Why does the retrovirus suddenly work and then not work (Spoilers)

[startrekker]

In the episode "Instinct" where the retro-virus was introduced, Illia use the virus on herself, and granted it worked in reverse, but when Sheppard and his team captured the hiveship in "No Man's Land," the queen was immune.

What happened here? If Illia wasn't immune, why was the queen?

[SaberBlade]

When Illia took it, the virus was in a very early stage of development and it's effects were completely unpredictable, thats assuming it would have worked at all.

Since then, male DNA and subjects have been used to test it and it's possible it's been coded to be a male wraith virus, or it's just that the women are just so different genetically when compared to the males

[rarocks24]

Actually, the Queen's face was all messed up....maybe she was mutating?

[TheUnknown]

In the episode "Instinct" where the retro-virus was introduced, Illia use the virus on herself, and granted it worked in reverse, but when Sheppard and his team captured the hiveship in "No Man's Land," the queen was immune.

What happened here? If Illia wasn't immune, why was the queen?

As you said, it didn't "work" on Ellia. Although the retrovirus didn't turn the queen human, it seemed to harm her. Plus, Ellia was a child, so her immunity to it may have been different.

[GreyFox]

whjat they said

[Ouroboros]

Actually, the Queen's face was all messed up....maybe she was mutating?

I think that can be explained by Seinfeld's theory of the "twoface". It's a well documented phenomenon with Wraith women.

[LORD MONK]

whjat they said

Ya, that pretty much sums it up.

[Wraith_Hunter]

In the episode "Instinct" where the retro-virus was introduced, Illia use the virus on herself, and granted it worked in reverse, but when Sheppard and his team captured the hiveship in "No Man's Land," the queen was immune.

What happened here? If Illia wasn't immune, why was the queen?

A couple of reasons, she wasn't a queen as far as we knew. She was only a child plus more importantly the retro-virus was still in it's early stages at that point. Between 'Instinct' & 'No Mans Land' there was a period of just over 6 months or so. So Beck obviously had a gfood deal of time to properly refine it.

However more importantly, they referenced exactly this question in 'NML' itself. Right after they shoot her, McKay says about Beck wondering if it had any effect on the Queens. So obviously Queens are far more stronger & resiliant than ordinary Wraith.

Couple all that together & you get your answer!

[Wolf_Girl_Passion]

Becuse Beckett was doing something whay out of his level of knowlage,And he should have exprimented more with it first.(i love beckett more then anyone just so ya know)

[rarocks24]

Well, given that Beckett's job is in gene therapy, I don't think he was doing something way out of his knowledge.

Gene therapy is perhaps the single most effective medical wave of the future, far better than these stem cell issues.

[Spacegirlnz]

When Ellia took it, the virus was in a very early stage of development and it's effects were completely unpredictable, thats assuming it would have worked at all.

Since then, male DNA and subjects have been used to test it and it's possible it's been coded to be a male wraith virus, or it's just that the women are just so different genetically when compared to the males

As you said, it didn't "work" on Ellia. Although the retrovirus didn't turn the queen human, it seemed to harm her.

Maybe one of the reason Ellia mutated was because she's female. I mean, I know the retroviris was still in it's experimental stage, but what if the reason she reacted so badly was cause she's female. If she was male would it have happened the same way?

Actually, the Queen's face was all messed up....maybe she was mutating?

It kind of looks that way. Just the side of her face. But the lights kinda blue-ish so you can't really tell if she's mutating like Ellia did.

As you said, it didn't "work" on Ellia. Although the retrovirus didn't turn the queen human, it seemed to harm her.

Yeah, she seemed kind of dazed when Lorne and Sheppard first found her.

[Ouroboros]

It kind of looks that way. Just the side of her face. But the lights kinda blue-ish so you can't really tell if she's mutating like Ellia did.

It's just the lighting. She looked awful in the lighting of the hiveship period. This is what I was talking about with the Seinfeld twoface thing. The wraith women are like that.

You can get this


Or this



out of the same one.

Bad lighting on the porch indeed.

[RepliHawk]

Actually, the Queen's face was all messed up....maybe she was mutating?

I must of missed that part.Why would it just mutate her and not anyone else

[SaberBlade]

I must of missed that part.Why would it just mutate her and not anyone else

Well look at what happened to the male crew, they mutated back into humans, so her mutating, but not so effectively was possible.

However, Wasn't it stated that Beckett didn't think it would work on Wraith females? I can't actually say I saw her mutate, plus with Beckett's believe it wouldn't work on her, it gives the impression it was more of bad lighting than na actual transformation.

[the fifth man]

Well look at what happened to the male crew, they mutated back into humans, so her mutating, but not so effectively was possible.

However, Wasn't it stated that Beckett didn't think it would work on Wraith females? I can't actually say I saw her mutate, plus with Beckett's believe it wouldn't work on her, it gives the impression it was more of bad lighting than na actual transformation.

I kind of think it was probably the lighting as well.