Species 8472 are a
species in the television series
Star Trek Voyager, named Species 8472 by the
Borg according to their naming system, revolving around when the species was encountered. Species 8472 have some
telepathic ability, and use this ability to communicate with
Kes, a member of the
Ocampan species, encountered in the very first episode of
Voyager,
Caretaker.
Species 8472 are bipedal, but they are not
humanoid. They are yellow in colouration, and seem to be taller than
humans. They posess the
technology to change the way they appear, which must be sustained by regular
injections. The
USS Voyager discovered a colony of Species 8472 masquerading as humans, training to
infiltrate earth, and, as a result, managed to open talks with the species and eventually negotiate
peace. Species 8472 also seem to be able to withstand periods in a
vacuum, and have been seen walking over the sides of
spacecraft.
The
USS Voyager crew managed to develop a way of killing Species 8472 using
Borg Nanoprobes to infect an individual. Previous attempts by the Borg to
assimilate Species 8472 had failed, and only Voyager's holographic doctor (
EMH) was able to develope a way to kill them. He did this at first by developing a way to help
Ensign Kim, who had been infected by Species 8472 and would have died without his help.
Since the few
episodes concerning Species 8472, we have learned very little about them. Since the
Borg now possess the
technology to harm them, we assume that they stay away from the
Borg, and Species 8472 no longer consider
Humans a threat.