However, their role and biology was re-purposed into a new form, which was more physically resilient, and focused on nurturing colony sites. įollowing the Brood War, a small number of older queens continued to exist. While the brood-keepers were capable of laying clutches of eggs, such an ability was deemed unnecessary for the queens, as their role in the Swarm was not tied to reproduction. The queen was derived from the Arachnis brood-keeper. The only safeguard against this ability was that the structure had to be in a state of disrepair before the toxins could be deployed.

Once released onto a structure, these toxins quickly infest the facility, bringing the structure and those inside it under the control of the zerg. These could be sprayed onto individual targets at close range. Most feared of the queen's abilities, however, is its ability to produce parasitic bio-toxins. In the meantime, the queen is able to spray its victims with a thick mucus, slowing them down drastically before dissolving. It takes time for the queen to produce these creatures, though the rate of reproduction was able to be increased through the use of gamete meiosis. The queen can also infest other creatures, causing them to expire and broodlings to emerge from them. However, by 2503 at least some parasites could not be detected by terran technology. With the arrival of the United Earth Directorate in the Koprulu sector however and the introduction of nano-conveyed anesthetic and attenuated laser technology they brought with them, the parasites could be safely removed if detected by medics. The parasite can also provide a link for the zerg to 'talk' to the host and serve as a vector for the hyperevolutionary virus. The parasite allowed higher zerg strains to see whatever the host saw and at the time of its first use in the Koprulu sector, could not be removed without killing its host.

Able to be launched from a distance, a tiny, remora-like parasite attached itself to the target, 'bonding' with it should the target be organic.

On the battlefield, one of the queen's primary functions was to implant parasites in its enemies. These queens are capable of operating in the air and on the ground. Their primary role was as an infestation specialist. Queens usually stayed near the hives where they oversaw maturing zerg and drone activities. During the Great War and Brood War, these queens, as with the overlords, were subordinated to the cerebrates to help administrate the Swarm. The queen possesses numerous tentacles, a sinuous head, and a stretched skin membrane.

Starcraft error 6 9