Wraith Dart

"We call them Darts because they're so pointy."

- John Sheppard

Wraith Darts are single-pilot ships used by the Wraith either for fighting or culling.

Overview
The primary role of a Dart is the culling of humans to provide the Wraith with their main food supply. They are small enough to fit through a Stargate, but are often simply dispatched from a hive-ship which carries hundreds of Darts, stored in large hangar bays. It was later revealed that Wraith cruisers also house Darts but it is unknown how many such a ship carries. During culling the Darts make use of their transport beams to capture as many humans as possible, which are later re-materialised on the hive-ships or other locations.

Secondly, Darts are used as fighters deployed against other ships of similar size, to attack a bigger target in large swarms or to protect their mothership. If their hive-ship is destroyed during an attack, the Darts generally start a kamikaze attack upon hostile targets in the area. Furthermore, the large number of darts a hive-ship carries allows them to be effectively a form of 'shield' as the Darts are capable of sacrificing themselves in order to intercept missiles or drones, though drones have been seen dodging Darts attempting to intercept them. Darts can take heavy losses if they are deployed in the middle of the battle from running into enemy fire.

Technology
Since the Wraith Dart is capable of traveling through a Stargate, it is equipped with its own Dial-Home Device to dial the nearest Stargate, similar to a Puddle jumper. Like all Wraith ships, the Dart has an organic design. When the Dart approaches its mothership, it automatically activates an autopilot which flies the ship until it lands to allow for smooth docking. If the Dart has something stored in its storage bay, the Dart gives the pilot the option of re-materializing the cargo.

As the main role of a Dart is to cull humans, they are equipped with a transport beam device that sweeps the ground, dematerializing targets and storing them in the Dart's cargo bay. Humans are not permanently harmed by being captured in this manner, although they are unconscious when rematerialized. The beams have also been used to transport Wraith soldiers to and from the surface of a planet, serving as a troop transport in addition to a culling craft. The culling beam can also be used to scan targets.

The Dart's canopy appears to be a type of energy field that protects the pilot and becomes completely opaque. To fly it, the canopy used as a giant HUD projected on the roof of the cockpit that shows all information (in Wraith language) required to pilot the Dart.

Offensive and defensive systems
The darts are equipped with a forward-firing pulse energy weapon which is powerful enough to destroy an F-302 with one shot or a Gateship with a few well-aimed hits. The weapon is also capable of shooting down missiles before they reach their targets. The Dart lacks any shielding or regenerative armor like larger Wraith ships, so it can easily be destroyed by drones and Wraith energy weapons, or even Tau'ri projectile weapons such as railguns. Its only shielding comes in form of a canopy, which acts like a hull for the cockpit. The Dart is equipped with a self-destruct device.

In battle, darts make frequent use of their transport beam: either to beam away enemy troops or to transport their own troops on enemy territory.