, the Wraith began to segregate their communication network to prevent sensitive information from being received by their enemies. However, even this tactic has not proven fully effective; A Wraithkin can still detect the existence of a Wraith if they two are on the same planet within hours; They can detect the presence of a Wraithkin within the same system to the extent that they can sense it's presence (not powerful enough to be used to track them down). Even at this range, though, it's sensitive enough to get a vague sense of what the Wraith intends; Along the lines of whether they're going to stay, leave, or bring a larger force. The Wraith are capable of projecting psychic projections making shadowy ghosts appear in a human's field of vision. This tactic is typically employed during cullings and battle in order to confuse the enemy. They use the hallucinations to keep the people in one place so it makes them easier to cull. During this time they use a shadow/ghost to scare the people away from the forest. A trained mind is capable of ignoring this threat and instead focus on the Wraith; The training is actually fairly simple, but the first step is becoming aware of the threat. The Keeper of a Wraith hive's telepathy is even more enhanced, allowing them to cause victims to kneel before them and implant suggestions in their mind. This makes for an excellent interrogation tool and a Keeper is capable of gathering data from a captured person with ease. This trait is consistent among female Wraith, which is why the Keeper is usually a female; Hive Queens are also capable of these abilities and are able to incapacitate their victims, or even get a person to unwillingly work for her. While a Queen is capable of using this ability to determine if there are any impostors within a hive, Wraithkin are capable of fooling them. They are also capable of disarming enemy personnel by causing them to drop their weapons or incapacitating them. They were able to disarm an opponent in order to feed easier. This telepathy even allowed them to take over the mind of a human with Wraith DNA who are then controlled like a puppet by the Queen. Similarly, two powerful telepaths with Wraith DNA are capable of taking control over a Queen but this can be a dangerous process as the Hive Queen works to destroy the intruders mental defenses. In addition, they are capable of destroying a sentient mind when given the opportunity and of killing an unborn child within their mother's womb through telepathy alone. Telepathy serves as a potent communication tool with the Wraith, making them able to interact with one another over great distances, though not to interstellar distances. Furthermore, groups of Wraith or even former Wraith are capable of combining their abilities allowing them to summon their kind to rescue them, making them a dangerous threat even when captured. However, this system can be exploited and Wraith are able to keep their thoughts shielded from their own kind, preventing one of them from realizing the intentions of their hive. Culture "We are a patient race, Major." -Steve, a Wraith. Little is known of Wraith culture itself except that it was focused upon culling the human populations of the galaxy for feedings, though concepts such as beauty and comradeship do appear to be prevalent within the vampiric species. One Wraith that had been captured for an unspecified amount of time declared that his escape attempt was worth seeing the stars once again. In addition to this, the same Wraith performed the Gift of Life on a human which they only did so to their most devout of worshipers and their "brothers". Despite being hated by a majority of humans within the Pegasus galaxy, the Wraith were known to be served by Wraith worshipers who would be allowed to live for their obedience. The Wraith Keeper. Hibernation "They hibernate between cullings aboard their great ships, sometimes for centuries at a time." -Sora Tyrus. The Wraith as a collective species go through long hibernation cycles, lasting hundreds of years. Their massive hive-ships contain an unknown number of hibernation pods. During this time only a small number of them move about, enough to keep their victim worlds on edge. The sleeping masses are watched over by a small group led by the Keeper, one Wraith designated with their care whose death would signal their premature awakening- As it did when she was killed by Major John SHEPPARD. Politics "Well, for one, they seem to be territorial. Very much so, it turns out. They're not a united foe like we once believed." -Jace. To outsiders, the Wraith may seem like a united race that are determined to cull all humans in their path. However, they are known to posses an extremely strong territorial instinct. This makes inter-hive cooperation rare and multiple hives engaged in the culling of a planet can cause tensions to rise. They are extremely fierce in the defense of their own territories and kill any trespassers that enter their feeding grounds. Politically, the Wraith appear to have lacked any form of united government. After being awakened from their slumber by the arrival of the Atlantis expedition, the Wraith attempted to discover the location of Earth, which was a rich feeding ground that contained far more humans than the worlds of the Pegasus galaxy combined. The Wraith had grown increasingly desperate due to the lack of food as they had prematurely woken up from their hibernation. With too few humans to feed the waking Wraith, the species entered into their civil war with the strong attacking the weak. As such, it is uncommon for two Hive Queens to cooperate with one another. However, the rise of threats that might destroy the Wraith has led to rare moments of cooperation. Despite this, treachery is possible among a hive's ranks with some members willing to support a rival hive. Society "Most Wraith seek to be ruled. They fear being without a Queen." -Todd. The Wraith are focused around a hive-based society similar to some species of insects, but are not a collective mind despite their telepathy. They are given names originating from the instinctive "feel" of their telepathic presence and their role in society; for example, Todd's name among the Wraith is Guide, as is John Sheppard's. The leaders of a hive typically consisted of female Hive Queens who are in command of a hive-ship. They are a vital component within their society as without them, new soldiers cannot be bred. While this is the case, there are cases where a male has held the authority of ruler of the hive. Beneath this leadership cast lie the majority of the Wraith which consist of males. The first category consists of intelligent "commanders", who serve as lieutenants and scientists. Beneath them lies the masked warriors who perform most of the general duties such as defending the hive or participating in attacks or cullings. Another caste present within Wraith society of which little is known consists of a group known as Keepers. This caste was tasked with maintaining the organic technology of their race. "No retreat in the face of battle. No sympathy for the fallen. No mercy for our enemies." -Wraith Commander. Wraith Commander. Perhaps as a result of their hive based society, the Wraith appear to show little regard to their own lives with the male warriors as well as commanders perfectly willing to make use of self destruct mechanisms to kill themselves if facing capture. Wraith Dart pilots have even demonstrated the willingness to engage in suicide plunges if their carrier vessels have been destroyed. Furthermore, they are quite willing to die as long as their enemies die with them. However, if there is a potential threat or resource of their hive that might be lost in such a maneuver, then the individual Wraith are willing to prevent actions that might destroy it. There are a rare few, however, that seem willing to bargain for their own lives. The Wraith also seem to exhibit a form of racial purity and seem to distance or even be hostile towards those members of their kind that have been turned into humans. They are noted to be capable of sensing the humanity in these Wraith. In addition to these qualities, the Wraith have shown several ruthless traits such as not showing sympathy for the fallen and not giving mercy to their enemies. They also seem to state that there should not be any retreat in a battle. Though there are times when they do seem to retreat when there have been a great deal of loss suffered. One practice that demonstrates that harsh nature of Wraith society is the fact that they are able and willing to engage in cannibalism in times of starvation. Hive Queens have been known to threaten their lieutenants by feeding on them if they did not accomplish the tasks set on them. The Queens have also shown no hesitation on feeding on a member of their kind that was formerly a Wraith and had been turned into a human. In battle, commanders have been documented to feed upon dying or injured Wraith Warriors to continue fighting, even for mere seconds. Closely linked to the Wraith and their culture are the Wraith worshipers, who live among their masters serving as their eyes and ears among human cultures. These followers are known to worship the Wraith and are devoted to them. Some of them are actually broken through Wraith interrogation techniques and become addicted to the feeding process. Beyond those followers, there are no other humans that work among the Wraith as they are considered food. There are a rare few humans who are not fed on and instead outfitted with tracking devices thus turning them into "runners", which serve as sport for the Wraith. This meant that they were quite despised by the humans of the Pegasus galaxy. The Wraith themselves have shown disgust towards the Asurans, who they consider abominations for not being alive and thus immune from the Wraith feeding process. A Hive queen. Unlike humans and other species, the Wraith can be described as an almost nomadic culture which are based on their massive hive-ships and vessels which travel space in order to cull inhabitants for feeding. Typically, the security of these vessels were minimal as the Wraith are unaccustomed for intruders reaching their great ships, being the only major space flight capable race for ten thousand years. While this may be the case, the Wraith are known to make use of planetary based installations for research and to serve as strongholds, although these almost always have Stargates in space preventing access without a ship. Within their culture, showing hesitation or apprehension as well as other such qualities was a weakness in the Wraith's eyes and treated harshly. They worked through instinct and power struggles were brutal with assassinations of queens by other queens who usurped power to become dominant. This was only present with the queens themselves as a male who accomplished the task was typically killed. This was because the hive who had their queen slain would be terrified of continuing to live without a ruler which meant that they were often quick to accept a hive queen in power. It was noted that Wraith were very good at playing games, and were intelligent enough to overcome the technology barrier and adapt the previously incompatible technology of other races for use with their own systems. Despite possessing telepathy, the Wraith do have language which appears to be a derivative of the Ancients. It should be noted that the wraith could have genetic memory considering that an unusual amount of wraith can recall the war with the Ancients even though the war was over 10'000 years ago, and only two wraith have been confirmed to have lived that long. As a result of the Atlantis Expedition's presence in the Pegasus Galaxy, both directly and indirectly, a number of variant subspecies of Wraith have developed who are viewed with hostility by the Wraith. These include the Human-form Wraith, the Bug People, Michael's experiments and, most notably, the Hybrids. Technology The technology used by the Wraith, while advanced compared to the majority of civilizations in both the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies, is far inferior to the technologies of the Lanteans, Asurans, Asgard, and Ori. Wraith technology is unique in that most of it has an organic base to it. The Wraith are one of the few races that lack shield technology. This is possibly because Lantean weapons technology can tear through all but the most advanced shields with minimal effort, and so they would have been a waste of time and energy. Something which has yet to be covered is what, exactly, powers Wraith vessels; moving a hive-ship and powering its massive weapon banks must consume vast amounts of power, however it is known that whatever powers them is nowhere as efficient as Lantean power sources. Wraith technology is rarely able to reach its full potential due this inefficient power generation, which was demonstrated when a hive-ship was equipped with at least one Lantean Zero Point Module, making it all but invincible, possessing far improved structural integrity, hull density and weapons capabilities. This ship was incredibly powerful, able to best even a fully powered Atlantis in battle and it took a nuclear weapon being detonated on the inside of the ship to destroy as it was too powerful for weapons fire, even Ancient drones, to take out. There is also an unknown weakness in all Wraith technology, possibly the above mentioned power issue, which the Lanteans believed would allow them to turn the tide of the war to their favour again if exploited correctly. General Information: Name: Wraith Empire Leaders: Hive Queens. Assistant Leader: Hive Kings Mission: Assure the survival of the Wraith Species. Size and Orientation: Super Agency (200) Features:
A: Outfits:	B: Equipment:	C: Weapons:	D: Bionics and Robotics:
None (0); The Wraith wear whatever they want, though most Wraith Warriors wear some sort of body armor (when they can get it). Queens tend to wear decorative clothing, up to and including full-out gowns, whereas Kings tend to wear combat ensembles (like the warriors).	Cheap Gear (2) Gimmicked Equipment (30) The Wraith have very little in the way of equipment, but need (or at least want) very little anyways.	Ammunition (2), and barely enough to start an operation at that.	None (0); Doesn't want it and can't use it anyways.
E: Vehicles:	F: Communications:	G: Offices, Hideouts and Distribution:	H: Military Power:
Fleet Vehicles (10); Hive ships are now rare, though captured UGC vessels are common enough to keep the species 'alive.' Scout vessels (captured UGC vessels with one Wraith or a small strike team) are reasonably common, and Darts are uncomfortably common; Any Wraith can get their hands on one.	Basic Service (2); The Wraith can communicate with other Hives when they really want to, and very often do so through UGC commercial channels, using code words (sounds like common innocuous conversations to all but the most careful eavesdropper, and gets missed by automated listening systems outright). But they rarely do; They hate each other.	None (0); Each Hive does have a complex where they live (communally), but that's ALL. They do keep some ships (usually using brainwashed non-Wraith as the primary crew), but very little else. Keep in mind that a hive CAN launch if necessary, though most keep quiet on the ground until forced to show their existence (usually by humanoids developing the area; one hive was found less than a half-mile from a major city when a new housing project was begun on the "little hill" the hive was disguised as).	Militia (15) Private Army (30) Major Strike Force (50) Oddly, the Wraith have multiple layers of forces. Every member of the Wraith is part of the militia; The private army is purely the security forces of the Hives or part of the field teams searching for victims for feeding. A major strike force can be assembled of all members of a hive if a Queen so desires.
I: Super Powered Agents:	J: Sponsorship:	K: Special Budget:	L: Administrative Control:
Freelance (10); More precisely, "individual." Each Wraith has certain powers and abilities natural to all Wraith.	Secret (0); More precisely, None. They didn't have any before the UGC's arrival either.	Nickels and Dimes (5); Money means nothing to them. They barter by exchanging "cattle" (humanoids) for feeding, in exchange for whatever they might want (from each other). See "External Infiltration" for more info.	Above the Law (50); More precisely, "outlaw." Their mere existence is a crime under UGC law, hence you can kill one, wwithout warning nor provocation, and in fact are REQUIRED to.
M: Internal Security:	N: External Infiltration:	O: Intelligence Resources:	P: Agency Credentials:
Lax (5): Since only Wraith 'should' be in a given hive, scout ship, etc, anyone else there has pretty much written their own death sentence. However, they do have security alarms on their hives, and armed patrols moving about to look for infiltrations. Most infiltrators are first brought before the Queen for interrogation and torture (for its own sake), then put in a cell for later feeding. The rare traitor who approaches the Wraith is usually placed in a cell until a mission can be assigned to them.	Rare Minor Traitor (5): Every so often a Wraith on a scouting mission will use their powers to control the mind of someone; And even then, some people help the Wraith of their own free will. Information Sources (10): The Wraith can listen in on any public UGC communications signal (radio, satellite, web, etc), and have even created (through traitors and drones) credit card accounts that allow them to tap into some cable networks; They especially love CNN, ZNN, and GalNet News.	Cheap Resources (2); Whatever they can make or steal for themselves.	Hunted (0); Openly and legally; Their very EXISTANCE is a crime.
Q: Salary:	Equipment:	Wraith Flag, Derived From The Symbology For Their Homeworld.
None (0); Money means NOTHING to them: Only food. However, the Wraith have developed an understanding of money and use it in small quantities to pay for special services, such as paying off credit cards that the Wraith use to purchase fuel, repairs, and other services for their (very small) fleet of ships and the few cable networks they do listen in on. Managing this money is generally left to their slaves. The average Wraith spends their lifetime working for the hive, being fed in turn as victims become available.	Dart: The Wraith's smallest ship, analogous to a fighter. Scout Ship: A variety of "heavy shuttle" or light cruiser. Hive Ship: The capital ships and city-ships of the Wraith.
The Wraith Flag.	Wraith Hive Ship.		The Wraith Flag.
Wraith Hive ships are the main component of the Wraith fleet and the centerpiece of their entire society. Hive ships function in a role similar to that of Ancient City-ships and Traveler generational ships. Overview "¡My God! ¿How big is that thing?" ~ Jennifer "Jewel" KELLER. A Hive ship is a massive Wraith mothership capable of carrying thousands of Wraith along with their Wraith Dart fighters. Large parts of their internal structure are used to house organic cocoons in which Humans may be stored for later feeding. There are a number of corridors within the large vessel with a fine Hive Ship: A Wraith Hive Ship. Production Information Builders: Wraith. Designer: Wraith. Class: Mothership. Technical Specifications: Powerplants: Energy crystals ; 8 Wraith thrusters; 4 Atmospheric thrusters; Sublight engines; Wraith hyperdrive. Hyperdrive System: Limited interstellar. Shielding: Regenerative Hull; Energy Shields if refitted. Hull: Organic. Control systems: Neural interface. Countermeasures: Jamming codes. Armament: Energy weapons. Complement: 3 cruisers; Darts; Scout ships. Minimum Crew: 1 pilot. Passengers: Tens of thousands. Cargo Capacity: Hundreds of thousands of tons. Other systems: Hibernation pods. Usage: Roles: Battleship; Colony; Hive; City ship. Affiliation: Wraith; Tau'ri (brief); Michael KENMORE. Wraith Hive Ship Schematics. mist covering the floor. Hive ships are one of the largest ships known to exist, being roughly thirteen times larger than its main combatant, Earth's 304. Despite their size, Hive ships are capable of entering a planet's atmosphere and landing. They are even capable of surviving for countless centuries in such conditions to the point where vegetation and the planet's environment can grow around them. This did not affect the ship as it was capable of achieving space flight and combat, suffering little, if any, adverse affects. According to Todd however, landing a hive ship on a planet is a tricky task at the best of times. Hive ships are also capable of surviving uncontrolled reentry into a planet's atmosphere, suffering no visible damage from the friction. According to Doctor Rodney MCKAY, an uncontrolled reentry will slow down a hive ship heading towards a planet's surface at terminal velocity, but not nearly enough to avoid a fatal impact if the crew is unable to pull out of the dive. The hulls of Hive ships are composed of living, and growing, organic matter through the use of a unique type of biotechnology capable of growing at a rapid rate. This has afforded the Wraith Hive ship a number of advantages such as hull regeneration, providing them considerable protection in battles despite the fact that they lack any true energy shielding system. The same system also regulates the internal structure of the ship. As a result a serious error in the ships systems could potentially lead to the ship attempting to reconfigure itself with chambers disappearing and others appearing suddenly. Furthermore, these organic hulls have an effect on their capacity to enter into hyperspace for extended periods of time as the Hive requires moments of rest to heal the hull damage caused by hyperspace radiation. As Hive ships posses no true energy shield, weapons are considerably more effective against them. This is particularly the case with Asgard plasma beam weapons, which are able to completely destroy a Hive ship in just a handful of shots. Drone weapons are also capable of inflicting mass amounts of damage, being able to destroy a Hive in a single, massive, salvo. It has been demonstrated that several well placed drones from a Puddle Jumper can cause critical damage. It has been demonstrated that with precision targeting, seven drones can destroy a hive ship. While Railguns are also capable of inflicting damage, their destructive power is severely limited because of the Hive's massive size. However, when a hive ship had already taken heavy damage to its stern, five railgun rounds from the George Hammond was able to destroy it. The hull of Hive ships are known to regenerate, being organic in nature. However, the length of time required for this process is unknown. Hive ships can be interfaced with Zero Point Modules, although this process takes over a year to do, but makes them incredibly powerful. One Hive ship, the Super-hive was interfaced with at least one ZPM, which resulted in the ship to grow larger than average, its hull becoming far stronger and its weapons a lot more powerful, making the ship nearly invincible. It was able to take hits from Asgard plasma beam weapons while suffering minimal damage when not fully upgraded, later going up against two 304's and win and go up against Atlantis itself and posses the upper hand even with the city powered by three ZPMs. It also had a severely upgraded hyperdrive that allowed it to arrive at Earth much faster than expected. Its upgraded sensor systems were also able to detect a cloaked Puddle Jumper. It took a Nuclear warhead being detonated on the inside to destroy it. This shows that with enough power, Hive ships could likely easily defeat any foe, with their one weakness being their insufficient power generation. Technology Command and control systems Hive ships' command structure are dominated by the ship's ruling Hive queen, though there were occasions where a male was in command. Control of the starship, however, resided on the ship's bridge where there are numerous consoles as well as view screens present. At such a location, the bridge crew is capable of commanding the ship's powerful weapons, engines and other similar systems. These controls contain a type of Neural interface that only responds to the unique telepathic signature granted by Wraith DNA. The ease of control depends on the amount of Wraith DNA present in the individual, typically it was taxing on individuals with minor quantities of Wraith DNA, whereas full Wraith have shown no fatigue. The second most important position within the command structure is the throne room where the queen resides. From here, important data can be conveyed to the ruler of the Hive and projected onto a mist-like screen. This allows a queen or male commander in charge to observe data that was transmitted from Wraith tracking drone during their hunts for Runners. Hive ships also have data storage chambers, which contain the ship's databanks as well as archives that contain all the information that the Hive had received. There is also a map room, which may be a vital location when the Wraith began their culling and battle operations. Along the corridors and hallways are also a number of computer consoles through which the crew are capable of accessing certain systems. From these points, a Wraith is able to patch into the communication system and allow for transmissions to be sent from the ship to a nearby planet. Access to such controls also allowed a user to hack into the main systems and disable important systems such as weapons. The ship's external sensors allow them to detect other vessels, but not when they are in hyperspace. Though typically the Wraith are unaccustomed to intruders invading their ships, an alarm system is present which activates in the form of a constant shrieking noise in the background. This system can be activated by the Hive Queen herself through the use of a special pendant. In addition to these, the Wraith possess a communication system which they used to transmit programs to other computers. This allows them to send encrypted computer programs showing videos. This also allows them to send computer viruses into another races' computer systems. Offensive and defensive systems "Transferring power from non-critical systems to hull regeneration." ~ Todd. Hive ships contain a powerful array of blue energy-based weapons that encompass most of the ship and fire in a bolt-like fashion. The sheer size of Hives simply allows the vessel to fire dozens of such energy blasts at a target at a constant rate, which was even capable of eventually depleting the Zero Point Module powered shields of the Lanteans. Certain bolts were somewhat larger than others and during close quarters fighting with another Hive, they were capable of causing a great deal of damage and even destroyed an opposing Hive ship, though the close nature of the engagement can mean mutual destruction, as shock wave from the first ship may destroy the victor as well. Well-aimed fire from one hive ship aimed at another can destroy a hive ship without destroying the victor as long as the victor is at a safe distance and is targeting the enemy hive ship's weak spots. Furthermore, a Hive's weapon fire is capable of depleting the Asgard shields of Earth's 304s in several minutes, making such vessels potent threats in open battles. They are even more serious threats when in groups because their combined firepower is capable of destroying a target relatively easily. Unlike a number of species, the ships of the Wraith do not possess shield technology and instead rely on their organic hull armor to protect them from enemy weapon fire. Power is capable of being diverted from other systems and channeled into the organic hull increasing its capacity to regenerate from the damage it had sustained. This provides a number of advantages for the Wraith, as whatever damage the ship sustains manages to heal given time. The problem with this is that it is difficult to coax the systems into bypassing damaged areas. While transformed into a Wraith named Quicksilver, Doctor Rodney MCKAY was able to give the Wraith shield technology. However, it was not terribly effective and could be penetrated quickly by concentrated fire. The new shields made it somewhat harder for a hive ship to be destroyed, taking both the George Hammond and the Daedalus working together to destroy a single one. However, in a later battle, the Hammond alone was able to cause considerable damage to a single hive ship while going one-on-one after the crew adapted their tactics. By the time of the final battle with Queen Death however, the Wraith seemed to have abandoned this technology as it was noted for not being used against Atlantis. It was theorized that ultimately, the shields proved too inefficient for the Wraith to bother with long-term. After the reinforcement of the Atlantis expedition from their home galaxy, the Wraith Hive ships developed an effective countermeasure against their transporter devices. This was the creation of a jamming field that surrounded the ship in electromagnetic static which prevented a target lock from being acquired. As long as the system is up, it is impossible to beam an object to or from within the jamming fields radius. Cocoon systems "These people were cocooned for a later feeding. Some of them may still be alive." ~ Teyla Emmagan. Being vampiric in nature, the Wraith need to capture their enemies alive in order to feed upon them, and sometimes choose to keep them alive for long periods of time for later feedings. To preserve their live prey in a hibernative state the Wraith use a form of cocoon. These are a typical sight among Wraith installations and consist of an alcove in a wall sealed with a sticky web-like substance that traps the human within the alcove. Most subjects are unconscious when inside the cocoon, though some are active enough to plead for help or attempt to escape. Subjects that are suffering from certain physiological conditions that might mean their deaths are often placed in the cocoon which sustained them for some time. Hyperdrive and propulsion systems "The Wraith faster-than-light travel is not as efficient as the Asgard hyperdrive aboard the Daedalus. Not only are they slower, they need to travel in a series of jumps." ~ Rodney MCKAY. The Hive ship contains a hyperdrive unit, allowing the vessel to enter and exit hyperspace. However, unlike the Asgard or the Ancients, these hyperdrives are not intergalactic in nature, which restricted the species to their own galaxy (max 50 lightyears/9 hours in only one jump). Furthermore, Hive ships are not able to make long journeys in hyperspace as the radiation from subspace damages to the ship's organic hull. This necessitates making brief hyperspace pauses to regenerate before returning to hyperspace (over 15 hours). Because of this, it is possible to calculate where a Hive ship will have to drop out, presenting an opportunity for ambush or attack. When upgraded by having a Zero Point Module powering the ship, the hyperdrive is much faster and seems to be automatically intergalactic. After receiving a message from an alternate reality, the Super-hive was able to make an immediate jump into hyperspace and head there. Being upgraded due to the ZPM made it even faster than was anticipated and the Hive ship was able to arrive weeks ahead of what they thought it would. However, it still had the weakness of needing to drop out of hyperspace for regeneration though it can go longer before needing this. As is the case with most races, the hyperspace signature of the Wraith Hive ship is unique. Because of this, only hyperspace-capable Wraith ships are susceptible to the effects of the Attero device. Hive ships are quite capable of moving at sub-light speeds, allowing for an effective entry and exit into and out of a planet's atmosphere. However, landing a Hive can be a difficult task even in the best of conditions. One of the systems used to accomplish this is a system of at least four forward thrusters, which can be used to slow the ship's descent into the atmosphere of a planet. Escape Pods Hive ships are shown to possess a series of escape pods. They are intended to only hold one Wraith inside and possess a tracking system for nearby Wraith ships, sensors capable of scanning a planet for viability and Stargates and landing thrusters that allow them to land on planets. While most of the landing systems are automatic, they can be overridden temporarily. Whether or not a Wraith is needed to control the pod is unknown as only Rodney MCKAY was seen to fly one while he was a Wraith, but he was also the only one on board who understood the systems. Locations Holding Area Hive ships contain holding cells for prisoners and immediate feedings. The door to the cell is of a webbed pattern that opens upwards. Such a cell was used to hold the Athosians and Atlantis expedition members, led by Colonel Marshall Sumner, who went to Athos when a culling occurred. The cells appeared to be controlled telepathically by Wraith Commanders. Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, his team, and Aiden Ford's strike team were captured and placed in a holding area on another Hive ship. They were given open view to the telepathic mechanism that the Wraith guards used to open the doors. Ronon Dex used several knives to pierce the mechanism which opened the door. Data Core The data core was a location deep inside the Hive ship which served as a central computer for the vessel. It contained a great deal of information which included the deployment of other Hives. The Genii along with the Atlantis expedition's flagship team embarked on an infiltration mission of a sleeping Hive ship where they uncovered details on Hive ship deployments in a region of the galaxy. The chamber was secured by a door mechanism which was breached by Dr. Rodney MCKAY allowing Cowen to use an interface device to get the necessary data. Laboratory "¿What is this place?" "A lab belonging to my top scientist. For the last six months he has been studying the deadly toxin that has infiltrated our food supply." ~ Rodney MCKAY and a Wraith Commander. Within the massive ship resided a special chamber that served as a laboratory for the Wraith species. These rooms contained numerous data consoles and equipment allowing them to conduct experiments on various subjects which included genetics. The computers were not hooked directly into the ship systems which prevented unwilling subjects from damaging the vessel. The chamber had consoles that ringed around its circular form with a central structure that was fused from the ground to the ceiling. The door mechanism to the room was capable of being sealed to prevent prisoners from escaping. The scientist of a Wraith commander made use of his Hive ships lab in order to study the Hoffan plague so that it would be possible to determine if a Human had the immunity or not. He became convinced at one point that he found a foolproof method which resulted in his excruciating death when he attempted to feed on one of his test subjects. Dr. Rodney MCKAY and Dr. Carson BECKETT were brought to this lab to help the Wraith find the unique genetic condition for the Hive."Outsiders") Control room Deep inside the Hive ship resides a chamber which contains a central platform on which a holographic image of the galaxy is maintained and is used by the Wraith to determine their positions. Typically, three consoles are present at which three higher male ranking lieutenants are stationed. In this control room Teyla Emmagan witnessed the holographic map on a Hive ship heading towards Atlantis through her Wraith telepathy. She was able to determine aspects of their plan and the route they were taking before the Wraith used the connection to temporarily take control of her."The Gift") Hibernation chambers "During the process of hibernation, there is a continuous exchange of fluid between Wraith and Hive." ~Todd. The hibernation chambers are areas within a Hive ship where the Wraith enter into their hibernative states that can last centuries. They are located in the ceiling of the vessel and tended to by a number of caretakers that watch over the sleepers. A female Hive Keeper remains in charge and her death can unleash an activation mechanism that awakens the Wraith. Major John Sheppard killed the Wraith Keeper of a sleeping Hive which resulted in all the Wraith around the Pegasus galaxy awakening. When all the Wraith of a Hive entered hibernation, a safety protocol is activated which awakens a sleeping Wraith should there be power fluctuations that jeopardize the hibernation pod. It is possible to override them but this meant that when power ran out, the Wraith would die of suffocation. These were located in the aft of the vessel with a number of auxiliary chambers which contained a couple of dozen Wraith at most. During the hibernation process, there is a continuous exchange of fluid between the sleeping Wraith and the Hive ship potentially meaning that any disease could be transmitted to the vessel itself. Meeting chamber This is a large open chamber where two Wraith warriors typically guarded the entrance and a Wraith high ranking commander was present. It appeared to have been used as an interrogation room by the Hive's ruling Queen where she brought prisoners before her and interrogated them. Lt. Colonel John Sheppard was brought to this room when he was captured on a Hive ship as part of a mission to infiltrate and destroy it. He was saved from being fed upon by a Queen by Aiden Ford who had freed himself in order to save his former friend. Hive Commander's Chambers The high ranking male commanders possess a considerable amount of power within the Hive. They possess their own chambers which contain a door mechanism and at times have Wraith warriors present to guard the entrance. Inside the room there is a small enclosure which has a single large organic screen dominating its surface that streamed with data. It is here that the commander resides when he is not needed. Dr. Carson Beckett was escorted into the commander's quarters when he demanded to see him in regards to finding a means to detecting the lethal Hoffan drug among Humans. Once there, he refused to continue his research and goaded the Wraith into feeding on him. However, Carson had been infected with the drug (most likely this immunity was installed in him when Michael KENMORE created him) which poisoned the commander and killed him. With his death, Beckett managed to procure a weapon and attempted to escape from the ship. Bridge One important location within a Hive ship is the bridge where the high ranking Wraith commander works along with the crew at various stations. There are no seats and the Wraith must stand at their stations with their hands placed on the machines. These bridge controls make use of Wraith telepathy allowing them to command the vessel through their thoughts. Those individuals who possess Wraith DNA within their blood were capable of accessing these controls though it placed a strain on them. From the bridge, a commander is capable of rerouting ship power to systems like hull regeneration. Throne Room The throne room is where the Hive Queen (or any other such ruler) resides. The room is deep within the hive ship, where the Queen sits upon a large throne (that has the appearance of stone or bone). A large open area allows for people to meet with the queen, and an adjacent dining room can serve food, although those who eat there are usually fed upon soon after. There are normally warriors guarding the main entrance to the throne room. In front of the throne resides a projector which beams imagery for the ruler to see. These images can be projected from probes and take the form of a two-dimensional image that has mist-like qualities. Dart bays "Each [Hive ship] can carry hundreds of these things." ~ Rodney MCKAY. The massive size of Hive ships means they are capable of containing a large number of Wraith Dart fighters, allowing them to serve as a type of carrier vessel. Hangar doors on the outside of the ship remain open and allow swarms of Darts to be launched at any time. This is typically done during cullings or between fights against enemy ships where the sheer number of darts provide the Hive an advantage in battle. The hangar itself is quite massive with numerous platforms where the darts are capable of landing. Railings and ladders present allow Wraith warriors or high ranking Wraith males to enter or exit the craft. When a dart returns to its Hive, an automated signal is sent, which takes control of the returning dart and guides its entry back into the vessel's cavernous hold. From there, a doorway mechanism allowed the pilots to go deeper into the Hive. Two of the large structures that protrude from either side of the Hive ship serve as control centers for the darts. In close quarter engagements, the darts were typically not launched as enemy weapon fire resulted in a high rate of death among the darts. In addition to this, an attack on the ship's hanger bays can result in secondary explosions, capable of crippling the Hive. When a dart approaches the Hive ship, it activates an automated docking program. During the Battle of the Super-hive, Lt. Colonel John Sheppard was able to enter the Super-hive by blasting his way through the Dart Bay doors. In this case, its shown that a Hive ship possesses doors over their Dart Bays, but apparently don't posses alarms on them if something happens to them as when Sheppard blasted the doors open with a missile, no alarm went off and the Wraith never realized he was on the ship until he purposefully exposed himself. In previous experiences no doors have been displayed over the Dart Bay, but perhaps they were just open at the time or the upgraded hive ship possessed them as part of its upgrades. Crew The Wraith appear to be an entirely spaceborne society; thus, the hive ships are likely the primary abode of the Wraith race. As such, the entire gamut of positions in Wraith society can be found aboard. Each hive ship is a sovereign clan-like polity, also called a Hive, that is normally ruled by a single Queen. Hives that have lost their queen may, however, continue to function as independent polities, although being "queenless" is an uncomfortable state of existence for any male Wraith, and is associated with a stigma in Wraith society. Queenless hives thus run high risks of being annexed unto the rule of another hive's queen or of the crew "emigrating" to hives that do have a queen. In the queen's absence (temporary or permanent) senior officers usually rule (or at least attempt to), often by council. The senior-most officers on a hive ship are: Consort: The official, permanent mate of the Queen and automatic pretender to the fatherhood (and most often the actual father) of the Young Queen (any daughter the Queen may choose to have). While still subservient to the queen, a Consort wields considerable power and influence, and is the overall commander of the hive's blades (warriors). The position of Consort is not mandatory and young queens will often not yet have selected a Consort; if that is the case, the males whose status in the hive's society makes them eligible will often vie aggressively for the position. On queenless hives, it is most often the Consort who commands (if there is one), as the pretense (justified or not) of ruling in the Queen's name is likely the easiest to maintain from this position. If the Queen dies but is survived by the Young Queen, the Consort often functions as de facto regent (although pretense is made for it to be a mere advisorship) until the Young Queen matures enough to be able to command on her own; once that occurs, the Consort often retains his position (although, again, the actual consortship is a pretense), at least until the new Queen selects a true Consort of her own. Traditionally, only blades of high standing are eligible for Consort, although the choice belongs ultimately to the Queen and cases of young, untried blades and even clevermen (scientists) becoming Consort are not unheard of. Hivemaster: The titular captain of the ship. It appears a Hivemaster serves in a position similar to flag captain, i.e. he commands the vessel in the Queen's name and per the Queen's orders. A Hivemaster will normally answer to a Consort unless the latter is countermanded by the Queen. A Hivemaster is usually a blade. First-Watch Captain: A command position within the ship's military contingent (blades and drones). The First-Watch Captain likely commands the ship's troops under the Hivemaster and is presumably always a blade. Master of the Darts: The commander of the hive ship's Dart wings. The position is directly subordinate to Consort (possibly with the interposition of the Hivemaster), and probably the equivalent of equal rank but parallel service tracks with regard to the First-Watch Captain. As all Dart pilots, the Master of the Darts is normally a blade. Master of Sciences Physical: The chief cleverman (scientist) in the "physical sciences". The Wraith division of sciences appears different from that of the Tau'ri, and it is unknown exactly which fields fall within the Master of Sciences Physical's purview. Master of Sciences Biological: The chief cleverman in the other major branch of the Wraith sciences. Equal to the Master of Sciences Physical, each of them are apparently in charge of a separate professional track in the sciences. Chief Engineer: A cleverman who is in charge of the ship's engineering section, most likely responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship's technology, especially propulsion. Answers most likely to the Hivemaster. The chain of command (if any) between the Chief Engineer and the Masters of Sciences is unknown; it is in fact even unknown whether the Chief Engineer would be considered a physical or a biological scientist by the Wraith, considering that their starship technology is at least partly organic. Notable hive ships Scar's hive ship Atlantis' hive ship Primary's hive ship Super-hive Just Fortune: A Hive Ship acquired by "irregular methods." After being used on the Hive Wars, the GIS interred the ship at the yard. Known destroyed Hive ships since the Tau'ri-Wraith war When the Atlantis expedition arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy, the estimated number of Hive ships in the galaxy was around 60. Since that time, however, that number has begun to rapidly diminish, and now at least 32 are known to have been destroyed, eliminating nearly half of the known Hive-ships (although more may have been built). More ships were likely destroyed while the Attero device was active and by other Wraith during the Wraith civil war, but this has yet to be confirmed. Here is a list of known hive-ships that were destroyed:
One destroyed by a Lagrangian Point satellite. One destroyed by Nuclear warhead delivered via cloaked Puddle Jumper. Three destroyed by the Daedalus beaming Nuclear warheads on board. Two destroyed by attacking each other. One destroyed by the Orion. Atlantis' hive ship destroyed by another hive-ship. One destroyed by the Odyssey beaming a Nuclear warhead on board. One destroyed by the Daedalus beaming a nuclear warhead on board. Two destroyed by attacking each other. At least one destroyed during the Battle of Asuras. One destroyed by ramming into the Wraith cloning facility.		One destroyed by Primary's hive ship during the Battle of the Wraith Alliance. At least twelve were destroyed during the war with the Asurans. One destroyed after being infected with a virus caused by Dr. Jennifer Keller's gene therapy. One Super-hive was destroyed over Earth by a Nuclear warhead detonated from the inside. Scar's hive ship destroyed over Halcyon by means of reactor overload. One destroyed by the Isa device shortly after attacking Heruun. One destoyed by the George Hammond with aid from the Daedalus during the Battle of the Frozen Planet. One destroyed by ZPM overload. One destroyed by Atlantis drone weapons during the Second Battle of Atlantis. Two destroyed by Just Fortune during the Second Battle of Atlantis.