Spotlight on Colony Alien
Colony alien – I love this idea so much, it’s in my original works as well.
Background
As a way to add considerable weirdness to the Times of the HG Wells overall storyline, I decided to create a colonial life form. Similar in some ways to the Borg, the individuals would be the size of somatic cells.
A coral reef (image is from Wikipedia, and is for educational purposes only)
Adding to the mischief was the idea of making the cells democratic. Everything, from eating to ambulation to procreation would be the subject of a vote. And the brain cells wouldn’t even be in charge! The colony would just, in a way, be a walking, talking, bipedal coral reef.
Appearances
The colony alien is really only a part of the Times of the HG Wells series. However, it’s been fun to sometimes toss it (them) into the occasional round robins we write on Ad Astra.
Keanu Reeves and Kristen Stewart, both our universe and the Mirror’s versions of colony aliens (image is for educational purposes only)
Curious, often hesitant, and also a bit stiff, the colony alien is a great way to get some mysterious and almost magical character development. Plus they are perfect for exposition. This is because they can eavesdrop on anything. It’s rather convenient to be able to flatten to the thickness of a coat of paint and then match the color absolutely perfectly.
Another great thing about colony aliens is that, if any cells survive at all, no matter what happens (say, a nuclear bomb goes off), the colony reproduces asexually. Hence it can always recreate itself. Until the end of time itself, the colony is, for all intents and purposes, immortal.
Upshot
I like this odd duck of a character(s). It/they will be back!
Like this page? Tweet it!
You can find me on Google+.
