Diagram of termite anatomy.
The termite was a lifeform type, an Earth insect animal.
History and specifics[]
Termites don't act with a hive mind, but instead cooperate based on instinct. (TOS novel: World Without End)
Albert Elias Hodgkin assessed the parallel evolutionary development of termites on Earth and Loracus in one of his notebooks. Despite the two species having dissimilar genetic makeups, they ended up having similar anatomies and behavior. His research culminated in Hodgkin's Law. (ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years)
In the year 2267, Spock used this insect as an example of symbiosis, as the termite requires bacteria to consume wood. (TOS - Star Trek 2 novelization: Operation—Annihilate!)
Years later, Leonard McCoy jokingly mused that with Spock's half-Vulcan metabolic rate; he could consume a bowlful of termites with little or no digestive malfunction. (TOS movie: The Final Frontier)
In 2370, Chief Miles O'Brien compared termites' ability to burrow through anything to the behavior of Horta aboard Deep Space 9. (DS9 novel: Devil in the Sky)
Appendices[]
References[]
- TOS - Star Trek 2 novelization: Operation—Annihilate!
- TAS - Log Seven novelization: The Counter-Clock Incident
- TOS novel: World Without End
- TOS movie: The Final Frontier
- TNG novel: Imbalance
- DS9 novel: Devil in the Sky
- TOS novel: The Return
- TOS - The Captain's Table novel: War Dragons
- ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years
- DSC novel: The Enterprise War