 This article belongs to the Classic Continuity
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Xenocites are alien parasites artificially manufactured by the Highbreed.[DM 1] They are mass-produced and attached to hosts to create what are commonly known as DNAliens.
Appearance
Xenocites are small purple creatures with a singular eye containing a red pupil, a small black slit iris and green sclera. They have six tentacles, a visible brain and a black line that runs down the center, around their eye and mouth.
Reproduction
Xenocites hatch from eggs that are created from a large egg-laying machine, and hatch underwater in large artificial green rivers. After hatching, the Xenocites are stored in boxes filled with DNAlien slime.[1]
Multiple Xenocites can also be preserved in pods rooted in the ground, where only a nondescript purple part of their body is visible. When a potential host is near the pod, they can start to emerge, tentacles first. Attacks to the pod can kill the Xenocites inside if they do not emerge fast enough.[2]
History
Alien Force
In Max Out, when Max went to a coffee shop in Santa Mira, a DNAlien disguised as a waitress named Edna attacked him with a Xenocite, but he was able to defeat them both. Later, a Xenocite was used to transform Ken Tennyson into a DNAlien. However he was later reverted back to normal when his cousin Ben used the Omnitrix to remove the Xenocite from Ken's body.
In Inside Man, a Xenocite was briefly seen inside a green tank in Tyler's memory. Later, when Chromastone was battling some DNAliens, a Xenocite latched onto his head and tried to merge with him, but was unsuccessful due to his crystal body. When Tyler was reverted back to his human form by Ben, the Xenocite responsible landed on the ground and was stomped on by its former host.
Ultimate Alien
In Simian Says, Arachnachimp crime boss Simian brought a Xenocite queen home and sold it to a crime lord named Mizaru. When Mizaru released the Xenocite, it infected him and began spreading more Xenocites throughout all of Aranhascimma. Eunice, with the help of Simian and Ben's team, was able to reverse the effect and cure all the Arachnachimps, and destroy the Xenocite that started it all.
Powers and Abilities
While a Xenocite is not necessarily a deadly parasite, especially on its own, it has been made perfectly clear that when they amass in a swarm, they are capable of enslaving an entire town.
Their purpose is to merge with and change a host into a DNAlien. When it does this, it takes the characteristics of the host species it attaches to and gives it the physical traits and standard abilities of a DNAlien. Within hours, the Xenocite would completely cover the host's body, making them a full DNAlien. Xenocites can even reprogram the mind of a host.
Xenocites have sharp teeth to bite with as well as agility that they use to avoid attacks and to quickly latch on to a victim.
Xenocites can also breathe underwater right after hatching.
Weaknesses
The Omnitrix genetic repair can separate the Xenocites from the host, thus negating the DNAlien transformation.[1]
Xenocites are unable to merge and transform silicon-based lifeforms such as Crystalsapiens, Petrosapiens, and Sonorosians into DNAliens.[3]
The DNA Repair Guns can transform DNAliens back into human, as a result, destroying the Xenocites.[4] However, this does not work against DNAliens of other species.[5]
Appearances
Alien Force
Season 1
- Max Out (first appearance)
- Undercover (flashback)
- Inside Man
Ultimate Alien
Season 3
- Simian Says (first reappearance; flashback and present)
Video Games
Alien Force
Etymology
Xenocite is made of two words xeno, meaning "foreigner" or "stranger" and cyte meaning "cell". It also combines the words “xeno” and “parasite”, which is a creature that survives by invading larger organisms and feeds of their body mass. The larger organism is harmed in the process. In this case, Xenocites invade an organism by attaching to its face, and feeding on its DNA by the hour until the host's body is completely covered.
Trivia
- In the Ben 10: Alien Force video game, Xenocites can turn other alien species into DNAliens, including Pyronites, Vulpimancers, Florauna, Osmosians, and Null Guardians.
- The Xenocites were designed by Glenn Wong, with color styling by Chris Hooten.[GW 1]
- Xenocites are similar to the Head crabs from the Half-Life franchise. They are both parasite like creatures from another world which can control a person by latching onto their head and can mutate their bodies.
- They are also similar to the Facehuggers from the Alien franchise, as both species latch onto the faces of humans in order to create more of their kind (DNAliens and Xenomorphs).
- As mentioned by Dan O'Bannon in audio commentary of Alien from the Alien Quadrology DVD set, Facehuggers were supposed to resemble octopuses before H. R. Giger's final design was conceived. Xenocites appear to reference this.
- They are also similar to the Facehuggers from the Alien franchise, as both species latch onto the faces of humans in order to create more of their kind (DNAliens and Xenomorphs).
