They were first encountered within the Delta Quadrant by the Borg in 2373 and were also known as Groundskeepers and as the Undine. It was also discovered during this expedition that the Undine had, again, been provoked into acting in normal space: the Iconians had attacked the Undine and framed the nations of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants for the incursion, likely in an attempt to weaken both groups. The consequences of Janeway's actions with Species 8472 almost resulted in Janeway being assimilated by the Borg. "So, one of the key things was getting kind of an expressive, weird forehead and just a feeling that they were different," Teska mused. (VOY episode: "Someone to Watch Over Me"). The email will only be created once you click on the "Send Email" button. Species 8472 withdrew to their realm, soon after, in fear of the new weapon. This member of the species was stationed at Earth Spacedock and in 2409 Starfleet was tasked with escorting him to P'Jem where the world was discovered to be blockaded by a Klingon task force. After several months of heavy losses the Borg were contacted by the crew of the USS Voyager who agreed to help them develop a weapon to fight Species 8472 in exchange for safe passage through Borg space. 30-31), Work progressed on refining the face. Player characters, however, manage to destroy the prototypes and prevent the dissemination of that knowledge through the Collective. They and their ships are completely organic based and are viewed by the Collective as the "apex of biological evolution". Objects moving through fluidic space generated pressure waves detectable by Species 8472. For example, "Valerie Archer" expressed fondness for various works of Federation art, literature, and music. The Borg's attempts proved futile and in response Species 8472 launched a counter attack, aiming to wipe out life in the galaxy, starting with the Borg. (VOY video game: Elite Force), By 2375 groups of 8472 had returned to the galaxy where they built space station habitats that would simulate conditions within the Alpha and Beta Quadrants in an attempt to gain intelligence on the race that had defeated them. So, I didn't have any singular drawing of, 'This is the final creature.'" Another fact of their evolution is their being capable of entering periods of hibernation when faced with injury in an attempt to heal themselves. This was also the reason why the Borg failed in assimilating them. For example, the neck is actually three very thin muscles, so there couldn't possibly be a guy in a suit. In a 2003 interview, Nick Sagan admitted to liking Species 8472, remarking that he thought they (in common with the Vidiians) were one of numerous "cool aliens" that succeeded in differentiating Star Trek: Voyager from previous Star Trek series. It was believed that this name was used to imply their stewardship in the protection of fluidic space. One concept that Steve Burg submitted for the head was judged as being not alien-looking enough, with the producers concerned that it might be mistaken for a mask. In the novel and the game itself, the Undine are major antagonists, having infiltrated the Federation, Klingon Defense Force, and many other factions at all levels. The three-legged approach to some of these renderings meant that the design was nearing what Dan Curry was looking for. 6/7, p. 95), The question of how to execute some of the alien design aspects initially proved somewhat troublesome. Species 8472 is one of the main races featured in the game Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force. I don't think I had any real strong idea." Fluidic space was an extra-dimensional realm that was filled with an organic liquid medium rather than the open space of the Milky Way galaxy's dimension. 9/10, p. 74) Director David Livingston noted, "There was no choice but to create a CGI model. The team interviewed members of the USS Enterprise and former members of the USS Voyager crew. Fluidic space was an extra-dimensional realm filled with a form of organic fluid and containing no stars or other celestial bodies. They had an epidermis. The ensuing conflict resulted in Species 8472 destroying hundreds of Borg planets and millions of drones. With their superior biological technology, Species 8472 drove the Borg back and launched a counter-invasion of the galaxy, annihilating large numbers of Borg drones, ships and even planets. The crew also meets 8472 again but they need help from the Coalition. After a deal with the Voth went wrong, she found herself trapped in fluidic space. Species 8472 originated in an alien realm known as Fluidic Space, a region of seemingly infinite size that was radically different from the rest of space/time, being filled with organic liquid and being populated solely by an unnamed species. In the game, they are given the name of Undine similar to the novel name, but this is not a canon term for the race and they remain known as Species 8472 for this article. (VOY: "Scorpion", "S… (VOY: "Prey") In desperate situations, they could commit suicide by releasing a cellular toxin into their bloodstreams.