First Wave is a Canadian science fiction drama television series, filmed in Vancouver, that aired from 1998 to 2001 on the Space Channel in Canada.

In an unusual move, the Sci-Fi Channel, which picked up the show in late 1998, later expanded their pickup of the series to a 66-episode order.

Former thief turned security specialist Kincaid Lawrence "Cade" Foster's life was idyllic, with a beautiful wife, good job and a nice house.

Constantly pursued by the police, and a strange government agency called the Illuminati, Foster discovers previously unknown quatrains of Nostradamus, which tell of three waves that will destroy the planet unless the "twice-blessed man" can stop them.

For this reason, Foster investigates strange occurrences that may have ties to the Nostradamus quatrains, hoping to find what he needs to stop the Gua.

"Crazy" Eddie Nambulous is a computer hacker who helps Cade Foster and works on a web tabloid Paranoid Times.

After scanning the prophecies of Nostradamus into his computer, he analyzes and cross-references the quatrains with bizarre current events to which they may be connected.

As a consequence of this invasion, the newly named Gua decided they could no longer afford to be passive and peaceful, and set out on an aggressive, expansionist path.

These husks contain small amounts of Gua DNA that provide the aliens with an increased rate of healing, strength, speed and intelligence.

They also proved (in human host form, at least) to have a weakness to salt – it affects them like a drug, rendering them "blissed out' and may lead to addiction.

While originally designed for first-run syndication market in the United States, the series was ultimately picked up the Sci-Fi Channel in December 1998 for a March 1999 premiere on the network.

[5] First Wave: Subject 117 is a novel by Chris Brancato and Karen Holmes aimed at younger readers, and published in June 2000.