I like the idea that the bigger the hive the smarter the individual.
It brings me to the question I posted some years ago and received many a
flame for. In Alien, Ridley Scott's vision of the life cycle was to have the
prey eventually become the egg, thereby continuing the cycle. But he cut
that out for time and pacing reasons. I asked if they should restore that
scene for the 20th anniversary. Many people took personal affront to this
stating that it would negate the whole hive theme/ mother/queen in Aliens.
I argued back that in the hive the queen does the breeding the warriors do
the protecting, but because this is an "alien" species who knows what they
will do to continue their life when faced with isolation? Who says that a
lone alien can't make an egg, albeit slowly.