An Aparoid unit sneaking up behind Fox.
Aparoids are a race of insect-like creatures that are part-machine, part-life form. They serve as the main antagonist in Star Fox: Assault. They come in an immense variety, all of which are connected together by a hive mind ruled by the Queen. They have the ability to control other technology in a viral manner called "Aparoidedation" and are thus extremely lethal to anything that gets in their way. It takes the destruction (called "apoptosis" by Slippy's father Beltino Toad) of the Aparoid Queen for them to be entirely ridden.
These creatures are first seen when Andrew Oikonny is defeated. When the Aparoid Moth shows up, R.O.B says repetitively, "Aparoid! Aparoid! Aparoid!" Peppy also states something like "No, it can't be!" Therefore, it shows that this isn't the first time Aparoids have attacked. Later on in the game, it is revealed that a single Aparoid had once destroyed a space fleet seventeen years ago but hasn't been seen since, up until now.
History
Early years
Beltino recalls the atrocity that befell the Cornerian Fleet around 17 years prior to the Aparoid uprising.
It is not exactly known how or when the species formed, or if they may be a mutated race. Their homeworld is outside of the Lylat System. The Aparoid Queen, who likely had a significantly longer lifespan than other organisms, may have created the species, as she can spawn more Aparoids. By Beltino's account, about seventeen years prior the Aparoid Invasion, a Moth Aparoid came across a Cornerian Fleet, and wiped it out leaving few survivors to witness, which alerted the Cornerian Army to the Aparoid's existance. However, nothing was done in defense, as no other known attacks were made on them by the Cornerian Army. The Aparoids did not show themselves again, and went quiet for a time.
Aparoid Invasion
The Battle of Fortuna
Star Fox return fire on a mysterious creature who assaulted Krystal.
The Aparoids then began to feel the Lylat System belonged to them. In 9 ALW, during The Oikonny rebellion conflict, the Aparoids executed their invasion, by first striking Fortuna, where the last battle of the Rebellion was being fought. An Aparoid Moth (assumed to be the same one that attacked the fleet) led the attack, and revealed himself when he destroyed a slightly weakened version of Andrew's flagship, who was leading the Rebellion. The moth then did battle with the Star Fox team, but was killed. Its Core Memory was taken by the team right as the Aparoids launched a full scale attack on the planet. The Cornerian Fleet recognized them and escaped, but the rebels were ignorant to the danger and all of them were killed, save Oikonny. Fortuna's natives, escaped and suffered very light casualities, but the Aparoids had the planet occupied. Soon they struck with full force on the galaxy, capturing many planets on the way in vicious battles. The Cornerians reacted by hiring Star Fox to deal with the threat.
The Battle of Katina
The Aparoid Walker, final target on Katina and source of the Core Memory.
The Aparoids then attacked Katina, and captured its outpost, helping them in the battle. But Star Fox was notified of a distress signal coming from Katina, and was sent there by General Pepper to find the source. The Aparoids attacked with many of their troops, but were unable to stop them, even with Aparoid Hatchers. The Aparoids finally sent the Aparoid Walker who led the invasion of Katina to the surface of the planet. The Walker was destroyed by Star Fox, and it's Core Memory was stolen by Pigma Dengar (the one who sent the distress signal) before Star Fox could get it. The Aparoids were driven off of Katina afterwards.
The Battle of Fichina
Pigma begins to lose his mind to the Aparoid infection.
The Aparoids then attacked Fichina, which coincidentaly, the Star Fox team had been dispatched to find Pigma. The Aparoids captured the Climate Control Center, killed the scientists stationed there, and with some unexpected help from Pigma, got the sentry bots turned into Aparoids. But Fox intervened and were able to get the Control Center back on. The Sentry Bots attacked him, but were defeated by Falco. Pigma again gave some more unexpected help to the Aparoids, by using the Core Memory to turn the Center's Generator into an Aparoid, which would cause the center to explode if not beat fast enough. The Aparoid was defeated, and it was soon driven out by Cornerian Soldiers.
The Battle of Meteo
Pigma Dengar, fully assimilated into an Aparoid.
The Cornerians discovered Pigma's whereabouts in Meteo, an asteroid belt, and were sent to capture him with Star Fox leading it. They were uanware that, due to Pigma's actions, the Aparoids had began assimilating him and his base. The Aparoids attacked with full force and used the assimilated Prototype they captured on Fortuna against the team, but to no avail. They soon caught up with Pigma, who was just assimilated along with the base. The team defeated him and captured the Core Memory, earning Corneria a victory, with the bonus of Meteo.
The Battle of Sauria
Fox attacking the Aparoid Assault Ship in the skies of Sauria.
Just as Corneria was analyzing data from the Core Memory, the Aparoids attacked Sauria. The Natives fought back hard but were nearly defeated with the Sharpclaw and Cloudrunner tribe suffering heavy casulaities. But Star Fox was sent to reinforce the Saurians and destroy the hatchers there.
The Battle of Corneria
Corneria, utterly devastated by the Aparoid Invasion.
While Star Fox was on Sauria, a colossal Aparoid armada came and nearly decimated the CDF, and the Aparoids quickly gained control of Corneria, assimilating many of the soldiers. Star Fox came to stop the Aparoid invasion. After a long battle of fighting Radar Jammers, Fox was trapped by several Aparoids and was caught between assimilation or a grusome fall to death, but in a turn of events, Wolf came to Fox's rescue and destroyed the Aparoids surrounding fox. After Star Fox and Wolf defeated a large number of air and land based aparoids, General Pepper's flagship flies in from over the ocean, having been infected by the Aparoids. Fox was forced to fight him, and as Pepper was about to die, Peppy rescued him by stabilizing the fall trajectory with his Arwing.
The Battle of The Beltino Orbital Gate
The Beltino Orbital Gate in Star Fox: Assault above the shattered Corneria.
The Aparoids quickly learned of the invasion plans of their homeworld, and attempted to stop it by launching a full scale offense on the Orbital Gate. Star Fox and Star Wolf assisted the Cornerians and seemed to hold back the Aparoid's attacks. The Aparoids then began launching missiles, which were launched repeatedly. After the missles had been destroyed, the Aparoids opened their own gate and launched a huge missile, which was also destroyed before it could achieve its goal of destroying the gate.
The Battle of the Aparoid Homeworld
The Aparoid Homeworld, one side lovely, the other side fully infected by Aparoid Infection. Note how it is on the right side of the planet, as Infection always starts on the right side of organic and bionic targets.
The Cornerians launched an offensive on the planet with Star Fox leading the invasion. The Aparoids had set up a shield to protect the way into the planet. Star Fox took out the generators and the team prepared to go into the planet solo, but the Aparoids activated an auxiliary shield. However, as the Great Fox was under heavy attack by aparoids, Peppy and R.O.B. presumably sacrificed themselves by ramming the ship into the shield, taking it down just long enough for the Star Fox Team to get through. The Aparoids threw everything they had in desperation at Star Fox and the Star Wolf team, which had also some how gotten through the Aparoid's defenses, but were unable to stop Star Fox from entering the Queen's lair with Star Wolf battling a group of aparoids that has previously blocked Fox from proceeding further.
The Aparoid Queen, the source of all Aparoid will and instinct.
A fierce battle followed, with the Queen using information from things she had abosrbed to try and covince Star Fox that the Aparoids were not an enemy using the voices of his friends and father. Star Fox succeeded in launching the self-destruct Program into the queen, but she began suppressing it and tried to escape, which would allow her to create an antibody. Star Fox flew down and fought another battle with the Queen and was able to set the program off. The Aparoids, the Queen, and their homeworld were wiped out by the explosion killing every Aparoid, and ending the Aparoid threat by driving them to extinction.
Varieties
Troops
The most basic Aparoid unit, dubbed the Aparoid Crawler by fans, is only slightly larger than Fox; they attack by charging at him and can be disposed of with one shot from a blaster.
A slightly bigger and deadlier Aparoid, dubbed the Aparoid Dragoon by fans, acts like a mortar and is protected against basic blaster shots and machine-gun fire, but not charged shots. A missile-firing variant, the Advanced Aparoid Dragoon, can be seen on the Aparoid Homeworld.
The Aparoid Light Assault Tank is a small Aparoid tank that rides around as a rover, and has two laser turrets it will shoot at you.
The Aparoid Laser Turret is a small Aparoid shaped like a turret, and stays in one place. It also is used as an anti-aircraft cannon, though isn't very effective.
The Aparoid Mortar is a a blue Aparoid that stays in one place, and fires glowing orbs as mortars.
The Aparoid Missile Launchers are another form of the Aparoid Mortar that is green, and fires missiles.
Another, much bigger Aparoid, the Aparoid Roller, normally remains in its spherical shell firing missiles. If you get close enough, it reveals its vulnerable head to charge towards you.
There is a space variant known as, the Aparoid Fighters.
Another more powerful space variant is the Aparoid Bomber, which, as it's name suggests, bombs out areas in either space, or on a planet.
The Aparoid Razor is another air variant, but goes considerably faster than the Aparoid Fighter.
The Aparoid Stinger is another air variant that spins, and fires a powerful plasma blast.
There are more bigger Aparoids that take several hits, encountered only in Meteo and the Homeworld Core. If this Aparoid is destroyed, more smaller Aparoids will take its place.
There are also extremely powerful Aparoids, the Aparoid Spinner, that serve as the Aparoid Queen's last line of defense at the core. They can charge up a dark energy ball similar to that of the infected General Pepper. Star Fox only got by these because Star Wolf distracted them. Presumably they were destroyed only when the self-destruct program caused the Aparoid queen and all the remaining Aparoids to self-destruct.
Finally, there are Aparoid Hatchers. Their sole purpose is to spawn more Aparoids. They have the ability to cling to walls, though they lack any defensive measures and do not attack Fox when he approaches. However, if Fox touches them, he suffers some damage.
Aparoid BOT:Sentry Bots
When Fox was in the Fichina Climate Control Center:(FCCC), these guys suddenly appeared by the dozens. They travel in packs and use swiping talons to eliminate their targets. Ironically, they were blind (both sensor wise and visually). It was implied that the Sentry Bots weren't always Aparoids. They can absorb any weapon, though are vulnerable when they attack.
There are also types of Aparoids that stay in one spot and act as living structures such as turrets or entire bases.
Bosses
These Aparoids are tougher than normal Aparoids. These Aparoids often carry Core Memories which reveal valuable information about the Aparoids (such as their ultimate weakness-apoptosis). Once a boss Aparoid is destroyed, any weaker Aparoids surrounding them die as well.
The fan-dubbed Aparoid Moth is the first Aparoid encountered in Star Fox: Assault. It attacks with lasers on its wings and abdomen, and is capable of space flight.
Another Aparoid Boss (called Aparoid Walker) is a large four-legged monster that has a multitude of attacks and powerful anti-aircraft defenses.
The Aparoid Generator is another boss fought on Fichina. It was origionally just a generator for the climate control center, but Pigma transformed it with a Core Memory. It is one, of the two bosses that doesn't carry a Core Memory.
The Aparoid Missile is an Aparoid that functions as a missile. There are three differant types: The first is a regular missile that goes fast, but is relatively weak. The second is one similar to the first one, but has a large bulbous area, and goes slower. The third is the largest, and most powerful missile. It is composed of three parts, and accelerates as it loses each one. This Aparoid is one of the two Aparoid bosses to not have a Core Memory.
Aparoid Generator
This Aparoid was the only one to be a full robotic life form. It was originally the cooling unit for the climate control generator on planet Fichina. Pigma, however, created this monster that shoots enemies out of its mouth, flies when its legs are damaged, and dis-inhabits the planet in less than severn minutes (depending on difficulty).
The Aparoid Queen
Described by General Pepper as "The source of all Aparoid will", the Queen is capable of imitating the people that have been assimilated by the Aparoids. Their race claims that "It is not sacrifice, but evolution," and that all things are made for them to infect. When Star Fox Team entered and executed the self-destruct program, the entire species was destroyed.
Aparoidedation
Aparoidedation as depicted by Peppy Hare (light) and Pigma Dengar (severe)
Aparoids can also infect other machines and organisms to add to their ranks through a process called Aparoidedation, the end result being a fusion of sorts between the technology, the Cornerian, and the Aparoid. This doesn't appear to be a fast process, but that perhaps depends on the individual. In addition, Aparoidedation, like various illnesses, also have various stages: A light stage has minor disfiguration to the right side that resembles bluish-green cybernetic code/cracks, as evidenced with Peppy Hare shortly before sending the Great Fox on a collision course with the Aparoid homeworld's shield generator, and a severe state, which has the greenish-blue fracture code enveloping the entire right arm as well as a large portion of the right side of the victim's face, severely dark discoloration of the un-cybernetic coded face, red eyes, and part of the victim's internal organs being exposed on the right side, as evidenced by Pigma Dengar when he was infected. The victim's legs may be reduced to a tentaclish puddle if fusing with large machinery when undergoing severe Aparoidedation, as evidenced by Pigma when fusing with the satellite. Both Peppy and Pigma's Aparoidedation, regardless of how severe it was, indicated that the process starts on the right side of the victim, plus the Great Fox was infected on the right side of the hull when it first appeared before its destruction. During their invasion of Corneria, the Aparoidedation was able to control many Cornerians, including General Pepper, who was fused with his flagship. The process appears to be reversible, as it is later revealed that Pepper survived the experience, but it may be fatal as shown when a Thorntail that was infected with Aparoidedation, was lying on its side as if it was dead.
Pigma was also assimilated by the Aparoids, although it appears, though reluctant at first due to the fact that he would have to turn down a profit to do so, that he joined up with them as a last resort to avoid capture from the Star Fox Team, also revelling in his newfound power upon undergoing Aparoidedation. Also, he infected the Cooling Station of the Weather Control Center with Aparoids on Fichina. The Aparoids fused him with a giant satellite but he was destroyed (unless Command is believed to be canon, in which case he survives as a cube).
Trivia
- The Aparoids are very similar to the "Borg" from Star Trek; their collective consciousness and relentless endeavour to assimilate all lifeforms and technology in the galaxy are very similar. They also bear a resemblance to the insect-like aliens from Starship Troopers.
- The Aparoid race live, fight and reproduce in similar manners to Ant or Bee colonys. There are foot soldiers on the ground and in the air like Ants. The Aparoid Queen is very similar to the enourmous Queens of both species as they are the source of reproduction and are found in tunnel like dwellings. The Aparoid Homeworlds decor and technologies are built in honeycombed or hexagon shaped patterns which Bees are often associated with.
- The Aparoids are so far the only major villainous group in the series to not have any prior ties to Andross, either being directly affiliated with him or as pawns.
- a fan therory suggests that the Aparoids are nanotechnology based robots although the theory is still up for debate