History Main / HumansNeedAliens

Contrast HumanityIsSuperior, HumanityIsAdvanced and MugglesDoItBetter, where we can do everything superpowered aliens can do, but with science and technology instead. Compare SuperiorSpecies and HumansAreMorons.

* The Aegis (Gary Seven's alien overlords) in ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' routinely protect civilizations from destroying themselves. FridgeLogic issues arises, as they are only ever seen in one episode, in which they operate in the past (20th century).

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', as much as the Doctor thinks that HumansAreSpecial, humanity (and reality itself for that matter) would have perished without his intervention long ago. Lampshaded in [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E11TurnLeft "Turn Left"]] when the world starts to decay and even reality itself ceases to exist without the doctor's intervention.

HumansAreSpecial. That's why many nonhuman superpowered people want either to destroy us or protect us. The PunyEarthlings are also completely screwed unless there is a nonhuman being protecting us.

Humans are almost always {{Muggle}}s and very rarely {{Badass Normal}}s that very rarely stand a chance against all the evil that is out there. Evil aliens? Interdimensional {{Big Bad}}s? [[TheEmpire Intergalactic Empires?]] {{Eldritch Abomination}}s?, {{Evil Wizard}}s? [[HumansAreBastards Other humans?]] You name it.

Humans are simply outmatched to all the dangers that are out there and need the help of superpowered or otherwise superior species to help them to protect themselves from evil; no matter how much they train or how much technology they have, they simply don't stand a chance against their enemies.

Thankfully there are special/superpowered not human beings out there willing to defend humanity from threats that they wouldn't otherwise stand a chance at fighting. Usually these heroic aliens are the LastOfTheirKind or agents of an [[TheFederation Intergalactic Federation]] and are the only ones willing/able to protect humanity. Aliens may also protect humans from themselves if HumansAreWarriors or to invoke a GreenAesop.

* Literature/CreationManAndTheMessiah: Implied and exaggerated with the spirits Abiriel and Ohebiel, who ensouls Adam and Eve, thus giving the entire human race a share of an older heritage. Abiriel is "alien" after the normal fashion: His original self was born and bred on another planet (Obviously {{Mars}}). When he ensouls Adam, and getting a new body for his spiritual self, Ohebiel laments that humanity is doomed unless she intervenes, and then ensouls Eve. Ohebiel is not fare from invoking the trope directly.

* Literature/CreationManAndTheMessiah: Implied and exaggerated with the spirits Abiriel and Ohebiel, who ensouls Adam and Eve, thus giving the entire human race a share of an older heritage. Abiriel is "alien" after the normal fashion: His original self was born and bred on another planet (Obviously {{Mars}}). When he ensouls Adam, and getting a new body for hus spiritual self, Ohebiel laments that humanity is doomed unless she intervenes, and then ensouls Eve. Ohebiel is not fare from invoking the trope directly.

Humans are almost always {{Muggle}}s and very rarely {{BadAss Normal}}s that very rarely stand a chance against all the evil that is out there. Evil aliens? Interdimensional {{Big Bad}}s? [[TheEmpire Intergalactic Empires?]] {{Eldritch Abomination}}s?, {{Evil Wizard}}s? [[HumansAreBastards Other humans?]] You name it.

HumansAreSpecial. That's why many nonhuman superpowered people want either to destroy us or protect us. Humans are also completely screwed unless there is a nonhuman being protecting us.

Contrast HumanityIsSuperior and HumanityIsAdvanced. Compare MugglesDoItBetter where Humans can do everything superpowered aliens can do, but with science and technology instead, as well as SuperiorSpecies and HumansAreMorons.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', as much as the Doctor thinks that HumansAreSpecial, humanity (and reality itself for that matter) would have have perished without his intervention long ago. Lampshaded in [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E11TurnLeft "Turn Left"]] when the world starts to decay and even reality itself ceases to exist without the doctor's intervention.

** Then again, humans have been shown to at least be better at fighting the zerg than the Protoss in the games making this a possible [[SubvertedTrope subversion]]. Raynor played a major part in the defeat of the first overmind on Aiur, the [[TheWarOfEarthlyAggression United Earth Directorate]] seized control of the overmind in brood war, and humans took one of the zerg's best defended worlds, char twice. Let's also not forget that Sarah Kerrigan, the Zerg's current leader is a former human.

** Then again, humans have been shown to at least be better at fighting the zerg than the Protoss in the games making this a possible [[SubvertedTrope subversion]]. Raynor played a major part in the defeat of the first overmind on Aiur, the [[WarOfEarthlyAgression United Earth Directorate]] seized control of the overmind in brood war, and humans took one of the zerg's best defended worlds, char twice. Let's also not forget that Sarah Kerrigan, the Zerg's current leader is a former human.

** Also in ''Wings of Liberty'', Jim Raynor is shown a vision of a possible future where the Terrans and Protoss are driven to extinction by the zerg/protoss hybrids in a timeline where Kerrigan dies, and can't lead the Zerg swarm.

* In the ''ComicBook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire'' graphic novel ''The Gallimaufry'', it's revealed that humanity has been under the protection of an uber-powerful Elder Race alien since joining the galactic community. (This is somewhat different from most other examples on this list in that said protection was part of an explicit secret deal with said alien -- protection from extinction in exchange for safeguarding [[spoiler:the Winslow]] -- and humans were simply the latest species in line to accept it. It's only when the secret ''gets out'' that humanity is suddenly in trouble.)

* In the ''ComicBook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire'' graphic novel ''The Gallimaufry'', it's revealed that humanity has been under the protection of an uber-powerful Elder Race alien since joining the galactic community. (This is somewhat different from most other examples on this list in that said protection was part of an explicit secret deal with said alien -- protection from extinction in exchange for safeguarding [[spoiler:the Winslow]] -- and humans were simply the latest species in line to accept it.)

* In the ''ComicBook/BuckGodotZapGunForHire'' graphic novel ''The Gallimaufry'', it's revealed that humanity has been under the protection of an uber-powerful Elder Race alien since joining the galactic community.

* In ''VideoGame/UniverseAtWar'', the Earth is invaded by a race of PlanetLooters called the Hierarchy. We humans get our collective asses kicked, but just as all hope seems lost, the [[MechanicalLifeforms Novus]], another alien race with a grudge against the Hierarchy, turn up and begin fighting them alongside us. Only then does the tide begin to turn. [[spoiler:And ''then'', another alien race, the [[{{Precursors}} Masari]], turn up to deliver a little "divine retribution" on their errant children.]]

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', Barthandelus invokes this, telling the party that humans are foolish, cowardly and easily deceived, and "without [our] help, death is all of which you're capable". Delving into the backstory reveals that it ''is'' largely due to fal'Cie influence that humans have thrived.

Humans are almost always {{Muggle}}s and very rarely {{BadAss Normal}}s that very rarely stand a chance against all the evil that is out there. Evil aliens? Interdimensional {{BigBad}}s? [[TheEmpire Intergalactic Empires?]] {{Eldritch Abomination}}s?, {{Evil Wizard}}s? [[HumansAreBastards Other humans?]] You name it.

Contrast HumanityIsSuperior and HumanityIsAdvanced. Compare MugglesDoItBetter where Humans can do everything superpowered aliens can do, but with science and technology instead, as well as SuperiorSpecies and HumansAreMorons.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' without Goliath's clan intervention humanity would have been long gone extinct, Specially from Demona's genocide tendencies.

* In the Creator/PhilFoglio graphic novel ''ComicBook/TheGallimaufry'', it's revealed that humanity has been under the protection of an uber-powerful Elder Race alien since joining the galactic community.

* In the ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' series, this is what most aliens believe--and given how much more advanced most alien species are, and how many are hostile to the "wolfling" human species, it is essentially true, now that they're aware of our existence. Without allies like the Tymbrimi, humanity wouldn't stand a chance.
** There is no indication that humanity needs aliens for anything other than defense against aliens who think we should be their "clients" or exterminated for blasphemy. Between the present day and first contact humanity ended war, repaired the environmental damage to earth, uplifted chimps and dolphins, colonized five solar systems, and developed an automated empathy test that eliminated government corruption entirely (apparently most politicians are psychopaths, who knew?) In fact one might say that humanity is more "mature" than many species that are millions of years older because we had the opportunity to make mistakes and suffer the full consequences, unlike most of the galactics who were all uplifted by other species and in many cases designed to be soldiers.

--> '''Sam''': "There must be something more you can do."\\
'''Thor''': "I assure you, we are providing you with all the latest Asgard technology, as well as a knowledge base, including our entire recorded history."\\
'''Sam''': "That's not what I was talking about."\\

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]
* In ''DragonBallZ'', Earth would have been doomed very soon if the Saiyan Goku hadn't come from space.
* ''ScrappedPrincess'': This is the justification Cz uses, when she explains to Shanon why it was necessary for the Peacemakers to [[spoiler: keep their world locked in MedievalStasis.]] Later, during the final episode, [[spoiler: [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Mauser]]]] goes into greater detail, when [[spoiler: she]] explains the reasoning for this to Pacifica.
* ''[[NadiaTheSecretOfBlueWater Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]'': During the time he holds Nadia captive, [[EvilChancellor Gargoyle]] lauds this as the Neo Atlantians' "right" to rule humanity. Needless to say, she didn't buy into his bullshit.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* {{Superman}} is the classic example. Think of all the times Superman has saved the day, a lot of those times he saved humanity from extinction. Humanity would have been long gone without him.

* In the PhilFoglio graphic novel ''The Gallimaufry'', it's revealed that humanity has been under the protection of an uber-powerful Elder Race alien since joining the galactic community.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd'' by ArthurCClarke, humanity AscendsToAHigherPlaneOfExistence via the help of a BenevolentAlienInvasion.

** In case you couldn't figure it out, DavidBrin is very strongly inclined towards [[RomanticismVersusEnlightenment Enlightenment]].

* Played with and horribly deconstructed in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', where the human kids spend the first arc of the series optimistic that the Andalites will come to Earth and take over the fight with the Yeerks for them. It turns out that the Andalites believe that humans aren't worth much overall, and decide that the best course of action would be to [[spoiler: wipe out the entire human race so the Yeerks can't use them as hosts]]. The kids quickly up the ante in their missions after they hear that bit of news.

* In ''TheDangerousDaysOfDanielX'', without alien hunters like Daniel, the world would've been destroyed very long ago.

* ''SholanAlliance'': The human colonists on Kiess found themselves under the heel of the overpoweringly aggressive etc etc Valtegans. Without the help of the Sholans, they would have continued to be in that situation even with the arrival of the second wave colony ship, still enroute during the first book.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In ''DrWho'', as much as the Doctor thinks that HumansAreSpecial, humanity (and reality itself for that matter) would have have perished without his intervention long ago. Lampshaded in Turn Left when the world starts to decay and even reality itself ceases to exist without the doctor's intervention.

* In ''{{Babylon 5}}'', the Shadows and Vorlons both saw themselves as guardians of the younger races (including humans), guiding their development and evolution. They had conflicting philosophies as to how these younger races should develop, and ended up fighting periodic wars over this [[spoiler: using younger races they've [[AbusivePrecursors manipulated (often secretly)]] as [[SpaceColdWar proxies]], to supposedly prove the superiority of their respective philosophies. This pattern is finally exposed to the younger races through the maneuverings of Sheridan, who then shames them into leaving the galaxy to allow the younger races room to determine their own ways.]]
* ''{{Stargate}}'' implies that the Ancients and the Asgard have protected us for a lot of our history in the hopes we would one day become the badass fifth race we have. Tragically we only earn that title when the Asgard are on their deathbeds, and so we have to take up their mantle as the intergalatic gaurdians of less developed peoples and planets. An exchange between Thor and Carter:

--> '''Thor''': "I assure you, we are providing you with all the latest Asgard technology, as well as a knowledge base, including our entire recorded history."\\
--> '''Sam''': "That's not what I was talking about."\\
--> '''Thor''': "Everything that can be done, has been done. The final attempt to solve our physiological degeneration has left each of us with a rapidly progressing disease."\\

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* ''{{Franchise/Halo}}'': Humanity can only guarantee pyrrhic victories at best against [[ScaryDogmaticAliens the Covenant]], until circumstances cause [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy the Elites]] to secede and ally with humanity. With their union the Covenant is defeated, but humanity rushes to rebuild itself quickly, because there is little guarantee that the Elites can protect them forever, especially since not all agreed with allying with humans in the first place.
* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'': Jim Raynor is shown a vision of a possible future where the Terrans and Protoss are killed to extinction by the zerg/protoss hybrids in a timeline where Kerrigan dies, and can't lead the Zerg swarm.
** Humans in the series are [[HumansAreFlawed considered flawed]], weak, [[HumansAreWarriors violent]], and greedy by the Protoss and Zerg. Outside of Raynor's alliances with the Protoss, the humans are prone to civil wars and in-fighting even as they flee/fight the Zerg and Protoss. The climax of ''Wings of Liberty'', when [[spoiler:Raynor and the Dominion invade Char and de-infest Kerrigan]] is pretty much the only heroic thing the race has done in the grand scheme of things.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In ''{{Gargoyles}}'' without Goliath's clan intervention humanity would have been long gone extinct, Specially from Demona's genocide tendencies.
* ''{{Futurama}}'': Although [[spoiler:Nibbler]] acts as a cute little pet most of the time, he in fact [[spoiler: belongs to a powerful alien race]] and saves Earth and humanity more than once.

* The Aegis (Gary Seven's alien overlords) in ''StarTrek'' routinely protect civilizations from destroying themselves. FridgeLogic issues arises, as they are only ever seen in one episode, in which they operate in the past (20th century).

* ''{{Futurama}}'': Although [[spoiler:Nibbler]] acts as a cute little pet most of the time, he in fact [[spoiler: belongs to a powerful alien race]] and saves Earth and humanity more than once.

Contrast HumanityIsSuperior. Compare MugglesDoItBetter where Humans can do everything superpowered aliens can do, but with science and technology instead.

'''Thor''': "I assure you, we are providing you with all the latest Asgard technology, as well as a knowledge base, including our entire recorded history."\\
'''Sam''': "That's not what I was talking about."\\
'''Thor''': "Everything that can be done, has been done. The final attempt to solve our physiological degeneration has left each of us with a rapidly progressing disease."\\