History
Starro refers both to a starfish-shaped alien species also known as Star Conquerors, and their humanoid leader, Starro the Conqueror, a member of the Hatorei species who used their innate psychic abilities to communicate with oneanother in the distant past and now uses the method to enslave and gain control of a Star Conqueror Motherstar to use the other Starros as his instrument of conquest.
Over billions of years ago a lone Mother Star set it's singular eye upon the world of Hatorei, inhabited by a pre-modern civilization who shared a natural psionic link throughout and between everyone on the planets entire population. Back then, the Star Conqueror were merely predatory beasts who would roam the cosmos enslaving whole species for the purpose of building nests to nurture and ingratiate their next queen, giving birth to a whole new Mother Star as the old ones would eventually pass on from old age.[1]
They would work the Hatorie to death as the years rolled by but in doing so, they tainted the natural hive mind the native species used to maintain they're way of life. All of the collective bile, fear and resentment at their imprisonment would circulate around and between the last surviving members of the enslaved race. The last of whom being the younger brother of one whose final act of defiance would transfer their madness into the Starro's future master.
Justice League
Science City was the site of one of the first attacks by the alien menace known as Starro the Conqueror. Starro sent one of his transformed agents to secure the Hall of Science building, and absorb the scientific knowledge of its residents. Wonder Woman and the Martian Manhunter of the Justice League of America flew to Science City to combat Starro and rescue the captured scientists.
In a possible future setting, a Starro took control of time traveler Rip Hunter and used him to send his spores backwards in time to Avignon, France in 1348. From there, he was able to retroactively take control of the entire world. The time-traveling super-hero Booster Gold used Rip Hunter's Time Sphere to travel to the future and correct the time anomaly that enabled Starro to come to power.[2]
Later, Starro takes control of L.E.G.I.O.N. and uses their widespread galactic influence to further his goals towards dominating the universe.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Alien Physiology
- Superhuman Strength: Although not as strong as Superman, Starro can lift several tons.
- Reproduction: Starro can transform at least 3 ordinary Earth-based starfishes into loyal duplicates of itself, as big in size as the original Starro. It is unknown if he can do the same with its starfish parasites. These duplicates are reverted to normal starfishes when given enough damage.[4]
- Consuming enough protein,[5] Starro can asexually generate small parasitic starfishes from its own body and command them to act in accordance with its will. Although equipped with only limited mobility, Starro parasites can attach themselves to a victim's face or back of the head. The parasite clones with it's 5 limbs with one sharp claw on each tip end to support the parasite go into "siege mode" or tighten it's limbs or arms around the victim/host's face or back of the head or the location of the central nervous system, sometimes they will position themselves to hide underneath long hair before attachment. Starro's parasite clones will communicate telepathically to Starro when it has position itself correctly. As Starro will communicate telepathically back to the parasite clones latch It's central mouth to the brain or a body's central nervous system, subsequently taking control of both their mind and body. Sometimes, Starro's parasite clones will tell the victim/host to wear a hat or helmet to stay hidden on the superior or dominant race on any planet it's invading. A Starro parasite can maintain control over its victim/host for an extended period of time, forcing them to obey their every whim, even if it goes against the nature of the selected target. This ability only works so long as the parasite maintains physical contact with its victim. Once the parasite is removed, the victim regains control of their mind and motor function once again. The victim/host will have nausea, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, migraines, or heavy drowsiness.
- Regeneration: Despite its immense resilience and energy absorption capabilities, Starro probes are still susceptible to physical injury if dealt enough damaging force. The larger Starros are capable of physiological regenesis in the likely event of suffering severe abrasion.
- Flight: A fully grown Starro is capable of wingless flight in both outer space and atmospheric environments.[4]
- Mind Control: He can, besides control individual targets via his parasites, mentally control a small crowd of ordinary humans. [4]
- Remote Mental Influence: Even without a Starro parasite directly controlling a host, The larger Starro can influence minds on a more indirect level by reaching out to the dreaming within the resting subconscious mind. Able to appropriate induced sleep within a host to ensnare them within its own wakeless fantasy allowing it to probe and assimilate the minds of countless potential vessels that it can then seed with a smaller Starro organism later on. The victim/host will have nausea, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, migraines, heavy drowsiness, or blackouts while awake from Starro's telepathically effects.[6]
- Energy Absorption and Projection: Starro, both mini-clones and larger progenitor, can absorb energy and re-channel it as powerful blasts of energy, which it directs through the tip of each tentacle as well from its central eye at any given moment to make itself unpredictable with it's attacks.
- Invulnerability: A fully grown Starro is impervious to most conventional forms of attack. Any Gunfire, missiles, and similar weapons are ineffective against a Starro, including nuclear weapons. Starro will use it's energy absorption ability to defend itself from any of it's attackers to reverse channel the firepower back to it's enemies.
- Decelerated Aging: Starro's race can reach millions of years.
- Color Alteration: Starro can change the color of its skin to (presumably) any color of its choosing. It once changed its hue to yellow in order to fend off attacks by Green Lantern.
- Terraforming: The much larger Starro' in the parasitic species roster can range to the size of planetary ocean bodies in scale. As an added quality these massive probes are capable of aggressively changing global ecosystems on a small or larger range such as alienating the whether patterns for offensive needs.[7]
- Power Distribution: The Psions, after invasion by the Starro controlled L.E.G.I.O.N task force drones, experimented on some Star Conqueror's which decimated their homeworld. They remodeled a couple of it's lesser spores in order to make them work for the user and not the other-way around. They also bolster the natural abilities of the host user; making them tougher, stronger and amping any special powers they may possess.[8]
Abilities
Adapt to any environment, rapidly produce parasite clones, and to eat/drain/absorb planet's magnetic energy and ocean life to surface life.
Weaknesses
- Vulnerability to Cold
- Vulnerability to garden lime[4]
- Starro's Energy Blasts are unusable against lead.[4]
- Underneath/bottom of Starro is a blind spot, If Starro caught early beforehand of it's Terraforming. Then the following powers/abilities can be used are: Freeze Breath, Super Strength
- Anti-Starro Toxin: A unique brew, particularly caustic to the Starro breed held on a planet long since razed by the Conqueror himself. Proved to be incredibly debilitating to the alien Star Fish race, causing them to petrify and be rendered in an inert coma like state.[9]
- Tribulus's Mental Lightning: Lyrl Dox son of Brainiac 3, had altered the abilities of his father's pet giant. Now his psychoactive lightning carried a charge which was lethal to Starro's Star Conqueror spores, the effect being akin to salting a slug in his words.[10]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Qwardian Power Battery Possibly (Formerly)
Weapons
5 Qwardian Power Rings (Formerly)
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
- Starro the Conqueror was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky. The Starro species was further developed by writer Grant Morrison.
Trivia
- The biology of the Starro parasites is similar to, and predates, that of the Facehugger parasites seen in the 1979 movie, Alien and its corresponding sequels.
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- Justice League of America
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- Sandman (Daniel Hall)
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Recommended Reading
- Adventure Comics #451
- The Brave and the Bold (Volume 1) #28
- Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew #1
- Crisis on Infinite Earths #9
- JLA #22
- JLA #23
- JLA Secret Files and Origins #1
- Justice League of America (Volume 1) #189
- Justice League of America (Volume 1) #190
- Justice League Europe #24
- Justice League Europe #25
- Justice League Europe #26
- Justice League Europe #27
- Justice League Europe #28
- Justice League of America (Volume 2) #1 (presence retroactively implied)
- Justice League of America (Volume 2) #2 (presence retroactively implied)
- Justice League of America (Volume 2) #3
- Justice League of America (Volume 2) #4
Related
- 83 Appearances of Starro (New Earth)
- 15 Images featuring Starro (New Earth)
- 2 Quotations by or about Starro (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Starro (New Earth)
External Links
Footnotes
  This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains." |
 This character is or was a member of the Sinestro Corps, chosen by Sinestro to counteract the Green Lantern Corps and spread terror throughout their sector with a Power Ring. |
 This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Green Lantern Villains." |