History Main / PreCursors

Very commonly used to {{justif|iedTrope}}y RubberForeheadAliens: everyone was made from a common template by the Precursors, so they look pretty similar (although it also flatly contradicts all current data on the evolution of our species, implying a creationist/Intelligent Design origin of humans instead).

* OlderThanFeudalism: {{Atlantis}} was first recorded by Plato, and may be an allegory he dreamed up to serve his conception of a utopian society by providing it with an enemy. Another possiblity is that the legend of Atlantis grew out of stories about the civilization on bronze age Crete, long before classical AncientGreece. Another candidate is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorini Santorini]], a small group of islands off the coast of Crete with the ruins of a city buried in volcanic ash. About 3,600 years ago it was one big island before a huge eruption blew it to bits.

* Believed by some to be the source of the story of Atlantis, Santorini was an island city-state near Greece. They were very advanced compared to their neighbors, even possessing indoor plumbing, but were destroyed in a volcanic eruption. Many of their developments not seen again for centuries. Alternately, Ancient Phoenician-influenced Sardinia could count. They had iron weapons, conquered Italy and southern France, and had huge stone fortresses long before the middle ages. The end of the Sardinian civilization also coincides with an eruption of Vesuvius, plus the geography and political state of the island could match the description.

* {{Homestuck}}: [[spoiler:Turns out that universes are created by sessions of Sburb. And the trolls created ''ours''.]]
* In ''ImpureBlood'', they are the Ancients. Roan is a HalfHumanHybrid descendent. [[http://www.impurebloodwebcomic.com/Pages/Issue3/ib069.html The Watchers think they are evil.]]
* ''TheCyantianChronicles'' have at least two species, the Rumuah who created the Cyantians as servants and heirs, than died out from a genetic disease. And the "Squids" who came along centuries later and [[AbusivePrecursors enslaved]] the Cyantians, until Alpha Akaelae led a successful rebellion and wiped them out.

* The ''JakAndDaxter'' franchise has an ancient race called "The Precursors". They leave deep-voiced oracular statues and various giant robots scattered about, and depict themselves as glowing EnergyBeings, [[spoiler:but that's just a Wizard of Oz act; they're really Ottsels, otter-weasel things like Jak's sidekick Daxter. In fact, he becomes one because all eco contains their essence.]]

[[folder:Table Top Games]]

* In the ''{{Halo}}'' universe, the Forerunners are very much a precursor race, who believed that they held the "Mantle of Responsibility" for all life in the galaxy. All that's left of them are artifacts such as the titular "Halo" rings. [[spoiler:They purposely destroyed themselves activating the rings as a last resort to prevent a traveling parasite called "The Flood" from consuming all life in the galaxy, but not before leaving measures for the reseeding of life afterwards.]] Oddly, humans seem to have a unique connection to them -- much of Forerunner technology, including the Halos, can only be utilized by humans, and the major Forerunner installation on Earth is located in East Africa, right next to the area where modern humans are believed to have first evolved.

* When [[Franchise/MassEffect Commander Shepard]] asks [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Celestia]] about the fantastical abilities of the Equestrians, Celestia smiles and cryptically states that "their Mother shaped them that way." When Shepard learns [[spoiler: the fact that Equestrian DNA is shows almost-impossible levels of [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetic engineering]]]], Shepard concludes that this "Mother" must have been one.

* Sheppard assumes these are behind the ponies in Fanfic/ShepardsRR. [[spoiler: He's most likely right.]]

The Gray of [[FanFic/HiddenFrontier Star Trek: Hidden Frontier]] are [[spoiler:set up to be precursors of some kind, but it turns out they're actually artificial life forms built by actual precursors, of whom Siroc, the BigBad, is the last one left.]]

* In the FurryWebcomic ''Webcomic/{{Jack}}'', the furries that currently live on Earth are the descendants of furries created in a lab by humans, making humans the Precursors. They were wiped out in a war started by the first furry, Jack. The furry version of the United States government knows about furrykind's origins, and is (probably wisely) [[GovernmentConspiracy keeping it a secret]].

* The JimiHendrix song "Up From the Skies" has an alien revisiting Earth after a long hiatus: "I have lived here before/ in days of ice/ and of course this is why I'm so concerned/ and I come back to find/ the stars misplaced/ and the smell of a world/ that's burning." [[TropesAreFlexible Maybe a precursor,]] [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation maybe not]], but he'd been here a long, long time ago.

* ''{{Warcraft}}'' lore features the Titans, who created all the worlds in the universe and seeded them with life, then left to go pursue their unimaginable goals, leaving all kinds of stuff behind. One of them, Sargeras, is also the BigBad of the mythology. There are strong hints throughout the lore that they may be coming back some day (possibly in a future expansion).

*** [[WordOfGod Chris Metzen]] has said during an interview "We will see actual titans one day", implying that what we see in Northrend and Uldaman aren't actually titans. Most likely what we have seen are just constructs built by them.

**** The code name for the game to follow World of Warcraft is said to me "Titan", make of that what you will.

* In the ''VideoGame/StarControl'' games, there is a race explicitly called "The Precursors" which vanished but left behind many artifacts and installations across the galaxy. The wondrous second one is notable for containing artifacts and mysteries which are ''not'' [[AWizardDidIt explained away]] with the Precursors. The third one attributes everything to them to the point of {{retcon}}ning previous reveals. The Precursors are heavily hinted to having created at least two of the major alien races in the game, namely the [[spoiler: Mmrnmhrm, a race of robots supposedly built to terraform worlds in order to increase the potential for life, sentient life in particular]], and the [[spoiler:Mycon, genetically engineered fungus who were apparently designed to do the opposite: return lush planets to a molten and unstable state]]. The third game posits that they also left a race of robotic caretakers to make sure things stay orderly while [[spoiler:they're gone]], although yeah, fans [[FanonDiscontinuity really really don't much care]].

** From the perspective of the modern day, the Elves of Tolkien's [[TheLordOfTheRings Middle-Earth]] are a Precursor race.
* The Valheru in RaymondEFeist's ''[[TheRiftwarCycle Riftwar]]'' series.
* IainMBanks' [[TheCulture Culture]] novels are practically littered with Precursors, numerous advanced civilizations that existed in aeons past until they variously died off, [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Sublimed]], or just plain mysteriously disappeared. These Precursors are the SufficientlyAdvancedAliens ''of'' SufficientlyAdvancedAliens, since most of Banks' protagonists themselves belong to a civilization that can casually travel across the galaxy, build gigantic habitats in space, and ''use the fabric of the Universe itself as a weapon'' -- and ''they'' are occasionally awed by the Precursors.

* The ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' series mention several names. The ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'' setting has the "First People", ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW'' has the "E's" and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsK'' has the "Crusians". Some titles like ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsDestiny'' or ''Scramble Commander 2'' have relics left by a nameless race. This is a source of EpilepticTrees in the mythos.

* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}} 2'' featured the aptly-named Progenitors, who left behind various relics including several {{Wave Motion Gun}}s which the player and the enemy fight for control of. One of the WaveMotionGun ships is a deity that the current races have been worshiping for some time.

* In the ''MarvelUniverse'', the race of giant Celestials have influenced many planets, including Earth. They wear strange suits of armor, giving the impression that they are mechanical, but that's not the case. They also test races and civilisations according to their standards to see who are worthy. In addition, there are also the Elders of the Universe, a loose associations of beings who all are The LastOfTheirKind, and who hail from the first intelligent races to develop in the universe. They are less active, though, since they are all obsessed with one narrow hobby which apparently is the only thing that keeps them from dying of sheer boredom. The Grandmaster may be interested in the gaming and gambling habits of various lesser races, for instance, but couldn't care less about any aspects of their culture that has nothing to do with his obsession with games.\\
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There is also the race know as the Watchers, who ''started'' to do something similar, but got cold feet when early interference with a much more primitive race led to horrible wars. They have sworn to not interfere with their nigh godlike powers, only record what happens. (The Watcher appointed to Earth is a juvenile delinquent who breaks this rule regularly, but surreptitiously, so as to not get in trouble with his kind.)

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series, the Precursors had much more sophisticated technology than does the present-day civilization; in the second game, this sets the plot in motion when a MadScientist / SinisterMinister gets hold of some.

* The ''VideoGames/{{Thief}}'' series has the long-gone civilization from the ancient ruined city of Karath Din (a.k.a. "The Lost City"), which is known only under the colloquial moniker "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Precursors]]". The environments of their ruins and various readables imply that at least part of The City's society and technology has very early roots in the survivors of this bygone civilization. Most of the details on the reasons behind the Precursors' demise [[RiddleForTheAges are deliberately left open to speculation]], given the series' [[ShowDontTell elliptical approach]] to revealing the history and inner workings of its setting.

* This ''HeroicAge'', the precursors (known as the ''Golden Tribe'') was the source of many wonders; giving birth to stars, discovering the [[FasterThanLightTravel Star Way]] which connects all stars, as well uplifting several races. In time they eventually undertook a journey out of their home galaxy and into a new one. The story is about how the lesser race cope with the ''Golden Tribe's'' absence.