List of aliens in fiction by type

This is a list of aliens that have appeared in various works of fiction featuring aliens, sorted by type.

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)
Aliens from Independence Day
Amnioni (Stephen Donaldson's The Gap Cycle)
Andorians (Star Trek)
- Aenars - Andorian Subspeices (Star Trek)
Atevi (C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series)
Asgard (Stargate SG-1)
Bajorans (Star Trek)
Bandi (Star Trek)
Banik (Farscape)
Betazoid (Star Trek)
Bolians (Star Trek)
Boolite (Farscape)
Bothans (Star Wars)
Breen (Star Trek)
Brunnen G (Lexx)
Centauri (Babylon 5)
Charrids (Farscape)
Colatas (Farscape)
Coreeshi (Farscape)
Dakkamites (Marvel Comics)
The Dance (Marvel Comics)
Daxxamites (DC Comics)
Deep Ones (H. P. Lovecraft)
Delvians (Farscape)
Deneans (Farscape)
Denobulans (Star Trek)
Dentics (Farscape)
Deltans (Star Trek)
Druuge (Star Control)
El-Aurians (Star Trek)
Eldar/Dark Eldar (Warhammer 40,000)
Elves (descended from High Ones, see below)(Elfquest)
Ewoks (Star Wars)
Ferengi (Star Trek)
Grans (Star Wars)
Gamilons/Gamilus (Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers)
Gretchin (small goblin like creatures who work for the Orks) (Warhammer 40,000)
Grots (Even smaller greenies who work for the Orks) (Warhammer 40,000)
Grudeks (Farscape)
Grunds (Marvel Comics)
Guardians of the Universe (DC Comics)
Halosians (Farscape)
Hangi (Farscape)
High Ones (Elfquest)
Hur'q (Star Trek)
Hydrans (Star Trek)
Hynerians (Farscape)
Ilanics (Farscape)
Interions (Farscape)
Irkens (Invader Zim)
Jocaceans (Farscape)
Kafers (2300AD)
Kalish (Farscape)
Karrema (Star Trek)
Kazon (Star Trek)
Khunds (DC Comics)
Khurtarnan (Farscape)
Klingons (Star Trek)
Kree (Marvel Comics)
Kryptonians (DC Comics)
Kymellians (Marvel Comics)
Laxidasians (Marvel Comics)
Luxans (Farscape)
Lyrans (Star Trek)
Martians
- H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds
- Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom series
- Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles
- Aelita (1924 movie)
- Mars Attacks (Topps trading cards and Tim Burton movie)
- ... and many others
Minbari (Babylon 5)
Mondoshawan (The Fifth Element)
Mri (C. J. Cherryh's Faded Sun trilogy)
Narn (Babylon 5)
Namekian (Dragon Ball)
Nebari (Farscape)
Neutrals (Futurama)
Nox (Stargate SG-1)
Oans (DC Comics)
Oannes Stargate SG-1
Ocampa (Star Trek)
Orks (descendants of the Krork that grow from fungus) (Warhammer 40,000)
Ortheans (Mary Gentle's Golden Witchbreed) androgynous until puberty
Phagors (Brian W. Aldiss's Helliconia series)
Porquinhos (Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead)
Psychlos (Battlefield Earth)
Re'ol Stargate SG-1
Relgarians (Farscape)
Romulans (Star Trek)
Saiyan (Dragon Ball)
Scarrans (Farscape)
Scorvians (Farscape)
Shi'ar (Marvel Comics)
Snotlings (another of the green races collectively known to man as Orks) (Warhammer 40,000)
Sontarans (Doctor Who)
Spirits Stargate SG-1
Squigs (As snotlings) (Warhammer 40,000)
Surrakin Stargate SG-1
Suliban (Star Trek)
Sykarians (Farscape)
Syreen (Star Control)
Taelons (Earth: The Final Conflict)
Talaxians (Star Trek)
Tarkans (Farscape)
Tau (Warhammer 40,000)
Tavleks (Farscape)
Tectonese (Alien Nation)
Tellarites (Star Trek)
Terrians (Earth 2)
Time Lords/Gallifreyans (Doctor Who)
the Tleilaxu of Frank Herbert's Dune novels
Trabe (Star Trek)
Traskans (Farscape)
Trolls (Elfquest)
Tusken Raiders (Star Wars)
Twi'leks (Star Wars)
Utwig (Star Control)
Venek (Farscape)
Vineans (Yoko Tsuno (blue skin) comic)
Vorc (Farscape)
Vorcarian (Farscape)
Vorta (Star Trek)
Vorticon (Commander Keen)
Vortigaunt (Half-Life)
Vulcans (Star Trek)
The Wraith Stargate SG-1
Wookiees (Star Wars)
Xandarians (Marvel Comics)
Xindi (Star Trek)
Yuuzhan Vong (Star Wars)
Zabrak (Star Wars)
Zenetan (Farscape)
Zen 'Kethi (Star Trek)
Zenn-Lavians (Marvel Comics)
Zentradi (Macross), adapted as the Zentraedi in Robotech
Zen-Whoberis (Marvel Comics)

Near-relatives of mankind

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

Abh (Crest of the Stars)
Adeptus Astartes, also known as Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)
Androsynth,highly intelligent Homo sapiens clones. (Star Control)
Darrians (Traveller RPG) known for their small, high-technology polity
Gethenians (Ursula Le Guins Ekumen stories) and other HILFs.
Jaffa (Stargate SG-1)
- Kull Warriors (Stargate SG-1)
Kromags (Sliders) descended from Cro-Magnons
Mutants - Human beings that have mutated ethier through natural development or because of radiation (Futurama, X-men, and various others)
Nietzscheans (Andromeda)
Pak (or Protectors) (Larry Niven's Known Space books) the superintelligent adult form of homo habilis; human Protectors are even more intelligent.
Neosapians (Exosquad)
Primarch's (Warhammer 40,000)
Sebaceans (Farscape)
Second through Last Men (Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men)
Squats(now extinct) (Warhammer 40,000)
Spaceballs (race from a movie of the same name)
Terra Novans (Star Trek)
His Majesty The Emperor (Warhammer 40,000)
Vilani (Traveller RPG) known for their bureaucratic tendencies and empire building
Zhodani (Traveller RPG) known for their psychic 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.
similarly, in Marvel Comics' The Eternals, it was revealed that many species were genetically tampered with by the alien Celestials.

Feline humanoids

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

Aslan (Traveller RPG)
Centrans (Christopher Anvil's Pandora's Planet stories)
Cheetah People (Doctor Who From the final story of the original series Survival)
Ctarl-Ctarl (Outlaw Star)
Felinetta or Cat-People (Doctor Who Missing Adventures: Invasion of the Cat-People by Gary Russell)
Hani (C. J. Cherryh)
Kilrathi (Wing Commander games)
Kymnar (FTL:2448 RPG)
Kzinti (Larry Niven's Known Space series)
Lyran (Star Fleet Universe)
Mri (C. J. Cherryh's Faded Sun trilogy)
Tiberians (Buzz Aldrin and John Barnes' Encounter With Tiber)
Tiger Men of Mars Buck Rogers
Tran (Alan Dean Foster's Icerigger)
Unnamed aliens (Fritz Leiber's The Wanderer)

Canine humanoids

Melmacians (Alf)
Pemalites (Animorphs)

Insectoid and Arachnid Aliens

Brood (Marvel Comics)
Bugs from Klendathu (Starship Troopers)
Buggers (Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card)
Chigs (Space: Above and Beyond)
Cinnrusskin of James White's Sector General series
Drak (Farscape)
Gaim (Babylon 5)
Ilwrath - (Star Control)
Menoptera (Doctor Who)
Mesklinites of Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity (millipede-like)
Re'tu (Stargate SG-1)
Thargoids from Elite_(computer_game)
Thranx of Alan Dean Foster's Humanx Commonwealth series
Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah (Star Control)
Ur-Quan Kzer-Za (Star Control)
Vore (Doctor Who: The Gallifrey Chronicles by Lance Parkin)
Wirrin (Doctor Who, The Ark in Space)
Xenomorphs (The Alien series)
Xindi (Star Trek)
Zarbi (Doctor Who)
Zerg (Starcraft)

Centaurs

Andalites of K. A. Applegate's Animorphs
Ishtarians of Poul Anderson's Fire Time
Pierson's Puppeteers of Larry Niven's Known Space series
Tenebrians of Hal Clement's Close to Critical
Titanides of John Varley's Gaea-trilogy
Vedrans of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda

Reptilians and Amphibians

Badoon (Marvel Comics)
Cardassians (Star Trek)
Dracs of Barry B. Longyear's The Enemy Papers stories
Draconians (Doctor Who)
Drakh(Babylon 5)
Dragonets (Anne MacCaffery)
Dragons (Anne MacCaffery)
Gorn (Star Trek)
the frog-like Gowachin of Frank Herbert's stories
Great Race of Yith (H. P. Lovecraft)
Hutts (Star Wars)
Hynerians (Farscape)
Jem'Hadar (Star Trek)
Lithians of James Blish's A Case of Conscience
Omicronians / Popplers (Futurama)
Protoss (Starcraft)
Sea Devils (Doctor Who)
Rodians (Star Wars)
The Race (Harry Turtledove's Worldwar)
Sheyangs (Farscape)
Silurians (Doctor Who)
Skrulls (Marvel Comics)
Snarks (Marvel Comics)
Trandoshans (Star Wars)
Unas Stargate SG-1
Vaadwaur (Star Trek)
Velantians (Lensman books) notable for their multiplicity of eyes and various appendages
Voth (Star Trek). This species descended from Earth dinosaurs
Xindi (Star Trek)
Yautja (Predator)
Yilane of West of Eden series of Harry Harrison

and various variations of dinosaurs

Aquatic species

Babel fish (Douglas Adams)
Gungans (Star Wars)
Mon Calamari (Star Wars)
Quarren "Squid Heads" (Star Wars)
The Vortex life forms (Ecco the Dolphin; assumed to be aquatic)
Xindi (Star Trek)

Parasites and symbionts

the "body snatcher pods" from Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Energy Rider (Farscape)
Goa'uld of Stargate SG-1
- Tok'ra of Stargate SG-1
the eponymous aliens of The Puppet Masters
the endosymbionts of Hal Clement's Needle and Through the Eye of a Needle
The eponymous Metroids
The Invid (Robotech)
Iskoort (Animorphs)
Symbiote (Venom and Carnage of Marvel Comics)
Trills (Star Trek)
the Wirrn, Krynoid, and Fendahl of Doctor Who
Yeerks (Animorphs)
X Parasites (Metroid)

Robotic and Mechanical Aliens

Aliens that are created through technological means. This category also inculdes lifeforms that have been altered so that their existence depends on implants and other technologies.

Autons (Doctor Who)
Berserkers (Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series)
Borg (Star Trek)
Bynars (Star Trek)
Chmmr- fusion speices between the crystalline Chenjesu and the mechanical Mmrnmhrm. (Star Control)
Cybermen (Doctor Who)
Cylons (Battlestar Galactica)
Daleks (Doctor Who)
Irkens (Invader Zim)
Mmrnmhrm (Star Control)
Necrons (necrontyr given imortality by the c'tan) (Warhammer 40,000)
Phalanx (Marvel Comics)
Replicators (Stargate SG-1)
Technarchy (Marvel Comics)
Transformers

Space-Living Creatures

Sentient Plants & Fungi

The Cotati (Marvel Comics)
Delvians (Farscape)
Deathworld Flora (found on planets like Catachan and Caliban(pre climactic explosion)) (Warhammer 40,000)
Mycon (Star Control)
Supox (Star Control)

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 (in the prologue of 3001: The Final Odyssey, they were given the name "Firstborn")
Ancients (Farscape)
Ancients (Stargate)
The Arisians and Eddorians of E. E. Smith's Lensman novels
Chozo (Metroid)
Cocytans from Lucasarts' The Dig
Furlings (Stargate SG-1)
Heechee of Frederik Pohl
Iconians (Star Trek)
Krork (Warhammer 40,000)
Necrontyr (Warhammer 40,000)
Nox (Stargate SG-1)
August Derleth's Elder Gods
both of Terry Pratchett's early science fiction novels, Strata and The Dark Side of the Sun, offer subversions of the paradigm
See also Arthur C. Clarke's short story "The Star"
Oans (DC Comics)
Old ones (Warhammer 40,000)
Organians and Progenitors (Star Trek)
Protoculture (Macross)
Shadows (Babylon 5)
T'kon (Star Trek)
Vorlons (Babylon 5)
Xel'Naga (Starcraft)

More unusual forms

Aliens that are product of mechanical evolution in The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem
Dnyarri, nonhumanoid Telepaths (Star Control)
Abyormenites of Hal Clement's Cycle of Fire (floating ballons - one race, that is)
Black Cloud of Fred Hoyle (interstellar dust cloud)
C'tan (as above, woshipped and given corporial form by theNecrontyr, only 4 still exist and only two of those the Nightbringer and the Deceiver are awake, Mars (The Void Dragon) is actually one that was covered by space dust over trillions of years ago)(Warhammer 40,000)
The Caleban of Frank Herbert's Whipping Star (invisible telepathic beings who are actually the minds of stars)
Chenjesu, intellegent silicon-based crystals (Star Control)
The Chtorr, pink wormlike creatures from David Gerrold's War Against the Chtorr series. According to David, the Chtorr can also refer to the entire alien ecology.
The Doublers, two-in-one semi-humanoids of Stanislaw Lem's Eden
Drej, a race responsible for the destruction of Earth; made out of pure energy, Titan A.E.
Dugs (Star Wars)
Dyson Aliens (Peter F. Hamilton's "Pandora's Star")
Ego the Living Planet (Marvel Comics
Father (Animorphs) an intelligent entity formed from a network of algae and alien corpses spread across an ocean planet.
Meehooks from the comic book series Fusion, "dinosaurs with fur"
Gadmeer who live in a sulfur environment. (Stargate SG-1)
Ghroth (Ramsey Campbell's short story "The Turning")-Small, sentient planet with a large eye
The Gladifers of Dennis Paul Himes
Hivers of Traveller RPG (modified starfish)
Hooloovoo, noncorporeal beings , when refracted in a prism, they appear as a shade of blue. (Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
Horta (Star Trek)
Kymellians, humanoid Horses (DC Comics)
Ly-Cilph, begin their lives as corporeal, but can latter become non-corporeal being. (Night's Dawn Trilogy)
Melnorme (Star Control)
Methorians of Barrington J. Bayley's Zen Gun (gaseous giant-giant dwellers)
Oankali of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series
Puppeteers of Larry Niven's Ringworld and Known Space series (three legs, two manipulative heads)
Pilots (Farscape)
Pkunk,appear like Toucans (Star Control)
Prophets (Star Trek)
Rigellians (Lensman books) which are barrel-shaped with four tentacular arms and four stubby legs
Mr. Saturn (Earthbound)
The Scrin of Command & Conquer, an intelligent species of unknown form which are apparently symbiotic with the crystal, root and spore, Tiberium.
Shoggoths (H. P. Lovecraft)
Slylandro (Star Control)
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (living planet)
Spathi, simlar to Shellfish (Star Control)
Tholians (Star Trek)
Thraddash, boar- or rhino-like creatures with whiskers (Star Control)
Tralfamadorians of Kurt Vonnegut (The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse 5)
Treecats - Six-limbed cats(Honor Harrington Series)
Trillions of Nicholas Fisk (small collective crystals)
Umgah, large, pink or lilac-colored blobs (Star Control)
VUX, green tentacular creatures (Star Control)
Watchers in the dark (highly telepathic and thus invincible creatures who inhabit the rock Home of the Dark angles Space marines chapter) (Warhammer 40,000)
Yag-Kosha, from Robert E. Howard's Tower of the Elephant (humanoid elephant)
Yehat, pterodactyl-like creatures (Star Control)
Zebesian Space Pirates (Metroid series — the species has a wide range of morphological variety)
Zoq-Fot-Pik (Star Control)

Shape-shifting aliens

Aylee - (Sluggy Freelance) - Shapeshifts every stage of the lifecycle
Changelings (Star Trek)
The Green and White Martians of the DC universe -see also Martian Manhunter
High Ones (Elfquest)
Rutans (Doctor Who)
The Skrulls (Marvel Comics)
Time Lords/Gallifreyans (Doctor Who)-see Regeneration

Unintelligent Creatures

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

Aliens From Other Dimensions

5th dimensional imps (DC Comics also see.Mr. Mxyzptlk)
Annihilus, Blastaar and other natives of the Negative Zone (Marvel Comics)
The Anti-Monitor (DC Comics)
Arilou (Star Control)
Daemons/Daemonetts (Warhammer 40,000)
Digimon of Digimon
The D-Reaper from Digimon (Toei Animation)
The Digi-Gnomes from Digimon (Toei Animation)
Khorne (Warhammer 40,000)
The Krith of Richard C Merediths Timeliner Trilogy
Nurgle (Warhammer 40,000)
Orz (Star Control)
Q (Star Trek)
Qwardians (DC Comics)
Servitors of the Outer Gods (H.P. Lovecraft)
Slaaneesh (Warhammer 40,000)
Species 8472 (Star Trek)
Sphere Builders (Star Trek)
Tzeentch (Warhammer 40,000)
Unnamed telepathic aliens of Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Warp entities(Warhammer 40,000)

Galactic communities

Interstellar governments or communities in which several alien civilizations interact:

Babylon 5's Babylon Project and latter the Interstellar Ailliance
The Borg Collective (Star Trek)
The Covenant (Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2)
The ConSentiency (Frank Herbert's The Dosadi Experiment)
Galactic Patrol (E.E. Smith)
Uplift series by David Brin depicts pan-galactic community of various alien species
- Known Space by Larry Niven on a smaller scale
Star Trek's United Federation of Planets
Star Wars's Galactic Empire and Republic
The Empire of man (Warhammer 40,000)
- Ultramar (Sub-unit of the Empire of man) (Warhammer 40,000)
The Tau Empire (Warhammer 40,000)
The Eye of Terror (Home of many legions of Chaos Space Marines)

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
Cliff Pickover: 2003 The Science of Aliens New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-07315-8

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Categories: Fictional alien species | Lists of fictional characters