Gonarch: Biological weapon?

[Mechagodzilla]

In an interview somewhere, Valve said that headcrabs will now zombify other alien species.
Now, assuming one of these species is the Vortigaunts, that brings up the question of why the headcrabs don't attack them in HL1.

Then, I remembered a few things.
After you kill gonarch in HL1, Nihilanth says: 'Done, what have you done?' And Nihilanth's forces have a tendency to use other species, like the tripmines filled with snarks and the hivehand, as weapons.

So, Nihilanth might have been using Gonarch and her headcrabs as a weapon against humanity, and with Nihilanth dead now, the crabs are turning against their former masters.

Possible?

 

[Hazar]

Hmm, I think I get what you're trying to get at.

btw, could you enlighten me on Vortigaunts?

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Vortigaunts are the green lightning-shooting guys that you're teamed up with in HL2.
Headcrabs ignore them in HL1, but it sounds like they'll attack them in HL2.
Hence, the theory.

 

[Hazar]

ohhh, the guys that sound like their saying 'ooiee gah, ooiee gah' right.

well, to answer your question mechagodzilla, it's probably 'cause they were from the same place in HL1 but now that they aren't controlled by the aliens anymore so the headcrabs attack them. If this is true (it probably isn't) that means the aliens have a will and can do as they please. It also leads you to wonder why thoes guys are allied with us now. Maybe they hate the g-man and now that Nihilanth is gone they can choose their allies.

Well, as you can see, I'm just making this stuff up as I go.

 

[Mr-Fusion]

Unleashing a giant walking testicle sack onto mankind.....yes...that is a biological weapon of terrible power.

 

[outpost]

Unleashing a giant walking testicle sack onto mankind.....yes...that is a biological weapon of terrible power.

You just made my "Laugh of the day!!!™"

 

[romeo0201]

Actually reason why the Headcrabs attack them now is that they are against Xen now. See the vorti's have joined the humans. So the headcrabs now attack them because of this.

Thanks Patsy

 

[eber]

hmm thats a good question , but i think its just a mistake by valve ! remember , the bullsquids attacked headcrabs but headcrabs ignored them too .

maybe nihilanth controlled this gonarch , but headcrabs are uncontrollable .
there are several gonarchs on xen ,well i dont see no reason why nihilanth cried after gordon killed that gonarch

 

[Reaperman]

aliens would defend themselves, like say a bullsquid shot its blob at you, but you dodged it, and it hit a vortigaunt, then the slave would then attack the bullsquid (that shot the blob)...

 

[AJ Rimmer]

I just have one comment on Gonarch: He makes me testy. I'd like to put him in a bodybag but I only have a ballsack.

 

[Lanthanide]

Reaperman - on several occassions you can see bullsquids killing headcrabs without any provocation, and I have seen (like someone else) a bullsquid tail-whip another bullsquid into gibs. I think you can see it in the freezer area in HL that has the meat slabs hanging up, if you avoid the 1st bullsquid that you see you can get another one to end up in the same room as it.

 

[AzzMan]

I thought about it but I thought it was because the slaves and the headcrabs were never in the exact same location? Ah i cant remmeber, been a while since I played the game

 

[Sulkdodds]

ohhh, the guys that sound like their saying 'ooiee gah, ooiee gah' right.

I thought it was 'Weejma, weejma'.

a bullsquid tail-whip another bullsquid into gibs.

Yep, it happens all the time.

On headcrabs - I really doubt Nihilanth would say 'done, what have you done' about the killing of Gonarch (no! He's unleashed the plague of headcrabs upon the universe!). As far as I iknow the headcrabs are not some terrible swarm of nighmare creatures, sweeping across the galaxy, devouring entire worlds, when you can defeat them by a neat side-step and the bludgeon them to death (or wear a helmet). "Done, what have you done?" probably refers to something else, like the fact the Gordon has allowed the G-man to invade Xen.

But the Gonarch could be a biological weapon created to produce more headcrabs - if we take the fact that there are headcrabs even after it is dead to mean that they reproduce by other means as well (instead of there being more than one Gonarch) it could work.

 

[Kouler]

I've read from the lambda project (cant find link) that the headcrab takes over a hosts body, which then becomes a zombie which evolves into a gonome (the big chunkier zombies in opposing force) which then, over time, evolves into a gonarch.

 

[Sulkdodds]

But then again. the Lambda Project is unnofficial.

 

[Eejit]

In an interview somewhere, Valve said that headcrabs will now zombify other alien species.
Now, assuming one of these species is the Vortigaunts, that brings up the question of why the headcrabs don't attack them in HL1.

Then, I remembered a few things.
After you kill gonarch in HL1, Nihilanth says: 'Done, what have you done?' And Nihilanth's forces have a tendency to use other species, like the tripmines filled with snarks and the hivehand, as weapons.

So, Nihilanth might have been using Gonarch and her headcrabs as a weapon against humanity, and with Nihilanth dead now, the crabs are turning against their former masters.

Possible?

Another idea: the slaves collars somehow stopped the headcrabs from attacking the vortigaunts. We know at least some former slaves are collar-free in HL2, that might explain it.

 

[Kouler]

Yeh but it kinda makes since, due to the "Go" in front of the name, and the fact that the Gonarch has many similarities to the headcrab. No. Not the headcrab. The poison headcrab! If you take a look at the screenshots of the Gonarch and the poison headcrab, theres a very big resemblence there.

 

[Eejit]

Um, what relevance does 'the "Go" in front of the name' have?
Also, the poison headcrab definitely seems to have a 'front' whereas it is pretty difficult to tell which way a gonarch is facing, since their 'shells' are symmetrical.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

In my opinion, the Headcrab species works as a hive, like ants. The Gonarch is the queen, the Gonomes and Zombies are the guards, and the Headcrabs act as drones.

I'm against the idea of a Gonome becoming a Gonarch, though. In my opinion, there's likeli the possibility for a baby headcrab to develop into a tiny gonarch, instead of loosing the egg sack it is born with. If all headcrabs became Gonarches, the place would be filled with the large testicle sack beasties.

And I think the Nihilanth had a personal soft-spot for the Gonarch, which was allegedly a one-of-a-kind creature. Sorta like a pet.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Eejit]

The problem with the hive theory is that I'd expect a whole lot more headcrabs/xenian zombies around the gonarch's lair.

As for the egg-sack they're born with it might be sortof retracted into the body as the headcrabs develop (like the opposite of the ballbag dropping )

 

[Brian Damage]

Well, I'm pretty sure that the Gonarch is the mamma of all Headcrabs, as the original design for her calls her the "Big Mama", and it states that her egg sac holds "a limitless supply of infant parasite creatures"...

And, listening to the sound files, it sounds like the vortigaunts say "Hoo-ee-chika! Hoo-ee-chika!"...

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Come to think of it, were there any aliens in the Gonarches lair at all?

The way the Gonarch actually releases babies is also odd. Setting them free to attack things - I don't think that's a natural tendancy of the creature. Wouldn't it be much more convenient for the Gonarch to release all her babies at once? Maybe she was heavily pregnant when you assaulted her - and that's the reason there aren't many headcrabs about her - her new brood is yet to be born.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Brian Damage]

From memory, there are a few headcrabs in cracks and crevices areound the Gonarch's lair... Interesting question... Is that all there is?

 

[Eejit]

As far as I remember there are tentacles too, but I doubt even big momma could kill them.
There has to be more than 1 gonarch, a species doesn't evolve with only 1 reproducing, apparently asexual member.
If it was a biological weapon designed to produce headcrabs wouldn't we see more of them at various stages between baby and normal around the place?

 

[Brian Damage]

Well, I should clarify... I don't mean "Mamma of all headcrabs" as in, she's the only one, but that she's more like a queen... So, yes, I do think there'd be others...

 

[Kangy]

As far as I remember there are tentacles too, but I doubt even big momma could kill them.
There has to be more than 1 gonarch, a species doesn't evolve with only 1 reproducing, apparently asexual member.
If it was a biological weapon designed to produce headcrabs wouldn't we see more of them at various stages between baby and normal around the place?

I think Valve were simply being limited with their engine there, or lazy. As for the headcrabs, I've got a suspicion the Gonarch was the last and only "mass-producer" and "controller" of the headcrabs. I expect they've continued to breed in small numbers after, however.

 

[eber]

you are all wrong !

the gonarch can make as many headcrabs as possible, so shes always pregnant and releases every day newbornheadcrabs.

the theory about gnomes becoming gonarchs is definetely wrong . it would take too many metamorphoses to become such a monstrum and their bodies are too diffrent. there would be too many gonarchs.

the zombies and headcrabs hunt in packs but they have no link to the gonarch after being born . they built big swarms and try to infest other creatures like vortigaunts . headcrabs are the normal food for every kind of xenians and they have no good life-demands thats why they need to stay in big groops.i think every 20th headcrab gets to an zombie and has the chance to grow up . (in h-l u always meet many headcrabs at once , if you see one you can be sure that there is another.)

well back to the gonarchs , they are big and very tough ,they dont need no escourt of zombies to survive . there arent many other creatures on xen who could stand up toe to toe to them errr toe to route :hmph: .(the gonarchs lair was empty of other alien species.)
if the gonarch gets old and knows that it will die soon (i think they live about 20 years) it will release many small mini gonarchs instead of headcrabs .to make sure one of them survives it releases about 100 mini gonarchs . most of them will be eaten but a few will survive and will grow up.
well but you ll never see 2 gonarchs at the same place . . cos they dont accept each other .the stronger gonarch would kill the weaker one .or maybe one of them would leave the place to try its luck elsewhere.
so they make sure that there wont be too many headcrabs on xen.

i think thats all for now

well thats my theory about the gonarch hm but i think most of it is true

 

[Brian Damage]

Much better eber. An interesting theory (I like the bit about the Gonarch only producing sucessors when it's on its last legs), and you didn't really insult anyone.

So... Do you think that the Gonarch Gordon encountered was dying then? If baby Headcrabs were different to baby Gonarchs, then it would have been baby Gonarchs that the Gonarch was producing...

 

[Eejit]

Xen seems to be broken into fragments, which I think is the main reason we don't see so many large creatures like gonarch(-arches? -archi?) in the same place. There's no way to tell how they would react to each other... that's sortof pulled out of nowhere, like the 20 years lifespan
Edit: you do know the baby headcrabs' model is named baby headcrab, not baby gonarch?

 

[AJ Rimmer]

But there has to be more than one Gonarch, not many but there simply MUST be more than one. Evolution don't work that way.

 

[Brian Damage]

you do know the baby headcrabs' model is named baby headcrab, not baby gonarch?

Ta for the remider.

 

[eber]

Much better eber. An interesting theory (I like the bit about the Gonarch only producing sucessors when it's on its last legs), and you didn't really insult anyone.



So... Do you think that the Gonarch Gordon encountered was dying then? If baby Headcrabs were different to baby Gonarchs, then it would have been baby Gonarchs that the Gonarch was producing...

no , because gordon killed the gonarch . the gonarch needs time for producing mini-gonarchs in his sack . it just didnt know that gordon was coming for it :E
hmm it was too late for the gonarch to produce those small fellows . did you get the point ?

 

[eber]

Xen seems to be broken into fragments, which I think is the main reason we don't see so many large creatures like gonarch(-arches? -archi?) in the same place. There's no way to tell how they would react to each other... that's sortof pulled out of nowhere, like the 20 years lifespan
Edit: you do know the baby headcrabs' model is named baby headcrab, not baby gonarch?

lol well dont you understand ? hm maybe 2 mini-gonarchs survive together (maybe because of a low enemyrate) they will be too big to get eaten . so there are your 2 gonarchs , . . .now guess , the place is too small for two gonarchs (there would be too many headcrabs). so they kill each other to save the ballance .(its their nature , each gonarch has its own territory.
aaah hmm yea read my comment again to understand its meaning :x

hmm nobody said that there arent any bigger islands than those shown in half-life maybe there are some really big main islands.

and yes i know the diffrents between headcrabs and gonarchs grmbl :frown:

 

[Brian Damage]

no , because gordon killed the gonarch . the gonarch needs time for producing mini-gonarchs in his sack . it just didnt know that gordon was coming for it :E
hmm it was too late for the gonarch to produce those small fellows . did you get the point ?

No, I just thought that, if you're theory were accurate, it'd mean that the offspring being produced at the time of Gordy's encounter would be baby Gonarchs, on account of them having the egg-sac. So, unless it could rapidly produce baby gonarchs, it must have been dying already.

 

[Eejit]

lol well dont you understand ? hm maybe 2 mini-gonarchs survive together (maybe because of a low enemyrate) they will be too big to get eaten . so there are your 2 gonarchs , . . .now guess , the place is too small for two gonarchs (there would be too many headcrabs). so they kill each other to save the ballance .(its their nature , each gonarch has its own territory.
aaah hmm yea read my comment again to understand its meaning :x

hmm nobody said that there arent any bigger islands than those shown in half-life maybe there are some really big main islands.

and yes i know the diffrents between headcrabs and gonarchs grmbl :frown:

I understood, just thought you were wrong on some points. There's no way you can know behavious you've never seen is in a gonarches nature.

 

[eber]

hmmm but we can guess

 

[Lanthanide]

To clarify - the only other aliens in Gonarch's Lair are the spikey tree things and some headcrabs which appear in the 2nd area of the lair. The part that has the big hole in the floor with the bounce-pad, there are 3 (or 4?) little openings in the walls there where the head-crabs continually re-appear and jump at you.

 

[Darkside55]

I'm sorry, there's no way that Nith had anything to do with the Gonarch or the headcrabs. They're just animals. They attack on instinct, either because you were in their territory or big momma was trying to give her babies some food. Gordon seemed like a perfect trial run for her children to learn how to hunt.

Just because Xen has one sentient controller over the entire planet, it doesn't mean he's responsible for every creature that exists there. Think about it. We humans have world leaders...do our world leaders go around making our elephants and rhinos and lions into biological weapons?

I think Eber's got the right idea. Only thing is, I personally believe that the gonomes and subsequent evolutions of zombies do become the Gonarch. Consider how rare it probably is to get through all those stages of evolution, all while eating and absorbing energy for metamorphosis, gaining bulk, transforming another's body. It's probably some evolutionary rite-of-passage; if a headcrab can make it through all those stages, it deserves to be the Gonarch. If there are two or more Gonarchs, they probably slaughter each other until there's only one left, then the cycle starts over.


Edit: And when did the poison headcrab become non-beta knowledge?

 

[Shadowfax //cHc]

But there has to be more than one Gonarch, not many but there simply MUST be more than one. Evolution don't work that way.

maybe evolution on earth but this be xen all laws of science are void

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Evolution works the same on ever planet/world/dimension, if not the whole darwinism then at least this basic law: A species cannot survive with a single birth mother/queen/giant walking testicle.