COOL Aliens!

[mem4]

Just for fun, describe the type of alien you would like to find on another planet. Would it be Superman, something similar to us but with super powers or maybe a talking sponge.

Also, provide some information about the surroundings.

[mem4]

Ok, I’ll go first. I’d like to find an advanced species similar to us (skeletal structure, brain) but get its energy from the sun like a plant. In other words, I don't want to be food for another organism.

[BioWizard]

I think it would be neat if we find unicellular organisms that have the ability to assemble into highly intelligent multicellular organisms in times of plenty, or dissemble into single cells or spores during harsh conditions or for space travel.

[Paralith]

I'd be really interested to study the behavior of highly intelligent organisms with a very, very different evolutionary history in terms of social behavior. Our behaviors as humans are built off a long evolutionary history as primates and their particular behavioral concerns; how would something behave that has the intelligence of a human but say, the evolutionary history of an octopus? Of an ant? Does a certain level of intelligence more or less wipe clean the evolutionary baggage, or will their behaviors and values be profoundly different from ours due to their different evolutionary history?

Edit - for a long time I thought it would be awesome to be an exobiologist. Except, that's hard to do without much exobiology to work with. Sigh.

[Natural ChemE]

In an apparently chaotic system which carries some level of determinism, patterns could eventually arise which would endure and propagate; being one such pattern is what I'd consider to be a generalized definition of life. It follows that, if the quantum world and those below it are sufficiently complex, there should be life at those scales. Our ability to perceive such scales is far too limited to start playing Quantum Biologist just yet, but I nonetheless spend a lot of time wondering what such a world would be like and how the critters in it might look. Given the chance to observe alien races, such small-scale worlds would be high up on my list of things to see.

I suppose in the more practical sense, though, I'd like to see a race of highly advanced human-like aliens. Mostly so I could peer over their shoulders and learn from their technology.

[mem4]

A more advanced civilization would be ideal, but how about a species that came from the "Beer Nebula" which just walked around drunk and bumped into things? Would be pretty funny to watch.

[Fuqin]

Ok not much time but as s sci-fi lover id have to say id like something ’way out’ ! silicon based life form or photonic life’ something that defies biology as we know it.

[granpa]

Just for fun, describe the type of alien you would like to find on another planet.

robots.
artificial humans (or rather artificial aliens)

[tess]

Just for fun, describe the type of alien you would like to find on another planet. Would it be Superman, something similar to us but with super powers or maybe a talking sponge.

Also, provide some information about the surroundings.

They don't need to look like supermen but I hope they will not be confused as those two:

[Andrelle]

I would like to find one that is edible would rather it tastes allot better than chicken OR one than does every thing he is told, like hit yourself or go do my homework etc. Or one that can turn invisible, you can just imagine the possibilities of that.

[SkinWalker]

When a creature from a planet other than Earth looks like a human, sounds like a human, acts somewhat like a human and gets confused for a human.

Their internal physiology may well be different, whether a little or a lot, but otherwise they appear to be the genuine article.

In-story, this occasionally leads to a Handwaving story about how all the races have some common ancestor. Other times, it gets justified by using a Transplanted Humans story. Out-of-story, this is often explained by the fact that there are remarkably few non-humanoids in the SAG or Equity. Other explanations include the idea that a humanoid form is the natural result of any evolutionary path (Humans Are Special on Evolutionary Levels). Recent research may hint at this being true to some extent; many species seem to be engineered by evolution for maximum fuel efficiency. The bipedal human body has remarkable agility and stamina for its size, though there are some notable flaws like weak joints and a narrow birth canal. Although our impressive cognitive abilities and incredibly complex social structure evolved to counter these. There's also a real phenomenon known as "Convergent Evolution" whereby species that originated in different areas eventually develop into things that look similar because it's a useful form.

This trope also covers shape-shifters who budget-savingly stay in human form around humans.

The bottom rung of the Alien ladder, below Rubber Forehead Aliens and Intelligent Gerbils. Note that, for this trope, the alien must be visually indistinguishable from a human. "Human, but with blue (or purple, orange, green, etc.) skin" falls under Rubber Forehead Aliens. Aliens with cultural rather than biological similarities fall under Inexplicable Cultural Ties.

[Tasemnice]

I was lately thinking about a planet where the dominant species would be intelligent aliens that would make colonies similar to the colonies we know from insects- everyone born with a specific purpose, ability of parthenogenesis... I personally don't like the idea but I think it could be possible and profitable for the species.

[fututum]

I want one like TPal!

[edy420]

An alien species that looks walks and talks like us, with diverse ethnicities etc...
But they all get along with each other, that would be a cool bunch of aliens :)

[vilyanurchandra]

ALIENS mustn't use sun for their living source because if they are more powerful more active then us then they need huge amount of energy which cannot be obtained by solar energy..
If they use solar energy then they must be inactive like plants in earth.. and inactive aliens will be useless for human ..

[Mans]

I don't think it found a being more intelligent than human in all universe

[Dave_Oblad]

Hi,
I can imagine a world with a hot rocky core, an ocean about 15 miles deep, the outer 2 miles of ocean frozen solid. It orbits around a gas giant (like Jupiter) that never became massive enough for fusion to kick in. In this planets layer of water, between fire and ice, has evolved a host of organisms that, after a billion years, became bio-luminescent and symbiotic between species. That the most intelligent species has learned to mine the minerals from other organisms, such as calcium and metals and eventually began creating machines to explore the inner regions of heat and the outer regions of ice.

Now imagine their Religion and Science. They believe that the whole Universe is a solid.. composed of frozen ice. But in this rare singular bubble a source of heat has melted the ice and formed a livable habitat. But science marches on and soon a group of scientists devise a drilling machine to explore the Universe of Ice. Perhaps in the hope of finding another heat bubble and prove that they are not alone in a Universe of solid ice.

Now imagine the day that the outward bound drilling breaks through the Ice surface of the planet. Of course, it's initially a disaster, being their drilling equipment, and some personnel, is blown out the resulting geyser and into the vacuum of space. But later expeditions send probes and discovered something that no one had predicted.. a Vacuum lay beyond the outer wall of ice. But what then was beyond that?

Finally.. an expedition is mounted, equipped for a vacuum, and burrows to the surface. For the first time they see a infinite black void with mysterious distant points of light and realize.. almost everything they knew.. was wrong.

I'd like to meet these guys about that time.. lol. That would be cool.
Dave :^)

[Gregorygregg1]

Ok, I’ll go first. I’d like to find an advanced species similar to us (skeletal structure, brain) but get its energy from the sun like a plant. In other words, I don't want to be food for another organism.

I like this. There is a single cell organism called Zooxanthella that forms a symbiotic relationship with certain types of marine organisms. They are ingested, but instead of being digested, they migrate to the surface of the organism and through photosynthesis, provide the host organism with Almost everything it needs to live and grow. Perhaps with a little bioengineering we could become homoxanthalla. Think what that would do to the fast food industry.

[Gregorygregg1]

I don't think it found a being more intelligent than human in all universe

If there are life forms on other planets, it would be a tragedy if they were not more intelligent than humans.

[Percarus]

Call me old school, but nothing kinky, I just would like to see a stereotypical sci-fi three breasted female blue alien. ROFL

[Gregorygregg1]

How about this,
I would have an alien race made of similar stuff, but existing at a different rate of time.  They would blink in and out of existence so fast that we wouldn't notice them, though they would live full and productive lives.  Their handiwork would appear like magic and crumble to dust in the space of seconds.  They would, on average be three and five-eighths inches tall, and there would be four sexes, so every time they wanted to procreate it would be an orgy.  They would mate for life in groups of fifty three.  That would provide 13 breeding orgies and one who's sole purpose in the family was to be the observer and judge of reality.  this member would be required because, while the species would have wonderful thoughts flowing through their heads all the time,  breeders would be incapable of believing anything they thought.  Number fifty-there, however would be incapable of having it's own thoughts, and could only perceive the thoughts of the others.  They live in basket houses, eat on plates and utensils called tromplex, as in, "Did you wash the tromplex after dinner last night?" and drive solar powered vehicles that can roll on land, float on water or fly, depending on the decision of number fifty-three.
I just read this to my wife and she says I should change my member name to wingnut.

[sponge]

or maybe a talking sponge.

Aaargggghhh! My cover's been blown!

Don't worry, Greg, I'll never tell them I brought you with me.

[weakmagneto]

or maybe a talking sponge.

Aaargggghhh! My cover's been blown!

Don't worry, Greg, I'll never tell them I brought you with me.

ROFL!! I thought about that, too, as I read it!!

[Percarus]

Well, if there was another alien I would like to see it would have to be a green alien Martian (very stereotypical), or from some Martian like planet. Such creatures would have to have evolved as very efficient utilizers of water. Maybe their skin would be very hard and durable and they probably would belong to a warrior race. Stereotypical 'grey' aliens with huge heads and eyes sure would be a thrill to meet also. I would not be too fond on the idea of a genestealer or an alien as stereotyped in the 'Alien' movies.

Gregorygregg1, I like your idea about vanishing aliens but if any instance were to occur from these quasi-dimensional beings it would really destroy my appreciation of reality. I am not ready to accept magical factors in my life, and I believe these orgy procreating beings would bring mayhem to our existence. How did you come up with such a bizarre notion? Have you been watching 'Smurfs'? :-/