Summary
Star Trek: Voyagerpremiered in 1995 and gave fans a look at a completely different region of space. Not only did Voyager’s crew venture into the Delta Quadrant, which was previously unexplored, but they also discovered new dimensions and anomalies along the way. One of these regions of space the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager encountered for the first time was fluidic space, a region previously unheard of inStar Trek.
Producers Jeri Taylor and Brannon Braga, along with the show’s CGI Effects Director Dan Curry, created the entire region and its occupants for the series. It all proved highly popular with fans andKate Mulgrew alike. Despite receiving attention in a couple of episodes, fluidic space remains largely unexplored. Starfleet and fans alike know very little about the space that the Borg first discovered. What fans do know, however, is that not all doors should be opened, and theBorg sure did open a can of wormsthat were difficult to put back.
What Resides in Fluidic Space?
One of the biggestthreats inStar Trekhas been the Borg. There are legions of them who typically assimilate their enemies in order to advance their perfection, and default to phaser fire after only a few attacks. They never met an alien species they couldn’t assimilate. That is, until they encountered Species 8472. Unlike the majority of the aliens encountered inStar Trek, Species 8472 aren’t humanoid, and they aren’t known by any other name other than Species 8472 because that’s the designation the Borg gave them.
Captain Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager first encountered Species 8472 in “Scorpion,” the season three finale. Their first exposure to this new alien species was when they witnessed several Borg vessels flying by without so much as declaring “Resistance is futile.” The Borg are typically the boogeymen of theStar Trekuniverse, so what would have them too preoccupied to intercept a Federation starship? Janeway and crew quickly see the Borg running from a smaller vessel that causes real damage to the Borg cubes.
The Voyager crew learns that Species 8472 are telepathic aliens with an incredible immune system, which makes it impossible forthe Borg to assimilatethem. In season four, the Voyager crew learns that the Borg opened up a pathway to Species 8472’s home, fluidic space, which began an unintentional war between Species 8472, the Borg, and the rest of the galaxy. Species 8472 was hellbent on wiping out all life in the Milky Way, going as far as creating a staging ground to prepare for a preemptive attack.
They replicated Starfleet Academy in San Francisco and disguised themselves as members of Starfleet (this is where the audience learns Species 8472 is capable of shapeshifting) to get a better understanding of their enemy. However, Commander Chakotay and Tuvok infiltrated the staging ground and gained the trust of “Commander Valerie Archer” and the leader disguised as Boothby, the well-known groundskeeper in Starfleet Academy. Chakotay and Tuvok’snegotiations won over Boothbyand formed a friendly relationship with Species 8472. The species returned to fluidic space, and remained there ever since.
What is Fluidic Space?
Despite Voyager andBorg cubes being capable of traversingfluidic space, it’s nothing like normal space in the Milky Way galaxy. Aliens from normal space are only capable of entering fluidic space through interdimensional rifts created by quantum singularities. (This isStar Trekspeak for “Use the deflector array to do some complicated stuff and open a door.")
Fluidic space is an extra-dimensional reality where only Species 8472 resides. There are no other inhabitants. In fact, there are no stars, planets, or any sort of celestial bodies. It’s not very hospitable to outsiders. Organic fluid fills the entire dimension, hence “fluidic space.” Species 8472 can detect movement from other entities throughout fluidic space, making it impossible to enter the dimension without being noticed.
It’s not just the space that’s organic, though. Species 8472 favorsbiological technology over cyberneticsas they craft their “bioships” from organic material as well. In fact, they design their bioships with the same genetic makeup of their species, making the ship more of an extension of the pilot rather than a separate entity. They craft the hulls and structural supports of their ships from bone and flesh, and the Voyager crew noted that its central computer is similar to a humanoid’s nervous system.
Much like starships can traversefluidic space, Species 8472’s bioships are capable of flying through normal space just as easily as fluidic space. They’re also warp-capable and contain shields and weapons. Audiences never learned if this extra-dimensional species inhabits one single planet, but it seems unlikely since there are no celestial bodies in fluidic space. This begs the question of how they came to be and how they manufactured their ships. Perhaps, at some point down the line,Star Trekwill explore this species further and develop fluidic space in more detail.
