In the science-fiction television series Lexx

Lexx

Lexx is a science fantasy television series that follows the adventures of a group of mismatched individuals aboard the organic space craft Lexx. They travel through two universes and encounter planets including a parody of the Earth....

, the Insect Civilization is an ancient race of massive millipede

Millipede

Millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...

-like organisms bent on destroying the Brunnen-G

Brunnen-G

The Brunnen-G are a race of humanoids on the TV series Lexx. They were a society of romantic warriors, most famous for their key part in defeating the Insect Civilization during the Insect Wars...

 and all of Humanity

Human Race

Human Race refers to the Human species.Human race may also refer to:*The Human Race, 79th episode of YuYu Hakusho* Human Race Theatre Company of Dayton Ohio* Human Race Machine, a computer graphics device...

.

The Early War

The Insect Civilization's first forays into the Brunnen-G war are sketchy at best, but it seems as though through this war, they gained an instinctive hate for humans in general and the Brunnen-G in particular. The war lasted for many years, and the Insects' renowned cunning was not enough. Although it is never clear exactly how the Brunnen-G actually defeated the Insects, when faced with the task of destroying Mantrid

Mantrid

Mantrid was the main antagonist of the second season of Lexx. He was played by Dieter Laser.When he was alive, he was the supreme Bio-Vizier of His Divine Shadow , until His Shadow exiled him to a barren snow-covered world...

, Kai

Kai (LEXX)

Kai, Last of the Brunnen-G, is an undead assassin on the science fiction television show Lexx. He is played by Michael McManus.-Character history:...

 remarked that the Brunnen-G were able to defeat the insects because they were methodical, and therefore predictable.

Insect Reproduction

Although the exact means of Insect reproduction is never made clear in the series, the Giga Shadow (the last surviving member of the Insect Civilisation) had many young attached to its body, despite having no mate. This could mean that Insects either reproduce asexually, are self-fertilised, or the Gigashadow was inseminated by artificial means.

Do They Die?

Insects are capable of surviving beyond the death of their bodies. Insects possess a special transference organ that allow them to transfer their essence into a suitable host. These hosts are usually their offspring. This act of mental parasitism

Parasitism

Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...

 is common to all Insects, but as most Insects were destroyed, leaving them with a dearth of young to inherit

Inherit

Inherit may refer to:* Inheritance, passing on of property after someone's death* Heredity, passing of genetic traits to offspring* Inheritance , way to compartmentalize and re-use computer code...

their consciousnesses, their defeat in the Great Insect War was assured. The last surviving Insect was desperate enough to avoid this problem by transferring its essence into a succession of human hosts while its body recovered its strength.