- "But that is the process that allows [the Locust] to learn, to grow. Without a queen, they remain... unguided."
- —Dr. Niles Samson explaining the Locust's need for a Queen.
Queens are the primary females of the Locust species, with the ability to control them through the Hivemind. Queens are usually human and directly related to Myrrah, whereas Berserkers are the main reproductive force and are unable to independently lead the Horde. Myrrah was a human with a unique genetic reaction to Imulsion. Upon combining Myrrah's embryonic stem cells with Sire DNA, human children afflicted with Rustlung and mutated by the genetic material of Hollow animals, the scientists at the Mount Kadar Laboratory generated a female hybrid called the Matriarch.
When the Matriarch produced the first generation of Locust Drones, she established the Hivemind - a telepathic connection located in the temporal lobe that acted as psychomagnetic link to all members of their species. Through this, the Locust were able to communicate with each other telepathically and enhance their intelligence. Within the Hivemind, the Queen is the only one capable of controlling it - thereby leading the Locust. She can also communicate telepathically, cause hallucinations, and remotely possess and control the Locust. Without a physical queen, the Locust will remain unguided and unable to grow.
Due to Myrrah's embryonic stem cells being used to create the Locust, only those directly related to Myrrah can control the Hivemind. Myrrah's daughter, Reyna, and granddaughter, Kait, are the only other queens. After her death in 17 A.E., Myrrah's consciousness was transferred to the Matriarch. As the Locust evolved into the Swarm by 42 A.E., designed as a fail-safe by co-creator Doctor Niles Samson and triggered by the Imulsion countermeasure radiation wave, Myrrah transformed Reyna into the Swarm's Queen by integrating her with a Hive and possessing her body after her Kait severed her telepathic link by killing the Matriarch.
History[]
Locust[]
During the Pendulum Wars, the Locust were created through combining the DNA of the Sires, children afflicted with Rustlung and mutated by the DNA of Hollow animals, with the embryonic stem cells of Myrrah, a human female born with a unique genetic reaction to Imulsion. This combination created the Matriarch, a female hybrid able to produce the first generation of Drones. Due to Myrrah's stem cells being used to create the Locust, a Hivemind was established between all members of their species. According to Dr. Niles Samson, who created the Locust, Myrrah assumed her role as "queen" among the Locust in order for them to learn and grow. Otherwise, the Locust would remain unguided. While Myrrah possessed decelerated aging, she was not immortal. Thus, only relatives from her direct line could inherit the connection to the Hivemind's abilities. While the term "queen" is not necessary, Myrrah gave herself the title in order to feel more embedded in Sera's history. Myrrah only had one human daughter, Reyna, with fellow scientist, Dr. Torres. Reyna had also inherited the connection to the Hivemind, with the same abilities to control the Locust. However, Torres escaped the facility with Reyna - and Samson lied that Reyna had died during the escape attempt. In her grief, Myrrah fully assumed her role as Queen and led the Locust to massacre the scientists.
As Queen of the Locust Horde, Myrrah led her people deeper into the caverns of Mount Kadar and built their civilization known to them as Nexus. Within Nexus was the Royal Palace in which she resided. The Horde developed an industry of architecture, science, military, religion, and culture. Queen Myrrah's embryonic stem cells and sexual reproduction with the female Drones grew their people into great numbers, which then resulted in the mantra of the Trinity of Worms: The Queen makes strong Drones, the Drones secure Nexus, Nexus covers the Queen. While Myrrah had the ability to control them, she only used her abilities to communicate with them, thus allowing for partial free will. Despite this, the Locust devoutly followed her due to the lives she had given them. She led the Locust during the Lambent War, in which they fought against their own kind who had been infected by the Imulsion and turned them into the Lambent. Desperate, she led the Locust to war against humanity in order to colonize the surface. After fourteen years into the Locust War, Queen Myrrah planned to sink Jacinto City in order to flood the Hollow to drown the Lambent and deny the humans the last safe place on Sera. Humanity discovered her plans, however, and sank Jacinto before all of her people could evacuate. Queen Myrrah and her people survived, but their civilization was lost. Those closest to her formed the Queen's Guard, but those who lost Queen Myrrah's influence regressed to the Savage Locust.
Queen Myrrah of the Locust Horde.
After the sinking of Jacinto, the Lambent Pandemic began. She then discovered that her former collaborator during the Lambent War, Professor Adam Fenix, was still alive and developed the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon to destroy the Lambent. However, the targeted-radiation device aimed at killing Imulsion cells would affect the Locust too due to their genetic history. Queen Myrrah captured Professor Fenix and ordered him to retune the device to only kill the Lambent but to also kill the humans as well. The Coalition of Ordered Governments and Union of Independent Republics liberated Professor Fenix and fought the remainder of Queen Myrrah's army. Professor Fenix was successful in activating the Imulsion Countermeasure. The Lambent were vaporized and the Locust collapsed into a chrysalis state. Queen Myrrah was then stabbed in the chest by Sgt. Marcus Fenix.
Swarm[]
Unknown to the humans, both the Locust and Myrrah survived. The Locust had expelled the Imulsion from their cells to form an impenetrable crystalline shell to act as a chrysalis for metamorphosis. As the Locust survived, so did the Hivemind, as did the consciousness of Myrrah. Samson had genetically designed them to withstand generational conflict by engineering the trait for them to hibernate and evolve against an extinction-level event. Meanwhile, Myrrah's daughter Reyna produced a child, Kait, with Gabriel Diaz. Kait had also inherited her genetic connection to the Hivemind and the abilities to control it. After twenty-five years of evolution, the Locust Horde emerged in 42 A.E. as the Scions.
Queen Reyna of the Swarm.
Queen Myrrah was able to somewhat lead them, but the Scions were in need of an army and a physical Queen to guide them. They then developed the Swarm, a bio-organism connected to the Hivemind that allows for the transformation of any lifeform to be converted into a member of the Hivemind. The Scions began capturing humans with Snatchers, placing them into pods, and transforming them into Juvies, later into Drones in the Swarm army. A former Locust War veteran, the Speaker, was appointed the leader of the Swarm until their Queen could be found. Eventually, the Swarm located Reyna at Fort Umson. By kidnapping Myrrah's biological daughter, Reyna, they connected her to the Hive and in an attempt to have Myrrah possess her body and transform her into their new queen. However, upon Reyna's request, had Kait di allowing them to develop new weapons, armor, and strategic attacks.
Abilities[]
Queens have the innate ability to control the Hivemind, and thereby able to control all those connected. Only human females directly related to Myrrah can control the Hivemind. The Matriarch, the progenitor of the Locust and its Hivemind, was subservient to Myrrah but was also able to influence the Hivemind, in addition she amplified the Queen's connection to the Hivemind - allowing the Queen greater control over the Locust. The link is hereditary, as the Matriarch, Myrrah's human daughter, Reyna Torres, and granddaughter, Kait Diaz, have access. Within the Hivemind, the Queen is capable of illusions, mind control, telepathy, and consciousness transferal; making her practically immortal. When the Hive lacks a physical Queen, they remain unguided until they seek a vessel for her.
Known Queens[]
- Myrrah (c. 40 B.E. - Bloom, 17 A.E.)
- Matriarch (Bloom, 17 A.E. - Frost, 42 A.E.)
- Kait Diaz (Frost, 42 A.E.)
- Reyna Diaz (Frost, 42 A.E. - present)
Behind the Scenes[]
- The idea of a queen being the biological leader of the Locust was inspired by various eusocial insects such as bees, ants, and termites. Much like the Locust, if a bee colony loses their queen, or gyne, they dedicate themselves to developing a replacement. If a replacement queen bee cannot be found, the colony will decline in population and die out.
Appearances[]
- The Rise of RAAM
- Gears Tactics
- RAAM's Shadow (Voice only)
- The Slab
- Gears of War (First appearance) (Voice only)
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
- Aspho Fields
- Gears of War 2
- Dirty Little Secrets
- Gears of War 4
- Ascendance
- Gears 5
- Bloodlines