Genestealer
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In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000 by Games Workshop, a Genestealer (scientific name "Corporaptor Hominii") is an alien creature associated with the Tyranids. "Genestealer" is also the name of the second boxed expansion for the 1st edition of the board game Space Hulk, also by Games Workshop.
Genestealers appeared in the first edition of Warhammer 40,000 (Rogue Trader), but at the time were not related to Tyranids. They were simply noted as an "enigmatic monster ... from one of the moons of Ymgarl", now "spread throughout space" and "threatening to become a real menace". Since then it has been revealed that they are the advance forces of a Tyranid invasion and are now often seen as part of a Tyranid army in the Warhammer 40,000 game.
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[edit] Appearance and History
Genestealers have the same basic body structure as all other Tyranids. They appear as roughly man-sized, six limbed creatures with a very sturdy chitin-like exoskeleton and, unusually for Tyranids, an endoskeletal cranium. Their two lower limbs are legs; another pair of limbs are extremely sharp claws which are used for tearing apart foes in close combat - these claws are so sharp that they can even hack through extremely well armored enemies, such as Space Marine Terminators, with ease. The other set of limbs are arms as well, but their nature varies depending on the type of species used to create the Genestealers or the needs of the Hive Mind. Genestealers are known for their incredible agility and great skill in close combat, making them a much feared foe on the battlefields of Warhammer 40,000; often a rule for opposing armies is to destroy the Genestealers first since they are considered the core of a Tyranid army.
As already described, Genestealers were first encountered by the Imperium of Man on the moons of Ymgarl. After this encounter, Genestealers were further encountered on large derelict ships known as "space hulks"- these ship-borne encounters being the subject of the aforementioned Space Hulk game. With the invasion of Hive Fleet Behemoth, it was discovered that the Genestealer was in fact a part of the Tyranid race. Genestealers perform two roles for the Tyranid armies: first, they are often found in the Tyranid armies acting as assault troops; second, they can be found as an advance force of the Tyranids, aiding planetary invasions through the use of their unusual reproduction method.
Both the appearance and reproductive cycle of the Genestealer bear a marked resemblance to the Xenomorph (Alien) created by Dan O'Bannon and designed by H.R. Giger for the Alien (film series)
[edit] Reproduction and Genestealer "Cult"
Genestealers reproduce by introducing their genetic material into a host from another species; this is normally a human, but can theoretically be any humanoid race (which would include Eldar or Orks). The Genestealers have no genders, and require a creature of any species, any gender. The Genestealer will find a suitable host and hypnotise them using its unusual, alien eyes. The Genestealer then thrusts its long, whip-like tongue into the body of the host where it deposits its genetic material in the form of an egg-capsule, which grows quickly into an immature Genestealer/Host Hybrid, which then bursts out of the host, obviously killing it.
All of the members of this unusual "family" of hosts, Hybrids and Genestealers become psychically linked to each other, and become fiercely loyal to their "family". Over time, the "family" grows as its members continue to breed and bring in more members, and the "family" will eventually grow large and become a Genestealer cult, sometimes worshipping some vaguely defined entity which will 'deliver' the worshippers and their planet from the harshness of life in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
The psychic link maintained by the "family" or the cult - henceforth "brood" - acts as a psychic beacon, attracting the forces of the Tyranids to their planet. As more members are brought into the group, the psychic beacon grows stronger. As shown with the events leading up to the Tyranid invasion of Ichar IV (Kelly and Chambers, 2004), a brood can eventually grow so large that it will eventually begin conducting sabotage or causing riots. Broods have even been observed rebelling against Imperial authority, attempting to seize ruling power over the planet for themselves. The ultimate goal (whether the brood knows it or not) is to sow discord or even neutralize planetary defenses in order to ease the Tyranid conquest and consumption of the planet.
Although Genestealers are frequently born from other species, they are said to lack creative intelligence (Priestley and Chambers, 1993). They are unable to wield weapons, even those of the species from which they are born (for example, a Genestealer born from humans could not wield guns or swords); Hybrids have some degree of intelligence and are able to make use of weapons. Genestealers do have incredible animal cunning, however - they have even been seen acting as a sort of scout for Tyranid armies, stalking ahead of the main force.
[edit] Subtypes
Since Tyranids are constantly evolving their forces to match new threats encountered, Genestealers sometimes appear in new forms. Also, since Genestealers have the ability to reproduce independently of the Hive Mind, some unusual mutations can appear. A few notable examples of these are:
- Patriarch: a Patriarch is the original Genestealer to begin a brood, as described earlier. As the first Genestealer of the group, all other members are psychically linked through it; this leads it to attain a level of intelligence much higher than that of other Genestealers. Over time, it can become a very powerful psyker, and it grows much larger than an average Genestealer, becoming much stronger and more resistant to damage. As the Tyranids approach the planet that the Patriarch calls home, it will fall under the power of the Tyranid Hive Mind, and begin leading attacks on vulnerable positions to facilitate the inevitable invasion. It is assumed that it knows nothing of its role in the Tyranid invasion, and once the Tyranids are successful, it and the brood are also consumed by the Hive Fleet. Patriarchs are known to live for hundreds of years. They are seen by the cult as a "father" figure, and should their destruction come to pass, the cult would be thrown into disarray. The loss of the Patriarch and its hold on the cult would likely lead to its destruction; the sudden absence of the telepathic link from the Patriarch would lead the remainder of the cult to revert to little more than feral monsters.
- Magus: the Magus is a Hybrid that appears almost entirely human, except it is always bald and has a pronounced bone structure. The Magus, unlike other Genestealers, is highly intelligent and is a powerful psyker, but is absolutely dedicated to serving the Patriarch. It uses its human appearance to act as the face of the brood, and relays the orders of the Patriarch to the members of the brood. Like the Patriarch, it presumably knows nothing of its role in the Tyranid invasion it is aiding. Magi are the exact opposite of the Genestealer, being extremely vulnerable to close combat and highly intelligent.
- Broodlord: the Broodlord is a more recent development, and is the ultimate product of Genestealer evolution. A Broodlord is immensely strong, agile and durable, which makes it a superb hand to hand warrior. It acts as an assault commander for Tyranid armies, personally leading attacks while bearing the "synapse" ability frequently observed in higher forms of Tyranids. It is rumored that the Broodlord and the Patriarch are one and the same creature, the patriarch being the older one. This has not yet been confirmed by GW but in one interview Jes Goodwin hinted that this may be true. The other apparent possibility is that a Broodlord is created in the living factories of the hive ships with the purpose of being a tactical operations leader for smaller groups of tyranid creatures like gaunts and genestealers, whereas a Patriarch is what any Genestealer can become if it manages to sire a brood away from the direct control of the Hivemind.
- Ymgarl Genestealer: Imperial researchers have concluded that the Ymgarl Genestealer is a form which became separated from the Tyranids, and, having completely lost its psychic link to the Hive Mind, has reverted to a feral state. Ymgarl Genestealers appear quite different from normal Genestealers (see "Genestealer origins" external link, below), and this is also believed by the Imperials to be due to the separation from the Hive Mind, and generations of breeding almost exclusively with a native lifeform of the Ymgarl moons. The original Ymgarl genestealers had a maw full of tentacles as illustrated in the original WH40K 1st edition book, which was not implemented in the later figures, although the tentacles was revisited with the current 4th edition model set.
[edit] References
- Kelly, Phil, and Chambers, Andy (2004). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Tyranids, 2nd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-650-X.
- Priestley, Rick, and Chambers, Andy (1993). Warhammer 40,000 - Codex Imperialis, 1st Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop.
- Spurrier, Simon (2006). Xenology. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-282-6.
- http://oz.games-workshop.com/games/40k/tyranids/articles/genesis.htm, section on Genestealers.
[edit] External links
- Genestealer origins with early artwork at Games Workshop
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