Dust bugs are a microscopic, highly organized, seemingly intelligent yet also telepathic
insectoid organism encountered by the Destiny expedition during their search for ancient
lime deposits on a barren desert planet. Manifesting in dynamic swarms, they almost resemble pebbles
as though caught in the whirlwind formed by a forceful breeze. Not only was this unnamed
desert world the first planet in this distant part of the Universe explored by the expedition,
it was also their first encounter with an alien species.
In appearance individual bugs are not visible to the naked eye. It is only in large swarms
do they become visible, hovering above the desert floor like dusty eddies of coordinated sand,
which together form a kind of superorganism-- an entity seemingly greater than the sum of
its parts, in that they appear to display almost a kind of collective consciousness,
or even a sort of hive mind, with perhaps each individual linked to every other individual
via telepathy, each one processing a continuous and mutual exchange of information.
As such, one may only speculate as to the nature of their subjectivity.
Being so tiny, microscopic in fact, one may be tempted to regard flying insects as their
closest Earth analog, as insects are some of Earth's tiniest airborne inhabitants.
Fairyflies are actually among the tiniest known flying insects, and at only 0.15 mm in length
they barely break the threshold for what constitutes visible to the naked eye. It is unclear, however,
if Dust bugs more closely resemble some highly evolved insecta arthropod, or whether they
represent some entirely novel phylum of life-- possibly even life fundamentally distinct
from that found on Earth, life perhaps even not based upon carbon (organic) chemistry.
Nothing at all is known, unfortunately, regarding the details of their physiology.
They are, biologically, a complete mystery.
Although Lt. Scott was the first member of the expedition to make contact with the swarm,
it was in fact the swarm that first initiated the encounter, that first showed interest
in the away team, following them from a distance. The swarm was highly inquisitive, deeply curious
about the team, showing particular interest in the bootprints they left behind in the sand.
It was at this point Scott broke off from the others in hopes of covering more
ground in less time. Now alone in the desert, the heat beating down, and something caught his eye.
At first, thinking he was merely seeing things, he dismissed it as being nothing.
It was only after did he realize that it wasn't nothing after all.
Believing that it might be alive (and thirsty), Scott reached for his canteen and slowly took a knee.
He then poured out some of his water in the sand, possibly to assess their intelligence or simply
to determine their disposition. Appearing as a dusty whirlwind the swarm of bugs moved
slowly towards the puddle, and within moments absorbed all the water.
But then things got weird. It was at this point when, seconds later, the bugs swirling before him,
a human face materialized out of the sand. Not just any human face, his childhood priest--
whom drank himself to death, for which Scott, ever since then riddled with guilt,
now feels responsible. Startled, he quickly lunged backwards, sending him to the ground.
The swarm, seemingly spooked by his startled reaction, disappeared into the distance.
While operating as a swarm the bugs displayed, during their further interactions with Lt. Scott,
a remarkable level of intelligence, of curiosity, of even compassion.
Moreover, the swarm also appeared to possess some degree of telepathic ability, which had presumably
manifested in the form of the priest in Lt. Scott's visions. It is not entirely clear, however,
if these visions were merely hallucinations brought upon by severe dehydration
and heat exhaustion, or if they were actually images induced telepathically by the bugs,
as perhaps an attempt to communicate in the only way of which they know, however strange to us
it might seem. One may only speculate, though.
Scott's visions continued, but this time in full the priest manifested and was able to
interact and even converse, seemingly complete with his memories, even his idiosyncrasies.
It's possible the bugs possess the ability to access Scott's memories and manifest themselves
as a person from those memories. But why manifest themselves as Scott's childhood priest?
It's possible they merely choose from one of his most prominent memories to get his attention,
to signal their presence. As they have no understanding of our language, it's conceivable
their responses were farmed from one of Scott's memories, one of their conversations together,
maybe choosing from among the most frequent responses, as perhaps an amalgamation of the
person stored in Scott's memories and of the person he may or may not have been, but nevertheless
perceived him to be. This is all merely speculation, of course, so take everything with a grain of salt.
Now, the possibility should also be considered that, when it came to the swarm's intention
with regards to their interactions with Scott via some controlled hallucination (assuming
that indeed is what they were), they may very well have been aware, on some level,
of the expedition's search for ancient lime deposits. It is clear the bugs are highly intelligent,
with a very curious and inquisitive nature; in some ways not unlike ourselves. But whether
or not they intended to lead Scott to precisely the place for which he's been desperately searching,
or whether it was all merely a coincidence will, as always, remain open to conjecture.
As for what sustains them, water (specifically liquid water) appears to be their primary
means of sustenance, which they consume at an exceedingly rapid rate as the swarm breeds
and multiplies. Their remarkable thirst was most exemplified when the few stowaway specimens
hidden aboard Destiny managed to consume an incredible 45,000 L from her water reserves,
and over only a period of mere days, presumably to satisfy such rapid rates of proliferation.
But given their voracious thirst for water and rapid rate of reproduction in the face
of resource abundance, one has to question whether the bugs themselves played a causal
role in cementing the planetwide desertification of their world. But still the desert planet
retains a breathable nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere, despite the obvious lack of photosynthetic life.
This suggests that, at some point during its recent past, the planet was very likely
much greener and much wetter. By all appearances, it looks as though something drained this world dry,
and over what seems to be a relatively short period of time. The possibility they
were indirectly or even directly responsible for the current state of the planet must in earnest be considered
Now, the bugs do have a capacity for violence. But previously observed behaviour suggests
that, on the whole, they appear not to be an inherently bellicose or savage species.
The swarm did attack Cpl. Gorman amid the corridors of the Destiny, but only after he
provoked the swarm. They merely acted in self-defence, responding in kind only after Gorman engaged
with his sidearm, his M9 pistol.
The encounter began much like the two prior encounters with Scott and TJ,
but faced before so strange a sight he instead panicked and paid dearly for it.
No doubt are Dust bugs a truly remarkable form of life: highly intelligent, telepathic abilities
and deeply inquisitive, with a level of resilience far exceeding Earth's toughest extremophiles;
such that, even the frozen vacuum of space they can endure.
Upon disembarking the Destiny, moreover, the swarm also displayed a considerable measure of brute force.
They hammered off, and with relative ease, the metal-reinforced containment lid fixed atop
the drum into which TJ lured the swarm-- to be tossed through an open wormhole.
Immediately they stormed out with fury, swirling about the Gate in what could only be an expression of ire.
But then the whirling softened, with them hovering above Scott's body, clustering tightly.
Indeed the bugs recognized Scott, and out of the formless shape emerged a human face,
as if almost to say thank you-- for finding them a new home, for saving their species from a dying planet.
So what did you guys think about the Dust bugs? These creatures are just so strange and,
fundamentally, unlike anything on Earth alive today, unlike anything even in the fossil record.
It's probably for the best, though. Their thirst for water is greater than the
thirst for heroin felt by the most drug-riddled addict, and I like living on a planet with
71 per cent of its surface covered by water. But let me know what you think down below
in the comments section, and don't forget to subscribe for more Stargate related content.
This is Destiny's Computer logging off.