Many authors and fans of science fiction love aliens.
My aim is to inspire writers with ideas from weird aliens in fiction and from
the perspective of a scientist with a life-long interest in the diversity of
life on our planet.
Weird biology fact: We have traces of viral DNA in
our genomes.
First, what are aliens? Aliens are intended to have
inhuman characteristics. I will use broad categories of humanoid, animal based
and other.
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| Davros & Daleks |
In Science Fiction Romance, human-like aliens are
common, since a degree of physical compatibility may be desirable, although not
essential. Humanoids predominate in video media, partly because they are easier
to represent. Consider Dr Who: even the exterminating
Daleks are mutated humans in a robotic shell.
Animal-like aliens are also common, and many
resemble people in fur. Felines are popular, such as the lion-like Hani of C.J.
Cherryh, Anne McCaffrey’s Hrubbans, and the Kzinti of Larry Niven.
Dragons are clearly related to reptiles and fall
into the category of animal-like aliens.
One early example of non-humanoid aliens is
described in the War of the Worlds (1897) by WG Wells.
Piers Anthony in his Cluster series created a
variety of non-humanoid sentient aliens. He used the unifying theme of aura as
a means of communication and exchange of minds into different bodies. In
Thousandstar (1980), a humanoid woman falls in love with an alien resembling a
giant amoeba (my description).
Weird biology fact: Insect metamorphosis mean that
delicate winged butterflies with six legs are the adult forms of squiggly,
voracious caterpillars with many legs and prolegs.
Think of the myriad varieties of animals living in
the sea. Many are spineless invertebrate animals such as jellyfish, sea
cucumbers, and squid.
Weird biology fact: squid communicate by changing
color.
Intelligent plant-based aliens are less common. They
include Tolkien’s Ents, which are essentially walking, talking trees.
Carnivorous plant-like aliens are popular, such as the walking plants with
lethal stings from John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids (1951).
Weird biology fact: carnivorous plants can move fast, but
they cannot walk. On the other hand, some seeds fly!
Can you imagine intelligent bacteria? Bacteria, aka
prokaryotes, can survive in extremely hostile environments, in soil, ice,
boiling springs. They communicate via chemical messages and exchange pieces of
DNA, like the genes for antibiotic resistance. Different bacteria can combine
in a colony called a biofilm. What fascinating elements for novel aliens!
Weird biology fact: the descendants of ancient
bacteria live in your cells as the energy producing mitochondria.
Aliens can include entities of gas or pure energy. Sir
Fred Hoyle, the eminent English astronomer, disputed the Big Bang theory. His 1957
novel, The Black Cloud, explores the idea of an intelligent interstellar cloud.
Aliens can be entities of pure energy, although they may be obvious of us.
I hope some of these weird life forms will inspire
you to create unique and believable aliens in your stories.
Recent Novel:
Dragons of Vkani, Book II in series Atrapako on Eden
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LS1EU6K/
This Science
Fiction story is set on the two remote planets of Eden and Vkani. Peaceful Eden
has an independent colony of Terrans and a small population of Atrapako. The
alien Atrapako sport spiky crests, sharp claws, and scales covering massive
humanoid bodies. Their scales come in one of four colors, representing their
traditional class system.
The happy
family life of Sa Kamizan and Lucy Stannis is interrupted when the Space
Traders bring a distress signal from his sister, Veela. They must travel to the
hostile Atrapako planet of Vkani to rescue Veela, the Dragon Lady of Ravenak. The rescue
teams encounter new friends and deadly foes in the hostile, barbaric
environment where warlords wage battles amid ferocious sandstorms. In their
search across the inhabited continent, Sa Kamizan demonstrates his prowess with
a sword, while Lucy employs explosives, and, of course, the dragons, as they
combat treachery by power-hungry Blues.
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