List of aliens in fiction

This is an incomplete list of aliens that have appeared in various works of fiction featuring aliens.

Table of contents

1 Humanoid Aliens 2 Near-relatives of mankind 3 Feline humanoids 4 Insectoid Aliens 5 Centaurs 6 Reptilians and Amphibians 7 Aquatic species 8 Parasites and symbionts 9 Robotic and Mechanical aliens 10 Space-Living Creatures 11 Sentient Plants & Fungi 12 Ancient Races 13 More unusual forms 14 Shape-shifting aliens 15 Unintelligent creatures 16 Aliens From other Dimensions 17 Galactic communities 18 References

Humanoid Aliens

Most aliens are humanoid if not human-like, especially in TV series because actors are human. The Greys described in UFO folklore match this body type. Humanoids include:

• Acquarans (Farscape)
• Andorians (Star Trek)
• Atevi (C. J. Cherryh)
• Asgard (Stargate SG-1)
• Bajorans (Star Trek)
• Banik (Farscape)
• Betazoid (Star Trek)
• Bolians (Star Trek)
• Boolite (Farscape)
• Bothans (Star Wars)
• Breen (Star Trek)
• Centauri (Babylon 5)
• Charrids (Farscape)
• Colatas (Farscape)
• Coreeshi (Farscape)
• The Dance (Marvel Comics)
• Deep Ones (H. P. Lovecraft)
• Delvians (Farscape)
• Deneans (Farscape)
• Denobulans (Star Trek)
• Dentics (Farscape)
• Deltans (Star Trek)
• Ewoks (Star Wars)
• Ferengi (Star Trek)
• Grans (Star Wars)
• Grudeks (Farscape)
• Grunds (Marvel Comics)
• Halosians (Farscape)
• Hangi (Farscape)
• Hur'q (Star Trek)
• Hydrans
• Hynerians (Farscape)
• Ilanics (Farscape)
• Interions (Farscape)
• Jocaceans (Farscape)
• Kafers (2300AD)
• Kalish (Farscape)
• Karrema (Star Trek)
• Kazon (Star Trek)
• Khurtarnan (Farscape)
• Klingons (Star Trek)
• Kree (Marvel Comics)
• Kryptonians (DC Comics)
• Laxidasians (Marvel Comics)
• Luxans (Farscape)
• Lyrans (Star Trek)
• Martians
  • Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom series
  • The Martian Chronicles of Ray Bradbury
  • Aelita
  • Mars Attacks
  • ... and many others
• Minbari (Babylon 5)
• Mondoshawan (The Fifth Element)
• Mri of C. J. Cherryh's Faded Sun trilogy
• Nebari (Farscape)
• Ocampa (Star Trek)
• Ortheans ? (Mary Gentle: Golden Witchbreed (androgynous until puberty))
• Pilots (Farscape)
• Phagors of Brian W. Aldiss's Helliconia series
• Porquinhos (Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead)
• Relgarians (Farscape)
• Romulans (Star Trek)
• Scarrens (Farscape)
• Scorvians (Farscape)
• Sebaceans (Farscape)
• Shi'ar (Marvel Comics)
• Suliban (Star Trek)
• Sykarians (Farscape)
• Taelons (Earth: The Final Conflict)
• Talaxians (Star Trek)
• Tarkans (Farscape)
• Tavleks (Farscape)
• Tellarites (Star Trek)
• Terrians (Earth 2)
• Trabe (Star Trek)
• Traskans (Farscape)
• Tusken Raiders (Star Wars)
• Twi'leks (Star Wars)
• Venek (Farscape)
• Vineans (Yoko Tsuno (blue skin))
• Vorc (Farscape)
• Vorcarian (Farscape)
• Vorta (Star Trek)
• Vulcans (Star Trek)
• Wookiees (Star Wars)
• Xandarians (Marvel Comics)
• Xindi (Star Trek)
• Yuuzhan Vong (Star Wars)
• Zabrak (Star Wars)
• Zenetan (Farscape)
• Zenn-Lavians (Marvel Comics)
• Zen-Whoberis (Marvel Comics)

Near-relatives of mankind

In these stories, these aliens are descended from the same ancestors as humanity:

• Abh (Crest of the Stars)
• Darrians of the Traveller RPG, known for their small, high-technology polity
• Gethenians and other races of Ursula Le Guins Ekumen stories
• Kromags of Sliders (descended from Cro-Magnons)
• Nietzscheans (Andromeda)
• Second through Last Men (Last and First Men)
• Terra Novans (Star Trek)
• Vilani of the Traveller RPG, known for their bureaucratic tendencies and empire building
• Zhodani of the Traveller RPG, known for their psionic abilities
• in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the episode "The Chase" revealed that all the humanoid races in the galaxy are the result of genetic tinkering by a single humanoid race in the distant past called The Preservers.

Feline humanoids

This form has been popular. They are usually warrior-like as well:

• Aslan of the Traveller RPG
• Hani of C. J. Cherryh
• Kilrathi of the Wing Commander games
• Kymnar of FTL:2448
• Kzinti of Larry Niven's Known Space series
• Tran of Alan Dean Foster's Icerigger
• Unnamed aliens in Fritz Leiber's The Wanderer

Insectoid Aliens

• The Aliens of the Alien movies
• Brood (Marvel Comics)
• Cinnrusskin of James White's Sector General series
• Drak (Farscape)
• Mesklinites of Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity (caterpillars)
• Thranx of Alan Dean Foster's Humanx Commonwealth series
• Xindi (Star Trek)

Centaurs

• Ishtarians of Poul Anderson's Fire Time
• Kymellians (Horse head w/ humanoid body; Marvel Comics)
• Tenebrians of Hal Clement's Close to Critical
• Titanides of John Varley's Gaea-trilogy
• Andalites of KA Applegate's Animorphs

Reptilians and Amphibians

• Badoon (Marvel Comics)
• Cardassians (Star Trek)
• Dracs of Barry B. Longyear's Enemy Mine and The Enemy Papers
• Gorn
• Hutts (Star Wars)
• Hynerians (Farscape)
• Jem'Hadar (Star Trek)
• Lithians of James Blish's A Case of Conscience
• Narn (Babylon 5)
• Predator aliens (Predator)
• Rodians (Star Wars)
• Sheyangs (Farscape)
• Skrulls (Marvel Comics)
• Snarks (Marvel Comics)
• Trandoshans (Star Wars)
• Vaadwaur (Star Trek)
• Velantians (Lensman books) notable for their multiplicity of eyes and various appendages
• Voth (Star Trek)
• Yilane of West of Eden series of Harry Harrison
• the frog-like Gowachin of Frank Herbert's stories
• and various variations of dinosaurs

Aquatic species

• Gungans (Star Wars)
• Mon Calamari (Star Wars)
• Quarren "Squid Heads" (Star Wars)
• Xindi (Star Trek)

Parasites and symbionts

• Energy Rider (Farscape)
• Goa'uld of Stargate SG-1
• the eponymous aliens of The Puppet Masters
• Trill (Star Trek)
• the Wirrn, Krynoid, and Fendahl of Doctor Who
• Yeerks (Animorphs)

Robotic and Mechanical aliens

• Berserkers of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series
• Borg (Star Trek)
• Cybermen and Daleks of Doctor Who
• Cylons of Battlestar Galactica
• Phalanx (Marvel Comics)

Space-Living Creatures

• Budong (Farscape)
• Leviathan (Farscape)

Sentient Plants & Fungi

• Delvians (Farscape)

Ancient Races

Aliens that have either disappeared and left only ruins or developed to godlike- practically omnipotent entities.

• Unnamed and unseen aliens in 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Ancients (Farscape)
• The Arisians and Eddorians of E. E. Smith's Lensman novels; compare:
  • The Vorlons and Shadows of Babylon 5
• Heechee of Frederick Pohl
• See also Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Star"
• August Derleth's Elder Gods
• The Ancients of Stargate SG-1
• both of Terry Pratchett's early science fiction novels, Strata and The Dark Side of the Sun, offer subversions of the paradigm

More unusual forms

• Abyormenites of Hal Clement's Cycle of Fire (floating ballons - one race, that is)
• Black Cloud of Fred Hoyle (interstellar dust cloud)
• the Caleban of Frank Herbert's Whipping Star (invisible telepathic beings who are actually the minds of stars)
• the Doublers, two-in-one semi-humanoids of Stanislaw Lem's Eden
• Dugs (Star Wars)
• the Gladifers of Dennis Paul Himes
• Hivers of Traveller RPG (modified starfish)
• Horta (Star Trek)
• Meehooks from the comic book series ''Fusion, "dinosaurs with fur"
• Methorians of Barrington J. Bayley's Zen Gun (gaseous giant-giant dwellers)
• Oankali of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series
• Prophets (Star Trek)
• Puppeteers of Larry Niven's Ringworld and Known Space series (three legs, two manipulative heads)
• Rigellians (Lensman books) which are barrel-shaped with four tentacular arms and four stubby legs
• Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (living planet)
• Tholians (Star Trek)
• Tralfamadorians of Kurt Vonnegut (The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse 5)
• Trillions of Nicholas Fisk (small collective crystals)
• Aliens that are product of mechanical evolution in The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem

Shape-shifting aliens

• Changelings (Star Trek)
• the Tleilaxu of Frank Herbert's Dune novels

Unintelligent creatures

• Banthas (Star Wars)
• The Colour Out of Space by H. P. Lovecraft (disputed)
• Tribbles, from Star Trek; compare
  • Flat Cats from Robert A Heinlein's Space Family Stone book

Aliens From other Dimensions

• Digimon of Digimon
• The D-Reaper from digimon
• Q (Star Trek)
• Species 8472 of (Star Trek)
• Unnamed Telepathic Aliens of Babylon 5: Thirdspace

Galactic communities

• Uplift series by David Brin depicts pan-galactic community of various alien species
• Known Space by Larry Niven on a smaller scale
• Star Trek
• Star Wars

References

• Wayne Douglas Barlowe, Ian Summers and Beth Meacham: Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials
• Stanley Schmidt: Aliens and Alien Societies (Writer's Digest)
• Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart: Evolving the Alien - the science of extraterrestrial life