Chigs

Chigs (sometimes referred to as Glyphs) are a fictional alien species in the science fiction television series Space: Above and Beyond. Chig is not the species' name for itself, but rather a human-coined nickname (referencing the chigoe flea).^[1]

Background

Chigs are humanoid, bipedal aliens that serve as the primary antagonists in the series. They appear to be unable to survive in atmospheres that support human life; they are often seen wearing armored life-support systems that provide them with the methane they need to breathe. In addition to providing methane, Chig armor suits also have a built-in suicide mechanism that is triggered when the helmet is forcibly removed, quickly dissolving the Chig inside.

Distinguishing characteristics of the un-armored Chig are small black eyes set deeply in the head, pink skin, a lack of a prominent nose, a protruding upper jaw, and structures resembling gills to either side of the mandible.

A Chig's face is shown in the series finale

The series provides little concrete evidence about the Chigs until the last two episodes, choosing to initially present the Chigs as a traditional science-fiction alien enemy out to destroy humanity. Throughout the series, the writers provide several small clues regarding the nature of the Chigs, their motivations, and their biology before devoting the last two episodes of the series to revealing the possibility that Chigs and humans are related species.

History

As the series presents it, known human contact with the Chigs begins when an unmanned probe, launched by the military-industrial corporation Aerotech, lands on a celestial body designated "celestial body 2064K" (later given military designation 'Anvil'), the single moon orbiting the Chig homeworld. This moon is sacred to the Chigs because it is where life originated via panspermia and where Chigs still go to be born.^[2] The Chigs actually evolved from bacteria that originated on Earth billions of years ago: an asteroid collision threw these bacteria into space, carried by meteorites, where they eventually landed on the Chig sacred moon. Life on Earth had already advanced to the eukaryote stage of development, and the rate of evolution proceeded slightly faster for the bacteria on their new world, allowing life there to evolve to the point that it could produce the sentient Chigs at roughly the same time that modern humans evolved.

The Aerotech probe manages to obtain a limited amount of data before the Chigs send a warning signal through it before destroying the probe. Aerotech, for unknown reasons, apparently chooses to keep this "first contact" a secret from the governments of Earth.

In early 2063, Chigs declare war on humanity, launching what appears to be an unprovoked first-strike against humanity's budding interstellar colonies. These colonists, sponsored by Aerotech and designated the Vespa and Tellus colonies, are attacked and destroyed and the few survivors are taken prisoner. The Chig space forces begin a push straight towards Earth, devastating the unprepared Earth forces. Only the actions of the US Marines Aviator 58th Squadron at the Battle of the Belt prevent Earth itself from falling (the battle was actually fought in the Trojan asteroid field at Jupiter's Lagrangian point, not the main asteroid belt).^[3]

Through the element of surprise, superior numbers, and their advanced technology, the Chigs gain the advantage in early battles. Humanity's adaptability and ferocity catches them off guard. The Chigs, who favor large direct military strategies, are unprepared for the guerrilla tactics used by the human forces. Special operations missions, infiltrations, assassinations, sabotage, and small unit engagements all prove effective against the Chig attackers.

The Chigs then enter into an alliance with the remnants of the Silicates, a human-built race of androids, that fled to space after losing the AI wars on Earth. The exact nature of this alliance is vague and not expanded upon in the series. Just as humans are ready to conquer the Chig homeworld, though, an emissary comes to negotiate for peaceful relations. The emissary reveals that humans and Chigs seem to have a common origin, based on their chemical makeup.

Technology

Chigs have faster-than-light spacefaring technology and advanced weapon systems. In the show, they use a combination of plasma-based energy weapons and ballistic missiles for their aerospace fighters and capital ships. Chig ground forces use anti-gravity hover tanks, designated T-77s for heavy armor and anti-personnel plasma weapons and flamethrowers.

Study of downed Chig fightercraft in early episodes revealed that they are faster and have a better rate of climb than their human counterparts. However, human Hammerhead fighters have a heavier weapons loadout, and are more manueverable.

The Chigs also possess large battleships and a destroyer class vessel capable of causing energy spikes within human starships reactors using a specialized microwave energy weapon generator. They also developed a stealth fighter with a hull impervious to standard aerial cannon fire. They also have a red colored fighter that can travel across the gravity field of a black hole.

Chigs of Note

• "Chiggy von Richthofen" – named after Manfred von Richthofen, "Chiggy von Richthofen" flew an advanced Chig stealth fighter, with the words "Abandon All Hope" written in English on its hull. Its armor was impervious to standard cannon fire and was a superior vessel to Earth fighters and destroyed dozens of them. "Chiggy von Richthofen" was killed in a dogfight against Lt. Col. T.C. McQueen. McQueen used missiles to breach the armor of the fighter.

• Chig Ambassador – A Chig envoy sent alone and putatively unarmed to the USS Saratoga to negotiate an end to hostilities between humans and Chigs. It was equipped with a translation device capable of producing English. The Chig attempted to explain the circumstances of the Vesta and Tellus colony massacres, blaming Aerotech CEO E. Allen Wayne for desecrating the sacred moon of their homeworld with an unmanned probe. When Wayne refused to admit to the act, the Chig attacked him, resulting apparently in an explosion that killed him, Wayne, and several top Earth military officers. Whether it was a hidden bomb - an emergency resort or an assassination device - or the mixing of methane and oxygen exploding after a gun fires, is never clarified.

See also

• Military slang

References

1. ^ "The Farthest Man from Home". Space: Above and Beyond.
2. ^ "And If They Lay Us Down To Rest...". Space: Above and Beyond.
3. ^ "Pilot". Space: Above and Beyond.