Kevin's Watch

Similar to Avatar's thread. What is your favourite alien race?

Hard for me to say, but some of my very favourites are:

The Zygons from Dr Who


The Amnion

The Cardassians from Star Trek


My own

The best I have ever seen portrayed in a book is the Weaver from China Mieville's 'Perdido Street Station'

I'm not sure if it can be rendered better than that.

'Alien' from the Alien franchise is pretty cool, as is the Predator.

Q

Warmark wrote:'Alien' from the Alien franchise is pretty cool, as is the Predator.

I have to agree with Warmark. The Alien defines the impact a single alien life form can have on your perceptions. After seeing Alien at the theater in 1979 I never thought of them as little green men again.

My first real encounter with an alien in dramatic terms was of course SPOCK, but he was far too human to really register with me as a child.

David Gerrold's Chtorr. I always felt it was a brillant concept, that an alien species, bent on invasion, would have to completely alter the ecology of Earth to make it worthwhile.

Too bad Gerrold will be hard put to finish this series in fifty years.

Let's see - four volumes of a projected seven in 27 years - not acceptable!!!!

HR Giger's designs for Alien and Aliens take the cake for me. He's an evil bastard and he knows it!

David Brin's aliens are so well detailed--hard to choose just one but the Quechens, G'kek and Timbrini in the Uplift series are very cool. David Zindell's Fravashi and Friends of Man are excellent as are, of course, the Amnion--the Amnion simply rock!

(I also liked the "green perti-dish blob" alien on the first episode of the old Outer Limits)

for some strange reason I am also very attracted to Klingon women.....


and lets not forget our good future friends:
(the Borg Queen made me feel so.......so......diiiirty! )

Aliens that are not humanoid:
The Blob
Dean Kootz's alien in "Phantoms"
and of course...
the two green aliens on the "Simpsons"

Roland of Gilead wrote:David Gerrold's Chtorr. I always felt it was a brillant concept, that an alien species, bent on invasion, would have to completely alter the ecology of Earth to make it worthwhile.

Too bad Gerrold will be hard put to finish this series in fifty years.

Let's see - four volumes of a projected seven in 27 years - not acceptable!!!!

Wow!
You're the first person I've ever met that has read that series of Gerrold's.
I thought the first few books were great but then he started turning it into a mental exercise rather than an action story.

Where ever I left off (20 years ago?!) it didn't look too good for the Earth.

How great are giant worms?

Here's my favorite alien:

...gods e's ugly!

lou gossett jr is also one of MY favorite aliens Syl...





and i always liked the Narn from Babylon 5

The Amnion, of course. Most of the Babylon 5 and Farscape aliens. For books, I'd have to give it more thought.

High Lord Tolkien wrote:

Roland of Gilead wrote:David Gerrold's Chtorr. I always felt it was a brillant concept, that an alien species, bent on invasion, would have to completely alter the ecology of Earth to make it worthwhile.

Too bad Gerrold will be hard put to finish this series in fifty years.

Let's see - four volumes of a projected seven in 27 years - not acceptable!!!!

Wow!
You're the first person I've ever met that has read that series of Gerrold's.
I thought the first few books were great but then he started turning it into a mental exercise rather than an action story.

Where ever I left off (20 years ago?!) it didn't look too good for the Earth.

How great are giant worms?

Did either of you ever see that story he wrote about being seated between Solomon Short and Harlan Ellison at some scifi convention? I think it was posted on his web site years ago. Don't know if it's still around, but it was hilarious.

danlo wrote:David Brin's aliens are so well detailed--hard to choose just one but the Quechens, G'kek and Timbrini in the Uplift series are very cool.

Brin's best would have to be the Jophur.

I will also add the Hippae from Tepper's novel, Grass.

The Idirans from Consider Phlebas.

Oh, and H.G.Wells' Martians!

Wow Syl! Enemy Mine! What an awesome movie that was...haven't even thought of it in years.

It's a tough call...The Cardassians, Klingons and Jem'Hadar from ST, for sure.

The Alien from Alien, pretty excellent, and I have to agree with Danlo about the Fraveshi.

Naturally, I've always like the Vulcans too, but as Tom points out, they're not all that alien. Physically anyway.

--A

cheval wrote: the two green aliens on the "Simpsons"

Kodos and Kang.

I love the aliens from Futurama especially Zoydberg (sp?)

Rebo owns all

Sorus, I'll have to seek out that Gerrold anecdotal story. Sounds funny, although perhaps not to Ellison. Isn't he extremely sensitive about his height? (or lack thereof?) I also once read an article by Gerrold, entitled, "In Defense of Didactics." Which he proceeded to do, mainly using Heinlein as his shining example.

There is a lot of didactics in Gerrold's works, to be sure, which I think is what High Lord Tolkien is referring to. I thought A Rage for Revenge overdid this aspect, but A Season for Slaughter got back on the right track, with more action to drive the story.

But the time factor here between books is just absurd. I'm not sure if I will continue the series or not.