Brain worm
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Brain worm
Biological classification
Physical characteristics
Skin color
Distinctions
Sociocultural characteristics
Brain worms were aspecies ofparasiticworm from theplanetGeonosis which were capable of entering the body of a host and taking control of it[1] and had the potential to control entire societies.[3] During theClone Wars between theGalactic Republic and theConfederacy of Independent Systems, theGeonosianQueenKarina the Great used brain worms to control a host ofundead Geonosians.[1]
AfterRepublic forces defeated Karina andher minions, a brain worm managed to infect theclone trooperScythe and used him to infect a number of otherclones inTango Company as well as theJediPadawanBarriss Offee onboard theRepublic medical frigateTB-73. Jedi PadawanAhsoka Tano was able toprevent the infection from spreading further by using extremely low temperatures to combat the worms, saving Offee and most of the troopers.[4]
Capabilities[]
A clone trooper being infected by a brain worm.
The brain worms tend to control the minds of their hosts through the biologically archived memory of theGeonosianqueens, even after the death of the host body itself.[1] The worms were also known for their proficiency in stealth and infiltrations.[2]
Geonosian queens kept many secrets, including the existence of the brain worms.[2] During theClone Wars, QueenKarina the Great created an army of undead Geonosian warriors to fulfil her plans after Republic forces successfully captured the planet. The parasitic worms were also capable of possessing the minds of living beings, including clone troopers and even Jedi. Whilst enslaving the minds of clone troopers, the worms were able to accurately behave as their host to remain undetected and could even access any memory that would further their goals, most notably their knowledge of the best means to immobilize Jedi, thus claiming the body of Barriss Offee for their hive mind.[1] Other Geonosian queens used the worms in the same way, forcing the infected individuals to serve them.[2]
Indeed, a single brain worm was able to completely commandeer the brain of a Jedi, controlling her physical actions as well as gaining access to her memories, her skills with a lightsaber, and access to her use of the Force—the worm's first use of Offee's Force abilities brought a smile to its host's face when it used them to attack Tano.[1]
History[]
Queen Karina the Great was able to use the worms to command an army of undead Geonosian soldiers. After the defeat of all surface forces during theSecond Battle of Geonosis and the destruction of thedroid factory, she was discovered byLuminara Unduli deep beneath theProgate Temple.Anakin Skywalker andObi-Wan Kenobi followed Unduli's trail after losing contact, the three of whom were desired by the queen to be possessed by her brain worms, until her temple was destroyed by Kenobi's212th Battalion, allowing the Jedi to escape with Poggle while the queen was buried alive.[1]
After the purportedly fatal burial of Karina herself, clone trooperScythe was infected by a freshly-hatched brain worm, who then spread the worms among the clone in hiscompany during an impromptumedical resupply mission from Ord Cestus to Dantooine. After attacking the two Jedi Padawans assigned to the relief mission,Ahsoka Tano andBarriss Offee, the clones eventually managed to isolate and infect Offee, whose memories revealed Tano's location as the only uninfected person remaining aboard the vessel. The two Padawans engaged in combat, with Tano on the defensive only, until her master discovered that the worms were extremely vulnerable to cold temperatures by torturingPoggle with the use ofdark side Force abilities.[4]
Now knowing the worms could be excised from their new hosts by exposure to low temperatures, Tano ruptured the frigate's coolant system, and the freezing cold quickly immobilized the clones, although the worm possessing Offee was able to withstand the cold given its host body's natural resistance to freezing temperatures. Stalking Tano's throughout the ship, the pair fought once more in the bridge as the vessel approached the medical station at a dangerous velocity. During the duel, Tano was able to direct a burst of coolant into Offee, temporarily liberating her from the worm's control long enough for her to plead for Tano to kill her for the greater good. Tano, however, ensured her friend's survival by targeting the worm which then desperately protruded from Offee's mouth in a vain effort to weather the lethal conditions.[4]
With the frigate safely docked, a quarantined expedition led byKit Fisto boarded the vessel and discovered the severed halves of a brain worm at the feet of an unconscious Offee, cradled in the arms of a delirious Tano who was determined to complete her mission by loading the ship with medical supplies before losing consciousness herself.[4]
When Tano awoke, she immediately found her master at her bedside, who was quick to reassure her that her efforts to stop the worms managed to save Offee as well as most of the clones. Tano then presented to her master the moral dilemma she faced aboard the frigate: whether or not to eliminate her possessed friend for the greater good. Her master informed her that being a Jedi meant ensuring the safety of every life in their care and assured his Padawan of Barriss' inevitable gratitude once she awakened.[4]
Appearances[]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Legacy of Terror"(First appearance)- Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Brain Invaders"
