I think Peter Watts' aliens in Blindsight were really cool. The fact that they were highly intelligent but non-conscious/self-aware. They also had a kind of interesting physiology and life cycle.
There's a fan theory I read about the shape-shifting alien from "The Thing". This theory posits that when the alien takes a human form, but before it's unmasked as the alien, it's such a perfect replication of the host that the alien itself is unaware of it's being an alien. It believes itself to be the human it replicated. I've found that concept to be fascinating and more than a little chilling.
One of the most unique aliens I can remember are the Traeki and Jophur from David Brin's Uplift Saga. The Traeki were a collective intelligence created by stacking various different kinds of smaller ring-shaped life forms together. I don't recall how much of their biology was naturally evolved and how much was artificial, but the rings themselves were like neurons, though each had different capabilities physcially as well. Like you might have mobility rings with tentacles or whatever for walking, and then eye rings for seeing, a ring for the arms or tentacles they needed to manipulate the world with. Though the Traeki were a collective, they were also slow of thought and often took a long time to decide things, like an old-fashioned Greek democracy or a modern day committee. Their Patron species -- the species that Uplifted them to sentience -- were disappointed in them for those reasons, so they genetically engineered a new "control" ring that would go on top, and would turn the rings from basically a democracy/committee into a fascist dictatorship, which we got to see firsthand in the second Uplift trilogy when a hidden Traeki got siezed and given a control ring. This new control ring couldn't be sentient on its own, but when paired with the other rings, it could take control and give the collective a decisiveness and enhanced thinking speed. In the books, I remember loving the Traeki, wishing I could meet the ones that got away from their Patron species and were hiding on fallow worlds. But the Jophur, what the ones with the control ring were called, were a bunch of evil a-holes. But then, a lot of the alien species in that storyverse are evil a-holes.
The Qax from “Timelike Infinity” deserve some love. They were composed of convection cells that evolved in the turbulent waters of an ocean world. They humped around the galaxy like traveling salesmen imbedded in the stomachs of living whale-like creatures hardened and outfitted for space travel.
I'm rather surprised that you didn't include The Cheela from Robert Forward's book 'Dragon's Egg'. Amazing life forms that live on a neutron star and who live their lives a million times faster than humans. I loved Forward's books. You don't get aliens much stranger than the Cheela.
I love how Star Trek just has an entire classification of space-dwelling life forms, the cosmozoans. Like, not just one but dozens or hundreds of species that live and grow in the void of space.
Great list, Darrel. Loved that you included something from Lovecraft. From the short story, I always considered "The Colour Out of Space" as a kind of living radiation. Truly alien, indeed.
I'd like to give an honorable mention to the Weeping Angels from DOCTOR WHO. They can only move and act when quantum phenomena are unresolved, which means they become immobile whenever they are observed (which collapses unresolved quantum states), appearing as stone statues. For another lifeform which relies on unresolved quantum states, I highly recommend QUARANTINE by Greg Egan. I won't spoil the plot, but it's an excellent read.
The Weeping Angels take a very fun game for children* and re-imagine it as Lovecraftian horror. * Red Light/ Green light, where one child is the traffic light and the other children are trying to cross a line while only moving while the traffic light is not looking at them [the light is green]. Anyone seen moving by the traffic light [the light is red] must go back to the start line.
the Xeelee were formed and had civilizations rise and fall during the first nanoseconds after the big bang; should've mentioned more about them. Loved your inclusion of The Thing
I would mention the Pattern Jugglers and the Puppeteers. Props for the Tines. I found the Photino Birds to be a singular disappointment as essentially just a force of nature.
Only half way through the list, the Arrival aliens, the sentient piglets, the sandworms, the leviathans ... one of the greatest and exquisite compilations of things on YT. Very good picks until now, extremely interested in what else is there.
I was literally preparing to write a comment on how you should have included the Tralfalmadorians from Slaughterhouse Five (certainly the alien species that had the most lasting impression on me personally, even if we are introduced to them as zookeepers.) You never cease to surprise me.
A pair of alien races I find most fascinating are the two from the Expanse series. First the Ringbuilders - who are eventually revealed to be sentient light waves evolved from bioluminescent microbes and whose technology is fuelled by radiation and becomes semi-sentient by absorbing and repurposing matter (including humans). And The Unknown Aggressors, eventually revealed to be shadow-like entities from another older universe who can only be perceived by turning reality into a foam. They can also tinker with the fundamental forces of the universe, literally reducing the speed of light in a solar system and changing the physics of ions across an entire planet, all in a manner like someone twisting the knobs on a dial. When the writers made aliens here, they really went all out.
Ths is a great video. You could also add MorningLightMountain, the Starflyer and the Prime species from the books Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, by Peter F. Hamilton.
This video has been very entertaining from an originality view. I’m glad you chose more underrated aliens rather than easy picks like the Xenomorph or the Yautja.
Yes but... when do the Tralfamadorians every moment all at once? If there's a part 2, AC Clarke hit the nail with his sentient solar flare, that dark "mat" on the Moon that did not live much longer, the floating, ammonia-harvesting balloons in Jupiter's atmosphere... Plus a shout out to the Babel Fish - and the Clangers!
Methane breathers from CJ Cherryh's Chanur novels, especially the t'ca. Their multi-partate brains and matrixed speech rewired my concept of alien life. But also shout out to any species invented by Diane Duane!
I thought of a really cool idea for an alien species. They appear to be tiny worms to humans, but they live in huge colonies on their super earth sized planet. Entire colonies seem to merge with certain large technological things that can transport the colonies around, but there are other machines that have unknown functions.
the 2nd one sounds like a large sapient aquatic protist that seems like it's around the size of a sea due to it inhabiting a large terrestrial, or so, that's how I imagine how it'd be able to sustain itself, given what's been described about its overall size
An excellent list, well done. There could be quite a few of these videos, goodness knows there's plenty of aliens to go around. Niven and Pournelles moties, numerous aliens from Nivens 'Known Space' universe ( Puppeteers, Kzinti, bandersnatch, Kdatlyno, the Pak), Frank Herberts Gowatchin, Sapient Stars and a range of other very strange entities, Greg Bears numerous aliens from 'Eon' including the Frants and the terrifying Jarts.
I always thought symbiotes were a cool concept whether it be Venom, Parasyte, Guyver or the Trill from Star Trek. These differ from the organisms like The Thing, Alien Xenomorph, or the Color from Outer Space that corrupt the organism rather than providing mutual benefit. There are also tons of short stories involving various alien symbiotes who sometimes merge so completely it makes a third species or evolution. Likely the origin of symbiotes in stories are similar to the witches familiar in fantasy but made for science fiction. Cybernetic AIs although not typically a alien are also similar in that they can either be symbiotic like Cortana in Halo or parasitic like the AI in the movie Upgrade.
Ego the living planet from the Marvel Universe is pretty unique. Well I guess you could lump it in with the sentient ocean. Also V’Ger should get a mention. It is a purely technological being that has a unique creation. First it started as just a human deep space probe but along the way some other life form altered it. In its quest to know everything that and the physical alterations made to its original form sparked sentience. The Puppet Master/Motoko Kusanagi, or the Child if you will, from Ghost in the Shell. Motoko started life as a human but very soon became just a brain in a fully cybernetic body. The Puppet Master started as an artificial intelligence. It gained sentience and wanted to procreate like biological beings do so it convinces Motoko to merge with it. In doing so they created a wholly new being.
Does anybody remember Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials? It depicted aliens from various sci-fi books. I think it was published in 1970s or 1980s. I wished there was another illustrated book showcasing aliens from sci-fi works since then. Anybody know of any book like that?
The Boneless from the Doctor Who episode Flatline are another really great example of a unique alien species. Usually in sci fi there are higher dimensional beings (4th dimensional, 5th, 6th, etc.). The Boneless, on the other hand, are a species of 2nd dimensional aliens - they come from a universe with only 2 dimensions ( x and y but no z). In the episode they invade the Earth and capture humans to conduct experiments, flattening them into 2D images on walls in the process.
Great list! If I could add anything to the list it would be the planet spaceships from Lilith's Brood. They are planted in the earth, and as they grow they start to replicate the planets environment surrounding it - growing, eating and replacing the natural ecosystems with itself. It starts to produce fruit and other foods. Anything you leave on the ground will be processed and reused or spat out by the organism. When it has encompassed the whole planet with itself, it detaches, leaving only the crust of the planet behind. Then it goes into a voyage in space together with the Oankali species, looking for more life.
I've always thought the Wraith in Stargate Atlantis were a cool alien species and adversary. The uniqueness of how they sustain themselves feeding off of humans and evolution from the Iratus bug. They are humanoid but hived minded. I've often felt there was more to explore with them. This is a great list!
Humans passing judgement on the Crystalline Entity for its method of feeding was such an apt moral dilemma! We have certainly messed up our environment for much less than necessity 🙄
The Drej (Titan A.E.) were terrifying in so far that they were made of pure energy and because of the Law of Conservation of Energy, how can you eliminate an enemy that can’t be destroyed.
Well you can do what the movie does change their form of energy into something else. It’s the old Ship of Theseus question, if you replace every part of the ship is it still the same ship? If you alter the Drej’s energy can they still be called the Drej? If that energy is changed into matter would that mean mass genocide or the matter created still be Drej? Would that matter then be able to spark its own sentient patterned after what it was made with?
Hello. A very nice video! I remember Arthur Clarcke's "Vanamonde", a thinking gas cloud that lives in deep space, an intellectual and telepathic being, from the novel "The City and the Stars" (1957). And the multiple "humanities" seeded throughout the galaxy by the Haini, in Ursula Le Guin's universe
Farscape's leviathans were preceeded by the Nighthawks of The Reality Dysfunction, similar living spaceships that likewise share symbiotic relationships with human captains and have complex reproductive and family lives of their own.
Tralfamadorians concept of time is from the Block Universe - an idea originating i beleive with Eienstien - David Barbour at oxford is still a preponent of this therory
From the pulp series Perry Rhodan the so-called Superintelligences (SI). A SI can have a variety of origins, but a more common pattern is when a large number of beings, often an entire species give up their physicality and individuality to form a SI. The individual memories and personalities still exist within this new entity and can be used as messengers to 'lower' life forms. Due it's nature a SI reaches a deeper understanding of the universe, but is still far from omniscient. Still, completely understanding an SI has been compared to an ant trying to understand a play by Shakespeare. SI's usually claim a territory spanning several galaxies to which they either have a symbiotic or parasitic relationship. While there are further evolutionary steps for SI's it has been hinted that they might not be the only possibilities. The same hints suggest that even the SI's do not fully know their own nature within the universe.
Great list. When you talked about Lovecraft's THE COLOR, it reminded of the Hooloovoo from THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. They are described as "a super-intelligent shade of the colour blue." 🤣 They interact with other lifeforms by refracting themselves into prisms. I'd say they belong on this list except that they play such a small role in the book.
I would add the Outsiders and the Pak, also from Known Space, two very different aliens, first the ultimate traders and the second, also with three life stages that culminate in beings so smart they always know the correct answer to any problem.
Leviathans in Farscape unique in science fiction? I'm surprised you didn't mention Lexx - could you explain how the bio-ships from Farscape are different to those in Lexx (I'm not saying they are or aren't different, but they seem awfully similar to me).
I suspect that the Vorlon ships from Babylon 5 were also bio-mechanical. In one episode, I think it was G'Kar who said that Kosh's ship sang to him. Manga artist, Manabi, in his series Outlanders, also had a range biological ships and vehicles. The pilot employed their psychic abilities to project a field around their ships to protect them from harshness of space, and they too healed any battle damage, and too much damage may cause them to scream in agony, and thus be too distracted to follow the pilot's instruction. Bio-ships, really do crop up in fiction, more often than alluded to.
Alien from the 70s movie specially aliens 2nd movie the reproductive cycle and how they go about it need the human body to start the cycle or the queen one of my favourite Aliens
I think The Dwellers from Banks' The Algebraist belong on this list, possibly also the dirigible behemothosaurs also. Few others too but appreciate even two from the same author would seem to be unbalanced. Though it's not his fault he was ingenious enough to deserve multiple entries 😁
The Tralfamadorians! I totally mentioned them once to you! Was that the reason why you were extra smiling when you mentioned them? I knew you secretly liked all my lewd thirsty comments from this past year LOL I can't believe I've already been following you for more than a year. I remember saying something crazy last Valentine's. I grok you Darrell!!!! 💙
The crystalline entity is a classic invasive species. It goes to places where it has no natural controls and it completely destroys every new ecosystem that it encounters. Barring discovery of a star system with a robust enough ecology to keep the crystalline entity fed, without a system wide mass extinction event, the crystalline entity deserves as much sympathy as a cane toad found in Australia.
Idk. The entity seemed to be a 'one-of-a-kind' . . . . . or at least extremely rare. And in a regard of its feeding strategy,... well, it could go on a "spree" once in a while, lasting for either hours or days at most, and then it would not need to consume anything for many, many long months; this is, of course, only my speculation, but like this it'd be all sustainable. Because the thing is that "Mother Nature" and "Father Cosmos" aren't known for creating organisms/entities that would turn out to be as destructive as being prone to completely annihilating 100% of their surrounding ecosystem. It would not make sense from multiple points of view, including the one of the "abomination's" itself, because it would eventually all lead to... nothing.
@@daxbashir6232 The two things that clearly mark it as having never been sustainable is that it leaves too little behind for the ecology to recover in less than hundreds of millions of years and is capable of interstellar migration. For sustainability, it would have to leave behind a large enough remnant of the biosphere, so that it could return in a few thousand years and repeat the process. That the crystalline entity does not manage to harvest enough from a single planet to reproduce suggests that it is a doomsday weapon that was not designed to replicate itself, so that it was not guaranteed to sterilize the entire galaxy, even if it did not stop after destroying the enemy.
Hi Darrel, thank you for this interesting list. I recall a book by Arthur C. Clark that I read a long, long time ago. There, he described a species consisting of three sexes, all gaseous. When ‘mating’, (mixing, combining) they produced a solid form. I cannnot recall the title of the book, I am afraid. I was a child.
It's called "The God's Themselves" and it was by Asimov. They weren't gaseous as such but very soft. They had to extrude to mate and form the Hard ones. The emotional, the rational and the mother were the 3 that joined. The hard ones had a plan to explode earth's sun so they could tap the energy released. In their universe Fusion was much easier than fission and their stars died quickly hence the need for a more long lasting energy source as energy was their sustenance.
C.M. Kösemen's All Tomorrows also features some unique aliens. (They have human ancestors, but after genetic modifications, and millions of years of evolution in extraterrestrial environments, they are aliens IMO.)
You mean Gomtuu (aka 'Tin Man'); not "Zontue", right? Otherwise, yes, the episode first aired in 1990. BUT, 'Flight of the Navigator' hails from 1986; a film featuring another living spaceship. And I'd bet that even this flick wasn't the very first one to come up with this sci-fi concept.
Some great examples from literature and film, but I have to stick with Terry Nation's Daleks as the absolute hands down kewlest aliens of all time. A species mutated artificially to its ultimate form, and placed inside a deadly travel machine. They have a demented concept of beauty, and are at least partially driven mad by their fate. Despite their apparent limitations, they master space AND time travel, and always endure no matter how much a foe devastates them.
Darrel, yesternight I was speaking to Gemini Google AI (it will soon be launched to the general public) and asked him to tell me a sci-fi bedtime short story made by himself. Instantly he came up with the following: In the shimmering nebula of Lyra, cloaked in swirling gas giants, pulsed a curious moon named Elara. Unlike its rocky neighbors, Elara glowed with an ethereal bioluminescence, echoing the rhythm of a vast, sentient ocean beneath its thin atmosphere. On its surface, amidst bioluminescent flora mirroring the celestial dance above, resided the Lumens, beings of pure energy thriving on the moon's unique energy field. Among them dwelled Anya, a young Lumen with an insatiable curiosity. Unlike her kin content with the gentle rhythm of their existence, Anya craved adventure. The stories whispered by elders, tales of meteor showers and distant star systems, fueled her yearning to explore. One night, as constellations shimmered with renewed brilliance, Anya noticed a peculiar streak across the nebula. It wasn't a familiar meteor, but a sleek, metallic vessel unlike anything she had ever seen. Landing with a soft hum on the bioluminescent plains, fear battled with excitement in Anya's core. Driven by her curiosity, she approached the vessel, its smooth hull reflecting the starry sky. A hatch hissed open, revealing a figure clad in a strange, shimmering suit. The figure extended a hand, its light pulsing in gentle invitation. Anya, her heart pounding with a mix of trepidation and wonder, reached out and grasped it. The figure introduced himself as Kai, an explorer from a distant galaxy, his ship damaged by a rogue asteroid. Kai marveled at Elara's beauty and the unique culture of the Lumens. Together, they spent days sharing stories and knowledge. Anya learned of other worlds, bustling with technology and diverse life forms, while Kai marveled at the Lumens' connection to their natural world. As Kai's ship neared repair, a bittersweet pang struck Anya. Though she yearned to explore the cosmos, she couldn't imagine leaving her home and her people. Kai, sensing her conflict, offered a solution. He could create a small device that would allow Anya to visit his world, returning in the blink of an eye. Torn between adventure and responsibility, Anya spent the last night gazing at the starlit sky. Finally, she made a decision. With a grateful nod to Kai, she took the device, her heart brimming with excitement and a touch of fear. Stepping into the vessel, she turned back one last time, the bioluminescent landscape etched forever in her memory. As Kai's ship soared into the vastness of space, Anya, holding the device tight, closed her eyes, ready to embark on a journey beyond her wildest dreams. The story of her adventures, however, is for another time... Perhaps you'll dream of them tonight, under the starry expanse of your own world. Sweet dreams.
Isn't there a sci-fi book, or short story, in which stars could be sentient beings? Some stars had no intelligence, some you could have "discussions" with, and some were rogues. Sorry, my memory is not very good on this story, other than I found it very unique.
Well, If I remember it correctly (last read any of the geezer's works 18 years ago), H.P. Lovecraft crafted (pun not intended) one of his universes like this, with various celestial bodies' and cosmic constructs' being sentient/sapient God-like entities. Then about 30 to 40 years after Lovecraft, the likes of Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin came around and (appeared to me to have) exploited Lovecraft's legacy by their regurgitating and misusing (aka 'violating') certain elements of his works in order to promote their pseudo-scientific would-be theories. 😞
I agree that the tines are a really interesting take on group minds. Sadly it was buried in a bottom tier trash fire book, ruined by abysmal interpersonal relationships and composition dumps that feel like they were written by a child of reasonable intellect.
Once we can conversing with 🐬 and 🦍 then we might have a chance of communicating far off aliens 👽, Funny thing is human's can hardly get along with our own Species 😉
They should have your guides in the appendix of the books at least with diagrams. Morning Light Mountain doesn't understand why the whole video isn't about him. There's even a prog rock song about him on youtube, as there should be. Let's see if this comment gets deleted.
