THE WRAITH RETROVIRUS: A biological technology developed by medical scientists from Earth’s
expedition to the lost city of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy. Derived from extensive study of
the physiologies of the Wraith and the iratus bug – a creature with whom the Wraith share genetic
ancestry – the retrovirus is capable of rapidly purging iratus DNA from a subject ... effectively
transforming a Wraith into a human being. But in its initial testing the retrovirus
had disturbing consequences, and resulted in the creation of one of Atlantis’ most
dangerous adversaries. The Wraith retrovirus was
first developed by Dr. Carson Beckett in the city of Atlantis. His successor, Dr. Jennifer Keller,
later continued this work and attempted to deploy a modified version through trials
with a group of willing Wraith subjects. This later gene therapy would not turn a
Wraith into a human, but only remove their need to feed on human victims.
Beckett’s retroviral treatment exploits the genetic evolution of the Wraith
species – beings in the Pegasus Galaxy who feed on the life force of human victims,
holding civilizations across the galaxy under oppression for countless generations.
Millions of years ago the Ancients migrated to the Pegasus Galaxy from Earth, and used their
technology to seed nascent human life across numerous worlds. But on one of these worlds,
an aggressive insectoid species fed upon humans in such a way that absorbed some of their DNA
and integrated it with their own. As a result, the Wraith evolved from
the combination of genetic material from both humans and the iratus.
From the iratus they gained not only the urge to feed upon other life forms,
but also numerous evolutionary abilities – including cell regeneration that provides
the Wraith with rapid healing and longevity. Dr. Beckett’s retrovirus targets the iratus
elements of Wraith DNA, effectively stripping them out of a subject’s genetic makeup
and leaving behind only the human. This has countless potential uses,
in waging biological war against the Wraith – but also humanely turning them into ordinary humans,
rather than killing them. Beckett’s research was only
theoretical when the Atlantis team encountered a willing Wraith subject:
Ellia, a juvenile Wraith girl who was raised by a human father. Ellia hated the monster she was,
and was eager to become more human. Unfortunately the retrovirus was only experimental, and still
needed a great deal of further development. Ellia took a large dose unsupervised, with
disturbing effects: the retrovirus attacked her human DNA instead. She was transformed not into
a human girl, but a vicious killing machine. In the course of neutralizing the threat,
Colonel John Sheppard was also infected by Ellia with the retrovirus. Because he was not in any
way Wraith, it had the effect of introducing iratus bug elements to his genetic makeup.
Sheppard slowly began transforming, gaining insect-like features and abilities
until the team could acquire stem cells from an active iratus nest and develop a cure.
After further refinement, the retrovirus was administered successfully to a Wraith captured
and brought to Atlantis. He awoke as a human, with his memory wiped, and was told by the team
that he was a Lieutenant serving in Atlantis under Sheppard’s command: “Michael Kenmore.”
This version of the drug worked ... but it still had a major drawback. The retroviral treatment
required regular injections of another cocktail of drugs to prevent the Wraith elements from
reasserting themselves. When Michael learned the truth about himself and escaped the city,
his Wraith side began to reemerge. But the retrovirus also had some permanent
effects – leaving him neither fully Wraith nor human, but a hybrid who would be derided as an
outsider when he attempted to return to his hive. It was Michael, however, who would mediate a
temporary truce between Atlantis and his hive’s queen. This presented Atlantis with an opportunity
to further evolve the retrovirus and test its potential for waging war against the Wraith.
The Wraith wanted it to help them win their civil war, turning enemy hives into a new food supply.
With help from Michael’s hive the drug was weaponized, to be deployed
in aerosolized form on board an enemy ship. But after the Queen betrayed the team, it was
her hive that was targeted and transformed. The Queen herself was unaffected, proving that
female Wraith are immune to the retrovirus. Now the Atlantis expedition resettled her crew
to the surface of a planet – nearly two hundred former Wraith, unaware of their true nature.
Michael himself was also subjected to the retrovirus again,
reverting to a human state and losing his memory. But the ruse could not be maintained indefinitely.
The Wraith began to revert, and as they attacked each other Michael escaped the planet.
He subsequently began his own research on the retrovirus,
refining it to create his own hybrid followers, who would retain the strength and abilities of
the Wraith but without the need to feed. Similarly, Jennifer Keller’s own modified
experiment was not intended to transform Wraith subjects into humans, but instead to remove their
biological imperative to feed on human life. Based on insights learned from Beckett’s retrovirus,
this gene therapy would close a Wraith’s feeding hand and give him a functioning
digestive system for consuming ordinary food. Atlantis’ ally Todd was convinced to volunteer
for trials of the therapy, along with some of his warriors. But after taking the treatment their
hive was infected with a crippling disease. The warriors were left horribly disfigured, and even
the organic systems of the ship were infected. Todd’s hive was destroyed. He himself would
be saved only by finding an iratus queen and allowing it to feed on him – purging the disease
from his system and restoring his health. The Wraith retrovirus ultimately proved to
be only partially successful. It could turn a Wraith into a human, at least on the outside.
But it could not make this a permanent change. And when it was modified to remove their need to
feed on humans, but otherwise leave the Wraith as they are, the treatment ultimately proved fatal.
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