The Wraith Species

Lore & Background

The Wraith were once human colonists in the Pegasus Galaxy who altered themselves biologically thousands of years ago. This evolution granted them immense strength, speed, and longevity but cursed them with a biological dependency on bio-energy. To survive, they must drain the life from other beings, leading to centuries of raiding and enslavement across the galaxy. Their civilization is organized into Hives, each ruled by a Queen who commands thousands of Drones. Queens possess unique telepathic abilities to control and coordinate Drones, but this is not a species-wide neural link shared by all Wraith; Drones do not have independent telepathic control over each other. This structure ensures efficiency in hunting but also creates internal rivalries between Queens competing for resources. Despite their power, the Wraith are not invincible. Their reliance on human hosts makes them vulnerable to biological warfare and diseases engineered by their enemies. Furthermore, their arrogance often leads them to underestimate the resilience of the humans they seek to consume.

In Their Own Story

The airlock hissed open, revealing the cold vacuum of space before sealing tight again. Inside the dim corridor of the Hive ship, a Drone adjusted its grip on the staff weapon. The Queen's voice echoed in its mind, commanding silence and precision. Below them, the planet spun blue and green, unaware of the shadow falling over its cities. They had come for sustenance. They would leave with full bellies and empty streets.

Reader's Guide

The Wraith are an ancient race of predators who evolved from human colonists within the Pegasus Galaxy thousands of years ago. Their transformation granted them near-immortality and enhanced physical abilities, but came at a terrible cost requiring constant consumption of bio-energy to survive. This biological necessity drives their relentless raids on inhabited worlds, turning entire populations into livestock for their hives. Society is strictly hierarchical, organized around powerful Queens who command legions of Drones and human slaves. Each Queen maintains a Hive ship where the population feeds upon captured humans to sustain their strength. The hierarchy dictates that only the strongest survive, creating a brutal culture devoid of mercy or compassion for other species. During the conflict with the Atlantis Expedition, humanity discovered ways to fight back using Ancient technology and biological countermeasures. Despite their advanced weaponry and cloaking capabilities, internal strife among Queens eventually weakened their collective power significantly across the galaxy.

Did You Know?

• They were originally human beings before a biological transformation occurred millennia ago.
• Queens possess unique telepathic abilities to control and coordinate Drones, but this is not a species-wide neural link shared by all Wraith.
• Individual Wraith can remain in hibernation pods for centuries without food or sleep.
• Michael Kenmore was a human from Earth and a member of the Atlantis expedition, not an Athosian, who was genetically altered by Dr. Carson Beckett using Wraith DNA to become a hybrid.