Wraith Hive ship

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Wraith Hive ship

Production information
Manufacturer	Wraith
Class	Mothership
Technical specifications
Engine unit(s)	Thrusters Sublight engines Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive system	Interstellar
Hull	Organic polymer
Sensor systems	Wraith
Control systems	Neural interface
Countermeasures	Jamming codes
Armament	Energy weapon
Complement	Wraith Darts
Passengers	Thousands
Usage
Role(s)	Colony Hive
Affiliation	Wraith Tau'ri

< Wraith fleet

"Each hive ship acts like a carrier group..."

— John Sheppard

Hive ships are enormous Wraith vessels which serve as their primary fleet vessels as well as their society centers, homes and military bases.

Overview

The bridge

Locations

Bridge

The hibernation chambers

The bridge is a large chamber located within the front half of the ship where all ships systems can be controlled from several consoles such as propulsion, navigation, power supply, weapons, sensors and hibernation chambers. Most of these controls require someone with Wraith DNA for complete access using their telepathic methods however some of the systems can be used by others. (ATL: "Misbegotten", "Spoils of War", "Be All My Sins Remember'd", "Infection")

Hibernation pod chamber

Hive ships possess thousands of hibernation chambers for the Wraith. The hive is composed of large sections which are entirely hibernation pods which brew the length of these chambers and even on the ceiling of larger chambers. (ATL: "Rising", "Infection")

Meeting chamber

The throne room

Wraith ships have various meeting chambers in varying sizes to accommodate any size group. The Wraith queens usually meet with others in this chamber such as humans in order to extract information from them. Wraith commanders also use these rooms to meet with others to discuss tactics, plans and share information. These rooms usually have large tables decorated with various items including some human food. (ATL: "Rising", "The Lost Boys", "The Hive", "The Queen")

Throne room

The hive ships also possess a throne room for the queen, or in some cases the hive commander. This room is usually used by the queens and prisoners and victims can be brought before her for questioning or feeding. A large throne is usually centered in the room and holographic projectors allow the queen or commander to view data. (ATL: "No Man's Land", "Sateda")

Holding area

A holding cell

Hive contain some holding cells for prisoners and to detain people for questioning. Some of the cells have benches for the prisoners to sit or lie on. These cells usually have webbed lattices serving as the entrance which opens and closes from the center and much like their other technology its controls can be telepathically activated but it also can be forced open by damaging the control panel. (ATL: "Rising", "The Hive")

Labs

The data core

Hive ships can contain laboratories for various studies, usually containing consoles and equipment dependent on the type of research being done from genetics, disease research and computer technologies. These labs could also include holding areas for dangerous subjects from controlled shields to locking doors. (ATL: "Outsiders", "Reunion")

Data core

The data core is a location inside hive ships where the ships computing core can be directly accessed as well as transferred to portable data storage devices. (ATL: "Underground")

Dart bays

The dart bay

Hive ships have massive hangars where the darts are located, boarded and launched. The bay consists of large open expanses with walkways and platforms to get to the darts, which are typically attached to the side of these walkways. The bays have a curved tunnel leading out enclosed by large doors. The darts are accessed with small ladders and an automatic protocol guides incoming darts into the bay. Dart bays are also much more fragile than the outer hull and continued firing into them, coupled with the darts being destroyed, can severely damage the ship. (ATL: "Underground", "The Lost Boys", "The Hive", "Allies")

The dart bay may in fact span the entire length and breadth of the ship (ATL: "Underground")

Biology

A hive grows

Wraith Hive ships are living organisms, many of their systems are biological in nature and most of the ship is composed of organic matter, making them capable of regeneration. The ships are grown usually from a pathogen infecting a host and growing tendrils out to gather material needed for growth, the host also acts as the hive's brain until it is grown and manned by the Wraith. When the Wraith enter hibernation, they share a continuous exchange of fluids, to provide the Wraith with nutrients and maintain them. Hives can also be infected with disease. (ATL: "The Seed", "Infection")

Creation

A diseased hive falls apart

"Look, we always knew that the Wraith ships were organic in design, right? That they were essentially "grown" instead of constructed? We've just never witnessed it before."

— Radek Zelenka

Hive ships are believed to be grown by infecting a host, such as a human, with a pathogen which causes them to undergo physiological changes and start sprouting tendrils which spread out consuming various materials and siphoning forms of energy in order to grow. It also takes over part of the brain and creates a separate consciousness. The growths form into a biopolymer, similar to a polysaccharide containing organo-metallic compounds similar to an insect shell becoming resistant to heat, pressure and radiation. The hive growth requires the hosts mind in order to survive. (ATL: "The Seed")

A dense hull

Regeneration

Wraith hulls and most of their other systems can regenerate on their own but others do require some maintenance in order to regenerate properly. Power can be rerouted to systems in order to help them regenerate easier and quicker and if enough energy is supplied to the ships systems the organic portions of the ship can be grown into a thicker, stronger material. (ATL: "Be All My Sins Remember'd", "Enemy at the Gate")

Technology

Hull

Some conduits

Instead of shields, which Wraith ships do not possess, hive ships rely on a strong, organic hull armor for protection from the environment of space as well as enemy weapons fire. This hull is an organic compound similar to a Polysaccharide, a polymeric carbohydrate structure but with organo-metallic compounds mixed in, which forms as a hard surface. Due to the biological nature of the hull, it is capable of regeneration and if sufficient power is provided the hull density can be altered to support increased protection. During battle more power can be diverted to hull regeneration allowing the hull to heal itself. (ATL: "Allies", "Be All My Sins Remember'd", "The Seed", "Enemy at the Gate")

Power

Wraith sensors

Hive ships, being organic in nature, rely on some form of biological power source and the energy is transferred through the ship via organic energy conduits. Despite this the hive is capable of augmenting its energy supply from other sources in order to further power supply and strengthen the ship. (ATL: "Phantoms", "Enemy at the Gate")

Sensors

Main article: Sensors

Hive ships posses sensors capable of detecting other ships. These sensors can also detect whether hyperdrives are online, shield strength, weapons status, life signs and power sources. The sensors are not able to detect ships in hyperspace and are limited in range. Wraith sensors also detect nearby Wraith and can activate the ships systems. (ATL: "Search and Rescue", "The Queen", "Spoils of War", "Misbegotten")

Computer core

Hive ship controls

Hive ships contain a computer core deep inside which serves as the central computing system for the ship. The core contains much information about Wraith fleet deployment and technical specifications on the ship. (ATL: "Underground")

Neural interface

A hibernation pod

Main article: Neural interface

For the major systems of the ship such as propulsion, navigation and weapons to be activated the user requires Wraith DNA, while some of the minor systems are simple systems to activate. Some other technology on the ship such as some door controls can be activated via their telepathic abilities. (ATL: "Misbegotten", "Spoils of War", "Rising")

Hibernation chambers

Main article: Hibernation chambers

The Wraith hives posses large amounts of these chambers to allow the Wraith to hibernate for long periods of time. These pods grow a membrane over their entrance and attach several tendrils to the sleeping Wraith to provide them with essential nutrients and keep them alive. (ATL: "Rising", "Infection")

Engines

Hive ships in hyperspace

Hyperdrive

Main article: Hyperdrive

Wraith Hive ships possess hyperdrives but they are much slower and less resilient than other species due to the organic nature of the technology and the fact that their ships require pauses in order for the hull to regenerate from the effects of hyperspace radiation. These hyperdrives appear to be less advanced due to the weakness the Wraith have in power generation aboard their ships. (ATL: "No Man's Land", "The Siege, Part 3", "Enemy at the Gate")

Sublight engines

Main article: Sublight engines

Thrusters fire on a damaged hive

Hive ships have sublight engines capable of moving the ship through space and even used for entry and egress in and out of a planet's atmosphere, although this is a difficult task to accomplish. The ships massive size is not a problem for these engines but any larger the ship will become impossible to maneuver and will tear itself part with its own inertia. (ATL: "Rising", "Infection", "Enemy at the Gate")

Thrusters

Hive ships firing

The ships also have maneuvering thrusters for minor movements and slowing descent in atmospheric entry, these thrusters can be manipulated to control the angle the descent of the ship and its speed. The ship has both forward and aft thrusters powered with energy from the propulsion conduits which span the ship. (ATL: "Infection")

Armament

Energy weapons

Main article: Wraith Energy weapon

Darts being launched

Hive ships have powerful energy weapons capable of draining shields in very few hits and destruction on a large scale. The hives fire from large openings in the sides of their ships which can rapidly hit a target. The destructive power of the weapons are very effective against their own ships capable of disabling and destroying rival vessels quickly. The weapons can also be augmented with surplus energy. (ATL: "The Siege, Part 3", "The Hive", "Enemy at the Gate")

Darts

Main article: Darts

Each hive ship houses hundreds of darts in large hangar bays. The darts are used for close combat as well as culling of the planets the hives visit. (ATL: "Letters from Pegasus", "The Lost Boys")

Known Hive ships

The Daedalus nukes a hive

When the Atlantis expedition recovered data from a Wraith Data storage device they found information on at least 60 hive ships in the galaxy. Following the war with both the Tau'ri and the Asurans and the civil war with themselves, the number of hive ships has quickly decreased. (ATL: "Rising", "Underground", "Be All My Sins Remember'd")

A list of known hive ships to have been destroyed:

One destroyed by the Lagrangian Point Satellite in the Lantean system. (ATL: "The Siege, Part 1")
One destroyed by a nuclear weapon above Lantea. (ATL: "The Siege, Part 3")
Three destroyed by nuclear weapons beamed aboard by the Daedalus. (ATL: "The Siege, Part 3")
Two destroyed in a fight with one another in orbit of Edowin. (ATL: "The Hive")

Hive ships destroy each other
One destroyed by the Orion. (ATL: "No Man's Land")
One destroyed by another in orbit of M8G-352. (ATL: "Misbegotten")
One destroyed by a nuclear weapon beamed aboard by the Odyssey. (SG1: "The Pegasus Project")
Two destroyed in a fight with one another in orbit of M35-117. (ATL: "The Seer")
One destroyed during the Battle of Asuras. (ATL: "Be All My Sins Remember'd")
One destroyed when it collided with the Wraith Cloning facility. (ATL: "Spoils of War")

Hive ship nuked over Earth
One destroyed by Teyla during the Battle of the Wraith Alliance. (ATL: "The Queen")
Twleve destroyed during the war with the Asurans. (ATL: "Inquisition")
One destroyed after it became diseased and fell apart in orbit of M35-117. (ATL: "Infection")
One destroyed in orbit of Earth. (ATL: "Enemy at the Gate")

...bringing the total to 29 known hive ships to have been destroyed.

Alternate Realities

In an alternate reality, at least four hive ships were destroyed by the Phoenix and two destroyed by Michael Kenmore. (ATL: "The Last Man")
In an alternate reality, a hive ship was destroyed in orbit of Earth. (ATL: "Vegas")

Gallery

The interior of the dart bay	Hibernation cells	A console	The dart bay entrance
A meeting room	Another meeting room	A lab	A diseased wall in a hive
Hive schematic	Hive comparison to a 304	A schematic	Another schematic
Another schematic