ɪn hɪz pˈænɪk hiː ˈæktᵻvˌeɪɾᵻd ðə ɡˈaɪən wˈeɪv, ɐ sˈɛlfdᵻfˈɛns mˈɛkənˌɪzəm ðæt dʒɪnˈɛɾɪkli ˈɔltɚz ðɪ ɪnhˈæbɪtənts əvə plˈænɪt sˌoʊ ðæt ðeɪ ɑːɹ ˈɔːl dʒɪnˈɛɾɪkli pˈɑːɹt ʌvðə ʃˈɪp: ɪts ˈɛnəmiz wɪl biː ʌnˈeɪbəl tə dᵻfˈiːt ɪt wɪðˌaʊt dᵻstɹˈɔɪɪŋ ðɪ ɛntˈaɪɚ plˈænɪt.
In his panic he activated the Gaian Wave, a self-defence mechanism that genetically alters the inhabitants of a planet so that they are all genetically part of the ship: its enemies will be unable to defeat it without destroying the entire planet.