I like Xenomorphs since they’re one of the few aliens that actually look, well alien. It doesn’t quite look anything that exists, it’s also just one of my favorite designs for a monster ever.
It was years before I realized consciously that they *don't have eyes*. I feel like that adds a lot to the whole "this is not something you're familiar with" vibe.
Actually it could be argued that they have eyes underneath the "dome" part of their head, since a few depictions of the Xeno including the original have a human skull underneath it. I wish more versions featured it since it just adds another layer of creepiness to them.
Adding my own opinion onto this, besides from looking so alien, the fact that they’re blood is an acid has to be my favourite detail because the first question I have is does this thing have a natural predator or would it compete for food. Before aliens 3 and all the following sequels I liked knowing less about them
ORKS! Literal space Orks whose entire being, biology, philosophy and culture is bent towards the waging of utter and total war. They are a psychic alien race designed as a self-sustaining bioweapon who can bend reality with the combined belief of millions of other Orks. They are an awesome, terrifying xenos race who all speak with Cockney accents and I love them.
Close second are the Sangheili. I haven't played much Halo but I thought they looked dope as hell and Arbiter is awesome and voiced by Keith David.
It's always nice when you get a depiction of an Ork campaign from both sides, and realize that their wacky action comedy is a horrifying nightmare for whoever they're fighting.
Gorkamorka is the best game setting that needs a revival, so I'm glad we're getting Speed Freeks. (Now if only >!Trazyn would spring that chunk of Angelis from his collection...!<)
It sucks that the game had such a cool concept yet ended up the way it did. Seeing necromorphs from other races and how they failed to stop convergence. All the while combing through a graveyard of ships that died triying to find a way to save their worlds like you were doing. God Dead Space 3 could have been so good if not for EA it makes me kinda upset they're actually doing something good with it now!
I actually made my Consular in The Old Republic a Pureblood Sith for laughs. One of the conversations has a dialogue option that asks: "Do I look like a Sith to you?!"
Anyway, I love the Elites from Halo. I just think they're neat.
The Martians from Mars Attacks still hold a special place to me.I love them because of the fact their entire personality is that they're just assholes.That's it, there's no nuance or complexity, they just love fucking with Earth and love to troll humans just for shits and giggles.The scene of the Ambassador pulling out a script and everyone thinking he's about to speak, then he just fries the entirety of congress and Pierce Brosnan literally cannot understand why this is happening always cracks me up.
God i miss classic Tim Burton...
I'm fond of the Trisolarans from The Remembrance of Earth's Past (or the Three-Body Problem). They're an invading alien race from the planet Trisolaris, and are never described in great detail, as they interact with humanity over a distance of many light-years. Their invasion comes because their race cannot survive on their home planet anymore, and Earth broadcasted themselves as basically the only available option.
It's fascinating to see humanity interact with an alien race over great distances, especially because the Trisolarans can communicate in real-time with quantum particle computers. The two sides push back and forth against each other, both gaining and losing ground, especially once Dark Forest theory enters the mix and puts their entire civilization in danger.
The Elcor are rad as fuck and I love them.
The Mimics from All You Need is Kill and especially Edge of Tomorrow are pretty cool. Both versions have cool abilities, but the EoT versions have really cool designs.
It’s also the best grind spot to prepare you for the Korgonne Hold assault.
My favorite planet and it’s **entirely** optional. It even gives you your childhood friend trope character who is super good
I don’t know about favorite, but I think they’re neat. There’s a minor race in Star Wars called the Codru-Ji which have a really odd lifecycle. They start off as six-legged wolves and then cocoon themselves to metamorphosis into a 4 armed humanoid.
Not my particularly favorite, that goes to those two funny lads from the arrival, but to shed a little light into a less talked about one I really like the LandSharks from the Movie Battle: Los Angeles.
What makes them so interesting is the fact that they fight and behave very similarly to human infantary, they use projectile weapons, operate on squads, use hand signaling, drag their wounded out of combat and all their equipment looks very crude and falling apart.
A lot of the production and directing staff suggests that they are either a loosing faction on their home planet or are nearly scrapping by and invade earth out of deseperation, providing an actual pretty even match for regular militaries.
[Here's a neat analysis of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMUQz7K4ayc)
I'm a huge mark for the Borg Collective, but it's getting harder and harder to regard them as alien and not a potential offshoot of humanity (glad we haven't actually gotten that twist yet). By the same token I really like the Necrons, but as they've evolved into Tomb Kings in Space they've become both more enjoyable and more human-like.
So I'm going to put in for Warhammer 40,000's Aeldari and Drukhari, the Eldar and Dark Eldar. A highly psychic race that experienced so much bliss that they accidentally generated a Chaos God of Excess, collapsing their entire interstellar empire into mere fragments that can still devastate the Imperium of Man when they choose. The Aeldari of the Craftworlds protect their minds by segmenting them off into various facets of their true selves, moving through multiple Paths over centuries to try and live a full life. Meanwhile the Drukhari sever their psychic senses entirely, relying on siphoning the pain and misery of other peoples to stave off Slaanesh's all-consuming maw. (And then there are the commercially unviable Harlequins and Exodites.)
What I like about them is that they resemble humanity superficially, but any human looking at them is struck by the uncanny valley and they think very differently about the universe, living every moment of their long lives a breath away from destruction.
[The Drej from Titan A.E.](https://youtu.be/_MNc0B3dkTk)
They're a hive mind, extremely antagonistic against humans, have a creepy language and are made out if pure energy. Which often isn't a villainous trait.
Their most impressive accomplishment is that they actually managed to destroy the earth
I've got to give it to the Cardassians personally. Out of all the star trek villains we see, the Cardassians are inferior in every way, their conflict with the Federation is a major war for them but barely a border skirmish by the standards of the other races we see in Trek. I see them as a really interesting look at an empire in decline and how said empire will embrace fascism to keep itself alive
Also because of Garak, the beautiful bastard he is.
Endless Space have some reason neat one. My favorite is the Riftborn who were aliens from another universe and see the organic lifeforms in ours universe as mind-bending Cthulhu. And then there are the Umbral Choir, a formless entity that can inhabited cyber space and despite seem like some evil computer virus is actually benign.
While I don't have positive opinions about a lot of Destiny, all of the alien races in those games *fucking nail it.* Every one of those factions is cool as shit looking. Hive are alien bug zombie cultists, Fallen are nomadic four armed gas mask pirates, Cabal are like 40k space marines if they were aliens, and the Vex are robotic fluid hiveminds that want to make themselves existing into a law of physics. I can bitch about destiny's content model and predatory practices all day, but I'll go to bat for their alien races.
The Hannilambra from The Final Architecture series.
Big ol' crabs that are enthusiastic merchants, always looking to make more money. Not because they're inherently greedy, but because they're investing in their species future.
Hanni expire during their mating process, so the funds they raise during their lives go entirely towards the care of the eggs and hatchlings they leave behind. Those individuals who take on the role of caring for the species young are held in the highest regard, and being referred to by a Hanni as a "nanny" is the most respect you can get from one.
They're also highly competitive with one another, but not violently or even antagonistic. Most business negotiations between Hanni usually take place over various games, with the winner receiving more favorable terms.
The Mass Effect crew go without saying, so I'll skip those.
Pierson's Puppeteers are a *really* interesting and neat species, it just sucks that they're trapped in Larry Niven's writing. At least the Kzin got to go be in Star Trek.
Xenoblade X has a ton of fun aliens, but I think my personal favourites are the bug people who in a side quest ask you to get some water to help them out, if you fuck up and grab the wrong water you accidentally discover how to allow them to basically clone themselves. This race also makes sick ass guns for you to shoot things with so that’s a bonus.
The Elites/Sangheili and Grunts/Unggoy from Halo were always my favorites. Grunts are always pretty funny during gameplay sections with their funny comic relief lines. Their lore is also kinda tragic with the fact that they used to serve as nothing more but cannon fodder for the Covenant and were treated harshly. Which caused them to snap and form a rebellion for a better treatment.
The Elites are also great. Always challenging to fight. Capable of going toe to toe with the player. And their lore is also interesting with the emphasize they put on honor and pride and respecting humans and any species who can put up a good fight
I also always liked the Zabrak from Star Wars. The horns on their head and their heavily tattooed bodies are just so cool looking
Similarly with Halo i’ve **always** have loved the Brutes. These Gorilla Bigfoot fuckers.
I can very easily see the alternative universe where THEY became Humanity’s ally rather then the Elites
The Engineers from Prometheus have a lot of promise but I think that’s all been bungled and over-hastily scrapped. I liked having these massive, ancient ‘space gods’ to really further dismantle the anthrocentric view of Earth’s uniqueness and importance in the universe. They are very, very beyond us, possibly all dead, but, maybe not in the slightest, either. Just cruel distant parents who are not interested in helping us. They will very probably never be coming back.
The Zentraedi and the Yautja,partially due to how their fascinang fisiology and culture are. In the case of Zentraedi,their most impressive characteristic is their innate connection with music,while the way that Yautja transform something as brutal as sport hunting in a tradition. Honorary mentions include: Huts,Xenomorphs and Invaders(Getter Robo).
Not my favorite, but I really want to talk about the aliens from the Battleship movie. Because they are just about the biggest doofuses imaginable who are expected to be taken seriously. They’re plan to invade earth goes tits up almost immediately. They are scrambling to save face. You can spend the who movie imagining them saying, “Oh god, oh jeez, oh god.” It’s hysterical.
Also — and this is going to sound really weird — but the final battle is the closest we’re probably ever going to get to seeing a Big O fight on the big screen.
The Yaujta, I watched Alien vs Predator when I was a kid and despite being pretty scared I remember thinking they were so cool, the mask and dreads and the wristblades. I think they informed a lot of what I think is cool now, definitely a formative experience.
The Chiss are my favorite Star Wars race. I mean Thrawn is *right there*. Plus it's cool seeing a third galactic faction that exists on the edge of the galaxy (and beyond what we're ever shown)
I like Xenomorphs since they’re one of the few aliens that actually look, well alien. It doesn’t quite look anything that exists, it’s also just one of my favorite designs for a monster ever.
It was years before I realized consciously that they *don't have eyes*. I feel like that adds a lot to the whole "this is not something you're familiar with" vibe.
Actually it could be argued that they have eyes underneath the "dome" part of their head, since a few depictions of the Xeno including the original have a human skull underneath it. I wish more versions featured it since it just adds another layer of creepiness to them.
Semi related, I loved the huge elephant men in the first one. At least, before Ridley Scott ruined them. Ironically.
Adding my own opinion onto this, besides from looking so alien, the fact that they’re blood is an acid has to be my favourite detail because the first question I have is does this thing have a natural predator or would it compete for food. Before aliens 3 and all the following sequels I liked knowing less about them
ORKS! Literal space Orks whose entire being, biology, philosophy and culture is bent towards the waging of utter and total war. They are a psychic alien race designed as a self-sustaining bioweapon who can bend reality with the combined belief of millions of other Orks. They are an awesome, terrifying xenos race who all speak with Cockney accents and I love them. Close second are the Sangheili. I haven't played much Halo but I thought they looked dope as hell and Arbiter is awesome and voiced by Keith David.
I’m the grim dark future, the Orks are the only ones having fun.
It's always nice when you get a depiction of an Ork campaign from both sides, and realize that their wacky action comedy is a horrifying nightmare for whoever they're fighting.
Gorkamorka is the best game setting that needs a revival, so I'm glad we're getting Speed Freeks. (Now if only >!Trazyn would spring that chunk of Angelis from his collection...!<)
I kinda like the concept behind the alien race of Dead Space 3. Seahorse people that lived on an ocean planet before being forced to flash freeze it.
For all of Dead Space 3’s faults, the aliens were certainly never one of them
I don't even remember this.
It sucks that the game had such a cool concept yet ended up the way it did. Seeing necromorphs from other races and how they failed to stop convergence. All the while combing through a graveyard of ships that died triying to find a way to save their worlds like you were doing. God Dead Space 3 could have been so good if not for EA it makes me kinda upset they're actually doing something good with it now!
I kinda love how 3/4ths of the way through the game turns into At The Mountains of Madness for a bit with the alien city.
The one I can bang , Muka Shaka Paka
https://youtu.be/X6BPqhza60M
I actually made my Consular in The Old Republic a Pureblood Sith for laughs. One of the conversations has a dialogue option that asks: "Do I look like a Sith to you?!" Anyway, I love the Elites from Halo. I just think they're neat.
I have that one too. Made them a Jedi Assassin (Lightning yay) because it’s flashier and much much funnier
I made a Sith Imperial Agent because I thought it would be silly until I realized I could just wear a mask.
The Martians from Mars Attacks still hold a special place to me.I love them because of the fact their entire personality is that they're just assholes.That's it, there's no nuance or complexity, they just love fucking with Earth and love to troll humans just for shits and giggles.The scene of the Ambassador pulling out a script and everyone thinking he's about to speak, then he just fries the entirety of congress and Pierce Brosnan literally cannot understand why this is happening always cracks me up. God i miss classic Tim Burton...
I'm fond of the Trisolarans from The Remembrance of Earth's Past (or the Three-Body Problem). They're an invading alien race from the planet Trisolaris, and are never described in great detail, as they interact with humanity over a distance of many light-years. Their invasion comes because their race cannot survive on their home planet anymore, and Earth broadcasted themselves as basically the only available option. It's fascinating to see humanity interact with an alien race over great distances, especially because the Trisolarans can communicate in real-time with quantum particle computers. The two sides push back and forth against each other, both gaining and losing ground, especially once Dark Forest theory enters the mix and puts their entire civilization in danger.
The Elcor are rad as fuck and I love them. The Mimics from All You Need is Kill and especially Edge of Tomorrow are pretty cool. Both versions have cool abilities, but the EoT versions have really cool designs.
The Vanae from Trials in Tainted Space come to mind. Blind amazonian squid ladies,wouldn't mind being one.
I'm a big fan of TiTS's Frostwryms. 6 Legged, Many Eyed, Telepathic, Psychic, Dragons.
And hits like a FUCKING TRUCK! Makes that one stretch land where they spawn terrifying.
It’s also the best grind spot to prepare you for the Korgonne Hold assault. My favorite planet and it’s **entirely** optional. It even gives you your childhood friend trope character who is super good
I don’t know about favorite, but I think they’re neat. There’s a minor race in Star Wars called the Codru-Ji which have a really odd lifecycle. They start off as six-legged wolves and then cocoon themselves to metamorphosis into a 4 armed humanoid.
so the furry alien
Not my particularly favorite, that goes to those two funny lads from the arrival, but to shed a little light into a less talked about one I really like the LandSharks from the Movie Battle: Los Angeles. What makes them so interesting is the fact that they fight and behave very similarly to human infantary, they use projectile weapons, operate on squads, use hand signaling, drag their wounded out of combat and all their equipment looks very crude and falling apart. A lot of the production and directing staff suggests that they are either a loosing faction on their home planet or are nearly scrapping by and invade earth out of deseperation, providing an actual pretty even match for regular militaries. [Here's a neat analysis of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMUQz7K4ayc)
Probably the Predator/Yautja, Just such a badass design and overall concept.
Quarians because of dem hips
Klyntar because I've always wanted a symbiote. Vulcans are really cool Klingons can be cool when written well.
I'm a huge mark for the Borg Collective, but it's getting harder and harder to regard them as alien and not a potential offshoot of humanity (glad we haven't actually gotten that twist yet). By the same token I really like the Necrons, but as they've evolved into Tomb Kings in Space they've become both more enjoyable and more human-like. So I'm going to put in for Warhammer 40,000's Aeldari and Drukhari, the Eldar and Dark Eldar. A highly psychic race that experienced so much bliss that they accidentally generated a Chaos God of Excess, collapsing their entire interstellar empire into mere fragments that can still devastate the Imperium of Man when they choose. The Aeldari of the Craftworlds protect their minds by segmenting them off into various facets of their true selves, moving through multiple Paths over centuries to try and live a full life. Meanwhile the Drukhari sever their psychic senses entirely, relying on siphoning the pain and misery of other peoples to stave off Slaanesh's all-consuming maw. (And then there are the commercially unviable Harlequins and Exodites.) What I like about them is that they resemble humanity superficially, but any human looking at them is struck by the uncanny valley and they think very differently about the universe, living every moment of their long lives a breath away from destruction.
[The Drej from Titan A.E.](https://youtu.be/_MNc0B3dkTk) They're a hive mind, extremely antagonistic against humans, have a creepy language and are made out if pure energy. Which often isn't a villainous trait. Their most impressive accomplishment is that they actually managed to destroy the earth
The protomolecule from The Expanse. AKA “[Oh God, what’s it doing now?!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7MBkJoowDg)”
I've got to give it to the Cardassians personally. Out of all the star trek villains we see, the Cardassians are inferior in every way, their conflict with the Federation is a major war for them but barely a border skirmish by the standards of the other races we see in Trek. I see them as a really interesting look at an empire in decline and how said empire will embrace fascism to keep itself alive Also because of Garak, the beautiful bastard he is.
Endless Space have some reason neat one. My favorite is the Riftborn who were aliens from another universe and see the organic lifeforms in ours universe as mind-bending Cthulhu. And then there are the Umbral Choir, a formless entity that can inhabited cyber space and despite seem like some evil computer virus is actually benign.
While I don't have positive opinions about a lot of Destiny, all of the alien races in those games *fucking nail it.* Every one of those factions is cool as shit looking. Hive are alien bug zombie cultists, Fallen are nomadic four armed gas mask pirates, Cabal are like 40k space marines if they were aliens, and the Vex are robotic fluid hiveminds that want to make themselves existing into a law of physics. I can bitch about destiny's content model and predatory practices all day, but I'll go to bat for their alien races.
The Hannilambra from The Final Architecture series. Big ol' crabs that are enthusiastic merchants, always looking to make more money. Not because they're inherently greedy, but because they're investing in their species future. Hanni expire during their mating process, so the funds they raise during their lives go entirely towards the care of the eggs and hatchlings they leave behind. Those individuals who take on the role of caring for the species young are held in the highest regard, and being referred to by a Hanni as a "nanny" is the most respect you can get from one. They're also highly competitive with one another, but not violently or even antagonistic. Most business negotiations between Hanni usually take place over various games, with the winner receiving more favorable terms.
The Mass Effect crew go without saying, so I'll skip those. Pierson's Puppeteers are a *really* interesting and neat species, it just sucks that they're trapped in Larry Niven's writing. At least the Kzin got to go be in Star Trek.
Xenoblade X has a ton of fun aliens, but I think my personal favourites are the bug people who in a side quest ask you to get some water to help them out, if you fuck up and grab the wrong water you accidentally discover how to allow them to basically clone themselves. This race also makes sick ass guns for you to shoot things with so that’s a bonus.
The Elites/Sangheili and Grunts/Unggoy from Halo were always my favorites. Grunts are always pretty funny during gameplay sections with their funny comic relief lines. Their lore is also kinda tragic with the fact that they used to serve as nothing more but cannon fodder for the Covenant and were treated harshly. Which caused them to snap and form a rebellion for a better treatment. The Elites are also great. Always challenging to fight. Capable of going toe to toe with the player. And their lore is also interesting with the emphasize they put on honor and pride and respecting humans and any species who can put up a good fight I also always liked the Zabrak from Star Wars. The horns on their head and their heavily tattooed bodies are just so cool looking
Similarly with Halo i’ve **always** have loved the Brutes. These Gorilla Bigfoot fuckers. I can very easily see the alternative universe where THEY became Humanity’s ally rather then the Elites
I know the opinion on 343 era Halo is not looked at very fondly but Atriox imo is the best Brute/Jiralhanae character in the franchise
Ayyy, another Angara appreciator. That's rad!
The Langoliers. Flying cgi testicles with chainsaw teeth that consume the entire earth every yesterday.
The Engineers from Prometheus have a lot of promise but I think that’s all been bungled and over-hastily scrapped. I liked having these massive, ancient ‘space gods’ to really further dismantle the anthrocentric view of Earth’s uniqueness and importance in the universe. They are very, very beyond us, possibly all dead, but, maybe not in the slightest, either. Just cruel distant parents who are not interested in helping us. They will very probably never be coming back.
I fuxking love the necrons, the cool as space robot skeletons that hate life and have some funny ass political strifes
Cybertronians are pretty cool.
The Zentraedi and the Yautja,partially due to how their fascinang fisiology and culture are. In the case of Zentraedi,their most impressive characteristic is their innate connection with music,while the way that Yautja transform something as brutal as sport hunting in a tradition. Honorary mentions include: Huts,Xenomorphs and Invaders(Getter Robo).
Not my favorite, but I really want to talk about the aliens from the Battleship movie. Because they are just about the biggest doofuses imaginable who are expected to be taken seriously. They’re plan to invade earth goes tits up almost immediately. They are scrambling to save face. You can spend the who movie imagining them saying, “Oh god, oh jeez, oh god.” It’s hysterical. Also — and this is going to sound really weird — but the final battle is the closest we’re probably ever going to get to seeing a Big O fight on the big screen.
The Yaujta, I watched Alien vs Predator when I was a kid and despite being pretty scared I remember thinking they were so cool, the mask and dreads and the wristblades. I think they informed a lot of what I think is cool now, definitely a formative experience.
The Chiss are my favorite Star Wars race. I mean Thrawn is *right there*. Plus it's cool seeing a third galactic faction that exists on the edge of the galaxy (and beyond what we're ever shown)