Metamorphosis was a biological process of transformation from one form into another, typically in multiple stages or phases from immature to an adult. Metamorphosis typically occurred through birth or hatching. Some types of lifeforms that went through metamorphosis included insects, fish, amphibians, mollusks, and crustaceans. An example of an animal going through metamorphosis would be a larval caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.
In 2259, Nurse Christine Chapel was selected for the job of altering the genomes of a USS Enterprise away team, comprising the Vulcan Spock and the Humans La'an Noonien-Singh and Christopher Pike, to that of the Kiley species. The humanoid Kiley were a close match to most of the crew's physiology and genetics, but a few alterations were needed for Spock, Noonien-Singh, and Pike to blend in. The procedure involved a hypospray injection which made minor alterations to their genetic code and induced internal celerity to express short-term changes to their biology, which according to Chapel was safe almost every time. Their bodies underwent compressed, jury rigged metamorphosis which was painful without a sedative. Chapel stated that since Vulcans were more complex and Spock's half-Human genome was unique, his first-time metamorphosis might not last as long. (SNW: "Strange New Worlds")
See also[]
- Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome
- Celerity-induced accelerated somatic mutation rate
- Cellular metamorphosis
- Metamorphic ability
- Selected DNA exchange
- Species reassignment protocol