The Doctor attempts to capture and kill a macrovirus.
A macrovirus was a type of dangerous non-sentient life-form, rarely encountered by Starfleet, naturally hostile to other life.
Specifics[]
They were a pathogen resembling a virus, but large enough to seen with the naked eye, i.e., 'macroscopic' in scale. In the only known examples of encounters with macrovirus species, the aggressive organisms reached the size of complex multi-cellular species like animals and were capable of physically attacking and overpowering a humanoid.
Normal viruses, one of the most ubiquitous types of life in the universe, were usually submicroscopic in size, could only replicate within another species' cells, and were themselves only composed of a single cell. Macroviruses instead were large enough to operate on the macroscopic scale but retained their goal to attack all other forms of life, making them an extremely dangerous adversary. This type of life, unknown on Earth, was only encountered in three known instances.
History[]
James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy fighting mutated viruses.
In 2267, the crew of the USS Enterprise encountered macrovirus carriers of Akwood's syndrome within the brain of a Giant Brain asteroid. (TOS comic: "The Brain-Damaged Planet")
Three macrovirons standing in pink organic fluid on Antilios I.
In 2371, the USS Enterprise-D encountered a living planet-sized life-form, Antilios I, in orbit around the star Antilios. The Enterprise's mission was to thwart the plans of Dr Tolian Soran, who desired to destroy several star systems. Soran was harvesting the necessary Trilithium explosives needed from within the massive creature's body. Beaming down to the living planet's surface, upon entering its equivalent of a circulatory system, Dr Beverly Crusher found a macrovirus species had infected the planet-sized entity, and was invasively attacking it from within, alongside Soren's machinery. It is unknown if they were natural pathogens of the planet sized creature or introduced. This species displayed the ability to be controlled, genetically reprogrammed, or otherwise tamed or unleashed in some way, as they were later employed like soldiers by Soran. They moved on two leg-like appendages and could fire a form of directed energy. (TNG video game: Generations)
Unaware of the previous encounter, having been trapped in the Delta Quadrant, the USS Voyager encountered another different species of macrovirus in 2373, presumably native to this region of space. The virus almost overwhelmed the entire ship, infecting much of the crew, before being destroyed by the efforts of Captain Kathryn Janeway and The Doctor. This species was first observed on a Garan mining colony, was capable of flight, and managed to evade Voyager's transporter filters. (VOY episode: "Macrocosm")
Appendices[]
Appearances[]
External link[]
- Macrovirus article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.