Genestealer

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A creature in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Genestealers have undergone many fluff revisions since their inception.

Rogue Trader

In the first edition of Warhammer 40,000, Genestealers were simply one of many creatures encountered in space, spreading from the moon of Ymgarl; they could be extremely dangerous, and they had a gruesome lifestyle reminiscent of the Xenomorphs, but otherwise had little to distinguish themselves -- notably, they were not connected with the Tyranids at all. Indeed, the core rulebook noted that Genestealers with human ancestry could be intelligent, and even friendly! Their natural form had an almost leech-like head, and they were specifically described as "vampirish."

Space Hulk

Genestealers received a significant bump in their threat level with the release of the Space Hulk board game. The game made it clear that the Genestealers were a much more virulent and widespread menace than their initial description, and their head was changed to have a much toothier mouth.

Later Editions

In later editions of Warhammer 40,000, the Genestealers were revealed to be (or retconned into, depending on your point of view) vanguard organisms for the Tyranid Hive Fleets. They infiltrate a world, infecting people with their implants and creating a Genestealer Cult; when the cult is large enough, its psychic signal calls down the Hive Fleet, while the Genestealers and their hybrid offspring sabotage the world's defenses from within.