Protozoan

The Protozoan is an inoffensive creature seen on Xen.

Overview[]

The Protozoan appears as a bluish, transparent orb-like entity orbiting above the ground, with a smaller reddish sphere inside, also transparent and turning on itself. It has no AI, cannot be destroyed, and does not react to the player's or any NPC's presence.

It is first seen in Half-Life for a few seconds during the Resonance Cascade, orbiting behind two Bullsquids drinking from a Healing Pool. It is also seen in the same map in Opposing Force (reached several times with the Displacer Cannon) as well as Decay, at the very start of the bonus chapter, Xen Attacks.

Behind the scenes[]

The "protozoan" (Gr. "prôtos", "first" + "zôon", "animal"), also named "protozoon", actually exists. It covers any of a large group of single-celled, usually microscopic, eukaryotic protist organisms commonly living in water, such as amoebas, ciliates, flagellates, and sporozoans.^[1] Protozoa can be plants, fungi, or animals. Thus, the Xen Protozoan can be considered as an extremely enlarged aerial protozoan.

Trivia[]

"Protozoa", the model name, is actually the plural form.
When viewing its model in a model viewer, it is completely opaque. Its transparency only appears in-game.

Gallery[]

List of appearances[]

References[]

↑ Protozoan on The Free Dictionary

Xen
Creatures	Alien Aircraft • Alien Controller • Alien Grunt • Archer (cut) • Armored Headcrab • Barnacle • Boid • Bullsquid • Charger (cut) • Chumtoad • Fast Headcrab • Fast Walker (cut) • Flocking Floater (cut) • Gargantua• Gonarch • Headcrab • Houndeye • Ichthyosaur • Kingpin (cut) • Leech • Lightning Dog • Mr. Friendly (cut) • Nihilanth • Panther Eye (cut) • Poison Headcrab • Protozoan • Prrobot (cut) • Quiver Creature (cut) • Sand Barnacle (cut) • Snapbug (cut) • Snark • Sphere (cut) • Standard Headcrab • Stukabat (cut) • Tentacle • Unidentified Quiver Creature (cut) • Vortigaunt • Zombie
Weapons	Black Hole Gun (cut) • Ceiling Turret • Grenade • Hivehand • Sentry Cannon • Snark • Snark Mine
Technology	Healing Shower • Thumper
Other	Crystal • Fungus • Healing Pool • Light Stalk • Trampoline • Tree

Creatures
Antlions	Antlion • Antlion Grub • Antlion Guard • Antlion Guardian • Antlion King (cut) • Antlion Rollergrub (cut) • Antlion Soldier • Antlion Worker
Headcrabs	Headcrab • Fast Headcrab • Gonarch • Poison Headcrab • Standard Headcrab • Headcrab Shell • Armored Headcrab • Reviver • Bloody Headcrab • Big Momma Pod (cut)
Race X	Gene Worm • Pit Drone • Pit Worm • Shock Roach • Shock Trooper • Spore Launcher • Sprite • Voltigore
Synths	Synth • Advisor Pod • Attack Synth (cut) • Combine Guard (cut) • Combine Mobile Mine (cut) • Combine Super Soldier (cut) • Combine Synth Elite Soldier (cut) • Crab Synth • Cremator (cut) • Combine Dropship • Combine Gunship • Hunter • Mortar Synth • Sacktick (cut) • Shield Scanner • Strider • Unidentified cut Synth (cut) • Wasteland Scanner (cut)
Xen	Alien Aircraft • Alien Controller • Alien Grunt • Archer (cut) • Barnacle • Boid • Bullsquid • Charger (cut) • Chumtoad • Fast Walker (cut) • Flocking Floater (cut) • Gargantua • Headcrab • Houndeye • Ichthyosaur • Kingpin (cut) • Leech • Mr. Friendly (cut) • Nihilanth • Panther Eye (cut) • Protozoan • Prrobot (cut) • Sand Barnacle (cut) • Snapbug (cut) • Snark • Sphere (cut) • Stukabat (cut) • Tentacle • Unidentified Quiver Creature (cut) • Vortigaunt
Zombies	Zombie • Fast Zombie • Gonome • Poison Zombie • Standard Zombie • Zombine • Zombie Assassin (cut) • Jeff • Lightning Dog Zombie • Bloody Headcrab Zombie • Armored Zombie
Other	Alien Fauna (cut) • Combine Advisor • Earth creatures • Hydra (cut) • Jeff • Jelly Blobber (cut) • Mantis Man • Particle Storm (cut) • Skitch (cut) • Stampeder (cut) • Test Subject 042 • Tripod Hopper (cut)

[1] Protozoan on The Free Dictionary

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