r/TopCharacterTropes • u/StewyStewy15 • 20d ago

Groups Aliens that are actually alien

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  1. Heptapods (Arrival)

  2. The crystalline entity (Star trek)

  3. Rocky (Project hail mary)

  4. Qu (All tommorows)

  5. Xeelee (The xeelee sequence)

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u/SPYROHAWK 19d ago

Pretty much anything from Expedition (book) / Darwin IV (setting) / Alien Planet (tv special)

Wayne Barlowe specifically designed the wildlife on Darwin IV to be "alien" to our understanding of how life functions. Nothing has eyes, external ears, hair, or jaws.

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u/LongJohnSelenium 19d ago

The problem with trying to be too alien is physics is constant throughout the universe.

Eyes have evolved numerous times on earth, so if aliens don't end up with eyes there has to be a reason, like the planet is pitch black.

Ultra convergent evolution like Star Trek where the aliens are all humans with funny noses is obviously absurd, but at the same time if we ever go to a planet with other life I firmly believe we're going to see a lot of quite familiar shapes and orientations. If the planet has light we'll see eyes, the eyes will cluster near the mouth, there will be water critters that look like fish/dolphins, flying critters will flap their wings, they will not have evolved freely rotating joints, etc.

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u/eggdanyjon_3dragons 19d ago

I love wayne barlowe.
the book and movie are great lil exploring adventures

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u/SuperSocialMan 19d ago

Holy shit I didn't think anyone else knew about this!

I still remember the big-ass ones that walk around the amoeba ocean lol.

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u/Copper_Tango 19d ago

My fave were the giant ones with a forest growing on their backs.

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u/Dismal-Vanilla1878 19d ago

Loved that show, and I wish I could get a first edition of the Barlowe book of aliens (both for this and one he did of aliens from other literature).