History Main / TheReptilians

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* ''Franchise/StarWars'' Many sentient races fit this trope in various ways.
** The Trandoshans — or T'doshok, as they name themselves — are the main reptilian species in the setting. They're scaly humanoids with poor reputations and a history of warfare and slave trading. They're also very fond of hunting — and Trandoshan rites of passage involve hunting other intelligent beings. The most notable member of the species is Bossk, one of the {{Bounty Hunter}}s sent after the heroes by TheEmpire.
** Barabels are a less prominent species of reptilian humanoids with more pronounced lacertilian characteristics, such as tails and more pronounced snouts than the Trandoshans have. They're known for their aggressive natures, and often find work as soldiers, mercenaries and thugs. They also have no concept of giving or accepting apologies and a rather liberal attitude regarding whether sapient beings are all right to eat, although they do also have a great deal of respect for the Jedi after a Jedi master helped them settle a major clan dispute. They’re also known for ThirdPersonPerson speech.
--->"On Nal Hutta, the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Vong]] are invaderz. What doez one call them on Barab?"\\
"Prey?"
** ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' features [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zam_Wesell Zam Wesell]], a shapeshifting Clawdite assassin hired to kill Senator Amidala.
* ''Film/{{Zathura}}'': The Zorgons, a species of nomadic, reptilian PlanetLooters who move from world to world to burn everything they can find, in order to sate their reptilian obsession with heat and warmth.
%%* Grig from ''Film/TheLastStarfighter,'' though he's actually a nice guy.%%ZCE
* General Sarris and his people in ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' are members of an unnamed reptilian race engaged in a genocidal war against the peaceful aliens the main characters are drafted into helping.
* In the ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' film, any Dinohattan inhabitant put into President Koopa's DevolutionDevice gets turned into a Goomba, a type of Reptilian with a tiny head that can resemble a velociraptor, a scaly ape, or a snake. They're more unintelligent goons than truly evil, and one Goomba devolved from Toad actively helps Daisy and the Mario Bros.
* The Drac from ''Film/EnemyMine'', though the movie's main point is that [[GrayAndGreyMorality they're not really the bad guys, and humans aren't really the good guys either]].
* The "Predator" alien in ''Film/CodeRedTheRubiconConspiracy'' is one of these under his (its?) mask.
* At the end of ''Film/WolfCop'', [[spoiler: the AncientConspiracy running the town are revealed to be these.]]
* A proto-example in ''Film/TwentyMillionMilesToEarth'', where the Ymir - an alien from Venus - is distinctly lizardlike, while also fairly anthropomorphic, though it doesn't wear clothes, and is portrayed as a [[NonMaliciousMonster dumb, frightened animal]], rather than a DiabolicalMastermind.
[[/folder]]

Compare LizardFolk and SnakePeople, which are generally the JustForFun/{{Fantasy Counterpart}}s to this trope. The former also tend to be more like dumb scaly orcs in contrast to the advanced Reptilians. Also compare TheFlatwoodsMonster, an alien cryptid that has a lesser-used reptilian alternate iteration.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* The Dinosaur Empire form ''Manga/GetterRobo'' are composed of LizardFolk Mooks, with several humanoid, scaled generals with a variety of dinosaur features.
* Daibazaal/Zarkon in ''Anime/GoLion''/''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' has slitted eyes, scales on his body, and finned ears. Several other residents of Planet Galra/Doom have similar appearances.
%%* Taurians from ''Manga/OutlawStar''.%%ZCE
* One of the ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' movies deal with The Reptilians whose civilization thrives BeneathTheEarth, and seek to alter the timeline so it's them, not the humans, who flourish above ground. Despite their sinister motives, they are actually no less moral than humans, if not objectively better (their technology being far more eco-friendly, for example). The finale of the movie has them agree to stay under the earth, because [[DeusExMachina Doraemon's future gadgets]] saved their ancestors from extinction.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Creator/MarvelComics:
** The Badoon, Skrulls and Snarks. ''Marvel'' also has the Serpent Men, borrowed from ''ComicBook/{{Conan|TheBarbarian}}'' in the days when he had a comic there. Ch'od of the Starjammers also fits the description (although he's basically a good guy). As does, to some degree, Stegron the Dinosaur Man. And the SpacePirate Captain Reptyl. And the Tribbitites, aka Toad Men. Along with assorted reptilian {{mutants}} such as Slither, Scaleface, Primal, etc. Basically, Marvel likes this trope.
** ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' has the Chitauri, who are a DarkerAndEdgier reimagining of the Skrulls.
* The Lizarkons of the planet Thanagar, ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}'s homeworld, in Creator/DCComics. Also the Gordanians and Psions, who both terrorize [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Starfire's]] home system of Vega.
%%* Clonezone the Hilariator from ''Comicbooks/{{Nexus}}''.%%ZCE
* GoldenAge [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] comics had Mr. Mind's alien flunkies, the Crocodile Men from Planet Punkus.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' had the Kleggs, thuggish and dim crocodile-like mercenaries who accept payment in meat.
* The ComicBook/{{Primortals}}, being descended from different ancient Earth animals, include reptilian races, most notably Zeerus's pterodactyl people.
* The Venn species from ''ComicBook/{{Reyn}}'' are basically bipedal salamanders, albeit rough sketches indicated that they originally were going to look different.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': A pair of unnamed slaves on Hope's End are humanoid with reptile features.
[[/folder]]

* The truly strange ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyDucks'' cartoon had a straight-up evil race made up of anthropomorphic ceratopsians, along with more conventional lizard-people types. And really, if the aforementioned Triceratons, Voth, and especially the Quintaglios are all "reptiles", then it isn't fair not to mention the titular duck-people.

Compare LizardFolk and SnakePeople, which are generally the JustForFun/{{Fantasy Counterpart}}s to this trope. The former also tend to be more like dumb scaly orcs in contrast to the advanced Reptilians.

** Barabels are a less prominent species of reptilian humanoids with more pronounced lacertilian characteristics, such as tails and more pronounced snouts than the Trandoshans have. They're known for their aggressive natures, and often find work as soldiers, mercenaries and thugs. They also have no concept of giving or accepting apologies and a rather liberal attitude regarding whether sapient beings are all right to eat, although they do also have a great deal of respect for the Jedi after a Jedi master helped them settle a major clan dispute. They’re also known for referring to themselves in the third person.

** Barabels are a less prominent species of reptilian humanoids with more pronounced lacertilian characteristics, such as tails and more pronounced snouts than the Trandoshans have. They're known for their aggressive natures, and often find work as soldiers, mercenaries and thugs. They also have no concept of giving or accepting apologies and a rather liberal attitude regarding whether sapient beings are all right to eat, although they do also have a great deal of respect for the Jedi after a Jedi master helped them settle a major clan dispute.

* In the SpeculativeDocumentary book ''All Tomorrows'' by Nemo Ramjet one of the descendants of mankind is a race known as the Saurosapients, which evolved from large lizards brought to a tropical planet by humans. Ironically they were once the livestock of an unintelligent species of genetically modified human that became ''their'' livestock after reptiles took over. They're not evil nor very human-like in general appearance (more like featherless raptors), but their society grows paranoid that an alien race will wipe them out like the humans before them. [[spoiler: It's presumed that robot humans did wipe them out along with many other races]].

* In ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds'', the Martians are essentially turned into the aforementioned Visitors. Except that they're body snatchers.

* Creator/PoulAnderson's Merseians, although usually at odds with humanity, are a more nuanced portrayal (and have a culture [[FantasyCounterpartCulture based off of the Sassanid Empire]]).

* Within the early {{fantasy}} genre, one very unique forerunner of this trope is the Green Lady, Creator/CSLewis's central villain in ''Literature/TheSilverChair'' (the fourth ''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Narnia]]'' book published, and the sixth in terms of InUniverse chronology). From within her ElaborateUndergroundBase, the Lady subtly acquires power through governmental infiltration and mind control, and she alternates between a regular human form and a ScaledUp form. Of course, since TheReptilians largely remained an UnbuiltTrope back in TheFifties, the Lady bears many differences from this trope as we know it today. For example, her reptilian form isn't humanoid like most examples today, but rather a massive venomous snake. Also, instead of TheReptilians being a whole species of invaders, the Lady is the only example that we see. [[DiabolusExNihilo Lewis never reveals her origins]] beyond vaguely hinting that she could be [[VillainousLegacy somehow connected]] to the White Witch from ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', nor does he specify whether her original form is humanoid, reptilian, or something else entirely.

** The online cult leader and fringe YouTuber Sherry Shriner, sort of a female, American David Icke, claimed in apparent ''earnest'' that Bieber was a Reptilian, in addition to Selena Gomez, Queen Elizabeth II, and various other people. She also seriously claimed Taylor Swift was a vampire.

** The online cult leader and fringe YouTuber Sherry Shriver, sort of a female, American David Icke, claimed in apparent ''earnest'' that Bieber was a Reptilian, in addition to Selena Gomez, Queen Elizabeth II, and various other people. She also seriously claimed Taylor Swift was a vampire.

[[caption-width-right:350:L - R, top to bottom: [[Franchise/StarWars A Trandoshan]], [[Series/DoctorWho a Silurian]],\\

Since they are reptiles they, of course, [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent are almost always evil]]. Unlike their Grey and Green cousins, though, the Reptilians tend to be portrayed as [[AlwaysChaoticEvil even more vicious and sadistic]], often abducting humans as a SlaveRace or as a [[ToServeMan food source]]. They are frequently [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shape-shifters]], changing into human form in order to infiltrate our ranks and take over the world before we even realize it. Sometimes, like LittleGreenMen and TheGreys, they can be more enigmatic invaders whose only direct contact with humans is through abductions. The trend nowadays, though, has been to give the Reptilians a more detailed culture than those two, typically as either ScaryDogmaticAliens or as the vanguard of a vast but decadent empire. They commonly have hidden bases BeneathTheEarth, which probably stems from a fusion of the {{Primal Fear}}s of both reptiles and the underground. Oftentimes, they are mentioned as having created TheGreys (by [[CloningBlues cloning]]) as a SlaveRace, until some decided to rebel, thus forcing the Greys to [[LEGOGenetics steal human DNA to survive.]]

If the biological history of the Reptilians gets mentioned, they are frequently revealed to be dinosaurs who attained sapience, somehow survived the K/T Extinction event, and [[{{Ultraterrestrials}} moved elsewhere among the stars]], not necessarily in that order.[[note]]To be technical, many believe humans and other mammals themselves evolved from reptilelike synapsids, so having the Reptilians actually remain what humans would recognize as reptilian would be quite a stretch, especially if they moved to a planet with a very different environment from Earth's to evolve in. Doesn't help that most dinosaurs weren't very "reptilian" in appearance, with feathers and the like -- sapient dinosaurs would look more like toothed birds than anything else.[[/note]] Such dinosaur-derived creatures are sometimes called "Dinosauroids", a term first popularized by paleontologist Dale Russell's hypothetical ''Troodon''-descended humanoid. Naturally, those dinosaurs often turn out to have been descendants of the carnivorous theropods such as ''[[RaptorAttack Velociraptor]]'' or ''TyrannosaurusRex'' (it helps that many theropods are considered to have been the most intelligent dinosaurs there were). Alternatively, they evolved on a planet whose evolutionary history is just like that of Earth, but [[EvolutionaryLevels stalled out]] before mammals could take their [[HumansAreSpecial rightful place at the top]].

!!Examples

[[folder:Film]]

** The Trandoshans -- or T'doshok, as they name themselves -- are the main reptilian species in the setting. They're scaly humanoids with poor reputations and a history of warfare and slave trading. They're also very fond of hunting -- and Trandoshan rites of passage involve hunting other intelligent beings. The most notable member of the species is Bossk, one of the {{Bounty Hunter}}s sent after the heroes by TheEmpire.

** The Silurians and their aquatic cousins the Sea Devils[[note]]both of these are technically FantasticSlurs: the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' has "Earth Reptiles" as a more respectful term, and the Eleventh Doctor uses the taxonomically inaccurate "''Homo reptilia''"[[/note]]. They are not extraterrestrials, but the previous inhabitants of Earth before humans came around. They do live underground and abduct people, though, which still fits in with Reptilian lore. However the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/DoctorWhoS7E2DoctorWhoAndTheSilurians episode]] in which the Silurians are introduced [[GreyAndGrayMorality avoids presenting them as evil]]; instead they're NotSoDifferent from the humans.

* Many of the alien species featured in ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' fit this trope. In most cases, ReptilesAreAbhorrent.

** The Gnalish in the ''Literature//StarTrekNovelVerse'' are a rare example of a benevolent, heroic Reptilian race. Okay, they're still grumpy and sour, but at least they're friendly.

** The Gnalish in the ''Franchise/StarTrekNovelVerse'' are a rare example of a benevolent, heroic Reptilian race. Okay, they're still grumpy and sour, but at least they're friendly.

-->'''Javik:''' The lizard people evolved?\\

* The krogan and the drell in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' franchise. The former are hulking, dinosaur-style [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy warrior-race-guys]], while the latter are more humanoid (but still scaly) and specifically built to be MrFanservice. According to Javik in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the salarians were essentially frogs back in his time.

* The Venusians in Kenneth J. Sterling's and Creator/HPLovecraft's short story ''In the Walls of Eryx'' are describe as reptilian.

** The Silurians and their aquatic cousins the Sea Devils[[note]]both of these are technically FantasticSlurs: the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' has "Earth Reptiles" as a more respectful term, and the Eleventh Doctor uses the taxonomically inaccurate "''Homo reptilia''"[[/note]]. They are not extraterrestrials, but the previous inhabitants of Earth before humans came around. They do live underground and abduct people, though, which still fits in with Reptilian lore. However the episode in which the Silurians are introduced [[GreyAndGrayMorality avoids presenting them as evil]]; instead they're NotSoDifferent from the humans.

** The Silurians and their aquatic cousins the Sea Devils[[note]]both of these are technically FantasticSlurs: the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' has "Earth Reptiles" as a more respectful term, and the Eleventh Doctor uses the taxonomically inaccurate "''Homo reptilia''"[[/note]]. They are not extraterrestrials, but the previous inhabitants of Earth before humans came around. They do live underground and abduct people, though, which still fits in with Reptilian lore.

* On ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', all the high-level executives at the WorldDomination bent MegaCorp Conglom-O (including the CEO, Mr. Dupette) are [[FunnyAnimal lizards]] with a habit of picking their noses.