History Main / HumansArePsychicInTheFuture

* In ''Film/{{Looper}}'', which takes place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, 10% of the population is [[MindOverMatter telekinetic]], or TK. Most of them are only able to clumsily move small objects, such as coins. This becomes a ChekhovsGun near the end of the movie.

* The ''TabletopGame/TrinityUniverse'' [=RPGs=] ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Trinity}}'' have this in two flavors. Humans can become one of two "species", Novas or Psions. The former are really powerful and have a variety of superhuman abilities, but are prone to all the negative power tropes, including TheCorruption and PowerDegeneration, collectively known as "Taint". Psions are less powerful and have narrower sets of abilities, but are also far more stable. Though both existed at the same time, novas had a big surge of unexplained "eruptions" in the early 21st century and then sharply tapered off their "birth rate" (even as the bulk of their number were kicked off Earth), effectively being replaced by latent psions. [[spoiler:The decline of novas and their being kicked off aren't coincidental; the "Aberrant War" that led to novas being slaughtered or fleeing Earth was started with the reveal that the MutantDraftBoard was secretly sterilizing all novas in the name of MugglePower.]]

%% Real Life section removed per NRLEP vote: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800&page=360#comment-8988

* ''Literature/FromTheNewWorld'' is a coming of age story taking place 1000 years after psychic users emerged in the twenty-first century, and focuses heavily on how the society of the protagonists tries to preserve the human race through its genetic and social engineering. The toll that these measures take on its protagonists is the center of conflict for most of the story.
* The Universal Century timeline of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' is all about this, with some people developing into what are called Newtypes and an ideological debate over whether or not they're the next stage of human evolution. The alternate universe spinoff ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'' takes a different look at the same concept.

* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'' takes place AfterTheEnd of such a society, where everyone was one due to {{Transhuman}} advances, called an Old World Connector, mainly known for their inborn OrganicTechnology wireless BrainComputerInterface, with {{Mega Corp}}s doing experiments to try and bring these back as such people are incredibly useful but rare in the present. The psychic part comes as part of TheReveal [[spoiler:that such people broadcast their self-image and emotions into others around them unconsciously]].

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' has the Psi-Division Judges, most notably Psi-Judge Anderson.
** In the same universe is ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'', where a nuclear war has turned a lot of Britain's population into {{mutants}}. Although most of them have no powers, psychic abilities like telepathy seem to be the most common.
* In ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'''s future ''Jink'' and ''Rebels'' storylines, some of humans are "tweaked" for telepathy because the now-hidden elves allegedly possessed it. It's later revealed in the 'present day' storyline that the human Shuna can send to other humans after decades in proximity to the elves and their Palace.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'' and similar X-titles portray their {{mutants}} as the next stage in human evolution. One of the most common abilities in mutants is telepathy since that will be the most likely outcome of humanity.
* In an issue of ''ComicBook/BillAndTedsExcellentComicBook'', Rufus has a huge-foreheaded guest professor from the 38th century come to discuss telekinetic drum solos with his class.
* ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'': Saturn Girl and the other natives of Saturn's moon, Titan have telepathy. It varies in different continuities whether the various aliens in the 30th century are HumanAliens or Earth colonists who got superpowers.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'' is only sort of an example, since, while certainly being a ''futuristic'' setting, it is technically set "[[ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway a long time ago]]".
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'': In the 22nd century, some humans are displaying latent psychic abilities and demographic tests are conducted to find people for the Federation's Psy-Corps division. To quote an ad that's shown on the TV: "If you think you're psychic... maybe you are!"
%%* ''Film/TheLastMimzy''
* In ''Film/TheBlackHole'', Dr. Kate [=McCrae=] is revealed early on in the film to have ESP.

%%* ''Film/MinorityReport''
* In ''Film/{{Looper}}'', which takes place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, 10% of the population is [[MindOverMatter telekinetic]], or TK. Most of them are only able to clumsily move small objects, such as coins. This becomes a ChekhovsGun near the end of the movie.

* ''Film/HardcoreHenry'' is set in the future, and the main villain Akan has powerful telekinetic abilities. [[PsychicNosebleed Blood comes out of his mouth]] when he uses them.

* Probably the best explanation for some of the abilities in ''Literature/TheGiverQuartet''. ''[[Literature/TheGiver The Giver]]'' has the ability to transmit memories via touch, which [[spoiler:Jonas is able to do to Gabe later on inadvertently]]. Years later, in ''Messenger'', Jonas seems to have some sort of remote viewing ability, Matty can heal via touch, and Kira from ''Literature/GatheringBlue'', has some sort of psychic ability when she weaves.

* ''Literature/KnownSpace'' has a plethora of telepathic species, which include humans and dolphins by 2105.
* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey:
** The ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' books feature a future where psychics are not only well-known but integral to interstellar travel. The prequel ''Literature/ToRidePegasus'' says that humans always had the ability, but it was only able to be objectively established and properly studied once science produced a "Goosegg" test that measures the relevant brainwaves.
** The eponymous characters in the ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' series, set thousands of years in the future, are chosen for their telepathic and empathic abilities. Though by the main storyline, knowledge of psychic powers in any scientific way is long gone, and the Riders rely on their Dragons to tell them if someone is a likely candidate.
* A key element of Creator/MarionZimmerBradley's ''Literature/{{Darkover}}'' novels. While some humans possess psychic powers as a consequence of [[HalfHumanHybrid crossbreeding]] with the alien ''[[SpaceElves chieri]]'', others are shown to just have innate psychic potential, which can be awakened by exposure to [[{{Telepathy}} telepaths]], the [[HigherUnderstandingThroughDrugs psychoactive pollen of the Kireseth flower]] or [[PowerCrystal matrix crystals]].
* Used in ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' as one of the many effects of the spice Melange, though true transcendental mental powers require massive doses that only Spacing Guild Navigators and [[MessianicArchetype Kwisatz Haderachs]] can survive. The Bene Gesserit are a downplayed form without the enhancements of the spice, having EnlightenmentSuperpowers based around [[MasterOfYourDomain extreme control of their own biology]] and psychological manipulation of others that toe the line [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane between superscience and mysticism]].
* Creator/AlfredBester:
** ''Literature/TheDemolishedMan'', has espers (from "ESP"), who make getting away with murder almost impossible.
** Also, his ''Literature/TheStarsMyDestination'' also has everyone able to learn to teleport, or "jaunte" from point to point, with various personal limitations. As well as a very few who can transmit and/or receive thoughts.
* Despite being a "hard" science fiction writer, Creator/RobertAHeinlein has many of his stories with some kind of psychic powers.
** ''Literature/TimeForTheStars'': Telepathic twins are used to communicate between relativistic ships and earth.
** ''Literature/MethuselahsChildren'': The Howards' eugenics program occasionally produces children with mental or physical disabilities and telepathy. They are used to secretly alert the families that the authorities are coming for them.
** ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'': Mike learned psychic powers from the Martians. He teaches it to his followers as well.
** Mentioned out of hand in ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'', though Johnny isn't sure if the specialist he encounters is psychic, or just has really sensitive hearing.
* The point of Julian May's ''Literature/GalacticMilieu'' novels, where having every member of a species being psychic is the main criteria for entry into Galactic civilization (and the fact that humans were let in ''before'' this point causes all sorts of trouble.)
* In James White's ''Literature/SectorGeneral'' series, humanity has telepathic potential... in its evolutionary history. Human development took some steps toward it, but never got all the way and the capacity is now atrophied and useless. When some characters get contacted through it, the feeling is compared to having a wire brush taken to one's brain.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/FoundationSeries'': This ScienceFiction series, set in the far future, has several different sources of people with PsychicPowers.

%%* Creator/RobertAdams's ''{{Literature/Horseclans}}'': humans...also horses, cats, and whales.
* The novel ''Riadan'' has most humans evolving the ability to communicate telepathically. In fact, the youngest generation shown develops other abilities, such as levitation and teleportation. Kinda makes it difficult for parents to [[{{Pun}} ground]] them, doesn't it?
* Creator/AndreNorton:
** The ''Moonsinger'' series used this: in the first book, narrator Krip wonders suspiciously if the fellow he's talking to is esper -- but [[HypocriticalHumor doesn't seem to think it's at all odd]] to probe with his ''own'' esper powers. In the second book, someone takes a reading and comments that Krip's [[PowerLevels psychic ability level]] is seven; the people who knew him are startled, because he was "only" a level five a fairly short time ago. The phrasing, by the way, makes clear that five is considered pretty high.
** ''Star Rangers'': The main character comes from a planet where, apparently, the [[PowerLevels average level of psychic power]] was "six point six". This is implied to be almost scarily high. It may have contributed to politicians/bureaucrats from a less-gifted world deciding to [[NukeEm blast]] the hero's [[DoomedHometown homeworld]].
* In Sylvia Louise Engdahl's ''Literature/EnchantressFromTheStars'', human societies go through three stages that boil down to childhood (which would be before modern science), adolecence, and adulthood. During the "adulthood" of a society, they learn how to communicate through telepathy.
* Creator/ArthurCClarke:
** ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd'' has [[spoiler:all of the world's children slowly becoming psychic and forming a hive mind capable of making rivers flow upstream and changing the moon's rotation speed, before they finally AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence, destroying the Earth in the process]].
** ''Literature/TheCityAndTheStars'': At some point in the {{Backstory}}, humans upgraded themselves to become telepaths. [[spoiler:It was a part of larger improvement effort to bring themselves on par with more advanced aliens.]] By the start of the novel the inhabitants of Diaspar have long lost the ability, though they still command their machines telepathically. [[spoiler:The humans of Lys are still telepaths.]]
* In Lisanne Norman's ''Literature/SholanAlliance'', human telepaths weren't recognized until the Terrans met the Sholans, a certain percentage of which have psi abilites.
* Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin made telepathy a part of Ekumen society in ''Literature/TheLeftHandOfDarkness'', but dropped the idea in the ''Literature/{{Hainish}}'' books written later because she decided it was too implausible.
* In F. Paul Wilson's ''[=LaNague=] Federation'', there are psi-schools and psi-potential readings in every person's file. One psi is powerful enough to kill people in a particularly unpleasant manner and another is capable of subjugating a race of aliens with her powers.

* ''Literature/RiftersTrilogy'': Telepathy is explained as a result of quantum entanglement processes in the brain. People can "tune in" to other people's minds under favourable conditions, mostly involving chemically-induced altered states of mind.
* In ''Literature/TheMonster'', we meet resurrected humans from four different epochs. The ancient Egyptian and present-day human are of no interest. The near-future human is frighteningly quick-thinking and able to mentally operate museum machinery and kill his captors. A [[NukeEm nuclear bomb]] does kill him, though. The far-future human can brush off blaster fire, stop nuclear explosions and teleport to extrasolar planets. It is never mentioned if humans deliberately upgraded their genetics or there was some other reason they improved so much.
* As are most but not all other sentients in the ''Literature/TheirsNotToReasonWhy'' series. This turns out to be due to the [[EnergyBeings Feyori]], who deliberately [[HalfHumanHybrid interbreeded]] with the matter-based races periodically [[spoiler:in order to guard against their ancient enemy, the Greys, for whom psychic energy is poisonous]].
* In ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy'', the Edenist faction of humanity have the "affinity gene" which gives them a form of telepathy, albeit only with other Edenists and their [[LivingShip biological constructs]]. The vast majority of humans (the Adamists) make due with good ol' fashioned brain implants and other flavors of cybernetics. The Affinity gene allows Edenists to [[BrainUploading upload their consciousness]] to their vast orbital habitats when they die.
* Hive England in the ''Literature/HiveMind2016'' series has about 0.1% of their population with borderline telepathy. Real telepaths are much rarer, about one in every five million. Exactly where this ability came from is unknown.
* In ''Literature/ManAfterManAnAnthropologyOfTheFuture'', several species of far-future human have managed to develop telepathy to control other, more dimwitted but physically superior, species of human. The kicker is that most of these telepathic species are stone-age level at best, with the narrative suggesting telepathy is merely the end result of natural coevolution of communicational symbiosis between species, while it's implied that the only actually advanced telepathic species, [[spoiler:the star-faring descendants of the original humans who fled the Earth millions of years ago]], utilize technological means.
* In Creator/JamesHerbert's ''Literature/{{Portent}}'', a new generation of children psychically attuned [[HealingHands to other humans]] and the general ecosphere are anticipated to herald a re-emergence of a long-lost human ability.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' had the Psi Corps, the Orwellian organization that regulated and policed human telepaths, and the much rarer [[MindOverMatter telekinetics]] and [[TheEmpath empaths]]. {{Justified|Trope}} in this case because the psychic members of humanity and other species had been TouchedByVorlons about a hundred years before. Occasionally a subject of comment, "AsYouKnow, people suddenly gained telepathic powers about a hundred years ago." According to the books, we ''always'' had telepaths among us (as do the other major races), it just wasn't academically proven until the early 21st century.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''

* The Observers from ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' have telepathy powerful enough to MindRape people into vegetables.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' had a storyline wherein humans were [[EvolutionaryLevels evolving (slowly)]] towards a telepathic, telekinetic 'superhuman' state, and in a number of episodes, a few characters get pushed forwards into this state -- temporarily, since the awesome mind-powers tend to come with drawbacks attached.
** This evolutionary step actually happened to the Ancients first, so, as they are a past evolution of humans, it's sort of "Humans Were Psychic In The Past".

* In the ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' pilot (the second one, "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E3WhereNoManHasGoneBefore Where No Man Has Gone Before]]") it's apparently a routine thing for people in the future to be tested for ESP, and their ESP quotient is on file along with more mundane statistics such as height, weight and age. [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness This was never seen again, though]].
** In the ''TOS'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E5IsThereInTruthNoBeauty Is There In Truth No Beauty?]]", there is a [[BlindSeer blind human telepath]], Dr Miranda Jones, who has studied telepathy on Vulcan and is looking to work with the telepathic alien Medusans, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation who no human can see without going insane]]. The origin of her telepathy, whether it was somehow linked to her blindness or whether or not she was a purebred human was not explored in detail.

* In ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'', the episode "Quarantine" is set in a future where survivors of WorldWarIII have reverted to living in {{Arcadia}}, eschewing all mechanical technology, but having developed a wide range of psychic powers and OrganicTechnology.
* {{Implied|Trope}} in ''Series/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventures'', where Rufus has prophetic dreams and seems to hypnotize a customer into buying things from Nail World.
* ''Series/RedDwarf'' has ''Touch-Ts'' who can use TouchTelepathy. Never seen in the show but Lister has to bluff being one when impersonating a Space Corps officer and accidentally wearing a Touch-T uniform in "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonXTrojan Trojan]]".
** The [[Literature/RedDwarf novels]] say that the luck virus works mainly by enhancing a person's sixth sense.
* The Aurons from ''Series/BlakesSeven'' are a race of telepathic humanoids. It's argued in-universe and out of universe amongst the writers whether they're HumanAliens or a HumanSubspecies.
* In ''Series/UFO1970'' (set [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in the year 1980]]), Extra-Sensory Perception is a mental condition being treated by mainstream psychiatrists. While most sufferers adjust to its effects, the subject of the episode "E.S.P." cannot cope with knowing everything that's going to happen before it occurs.

** In Earth's prehistory humanity was guided by a small group of very powerful psychics known as "Shamans", who could reincarnate after their deaths. But, with the rise of the Chaos Gods they decided to commit mass suicide and collectively reincarnate into a single immortal, who would become the God Emperor of Mankind millennia later. After the mass suicide psykers were practically unknown among humanity until the invention of Warp drive and exposure to the Warp's energies.
* White Wolf [=RPGs=] ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Trinity}}'', set in [[TabletopGame/TrinityUniverse the same continuity]], have this in two flavors. Humans can become one of two "species", Novas or Psions. The former are really powerful and have a variety of superhuman abilities, but are prone to all the negative power tropes, including TheCorruption and PowerDegeneration, collectively known as "Taint". Psions are less powerful and have narrower sets of abilities, but are also far more stable. Though both existed at the same time, novas had a big surge of unexplained "eruptions" in the early 21st century and then sharply tapered off their "birth rate" (even as the bulk of their number were kicked off Earth), effectively being replaced by latent psions. [[spoiler:The decline of novas and their being kicked off aren't coincidental; the "Aberrant War" that led to novas being slaughtered or fleeing Earth was started with the reveal that the MutantDraftBoard was secretly sterilizing all novas in the name of MugglePower.]]
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'', psionics form the foundation of the Zhodani's empire but were unknown in the other branches of humanity until the Long Night. When the Third Imperium arose it came to suspect that many of the "psionics institutes" were funded by the Zhodani and suppressed them. Prejudice against psions persists.
* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Psionics'' comes with a table full of possible explanations for the GM. Ranging from {{Broken Masquerade}}s to [[TouchedByVorlons frisky aliens]]. It advises to leave them [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail unexplained unless they're plot-related]].
* Many citizens of Alpha Complex in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' have psychic powers of some kind, or some other mutant weirdness going on. Rather than simply fail to explain where these powers come from, the game offers quite a lot of different explanations from radiation to design.
* In ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'', some humans are infected with the benign [=Watts-MacLeod=] nanovirius strain, which seems to do nothing but give them psychic powers, divided into two main categories: Psi-Chi is available to all psychics and allows the individual to alter their own mind, while Psi-Gamma is only for strong psychics and lets them alter ''other'' people's minds. However, as this nanovirus was created by the [=TITANs=] [[spoiler:acting under orders from the ETI]] and every other known strain of nanovirus causes horrible death and/or mutation into an exsurgant threat, the gamemaster is encouraged to explore the possibility that this strain is a more subtle form of infiltration by the [=TITANs=] waiting to serve its true purpose or to arrange encounters with individuals who believe this to be the case. [[spoiler:Whether these people are right or not is never answered, but it is revealed that a third level of power is available to exsurgents, Psi-Epsilon, which allows them to [[RealityWarper alter reality]].]]
* ''TabletopGame/UnhallowedMetropolis'' sports its own brand of psychically endowed humans in the post-apocalyptic London, circa 2105. These powers range from the standard [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]] and {{Telepathy}} to [[PlayingWithFire Pyrokinesis]] and [[ShockAndAwe Electrokinesis]], with the relative potential of any given individuals gift ranging from being able to levitate a quarter to creating KILOMETERS-WIDE EARTHQUAKES. Treads the line between BlessedWithSuck and CursedWithAwesome considering that, unlike a happy setting such as ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' where going insane is the price you pay for HAVING psychic powers, in ''Unhallowed'', psychic powers are the price you pay for BEING insane to begin with.
* In ''TabletopGame/FadingSuns'', exposure to the energies of Jumpspace before shielding became mandatory on all jumpships kickstarted human psionic potential. Presently most of the neo-Medieval peasantry fear psychics and the Church persecutes them, but as their powers are one of the few things that can stop the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Symbiots]] some sects have started to allow psychics to "repent" instead of being burned at the stake.
* The ''TabletopGame/{{Reign}}'' setting ''Out of the Violent Planet'' completely {{invert|edTrope}}s this trope -- humanity is so terribly psi-blind that aliens completely failed to recognize us as a sentient race and wondered where our keepers were when they came to Earth. In fact, we're so not psychic that the aliens' strongest telepathic assaults might make a human sneeze, and that's if the alien rolled really well.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}''; instead of people becoming psychic TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, [[TheMagicComesBack magic came back]]. But psionics were introduced in 4th edition as a variant magical tradition as part of the move towards magic working as a form of ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve.
* ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' is a post-apocalyptic ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' setting where nearly every intelligent creature has some kind of psychic ability.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', people can become "biotics" through in-utero exposure to dust-form [[{{Unobtainium}} element zero]] and an implanted biotic amplifier, granting them the ability to naturally generate mass effect fields. Only about ten percent of exposures are successful; thirty percent get terminal cancer while the remaining sixty percent are completely unaffected but sometimes gain biotics from being exposed a second time. It is thus, technically, not an example of PsychicPowers (as merely {{Unobtainium}} implanted within a living body) but narratively it's telekinesis for all intents and purposes.
** The asari are the oldest spacefaring species that's still around and they're all biotic. Tali [[DiscussedTrope idly wonders]] whether the other species will be the same way in a few thousand years. [[spoiler:It turns out that this is the result of years of genetic engineering at the hands of the {{Precursors}}.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' has Psykers, most of which gained their powers either from mutation or unexplained means. There are a few in each ''Fallout'' game, and notable examples include [[BigBad The Master]] and a handful of his followers, Professor Calvert of Point Lookout, and Mama Murphy.
* Psionic abilities are a researchable technology in the ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion'' games. May be this and TelepathicSpacemen, though, as it's available to all races, not just humans.
* Hinted at in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series with Silver the Hedgehog, who is from 200 years in the future, and has psychic powers for no other adequately-explained reason. Likewise, his friend [[DefrostingIceQueen Blaze]] has [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinesis]].
* In ''Franchise/StarCraft'', the frequency and potency of human psychics is supposed to be greater in the future (than the current 0) and an impending commonality of psychic abilities in humans is why the Zerg want to assimilate them before taking on the Protoss, [[spoiler:or to somehow free themselves from the Dark Voice]].
** In ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid Legacy of the Void]]'' it turns out that [[spoiler:humanity has the potential to become the "Purity of Form" half of the next generation of Xel'naga without Amon's interference, like the Protoss had. And Kerrigan, a Zerg (the race with Purity of Essence)-infested human, becomes the newest Xel'naga]].
* Similar to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' has Psychodrivers.

* In ''VideoGame/StarControl'', there is mention of esper ratings on human members of the crew.

* The Pilgrims of ''VideoGame/EndlessSpace'' are mystics and, through the magical mysteries of Dust nano-tech, implied to have extraordinary powers. On the individual level, all species -- including robotic species -- appear susceptible to becoming this when exposed to Dust, and come in a few general flavors that conveniently help you run various aspects of your economy or military more effectively.

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/{{Otherspace}}'', where the human-derived Laters are often immune to psionics, and a few can actually negate nearby psionic activity.
* In the backstory to ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity: Nova'', the Vell-os developed psychic abilities sometime prior to 980 AD, or possibly 1478 AD[[note]]there are some inconsistencies between the timeline preamble document and what's indicated by the game proper[[/note]], which they used to leave Earth. In the game proper, psychics are reasonably common among the [[HigherTechSpecies Polaran humans]], and as evidenced by the PlayerCharacter in the Vell-os and Polaris storylines, are starting to develop among mainstream humans as well. The epilogues to four of the seven storylines reveal that psychic powers eventually become endemic to humanity, after which we AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and [[HumanitysWake become precursors to an unnamed alien race]].
* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2''; apparently humans are MAGIC in the future.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} and played straight in ''VideoGame/LiveALive''. While none of the characters in Distant Future are shown to have psychic powers, Akira, the protagonist of the Near Future, is shown to have them in full force.
* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars 2'', psionics are a [[TechTree technology path]] that all the races (including humans) have a chance of being able to research. Liir and Zuul (who had psionics with no game effect in the first game) generally have the highest probability while Tarka have the lowest, unless the power is related to combat or diplomacy in which case the [[TechnicalPacifist Liir]] and [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Zuul]], respectively, have extremely low chances.
* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' has a option to eventually develop a psychic technology for your species, human or otherwise.
* ''Videogame/{{Rimworld}}'': The ''Royalty'' expansion includes psionic powers, usually seen among the various Empires' nobility; being highly technologically advanced, they use a device to "connect" the person to the psychic network, with further applications boosting their psychic capacity. The potential is there from the beginning, however, because there is a "natural" way to achieve this same "connection" through rituals with the psychic Anima Tree once it has developed; thus, humans both tribal and spacefaring can wield psyonics against their foes.
* ''VideoGame/ScarletNexus'' takes place on a future Earth where humans developed PsychicPowers thanks to a psionic hormone. These psionics are the last line of defense against the Others, otherworldly foes that can't be killed by conventional means. Interestingly, psionic technology appears to have developed in place of digital technology, granting everyone AugmentedReality that is beamed directly into their brains.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* According to the ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS23E9HolidaysOfFuturePassed Holidays of Future Passed]]", people will be able to read thoughts in the year 2041.

* Used in ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' as one of the many effects of the spice Melange. Though it requires massive doses that only Spacing Guild Navigators and [[MessianicArchetype Kwisatz Haderachs]] can survive.

* Hinted at in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series with Silver the Hedgehog, who is from 200 years in the future, and has psychic powers for no other adequately-explained reason. Likewise, his friend [[DefrostingIceQueen Blaze]] has [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinesis]].

* ''Nexus'' has a certain percentage of the human population as telepaths in the future. Several important characters, like Stanislaus Korivitsky, Michana Loomis, and possibly Horatio Hellpop. Also, anyone who survives decapitation develops psychic abilities.

** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E5PlanetoftheSpiders Planet of the Spiders]]", the Doctor identifies a mentalist stage performer [[NotSoPhonyPsychic who has started to develop genuine ESP]] yet represses it because he's afraid of going insane. The Doctor assures him that such power lies dormant in everyone. In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsofWengChiang The Talons of Weng Chiang]]" a [=19th=]-century stage magician, Li H'sen Chang, has been instructed in mindreading and hypnotism by Magnus Greel, a time traveler from the [=51st=] century, implying this is simply a science that has been developed over time to exploit this dormant ability.

** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E5PlanetoftheSpiders Planet of the Spiders]]", the Doctor identifies a mentalist stage performer [[NotSoPhonyPsychic who has started to develop genuine ESP]] yet represses it because he's afraid of going insane. The Doctor assures him that such power lies dormant in everyone. In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsofWengChiang The Talons of Weng Chiang]]" a [=19th=]-century stage magician, Li H'sen Chang, has been instructed in mindreading and hypnotism by Magnus Greel, a time traveler from the [=51st=] century, implying this is simply a science that has been developed by humanity to exploit this dormant ability.
-->'''Greel:''' Chang, I have given you mental powers undreamt of in this century. You are thousands of years ahead of your time. What can you fear from these primitives?

** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E5PlanetoftheSpiders Planet of the Spiders]]", the Doctor identifies a mentalist stage performer [[NotSoPhonyPsychic who has started to develop genuine ESP]] yet represses it because he's afraid of going insane. The Doctor assures him that such power lies dormant in everyone. In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsofWengChiang The Talons of Weng Chiang]]" another stage performer, Li H'sen Chang, has been instructed in mindreading and hypnotism by Magnus Greel, a time traveler from the [=51st=] century.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'''s "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E5PlanetoftheSpiders Planet of the Spiders]]" and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsofWengChiang The Talons of Weng Chiang]]" depict PsychicPowers as a dormant ability set to develop in humanity's future, and which may potentially emerge now.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'' takes place AfterTheEnd of such a society, where everyone was one due to {{Transhuman}} advances, called an Old World Connector, mainly known for their inborn OrganicTechnology wireless BrainComputerInterface, with MegaCorp doing experiments to try and bring these back as such people are incredibly useful but rare now. The psychic part comes as part of TheReveal [[spoiler:that such people broadcast their self-image and emotions into others around them unconsciously.]]

* In the 1970s sci-fi series ''Series/{{UFO}}'' (set [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in the year 1980]]), Extra-Sensory Perception is a mental condition being treated by mainstream psychiatrists. While most sufferers adjust to its effects, the subject of the episode "E.S.P." cannot cope with knowing everything that's going to happen before it occurs.

* In Creator/MCAHogarth's ''Literature/{{Paradox}}'' stories, espers are extremely rare among humans and most of the Pelted races they created, but they are known to exist. There is one Pelted race, the Glaseah, that is almost entirely composed of espers though, [[spoiler: and the [[SpaceElves Eldritch]] are another human offshoot race of espers]].
* In Creator/PeterWatts' ''Literature/RiftersTrilogy'', telepathy is explained as a result of quantum entanglement processes in the brain. People can "tune in" to other people's minds under favourable conditions, mostly involving chemically-induced altered states of mind.
* In ''Literature/TheMonster'' by Creator/AEVanVogt, we meet resurrected humans from four different epochs. The ancient Egyptian and present-day human are of no interest. The near-future human is frighteningly quick-thinking and able to mentally operate museum machinery and kill his captors. A [[NukeEm nuclear bomb]] does kill him, though. The far-future human can brush off blaster fire, stop nuclear explosions and teleport to extrasolar planets. It is never mentioned if humans deliberately upgraded their genetics or there was some other reason they improved so much.

* {{Subverted|Trope}} and played straight in ''VdeioGame/LiveALive''. While none of the characters in Distant Future are shown to have psychic powers, Akira, the protagonist of the Near Future, is shown to have them in full force.

* ''Series/RedDwarf'' has ''Touch-Ts'' who can use TouchTelepathy. Never seen in the show but Lister has to bluff being one when impersonating a Space Corps officer and accidentally picking up a Touch-T uniform.

* ''Manga/TowardTheTerra'' is all about this. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed to be the result of [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetic engineering]].]]

* ''Manga/{{Psyren}}'' explains this as some kind of particle in the air that causes the human body to develop psy powers or die.
* The Universal Century timeline of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' is all about this, with some people developing into what are called Newtypes and an ideological debate over whether or not they're the next stage of human evolution. The alternate universe spinoff ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'' takes a different look at the same concept.
** Newtypes also exist in canon in the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed Cosmic Era]], though not nearly as focused on as other series with newtypes.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' features something similar with the Innovators, humans with telepathic abilities enhanced by GN Particles. Telepathy turns out to be a tremendously important tool in FirstContact with an [[StarfishAliens inscrutable alien race]].

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* ''Manga/{{Akira}}'', both the manga and the anime, revolves around the [=ESP=]ers, including especially the title character.

* The Universal Century timeline of ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' is all about this, with some people developing into what are called Newtypes and an ideological debate over whether or not they're the next stage of human evolution. The alternate universe spinoff ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'' takes a different look at the same concept.
** Newtypes also exist in canon in the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed Cosmic Era,]] though not nearly as focused on as other series with newtypes.
** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'' features something similar with the Innovators, humans with telepathic abilities enhanced by GN Particles. Telepathy turns out to be a tremendously important tool in FirstContact with an [[StarfishAliens inscrutable alien race]].

** In the same universe is ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'' where a nuclear war has turned a lot of Britain's population into mutants. Although most of them have no powers, psychic abilities like telepathy seem to be the most common.

* ComicBook/XMen and similar x-titles portray their mutants as the next stage in human evolution. One of the most common abilities in mutants is telepathy since that will be the most likely outcome of humanity.

* Saturn Girl and the other natives of Saturn's moon, Titan have telepathy. It varies in different continuities whether the various aliens in the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' are HumanAliens or Earth colonists who got superpowers.

* The failure of this trope to happen in real life is parodied in ''Fanfic/Plan7Of9FromOuterSpace''.

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager'' is ostensibly a 1950's sci-fi magazine story set in the far future of 2020. Voyager uses TwinTelepathy to communicate across intersolar distances. It also has a psionic-guided weapon system, though [[TelepathicSpacemen we only see Martians using it]].

* ''Franchise/StarWars'' is only sort of an example, since, while certainly being a ''futuristic'' setting, it is technically set "a long time ago".
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'', especially the film version. In the 22nd century, some humans are displaying latent psychic abilities and demographic tests are conducted to find people for the Federation's Psy-Corps division. To quote an ad that's shown on the TV: "If you think you're psychic ... maybe you are!"
* ''Film/TheLastMimzy''

* ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes'', although technically they're *mutant* humans.
* ''Film/ChildrenOfTheDamned'' the cells of the children are said to be advanced to millions of years ahead.
* ''Film/MinorityReport''
* In ''Film/{{Looper}}'', which takes place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, 10% of the population is telekinetic, or TK. Most of them are only able to clumsily move small objects, such as coins. This becomes a ChekhovsGun near the end of the movie.

* Some mutant living on Mars in ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' are psychic. Some are beggars make a living trying to impress tourists by reading their minds and guessing their birthdays. Kuato, a resistance leader, is much more powerful.
* ''Film/HardcoreHenry'': The film is set in the future, and the main villain Akan has powerful telekinetic abilities. [[PsychicNosebleed Blood comes out of his mouth]] when he uses them.

* Probably the best explanation for some of the abilities in ''Literature/TheGiverQuartet''. ''[[Literature/TheGiver The Giver]]'' has the ability to transmit memories via touch, which [[spoiler: Jonas is able to do to Gabe later on inadvertently.]] Years later, in ''Messenger'', Jonas seems to have some sort of remote viewing ability, Matty can heal via touch, and Kira from ''Literature/GatheringBlue'', has some sort of psychic ability when she weaves.

* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' books feature a future where psychics are not only well-known but integral to interstellar travel. The prequel ''Literature/ToRidePegasus'' says that humans always had the ability, but it was only able to be objectively established and properly studied once science produced a "Goosegg" test that measures the relevant brainwaves.
* The eponymous characters in [=McCaffrey's=] ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' series, set thousands of years in the future, are chosen for their telepathic and empathic abilities. Though by the main storyline, knowledge of psychic powers in any scientific way is long gone, and the Riders rely on their Dragons to tell them if someone is a likely candidate.
* A key element of Creator/MarionZimmerBradley[='s=] ''Literature/{{Darkover}}'' novels. While some humans possess psychic powers as a consequence of [[HalfHumanHybrid crossbreeding]] with the alien ''[[SpaceElves chieri]]'', others are shown to just have innate psychic potential, which can be awakened by exposure to [[{{Telepathy}} telepaths]], the [[HigherUnderstandingThroughDrugs psychoactive pollen of the Kireseth flower]] or [[PowerCrystal matrix crystals]].
* Used ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' as one of the many effects of the spice Melange. Though it requires massive doses that only Spacing Guild Navigators and [[MessianicArchetype Kwisatz Haderachs]] can survive.
* Alfred Bester:

** Introduced in ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'', the Solarians are {{Transhuman}}s who have became {{Hermaphrodite}}s and [[BioAugmentation bio-engineered]] "Transducer Lobes" in their brains, which harnesses local thermal energy to give them MindOverMatter powers.

* The novel ''{{Literature/Riadan}}'' has most humans evolving the ability to communicate telepathically. In fact, the youngest generation shown develops other abilities, such as levitation and teleportation. Kinda makes it difficult for parents to [[IncrediblyLamePun ground]] them, doesn't it?

** The ''{{Literature/Moonsinger}}'' series used this: in the first book, narrator Krip wonders suspiciously if the fellow he's talking to is esper -- but [[HypocriticalHumor doesn't seem to think it's at all odd]] to probe with his ''own'' esper powers. In the second book, someone takes a reading and comments that Krip's psychic ability level is seven; the people who knew him are startled, because he was "only" a level five a fairly short time ago. The phrasing, by the way, makes clear that five is considered pretty high.
** ''Literature/StarRangers'': The main character comes from a planet where, apparently, the average level of psychic power was "six point six." This is implied to be almost scarily high. It may have contributed to politicians/bureaucrats from a less-gifted world deciding to [[NukeEm blast]] the hero's [[DoomedHometown homeworld]].
* Creator/SylviaLouiseEngdahl's ''Literature/EnchantressFromTheStars'': Human societies go through three stages that boil down to childhood(which would be before modern science), adolecence, and adulthood. During the "adulthood" of a society, they learn how to communicate through telepathy.

** ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd'' has [[spoiler:all of the world's children slowly becoming psychic and forming a hive mind capable of making rivers flow upstream and changing the moon's rotation speed. Before they finally AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence, destroying the Earth in the process.]]
** ''Literature/TheCityAndTheStars'': At some point in the BackStory, humans upgraded themselves to become telepaths. [[spoiler:It was a part of larger improvement effort to bring themselves on par with more advanced aliens.]] By the start of the novel the inhabitants of Diaspar have long lost the ability, though they still command their machines telepathically. [[spoiler:The humans of Lys are still telepaths.]]
* In Creator/LisanneNorman's ''Literature/SholanAlliance'', human telepaths weren't recognised until the Terrans met the Sholans, a certain percentage of which have psi abilites.
* Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin made telepathy a part of Ekumen society in ''Literature/TheLeftHandOfDarkness'', but dropped the idea in the Literature/{{Hainish}} books written later because she decided it was too implausible.
* Creator/FPaulWilson's ''Literature/LaNague Federation LaNague Federation]]'': There are psi-schools and psi-potential readings in every person's file. One psi is powerful enough to kill people in a particularly unpleasant manner and another is capable of subjugating a race of aliens with her powers.

* In Creator/MCAHogarth's ''Literature/{{Paradox}}'' stories espers are extremely rare among humans and most of the Pelted races they created, but they are known to exist. There is one Pelted race, the Glaseah, that is almost entirely composed of espers though, [[spoiler: and the [[SpaceElves Eldritch]] are another human offshoot race of espers.]]
* In Creator/PeterWatts' Rifter cycle telepathy is explained as a result of quantum entanglement processes in the brain. People can "tune in" to other people's minds under favourable conditions, mostly involving chemically-induced altered states of mind.
* In ''Literature/TheMonster'' by Creator/AEVanVogt we meet resurrected humans from four different epochs. Ancient Egyptian and present-day human are of no interest. Near-future human is frighteningly quick-thinking and able to mentally operate museum machinery and kill his captors. [[NukeEm Nuclear bomb]] does kill him, though. Far future human can brush off blaster fire, stop nuclear explosions and teleport to extrasolar planets. It is never mentioned if humans deliberately upgraded their genetics or there was some other reason they improved so much.
* As are most but not all other sentients in the ''Literature/TheirsNotToReasonWhy'' series. This turns out to be due to the [[EnergyBeing Feyori]] [[HalfHumanHybrid interbreeding]] with us periodically for inscrutable reasons of their own.

* In ''Literature/ManAfterManAnAnthropologyOfTheFuture'', several species of far future human have managed to develop telepathy to control other, more dimwitted but physically superior, species of human. The kicker is that most of these telepathic species are stone-age level at best, with the narrative suggesting telepathy is merely the end result of natural coevolution of communicational symbiosis between species, while it's implied the only actually advanced telepathic species [[spoiler: the star-faring descendants of the original humans who fled the Earth millions of years ago]], utilize technological means.
* In Creator/JamesHerbert's ''Literature/{{Portent}}'', a new generation of children psychically attuned [[HealingHands to other humans]] and the general ecosphere, are anticipated to herald a re-emergence of a long-lost human ability.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'' had the [=PsiCorps=], the Orwellian organization that regulated and policed human telepaths, and the much rarer [[MindOverMatter telekinetics]] and [[TheEmpath empaths]]. Justified in this case because the psychic members of humanity and other species had been TouchedByVorlons about a hundred years before. Occasionally a subject of comment, "AsYouKnow, people suddenly gained telepathic powers about a hundred years ago." According to the books, we ''always'' had telepaths among us (as do the other major races), it just wasn't academically proven until the early 21st century.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978''. In "War of the Gods", Commander Adama attributes many of Count Iblis [[GodGuise "miracles"]] to PsychicPowers, saying that even he can [[SpoonBending bend a spoon or two]] and move small items across a table if he concentrates hard enough.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'''s ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E5PlanetoftheSpiders Planet of the Spiders]]'' and ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsofWengChiang The Talons of Weng Chiang]]'' depict PsychicPowers as a dormant ability set to develop in humanity's future, and which may potentially emerge now.
** ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E3TheCurseofFenric The Curse of Fenric]]'''s Haemovores are descended from a potential timeline in which chemical pollution has mutated humanity into leech-like aquatic vampires, whose telepathy renders them vulnerable to the psychic barrier mounted by the faith of their intended victims.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'' had a storyline wherein humans were [[EvolutionaryLevels evolving (slowly)]] towards a telepathic, telekinetic 'superhuman' state, and in a number of episodes, a few characters get pushed forwards into this state - temporarily, since the awesome mind-powers tend to come with drawbacks attached.

* In the ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' pilot (the second one, "Where No Man Has Gone Before") it's apparently a routine thing for people in the future to be tested for ESP, and their ESP quotient is on file along with more mundane statistics such as height, weight and age. This was never seen again, though.
** In the TOS episode "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" there is a [[BlindSeer blind human telepath]], Dr Miranda Jones, who has studied telepathy on Vulcan and is looking to work with the telepathic alien Medusans, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation whom no human can see without going insane]]. The origin of her telepathy, whether it was somehow linked to her blindness or whether or not she was a purebred human was not explored in detail.
** In TNG, we're introduced to Betazoids, humanlike aliens with telepathic powers, and we already had Vulcans. Not quite the same thing, until later it's revealed that the reason there are so many humanlike species in our galaxy is because they all came from the same genetic material. So humans don't have telepathic powers (usually) but it would make sense for the federation to keep an eye out just to be sure.
* The Weevils in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' are hypothesized to be what humanity turns into in the future and able to sense if another Weevil is being beaten up or if their is something unnaturally "wrong" with a person.

* Implied in the live action ''[[Film/BillAndTed Bill and Ted's]] Excellent Adventures'' where Rufus has prophetic dreams and seems to hypnotize a customer into buying things from Nail World.

* In the 1970's sci-fi series ''Series/{{UFO}}'' (set [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture in the year 1980]]) Extra-Sensory Perception is a mental condition being treated by mainstream psychiatrists. While most sufferers adjust to its effects, the subject of the episode "E.S.P" cannot cope with knowing everything that's going to happen before it occurs.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' has psykers, who serve many vital roles throughout the Imperium. Additionally, psychic power largely plays the role that magic does in ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy Battles''.

* White Wolf {{RPG}}s ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Trinity}}'', set in [[TabletopGame/TrinityUniverse the same continuity]], have this in two flavors. Humans can become one of two "species", Novas or Psions. The former are really powerful and have a variety of superhuman abilities, but are prone to all the negative power tropes, including TheCorruption and PowerDegeneration, collectively known as "Taint". Psions are less powerful and have narrower sets of abilities, but are also far more stable. Though both existed at the same time, novas had a big surge of unexplained "eruptions" in the early 21st century and then sharply tapered off their "birth rate" (even as the bulk of their number were kicked off Earth), effectively being replaced by latent psions. [[spoiler: The decline of novas and their being kicked off aren't coincidental; the "Aberrant War" that led to novas being slaughtered or fleeing Earth was started with the reveal that the MutantDraftBoard was secretly sterilising all novas in the name of MugglePower.]]

* TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} ''Psionics'' comes with a table full of possible explanations for the GM. Ranging from [[BrokenMasquerade Broken Masquerades]] to [[TouchedByVorlons frisky aliens]]. It advises to leave them [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail unexplained unless they're plot-related]].
* Many citizens of Alpha Complex in TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}} have psychic powers of some kind, or some other mutant weirdness going on. Rather than simply fail to explain where these powers come from, the game offers quite a lot of different explanations from radiation to design.
* In ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'', some humans are infected with the benign [=Watts-MacLeod=] nanovirius strain, which seems to do nothing but give them psychic powers, divided into two main categories: Psi-Chi is available to all psychics and allows the individual to alter their own mind, while Psi-Gamma is only for strong psychics and lets them alter ''other'' people's minds. However, as this nanovirus was created by the [=TITANs=] [[spoiler: acting under orders from the ETI]] and every other known strain of nanovirus causes horrible death and/or mutation into an exsurgant threat, the gamemaster is encouraged to explore the possibility that this strain is a more subtle form of infiltration by the [=TITANs=] waiting to serve its true purpose or to arrange encounters with individuals who believe this to be the case. [[spoiler: Whether these people are right or not is never answered, but it is revealed that a third level of power is available to exsurgents, Psi-Epsilon, which allows them to [[RealityWarper alter reality]].]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Unhallowed Metropolis}}'' sports its own brand of psychically endowed humans in the post-apocalyptic London, circa 2105. These powers range from the standard Telekinesis and Telepathy to Pyrokinesis and Electrokinesis, with the relative potential of any given individuals gift ranging from being able to levitate a quarter to creating KILOMETERS-WIDE EARTHQUAKES. Treads the line between BlessedWithSuck and CursedWithAwesome considering that, unlike a happy setting such as ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' where going insane is the price you pay for HAVING psychic powers, in Unhallowed, psychic powers are the price you pay for BEING insane to begin with.
* In ''TabletopGame/FadingSuns'' exposure to the energies of Jumpspace before shielding became mandatory on all jumpships kickstarted human psionic potential. Presently most of the neo-Medieval peasantry fear psychics and the Church persecutes them, but as their powers are one of the few things that can stop the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Symbiots]] some sects have started to allow psychics to "repent" instead of being burned at the stake.
* The ''TabletopGame/{{Reign}}'' setting ''Out of the Violent Planet'' completely inverts it - humanity is so terribly psi-blind that aliens completely failed to recognize us as a sentient race and wondered where our keepers were when they came to Earth. In fact, we're so not psychic that the aliens' strongest telepathic assaults might make a human sneeze, and that's if the alien rolled really well.
* Subverted in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', instead of people becoming psychic TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, [[TheMagicComesBack magic came back]]. But psionics were introduced in 4th edition as a variant magical tradition as part of the move towards magic working as a form of ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve.

** The asari are the oldest spacefaring species that's still around and they're all biotic. Tali [[DiscussedTrope idly wonders]] whether the other species will be the same way in a few thousand years. [[spoiler: Turns out that this is the result of years of genetic engineering at the hands of the {{Precursors}}.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' has Psykers, most of which gained their powers either from mutation or unexplained means. There are a few in each Fallout game, and notable examples include [[BigBad The Master]] and a handful of his followers, Professor Calvert of Point Lookout, and Mama Murphy.

* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' the frequency and potency of human psychics is supposed to be greater in the future (than the current 0) and an impending commonality of psychic abilities in humans is why the Zerg want to assimilate them before taking on the Protoss, [[spoiler:or to somehow free themselves from the Dark Voice.]]
** In ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid Legacy of the Void]]'' it turns out that [[spoiler: humanity has the potential to become the "Purity of Form" half of the next generation of Xel'naga without Amon's interference, like the Protoss had. And Kerrigan, a Zerg (the race with Purity of Essence)-infested human, becomes the newest Xel'naga.]]

* In a similar way, the Pilgrims of ''VideoGame/EndlessSpace'' are mystics and, through the magical mysteries of Dust nano-tech, implied to have extraordinary powers. On the individual level, all species -- including robotic species -- appear susceptible to becoming this when exposed to Dust, and come in a few general flavors that conveniently help you run various aspects of your economy or military more effectively.
* Researching human capability for psionic (psychic) capabilities is one of the focuses of ''{{VideoGame/XCOM}}''. Aliens that attack have psionic powers that can ruin entire squads with just one psionic attack, and developing countermeasures is a major focus of the game. It can get to the point that you can outright obliterate a UFO full of aliens with just one man sitting in the cargo hold of your transport, simply by psionically taking over enemy aliens, and having [[LetsYouAndHimFight them kill each other off,]] all while you remain unharmed.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Otherspace}}'', where the human-derived Laters are often immune to psionics, and a few can actually negate nearby psionic activity.
* In the backstory to ''[[VideoGame/EscapeVelocity EV Nova]]'', the Vell-os developed psychic abilities sometime prior to 980 AD, or possibly 1478 AD[[note]]there are some inconsistencies between the timeline preamble document and what's indicated by the game proper[[/note]], which they used to leave Earth. In the game proper, psychics are reasonably common among the [[HigherTechSpecies Polaran humans]], and as evidenced by the PlayerCharacter in the Vell-os and Polaris storylines, are starting to develop among mainstream humans as well. The epilogues to four of the seven storylines reveal that psychic powers eventually become endemic to humanity, after which we AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and [[HumanitysWake become precursors to an unnamed alien race]].
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2''; apparently humans are MAGIC in the future.
* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars 2'' psionics are a [[TechTree technology path]] that all the races (including humans) have a chance of being able to research. Liir and Zuul (who had psionics with no game effect in the first game) generally have the highest probability while Tarka have the lowest, unless the power is related to combat or diplomacy in which case the [[TechnicalPacifist Liir]] and [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Zuul]], respectively, have extremely low chances.

* ''Videogame/{{Rimworld}}:'' The ''Royalty'' expansion includes psionic powers, usually seen among the various Empires' nobility; being highly technologically advanced, they use a device to "connect" the person to the psychic network, with further applications boosting their psychic capacity. The potential is there from the beginning, however, because there is a "natural" way to achieve this same "connection" through rituals with the psychic Anima Tree once it has developed; thus, humans both tribal and spacefaring can wield psyonics against their foes.

** psychics started showing up out of nowhere less than a century ago. They are distinct from mages, who have been around practically forever.
** In the novel ''Things Unseen'' it's mentioned that a team that investigated the Telvari Rift, a region bathed in magical radiation, came back with psi abilities.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'': There is an organization of people with naturally occurring psychic powers, and Willie Watt's telekinesis was treated in an oddly normal manner, although he wasn't born with it.
* According to the ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Holidays of Future Passed," people will be able to read thoughts in the year 2041.

* In the backstory to ''[[VideoGame/EscapeVelocity EV Nova]]'', the Vell-os developed psychic abilities sometime prior to 980 AD, which they used to leave Earth. In the game proper, psychics are reasonably common among the [[HigherTechSpecies Polaran humans]], and as evidenced by the PlayerCharacter in the Vell-os and Polaris storylines, are starting to develop among mainstream humans as well. The epilogues to four of the seven storylines reveal that psychic powers eventually become endemic to humanity, after which we AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and [[HumanitysWake become precursors to an unnamed alien race]].

* ''VideoGame/ScarletNexus'' takes place on an Earth where humans developed PsychicPowers thanks to a psionic hormone. These psionics are the last line of defense against the Others, otherworldly foes that can't be killed by conventional means.

* The failure of this trope to happen is parodied in ''Fanfic/Plan7Of9FromOuterSpace''.
-->"And didn't you also invent Psionics?" asked Buster. "The advanced science of the mind that would enable us to cure the aliments of humanity, read each other's thoughts, see past and future events, and [[Literature/{{Carrie}} electrocute our classmates through telekinesis]]?"\\

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager'' is ostensibly a 1950's sci-fi magazine story set in the far future of 2020. Voyager uses TwinTelepathy to communicate across intersolar distances. It also has a psionic-guided weapon system, though we only see Martians using it.

* In an issue of ''ComicBook/BillAndTedsExcellentComicBook'', Rufus has a huge-forheaded guest professor from the 38th century come to discuss telekinetic drum solos with his class.