Krikkiter

The Krikkiters are an extremely xenophobic extraterrestrial species native to the planet Krikkit and were responsible for what is widely considered the most devastating interstellar war of the galactic history.

Once a peaceful, timid and good-mannered humanoid species fond of singing songs, the Krikkiters were completely isolated from the rest of the universe due to their home planet and star (the only two components of a rather simple planetary system) being enclosed within a deep black cloud of space dust. Accustomed to having nothing to see in the sky except for the sun (which they could not stare at for long anyway), the Krikkiters were totally unaware of even the possibility of something existing beyond their world, and thus were not even able to look above to investigate the source of strange noises when an unmanned spacecraft collapsed on their homeworld. Absolutely baffled by the event; they quickly proceeded to study the craft and construct their own vessel, the Krikkit One; thus distinguishing themselves as the species with the shortest period from wondering about the possibilities of life on other worlds to the launching of their first spaceship. Aboard the Krikkit One, they finally left the black cloud and marveled at the unending panorama of stars and worlds out there; and then decided that they must destroy it all.

The Krikkit War lasted for two thousand years and resulted in over one grillion (sic) casualties before the Krikkiters were judged by a galactic trial and sentenced to confinement on their homeworld, which was turned into a Slo-Time envelope zone (within which time would pass much slower than usual) and finally locked away by a powerful key device known as the Wikkit Gate; which was ultimately destroyed in order to prevent the Krikkiters from ever escaping their prison.

The Krikkit War was mostly fought with humanoid robots carrying wide rackets which they used to hit explosive sphere bombs; most sapient races on the galaxy still have subconscious racial memories of these disastrous events, although only humans (and Englishmen specifically) managed to show such a tremendous bad taste as using them as inspiration for a popular sport.

Ten billion years after the war, it was discovered that at least one Krikkit warship crewed by their loyal robots was still around and had managed to reassemble the Wikkit, planning to free their calm but whimsically maniac masters. It was further revealed that the dust cloud circling the Krikkiters' home system is actually composed of the still operant remains of the ancient supercomputer Hactar; built by the now extinct warmongering race known as the Silastic Armourfiends of Striterax with the purpose of building the ultimate weapon, capable of destroying the entire universe. For failing this task, the computer was disintegrated by its short-tempered builders; but it continued to work. The crashing spaceship and the ultra-xenophobic mentality of the Krikkiters were also part of Hactar's plan; as the computer was still capable of weak but persistent control over minds and matter. Despite the Wikkit's reassemblage, Arthur Dent and his companions managed to disperse Hactar always, freeing the Krikkiters from their imposed xenophobia.

Trivia

 * The Krikkit stories were written by Douglas Adams as a Doctor Who story, Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen, which would feature Tom Baker's Doctor. Since the episode went unproduced, the story was adapted by Adams into his next book Life, the Universe and Everything; partially replacing The Doctor's role with Slartibartfast, the Magrathean who first appeared in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.