Pkunk

The Pkunk are a fictional race of beings featured in the sci-fi Star Control computer game series.

The Pkunk are a race of birdlike creatures that are an offshoot of the Yehat. They ally with the protagonist in Star Control II as soon as he meets them.

When flying their ships, they constantly taunt and insult their opponents (probably telepathically), and this practice powers their ships. They state something to the effect that they are so inherently happy and carefree, that they must work themselves up by screaming insults during battle.

The Pkunk Fury is a small ship but extremely fast; indeed, it's the fastest ship in the game, with exception to the Thraddash Torch on full afterburners. It is capable of outrunning the Slylandro Probes and is as fast as the fully-upgraded Vindicator. It is capable of outflying missiles and unguided munitions fired by other vessels. It's also one of the most maneuverable ships.

It's attack consists of liquid metal sprayed on three sides of the ship, which incidentally can incinerate incoming attacks. However, the ship has very limited endurance - it runs out of energy quickly and can take very little punishment.

When a Pkunk Fury is destroyed, sometimes (about 50% of the time) it spontaneously "reincarnates", bringing back all dead crew members and (telepathically) broadcasting "hallelujah!" to all ships in the area. This practice can lead to frustration on the part of the opponent (and great joy for the controller of the Fury).