History Main / PrecursorWorship

* ''Fanfic/TheShadowWars'': The Cosmic Concept of Fusion fairly obviously created the ponies, as shown in Alicorn Genesis. Later, she incarnates as {{physical god}}dess Epona Amaterasu the Sun Mare and still later as the similarly empowered Princess Celestia. In both cases she winds up worshipped by the ponies, even though as Celestia she doesn't tell them anything about her role in creating their species. Ironically, by the time she becomes Celestia she prefers very much ''[[AGodAmINot not]]'' [[AGodAmINot to be worshipped]], wanting instead to be [[IJustWantToBeNormal treated as a normal pony]] -- which is difficult because she crafted the Alicorn form for equine hyperdominance.

->'''Shepard:''' [The Hanar] worship your people as gods.\\
'''Javik:''' Pity we did not teach them to speak better.

** ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' indicates that the Protoculture themselves deified to some extent the insectoid Vajra, to the point where much of the Protoculture's technology was made in imitation of the Vajra's capabilities.

* ''Anime/MacrossZero'':
** It's suggested that the natives of Mayan Island in the Pacific worship the Protoculture, now extinct, as divine beings. They were also responsible for the creation of the human race.
** The Protoculture likewise worshipped (or at least admired) and tried to uplift themselves to the level of the Hive-Mind Vajra. They failed. Horribly.

* The Saint Church in the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise worships the [[TheMessiah last Saint King]] of Ancient Belka, a civilization that warred itself into non-existence about a century ago (it would have lasted longer if said King didn't put it out of its misery).
* In ''Anime/MacrossZero'', it's suggested that the natives of Mayan Island in the Pacific worship the Protoculture, now extinct, as divine beings. They were also responsible for the creation of the human race.
** Also, the Protoculture worshipped (or at least admired) and tried to uplift themselves to the level of the Hive-Mind Vajra. They failed. Horribly.

* In Creators/Jordan179's WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic world of the Fanfic/TheShadowWars storyverse, the Cosmic Concept of Fusion fairly obviously created the Ponies, as shown in Alicorn Genesis. Later, she incarnates as [[PhysicalGod physical goddess Epona Amaterasu the Sun Mare]] and still later as the similarly empowered [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia]]. In both cases she winds up worshipped by the Ponies, even though as Celestia she doesn't tell them anything about her role in creating their species. Ironically, by the time she becomes Celestia she prefers very much [[AGodAmINot ''not'' to be worshipped]], wanting instead to be [[IJustWantToBeNormal treated as a normal Pony]] -- which is difficult because she crafted the Alicorn form for equine hyperdominance.

* Most of the patron-lines in the ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' universe act like the mythical Progenitors that began the whole [[UpliftedAnimal uplift]] tradition were gods. With many interpretations of why they vanished and resulting wars. Some of humanity's worst enemies are those who believe the Progenitors will return to cleanse the galaxy of "impure" species like those uppity wolflings in Earthclan.
* ''Literature/{{Footfall}}''. The alien Fithp (AKA "Snouts") gained all of their scientific knowledge from artifacts left by the Predecessors, a race that lived on their planet long ago. The Fithp worship the Predecessors as deities, with priests studying the artifacts to gain more information.

* Discussed via thought experiment in ''Chariots Of The Gods?''. von Daniken postulates a world where much of civilization has been destroyed. The older generation tell stories of how it used to be to their children, who write it down. Each story begins with "My father tells me..." After a few generations the context of "My father tells me..." is lost, and new translations/editions of the collected stories of the fathers use "My father says..." and eventually "Our Father says..." promoting the first generation to virtual (if not actual) godhood.
* In ''The CultureSeries'', Oct consider themselves the true inheritors of the Veil, a precursor race that left abandoned worlds around the galaxy, in a way that seems religious but it's difficult to tell due to the Oct being incomprehensible. Other races know this to be factually not true and consider the Oct to be somewhat pathetic. There are other races with similar aspirations such as Aultridia, which the Oct absolutely despise.

* In ''Series/StargateSG1'' and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', the long-[[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended]] Ancients are sometimes considered to be gods. They don't really care that much, but their evil counterparts the Ori demand worship. The majority of deities worshiped on Earth turn out to be [[PuppeteerParasite Goa'uld]] or [[TheGreys Asgard]] AncientAstronauts, but both species are still on the material plane.
* An individual example of this was Knox on ''Series/{{Angel}}'', who worshipped the Old Ones and brought about Illyria's resurrection.
* In the ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' episode "Jeremiah Crichton", it turns out the indigenous people worshipped the Hynerian Dominar who left them on that planet, and since Rygel's a descendant of their "god" they bow down before him on sight.

* The Lizardmen of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' worship the Old Ones, who created the world and try to carry out their plan for the destruction of Chaos.
* It is all but stated that the Adeptus Mechanicus of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' who keep humanity's machines running are in fact worshiping the Void Dragon, a C'tan star god who was imprisoned on Mars long ago.
* In ''TabletopGame/MyriadSong'' the Remanence reveres the Syndics and eagerly await their return, seeing how they are ruled by descendants of their genetically modified slave overseers.
* Classic ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' supplement Alien Module 8 ''Darrians''. The ancestors of the Darrians were moved from Earth to their new planet by an [[{{Precursors}} Ancient]] named Onsorik. Not surprisingly they worshipped him as a god and passed down legends about him to their descendants.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pugmire}}'' the predominant religion of the dogs is the Church of [[HumanitysWake Man]], who believe that Man uplifted dogs to be their faithful companions before they ascended to another plane (what actually happened is left ambiguous) and Good Dogs who follow their tenants will join them in the afterlife. Cats are alluded to believe humans were ''their'' servants.

* The Covenant of ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' are a coalition of species united in worship of the Forerunners (theoretically). Too bad they also believe that humanity's very existence is an insult to their gods. They also mistakenly believe that the Halos will lead them to where the Forerunners ascended to; they're actually superweapons that can destroy all complex life in the galaxy.

* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' the Zuul worship their Suul'ka creators and are determined to find them [[spoiler: in ''Lords of Winter'' they succeed]]

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', when the temple of the ancient Asari goddess Athame is seen, [[spoiler: Javik claims that she was a Prothean who taught the Asari mathematics, agriculture, and gave them biotic powers through genetic engineering. And [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Athame_Doctrine?file=Athame_mural_texture.png the oldest depictions]] of her do look rather suspicious.]]
* The Cassians of ''VideoGame/{{Wildstar}}'' believe that they were chosen by the Eldan to rule the Dominion as a shining example of strength and leadership... for the rest of the pathetic vermin that infest the galaxy.
* Those Who Came Before/The First Civilization from ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' were the inspiration for divine worship in many cultures after creating human beings in their image. They were the first Etruscan gods along with inspirations for many other pantheons.
* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'':
** The Xel'Naga began a series of experiment on the Protoss to speed their development, eventually revealing themselves to their subjects. For a time, the Protoss revered the elder race as gods, but began to grow suspicious of them after time, ultimately resulting in a war that drove the Xel'Naga off the Protoss homeworld.
** The Tal'darim splinter faction continue to worship the Xel'Naga, viewing any interference with their sites as desecration. Specifically, the [[spoiler: fallen Xel'Naga Amon]].
* In VideoGame/TheConduit and the VideoGame/{{Conduit 2}}, it's revealed most of the human race had worshipped the gods, who are actually aliens from another planet. And some of them have ruled ancient empires such as Babylonia and Rome.
* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'': The Precursors are revered as divine god-like beings by many of the inhabitants of Jak and Daxter's universe. This makes TheReveal of them as [[spoiler: Ottsels, like Daxter and later, after being "blessed with the gift of evolution", Veger]], quite surprising [[spoiler: and humorous]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Wildstar}}'': the Eldan came to Cassius and created a human-Eldan hybrid named Dominus, who became the Emperor of Cassius and the following [[TheEmpire Dominion]], then the Eldan vanished. Hundreds of years later, the Vigilant Church deified the Eldan and made Dominus and his children saints, while keeping watch for the gods to return.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Series/StargateSG1'' and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' the long-[[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended]] Ancients are sometimes considered to be gods. They don't really care that much, but their evil counterparts the Ori demand worship. The majority of deities worshiped on Earth turn out to be [[PuppeteerParasite Go'uld]] or [[TheGreys Asgard]] AncientAstronauts, but both species are still on the material plane.

* In the ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' episode "Jeremiah Crichton" it turns out the indigenous people worshipped the Hynerian Dominar who left them on that planet, and since Rygel's a descendant of their "god" they bow down before him on sight.

* ''Franchise/JakAndDaxter'': The Precursors are revered as divine god-like beings by many of the inhabitants of Jak and Daxter's universe. This makes TheReveal of them as [[spoiler: Ottsels, like Daxter and later, after being "blessed with the gift of evolution", Veger]], quite surprising [[spoiler: and humorous]].

* In ''Series/StargateSG1'' and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' the Ancients are sometimes considered to be gods. They don't really care that much, however their evil counterparts the Ori demand worship. Not to mention that pretty much every ancient pantheon worshiped on Earth were actually aliens, though most of their species are still extant.

In Creators/Jordan179's WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic world of the Fanfic/TheShadowWars storyverse, the Cosmic Concept of Fusion fairly obviously created the Ponies, as shown in Alicorn Genesis. Later, she incarnates as [[PhysicalGod physical goddess Epona Amaterasu the Sun Mare]] and still later as the similarly empowered [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia]]. In both cases she winds up worshipped by the Ponies, even though as Celestia she doesn't tell them anything about her role in creating their species. Ironically, by the time she becomes Celestia she prefers very much [[AGodAmINot ''not'' to be worshipped]], wanting instead to be [[IJustWantToBeNormal treated as a normal Pony]] -- which is difficult because she crafted the Alicorn form for equine hyperdominance.

** Also, the Protoculture worshipped and tried to uplift themselves to the level of the Hive-Mind Vajra. They failed. Horribly.

* JakAndDaxter: The Precursors are revered as divine god-like beings by many of the inhabitants of Jak and Daxter's universe. This makes TheReveal of them as [[spoiler: Ottsels, like Daxter and later, after being "blessed with the gift of evolution", Veger]], quite surprising [[spoiler: and humorous]].

In Creator/Jordan179's WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic world of the Fanfic/ShadowWarsStoryverse, the Cosmic Concept of Fusion fairly obviously created the Ponies, as shown in Alicorn Genesis. Later, she incarnates as [[PhysicalGod physical goddess Epona Amaterasu the Sun Mare]] and still later as the similarly empowered [[PhysicalGod Princess Celestia]]. In both cases she winds up worshipped by the Ponies, even though as Celestia she doesn't tell them anything about her role in creating their species. Ironically, by the time she becomes Celestia she prefers very much [[AGodAmINot ''not'' to be worshipped]], wanting instead to be [[IJustWantToBeNormal treated as a normal Pony]] -- which is difficult because she crafted the Alicorn form for equine hyperdominance.

-->--''VideoGame/MassEffect3''

* JakAndDaxter: The Precursors are revered as divine god-like beings by many of the inhabitants of Jak and Daxter's universe. This makes TheReveal of them as [[spoiler: Ottsels, like Daxter and latter Veger after being "blessed with the gift of evolution"]], quite surprising [[spoiler: and humorous]].

* The Covenant of the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' franchise are a coalition of species united in worship of the Forerunners. Too bad that humans unintentionally defiled some holy Forerunner ex-colonies. They also mistakenly believe that the Halos will lead them to where the Forerunners left to. Instead of being superweapons that can destroy all complex life in the galaxy.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'' the Hanar believe the Protheans (whom they call the "Enkindlers") uplifted their species millenia ago. And the heretic Geth worship the Reapers [[spoiler: of course they're still around]]

* It is all but stated that the Adeptus Mechanicus of Warhammer40K who keep humanity's machines running are in fact worshipping the Void Dragon, a C'tan star god who was imprisoned on Mars long ago.

So, an untold number of years ago a civilization with incredibly advanced technology arose, then for whatever reason vanished into thin air. But what happens when a younger race comes across their [[LostTechnology incredibly advanced technology]] or other signs of their presence. Often, religion.

--> ''Shepard: "[The Hanar] worship your people as gods."''
--> ''Javik (the last Prothean): "Pity we did not teach them to speak better."''
---> ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''

* In ''Series/StargateSG1'' and ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' the Ancients are sometimes considered to be gods. They don't really care that much, however their evil counterparts the Ori demand worship.
** Not to mention that pretty much every ancient pantheon worshiped on Earth were actually aliens, though most of their species are still extant.

* The Covenant of the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' franchise are a coalition of species united in worship of the Forerunners. Too bad that humans unintentionally defiled some holy Forerunner ex-colonies.
** They also mistakenly believe that the Halos will lead them to where the Forerunners left to. Instead of being superweapons that can destroy all complex life in the galaxy.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'': The Xel'Naga began a series of experiment on the Protoss to speed their development, eventually revealing themselves to their subjects. For a time, the Protoss revered the elder race as gods, but began to grow suspicious of them after time, ultimately resulting in a war that drove the Xel'Naga off the Protoss homeworld.

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]

[[AC: TabletopGames]]

[[AC: VideoGames]]

* JakAndDaxter: The Precursors are revered as divine god-like beings by many of the inhabitants of Jak and Daxter's universe. This makes TheReveal of them as [[spoiler: Ottsels, like Daxter and latter Veger after being "blessed with the gift of evolution"]], quite surprising [[spoiler: and humorous]].