The Chigs are the main enemy in the SAaB universe.
The first we see of them is when they attack the Vesta colony without warning. They then go on to destroy the ship carrying the Tellus colonists as it descends towards the planet that was to be their new home.
They seem to be a ruthless enemy, implacible and dark-hearted.
Chig technology is quite far ahead of that of Earth.
The ships work using the electrical field of the crew to power and instruct them, and the weapons seem to have a similarly intuitive action from the way Hawkes fared the one time he managed to get his hands on a working gun.
It is only when it seems that the humans are going to attack the Chig homeworld that they sue for peace. During the talks, things come to light which perhaps throw a different light on the conflict.
Unfortunately, we never got to see whether the Chigs were really just defending themselves and their interests as the ambassador Chig claimed, or whether it was all a ploy to get the humans amongst themselves.
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Chigs are not oxygen breathers, and must wear full body armour and helmets in order to survive in an atmosphere that is friendly to humans.
In fact, removing the helmet whilst in a hostile atmosphere causes the Chig to spooge. In other words, turn into a green runny substance akin to un-set lime jello.
Underneath the suits, however, the Chigs are not instectile as the armour (and the name) suggests. They actually have quite humanoid features, though they seem to breath via gill slits. We don't know much more about their physiology, but we do know their hands are basically the same as ours, except that the middle two fingers are fused. |
There were several actors who played Chigs during the show. Two of them were "John Bro" Wilkie and Kristian Sorenson. Both of them have web-pages of their own giving some insights into life as a Chig.
Click the links to visit John Bro's "Chig Memoirs" Page or Kristian's Site
For other information on the Chigs you should try the database at the Space Ready Room (Just click on the 'Chig' link in the Nav bar). This has more in depth coverage of the species.
