| 1 | ->''"He was a candidate for a Midwestern congressional seat, and he hired me to manage his campaign advertising. Unfortunately, his opponent turned up something in his past with which we could not cope."\ |
| 2 | "Let me guess: he was secretly a liberal."\ |
| 3 | "Worse. An alien."\ |
| 4 | "You're kidding?! An undocumented alien running for--"\ |
| 5 | "No. A space alien, Ms. Walters."'' |
| 6 | -->-- ''ComicBook/TheSensationalSheHulk'' #11, Jan. 1990 |
| 7 | |
| 8 | A character of extraterrestrial origins. For tropes about what ''makes'' them alien, at least from a biological standpoint, see BizarreAlienBiology. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant If you thought it meant "illegal aliens" and signed up]], click RaceTropes. For interspecies romantic or sexual interactions, see the InterracialAndInterspeciesLoveIndex. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | If there are no aliens at all, see AbsentAliens. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Compare FantasticSapientSpeciesTropes. Not to be confused with OthernessTropes, though there may be some overlap. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | |
| 18 | !!Tropes: |
| 19 | [[index]] |
| 20 | [floatboxright: |
| 21 | '''Related indexes:''' |
| 22 | * AlienWorks: An index of fiction works starring/revolving around aliens. |
| 23 | * SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism |
| 24 | ] |
| 25 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[folder:Levels of the ladder of alien strangeness]] |
| 28 | * TheAgeless: Aliens who can't succumb to old age but can still die with other methods. |
| 29 | * AlienAnimals: Aliens that look ''exactly'' like Earth animals or aliens who are actual Earth animals not from Earth. |
| 30 | * AlienBlood: An alien bleeds a strangely-colored substance that isn't the red blood of humans. |
| 31 | * AlienCatnip: A substance that's fine for humans but affects aliens sort of like a drug. |
| 32 | * AlienFairFolk: Aliens that look like fantasy creatures from Earth's folklore (fairies, gnomes, trolls, goblins) or fantasy creatures who pretend to be aliens. |
| 33 | * AlienHair: List of hairstyles fictional aliens often have. |
| 34 | * AlienKudzu: A plantlike alien arrives on Earth and starts "seeding". |
| 35 | * AliensNeverInventedDemocracy: When humans are the only culture with a democratic political system. |
| 36 | * AliensNeverInventedTheWheel: Aliens never invented a specific technology (such as the wheel) but are otherwise normal. |
| 37 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Humanlike alien species with skin colors vividly outside the human range. |
| 38 | * AngelicAliens: Graceful aliens that look sort of like humans and are seen as extremely beautiful. |
| 39 | * BeePeople: A race of aliens that have workers, drones and queens like bees. |
| 40 | * BizarreAlienBiology: Aliens have biology and physiology ''vastly'' different from that of humans. |
| 41 | * BizarreAlienPsychology: Aliens think a lot differently than humans. |
| 42 | * BlobMonster: Aliens that resemble shapeless blobs. |
| 43 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: A set of morals that are completely bonkers to most humans. |
| 44 | * BrainInAJar: A disembodied brain kept alive in a jar. |
| 45 | * CatFolk: Humanoid aliens based on cats. |
| 46 | * CuteLittleFangs: Aliens with small fangs to make them look cute. |
| 47 | * ConqueringAlienPrince: An Alien Prince with the intent of conquering a planet and enslaving it's people. |
| 48 | * DittoAliens: A species of aliens where all the individuals look the same. |
| 49 | * EldritchAbomination: An alien that just makes no sense. |
| 50 | * EnclosedExtraterrestrials: Aliens that wander around all covered. |
| 51 | * EnergyBeings: Non-corporeal aliens. |
| 52 | * ExposedExtraterrestrials: Aliens that wander around naked. |
| 53 | * ExtremophileLifeforms: Aliens and other beings evolved to live in conditions seemingly hostile to life. |
| 54 | * FangsAreEvil: Fanged aliens portrayed as bad or malicious. |
| 55 | * FishPeople: Aquatic, humanoid aliens who look sort of like fish. |
| 56 | * TheFlatwoodsMonster: Red-faced, spade-hooded humanoid aliens that are also lumped with [[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious cryptid lore]]. |
| 57 | * FrogMen: Humanoid aliens who look and act rather like frogs. |
| 58 | * GeniusLoci: A sapient place. |
| 59 | * GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe: An alien woman who looks like a human except for one or two obvious differences, and who at least one person in the main cast is attracted to if she's not just MsFanservice. |
| 60 | * TheGreys: Grey, usually naked, short, humanoid aliens with large heads. |
| 61 | * HumanAliens: An alien which looks, sounds, and to some extent, acts human. |
| 62 | * HumanityCameFromSpace: Aliens who are actual humans not from planet Earth. |
| 63 | * HumanoidAliens: Aliens who are humanoid, but don't look human. |
| 64 | * HumanOutsideAlienInside: An alien that looks like a human on the surface but has some wacky parts and whatnot inside their body. |
| 65 | * HumanSubspecies: 'Aliens' who are related to humans. |
| 66 | * IndoEuropeanAlienLanguage: Non-human languages are based on the languages of their creators. |
| 67 | * InhumanlyBeautifulRace: Similar to the above, aliens being beautiful far beyond normal human standards. |
| 68 | * InsectoidAliens: Aliens based on Earth bugs. |
| 69 | * IntelligentGerbil: An alien that's basically like a sapient, bipedal version of an Earth animal. |
| 70 | * KillerSpaceMonkey: Aliens that look like monkeys or non-human apes and are evil. |
| 71 | * LawOfAlienNames: Common formulas writers use for making names for aliens. |
| 72 | * LifeInZeroG: Aliens that have evolved in a zero gravity environment, such as deep space. |
| 73 | * LittleGreenManInACan: Aliens that you can't tell what they look like as they all wear strange outfits. |
| 74 | * LittleGreenMen: Short, green aliens who drive flying saucers, and usually have antennae. |
| 75 | * LivingGasbag: Floating aliens that are literally full of gas. |
| 76 | * LivingProgram: Aliens made of code and data. |
| 77 | * LivingShip: A ship that's alive. |
| 78 | * LizardFolk: Aliens that look like humanoid reptiles. |
| 79 | * LongLived: It's quite common for alien races to have much longer lifespans than humans. |
| 80 | * {{Lunarians}}: Aliens from the Earth's Moon. |
| 81 | * {{Martians}}: Aliens from the planet Mars. |
| 82 | * MechanicalLifeforms: A race of robots or cyborgs that are treated as a real species. |
| 83 | * MechanisticAlienCulture: Aliens that are organic, but act like robots and have very tight schedules. |
| 84 | * MirrorChemistry: References to chirality in aliens. |
| 85 | * MonstrousMandibles: Aliens with mandibles in addition to or instead of a more human-like mouth. |
| 86 | * MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Aliens with a lot of teeth. |
| 87 | * MushroomMan: Aliens that look like a cross between a human and a mushroom. |
| 88 | * MyBrainIsBig: An alien with a huge brain. |
| 89 | * NoSuchThingAsAlienPopCulture: Aliens that have no popular culture. |
| 90 | * NotQuiteHuman: An alien that is practically the same as a human except for one difference. |
| 91 | * OctopoidAliens: Aliens that look like squids, octopi or jellyfish. |
| 92 | * OtherworldlyTechnicolourHair: Aliens have hair of unusual color. |
| 93 | * PaletteSwappedAlienFood: Alien food looks like human food but colored differently. |
| 94 | * PlantAliens: Aliens that look like or are partly made of plants. |
| 95 | * PointyEars: Aliens with pointed ears or ear-like appendages. |
| 96 | * PredatorPastiche: Humanoid aliens based on the stealthy alien hunter of ''Franchise/{{Predator}}''. |
| 97 | * PupatingPeril: Very nasty aliens emerging from cocoons. |
| 98 | * PuppeteerParasite: Alien parasites that take over their hosts' personalities. |
| 99 | * ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Older, or downright ancient, aliens appearing much younger than they actually are. |
| 100 | * RubberForeheadAliens: An alien whose face is significantly different from a human's, but only in their face. |
| 101 | * SandWorm: Giant alien worms that live in the desert. |
| 102 | * SiliconBasedLife: Aliens that are made of mostly silicon. |
| 103 | * SolarSystemNeighbors: Aliens who come from other bodies in the Solar System near Earth. |
| 104 | * SpaceElves: Aliens who think they're superior (or might even ''be'' superior in some cases) to us, and act like [[OurElvesAreDifferent a certain fantasy race]]. |
| 105 | * SpaceOrcs: Aliens who are brutish, violent and primitive, often very apelike. |
| 106 | * SpaceWhale: Aliens which look like whales and can "swim" though space. |
| 107 | * StarfishAliens: Aliens that are radically different from humans. |
| 108 | * StarfishLanguage: Aliens speaking a bizarre language. |
| 109 | * StarfishRobots: Robotic beings of alien origin, shape and functionality. |
| 110 | * StrongerWithAge: A species that gets stronger as they age. |
| 111 | * SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Aliens that are so advanced that their technology seems like magic to humans. |
| 112 | * TelepathicSpacemen: Aliens with telepathy. |
| 113 | * TentacledTerror: Tentacles are a common feature of aliens, octopoid or otherwise. |
| 114 | * TranshumanAliens: A group of 'aliens' are revealed to have evolved from humans. |
| 115 | * TransplantedHumans: Human populations originally from Earth who were brought to other worlds. |
| 116 | * {{Ultraterrestrials}}: A species originating from Earth that left and now wants to return. |
| 117 | * UnusualEars: A humanoid with non-human ears. |
| 118 | * UrsineAliens: Humanoid aliens similar to bears. |
| 119 | * XenomorphXerox: Extraterrestrials with the appearance and/or reproductive cycle of the eponymous creatures of the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' franchise. |
| 120 | [[/folder]] |
| 121 | |
| 122 | [[folder:SFX]] |
| 123 | * {{Muppet}}: A type of puppet like in ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. |
| 124 | * PeopleInRubberSuits: Aliens (usually evil) that wear skin-tight suits. |
| 125 | * SerkisFolk: Characters created by dubbing an actor with CGI. |
| 126 | [[/folder]] |
| 127 | |
| 128 | [[folder:Interspecies relations]] |
| 129 | * AlienAbducteesFightBack: Humans abducted by aliens rebel against their captors. |
| 130 | * AlienAbduction: One or more aliens kidnap/s one or more humans. |
| 131 | * AlienAmongUs: An alien living with a bunch of humans and trying to keep their alienness secret. |
| 132 | * AlienArtsAreAppreciated: Art made by one species is appreciated by aliens. |
| 133 | * AlienAutopsy: Humans study dead aliens. |
| 134 | * AlienInvasion: Aliens try to conquer Earth. |
| 135 | * AlienNonInterferenceClause: Humans don't interfere with the development of alien culture because they have a law against it. |
| 136 | * AliensAreBastards: All aliens in a work are evil. |
| 137 | * AliensLoveHumanFood: Despite being more technologically advanced than Earth, Aliens appreciate the humans' "primitive" food. |
| 138 | * AliensOfLondon: Aliens who speak human languages in a particular accent. |
| 139 | * AliensSpeakingEnglish: Aliens can speak human languages for no reason. |
| 140 | * AliensStealCable: Aliens learn about Earth from radio and TV. |
| 141 | * AliensStealCattle: Aliens abduct cows and bulls, not people. |
| 142 | * AnalProbing: Aliens studying humans by [[AssShove sticking things up their butts]]. |
| 143 | * AnatomicallyIgnorantHealing: An alien tries to heal a human but have no idea how. |
| 144 | * AncientAstronauts: Aliens visited Earth sometime in the distant past and apparently did things like build pyramids or were mistaken for gods in old times. |
| 145 | * Area51: Aliens being hidden in Area 51, a US Air Force base (which is a real place, but no aliens are being hidden there in real life that we know of). |
| 146 | * AutomobilesAreAlien: Aliens don't understand cars and other automobiles. |
| 147 | * BenevolentAlienInvasion: Aliens invade but they do the humans well. |
| 148 | * BrownNoteBeing: Just sensing the alien makes humans sick. |
| 149 | * CropCircles: Large geometric patterns in fields of crops, thought to be (and in some cases, actually) done by aliens. |
| 150 | * DescriptivelyNamedSpecies: A species that has a name based on their appearance/behavior. |
| 151 | * TheDogIsAnAlien: An alien disguises itself as a pet. |
| 152 | * EasilyThwartedAlienInvasion: Humans can easily defeat invading aliens. |
| 153 | * ETGaveUsWiFi: The idea that aliens invented or helped invent some modern technology. |
| 154 | * FantasticallyChallengingPatient: A human doctor must perform a medical procedure on an alien. |
| 155 | * FarOutForeignersFavoriteFood: An alien's favorite human food. |
| 156 | * FirstContact: Humans meet an alien species for the first time. |
| 157 | * FirstContactFarmer: When aliens first arrive on Earth, chances are that the first human to observe or interact with them will be a farmer. |
| 158 | * FirstContactFauxPas: A misunderstanding happens during first contact that usually leads to war. |
| 159 | * FirstContactMath: Trying to make first contact by doing math. |
| 160 | * FirstContactTeam: People suspect aliens are around and make a plan with dealing with first contact. |
| 161 | * HigherTechSpecies: One alien race is more technologically advanced than the others. |
| 162 | * HostileTerraforming: Altering a place, often a whole planet, to be less suitable for native life and more suitable for alien life. |
| 163 | * JustForFun/HowToInvadeAnAlienPlanet: A joke guide for aliens on how to invade Earth or some other planet. |
| 164 | * HughMann: An alien impostor who does a terrible job at appearing human. |
| 165 | * HumanAlienDiscovery: A human discovers that they're actually an alien RaisedByHumans. |
| 166 | * HumanityOnTrial: Aliens put humanity on trial for their supposed misdeeds. |
| 167 | * HumansAreSmelly: Aliens that hate the smell of humans, even if said humans are clean. |
| 168 | * HumansNeedAliens: Aliens which protect humans from different aliens. |
| 169 | * HumansThroughAlienEyes: Aliens who think humans are bizarre. |
| 170 | * HumorlessAliens: Aliens that don't understand humor. |
| 171 | * IComeInPeace: During first contact, one species lets the other know they don't intend to harm them. |
| 172 | * JustForFun/IfIAmEverHeadOfAnAlienMonitoringAgency: A joke page for how to be the Men in Black's leader. |
| 173 | * ImportedAlienPhlebotinum: Humans using alien technology. |
| 174 | * InnocentAliens: Aliens that are well-meaning and clueless. |
| 175 | * InscrutableAliens: Aliens that we have no idea how to communicate with and don't know much about. |
| 176 | * InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Aliens that don't make sense because they managed to travel to Earth but otherwise seem to have no idea what technology is or how it works. |
| 177 | * KlingonsLoveShakespeare: An alien likes a piece of human culture. |
| 178 | * MarsNeedsWater: Aliens trying to steal water from Earth. |
| 179 | * MarsWantsChocolate: Aliens trying to steal Earth snacks. |
| 180 | * TheMenInBlack: Generic agents often involved with investigating or denying aliens' existence. |
| 181 | * MistookTheDominantLifeform: Aliens want to talk to our pets instead of us. |
| 182 | * {{Panspermia}}: Creatures on Earth evolved from alien microbes/simple alien animals, or vice versa. |
| 183 | * PlanetLooters: Aliens robbing us. |
| 184 | * {{Precursors}}: A mysterious alien culture that precedes all others. |
| 185 | * ProtocolPeril: A race of aliens with strict rules that have severe punishments for breaking them, which is bad news if humans are visiting. |
| 186 | * PunyEarthlings: All the aliens have cool powers that we don't. |
| 187 | * ReptilianConspiracy: Alien LizardFolk control human society in secret. |
| 188 | * TheRightOfASuperiorSpecies: Aliens that think they are superior to humans and therefore allowed to do bad things to them. |
| 189 | * RoswellThatEndsWell: Aliens associated with the alleged UFO crash-landing in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. |
| 190 | * ScaryDogmaticAliens: An evil group of aliens with a strict ideology. |
| 191 | * ServantRace: A race made to serve another. |
| 192 | * SidekickCreatureNuisance: A small alien sidekick who annoys everyone. |
| 193 | * SlaveRace: A race of aliens that were enslaved by another. |
| 194 | * SmorgasbordTest: Someone discovers a new creature and tries to find out what it eats by offering it many different foods. |
| 195 | * SolidGoldPoop: One species' waste (poop, urine, tears, etc.) is valuable to another species. |
| 196 | * SoYouWantTo.WriteAnAlienInvasionStory: A guide for writing stories about alien invasions. |
| 197 | * StayWithTheAliens: Aliens want to take a human with them. |
| 198 | * SuperiorSpecies: A race of aliens that are somehow superior to humanity. |
| 199 | * TakeMeToYourLeader: Aliens want to be taken to humans' leader. |
| 200 | * TechnologyUplift: Aliens who feel they're responsible for sharing technology with other species. |
| 201 | * TheyLookLikeUsNow: Evil shapeshifting aliens learn to look like humans. |
| 202 | * ToServeMan: Aliens eat humans. |
| 203 | * TouchedByVorlons: A character gains powers or their powers get enhanced due to interaction with aliens. |
| 204 | * TwoOfYourEarthMinutes: Aliens mention that they are using human time, not their time. |
| 205 | * VichyEarth: Aliens invade and become humanity's new rulers. |
| 206 | * WeComeInPeaceShootToKill: First contact with aliens ends badly with one side attacking the other. |
| 207 | * WhatMeasureIsAHumanoid: A romance between a human and a non-human humanoid is not seen as {{Squick}}y as a romance between a human and a non-humanoid. |
| 208 | * WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Humans are seen as the only relevant species. |
| 209 | * TheXenophile: A human who likes aliens. |
| 210 | [[/folder]] |
| 211 | |
| 212 | [[folder:Reproduction]] |
| 213 | * BizarreAlienReproduction: Aliens have sex in a weird way. |
| 214 | * BizarreAlienSexes: An alien species with a weird set of sexes. |
| 215 | * BoldlyComing: Sex with aliens. |
| 216 | * ChestBurster: An alien parasite leaves its host's (usually a human) body by bursting through their chest. |
| 217 | * DesignerBabies: A human is genetically modified in utero to make them "better" somehow. |
| 218 | * DominantSpeciesGenes: Two creatures of different species have a kid that has the traits of the most "dominant" parent. |
| 219 | * DyingRace: A race of sentient beings who are dying out. |
| 220 | * ExoticEquipment: Aliens with unusual privates. |
| 221 | * FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: A creature reproduces by impregnating another species (often a human). |
| 222 | * HotSkittyOnWailordAction: Two aliens/monsters of different species have sex, but it begs the question just ''how'' they did it. |
| 223 | * ImmortalProcreationClause: Immortals who can't have babies. |
| 224 | * InterspeciesRomance: A human and a non-human who end up in a romantic relationship. |
| 225 | * MatingSeasonMayhem: An alien character goes through animal-like mating seasons. |
| 226 | * MarsNeedsWomen: A male alien/robot/monster/whatever attracted to human women. |
| 227 | * OnlyYouCanRepopulateMyRace: An alien woman whose species is in danger of extinction has to mate with a human male. |
| 228 | * PlanetaryParasite: Parasites that use a whole planet as their host. |
| 229 | * UterineReplicator: Babies are made in a machine instead of a woman's womb. |
| 230 | * XenoNucleicAcid: Alien DNA has a different structure than terrestrial DNA. |
| 231 | [[/folder]] |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[folder:Genders]] |
| 234 | * AlienGenderConfusion: The difficulty of members of one species to judge the genders of another. |
| 235 | * BizarreSexualDimorphism: An alien race where the males and the females look ''way'' different from one another. |
| 236 | * GenderEqualsBreed: Somebody's species depends on their gender. |
| 237 | * NonHumanNonBinary: A character is not a human and does not exclusively identify as male or female. |
| 238 | * OneGenderRace: A species that's all male or all female. |
| 239 | [[/folder]] |
| 240 | |
| 241 | [[folder:General tropes and other features]] |
| 242 | * AbusiveAlienParents: Aliens are bad parents. |
| 243 | * AlienEpisode: Aliens visit Earth for one episode. |
| 244 | * AnAlienNamedBob: Aliens with mundane names. |
| 245 | * AlienPrincess |
| 246 | * AlternativeNumberSystem: Aliens with a different way of counting than humans. |
| 247 | * AmusingAlien: A funny otherworldly character. |
| 248 | * BarFullOfAliens: A bar full of many different aliens. |
| 249 | * CameFromTheSky: An alien falls from the sky and is initially thought to be a meteorite. |
| 250 | * DramaticAlienVTOL: Dramatic music plays when an alien spaceship takes off or lands. |
| 251 | * EldritchStarship: An incomprehensible starship. |
| 252 | * FantasyAliens: Aliens in a traditionally fantasy setting. |
| 253 | * FlyingSaucer: A disc-shaped starship. |
| 254 | * GreatGazoo: An eccentric, possibly immature alien with incredible powers. |
| 255 | * InWorkingOrder: Alien technology can instantly and easily be used by humans. |
| 256 | * KlaatuBaradaNikto: {{Shout Out}}s to the famous phrase from ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951''. |
| 257 | * MistakenForAliens: One or more people mistake someone or something or a group of people for aliens. |
| 258 | * MulticulturalAlienPlanet: An alien planet with several cultures. |
| 259 | * NamedAfterTheirPlanet: The name of an alien race is derived from the name of their home planet. |
| 260 | * NoBiochemicalBarriers: Aliens can live on Earth (and humans can live on alien planets) perfectly fine. |
| 261 | * NotOfThisEarth: An unknown object or substance is found, analyzed, and revealed to be not from Earth. |
| 262 | * OminousFloatingSpaceship: An enormous alien starship floating above a city without doing much looks foreboding. |
| 263 | * OperatorIncompatibility: Devices designed for aliens unable to be operated by humans, or vice versa. |
| 264 | * PeopleJars: People in jars. |
| 265 | * APlanetNamedZok: Planets with rare letters from the Latin alphabet. |
| 266 | * ProudWarriorRaceGuy: It's common for aliens to fall into this. |
| 267 | * RobotOrSpacemanAlterEgo: A musician has a fake alien persona. |
| 268 | * SoYouWantTo.CreateBelievableAliens: A guide for creating/writing realistic aliens. |
| 269 | * SoYouWantTo.DesignAnAlienMind: A guide for crafting the inner workings of an alien's mind. |
| 270 | * SpacePirates: {{Pirates}} [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace in space]]! Many examples of space pirates are extraterrestrial criminals, though they can also be humans or robots instead. |
| 271 | * StandardAlienSpaceship: Alien ships that are smooth and colorful. |
| 272 | * TransplantedAliens: An alien population is relocated to another world. |
| 273 | * TripodTerror: Three-legged alien land vehicles. |
| 274 | [[/folder]] |
| 275 | |
| 276 | [[/index]] |
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