History Main / SufficientlyAdvancedAlien

* The Presger from ''Literature/TheImperialRadch'' trilogy sits somewhere between this and HigherTechSpecies. They produce technology that they export to humanity (like highly advanced correctives), but on the other hand they made ArtificialHumans in an attempt to communicate with humanity because it would be impossible for them to comprehend humanity otherwise. Before they determined humanity was "Significant" they would pull human starships apart for fun (and no-one who isn't a Presger really knows what "Significant" means, apart from the fact it means the Presger will stop killing you), and it's implied the Presger wouldn't even register it if humanity ever turned hostile towards them. No Presger are ever shown on-screen, and only the aforementioned ArtificialHumans have ever communicated with them and claim the Presger don't really 'get' many things humanity takes for granted, such as the idea that two distinct people can exist at the same time.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NULjA1b9Aq0 This video]] is rather [[DanBrowned interesting in its own right]], but one of the claims it makes is the believe in "stair step evolution". That is, aliens came along and gave humanity little hints to get its evolution back on track. They also apparently built the pyramids and other religious architecture, and planted it along ley lines in an effort to raise the spiritual energy of humanity to high-level consciousness.

** Then there are the Osirian's, like Sutekh from ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids of Mars.]]'' They're from the planet Osiris, have [[MindRape telepathic]] and [[MindOverMatter telekinetic abilities,]] have enough power to wipe out entire planets and star systems if they truly wanted to [[note]][[OmnicidalManiac And Sutekh does]][[/note]] and the ancient Egyptian myths and reliogns are based off of them, the way they look and their seemingly mythical powers.

* Season 16 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' introduces the Cosmic Beings, which are described as actual gods. Once their true forms are revealed as [[CyberCyclops Monitors]], it's clear that they're more like the Forerunners or Precursors of the 'source material' (see ''Halo'' on the Video Game folder). Season 18 has Black Lotus, an alien construct guarding the helmet that provides the 'Ultimate Power' (though in that case, it's never clear whether it's just advanced tech or downright paranormal).

** Actually, his race the Nemesites turn out to be a subversion. They ''have'' the necessary tech to qualify for this trope, but [[SpaceAmish deliberately limit]] themselves to a HigherTechSpecies lifestyle [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/774 to avoid decadence.]] They've encountered the ruins of countless civilizations that chose the other path and it ended up being their downfall. However, as a defense ''against'' this, they have the ability to generate [[TheSingularity Singularity-style]] A.I. beings called "[[Music/IronButterfly Butterflies of Iron]]" -- but they're leery of doing so because the entities are [[AIIsACrapShoot hard to control.]] Of ''course'' [[{{Hubris}} Galatea]] [[DontTouchItYouIdiot activates]] [[BigRedButton one]] [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/848 as soon as she hears about it.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Now all it needs is some water.[[note]]See that small figure with flaming hands? That's ''Characters/DoctorDoom!''[[/note]]]]

* It seems like ''Franchise/StarTrek'' had dozens of these buggers running around the edges of the Federation: The Cytherians; Trelane, the so-called "Squire of Gothos" (who later spin-off novels established as a rogue Q); the Organians; the Melkotians; the Q; the Thasians, who reared Charlie "Charlie X" Evans; The Companion; Nagilum; the Caretaker; the Douwd (one of whom wiped out an expansionist empire in a fit of anger); Bajor's "Prophets" (even though they never came out of the wormhole); Apollo and the other Olympians; even Quetzalcoatl (in an episode of the animated series). It's implied that Wesley Crusher [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence became one]] when he was PutOnABus, as did Kes from ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.

** The Metrons, from the famous ''TOS'' episode where Kirk fought the Gorn.

** Then there are the Osirian's, like Sutekh from ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids of Mars.]]'' They're from the planet Osiris, have [[MindRape telepathic]] and [[MindOverMatter telekinetic abilities,]] have enough power to wipe out entire planets and star systems if they truly wanted to [[note]][[OmnicidalManiac And Sutekh does]][[/note]] and the ancient Egyptian myths and reliogns are based off of them, the way they look and their seemingly mythal powers.

** Then there are the Osirian's, like Sutekh from ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids of Mars.]]'' They're from the planet Osiris, have [[MindRape telepathic]] and [[MindOverMatter telekinetic abilities,]] have enough power to wipe out entire planets and star systems if they truly wanted to [[note]][[OmnicidalManiac And Sutekh does]][[/note]] and the entire ancient Egyptian myths are based off of them, the way they look and their seemingly mythal powers.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Physicist Frank J. Tipler advocates Omega Point theory, in which it is ''necessary'' that Sufficiently Advanced Aliens (or Sufficiently Advanced Humans) are not merely indistinguishable from gods, but become/create (it's complicated) God.
** The idea of "Omega Point" as the point of ultimate human perfection was originally conceived of by French Catholic priest and evolutionary biologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin!
* Creator/ArthurCClarke stated that if we ever find intelligent alien life they would be "apes or angels, but not men." The reasoning being that humans spent the vast majority of their history in the stone age, but since the discovery of agriculture just 10,000 years ago technological advancement has accelerated at an almost exponential rate. So the statistical likelihood of contacting a technological species before they hit TheSingularity is virtually nil.
* Former Israeli Space Sercurity Chief Haim Eshed said that "a Galactic Federation" exists, with them being waiting for humanity to develop to understand what space and spaceships are, but have not told humans yet because the idea would cause mass hysteria. This implies that these aliens are far beyond what general humans are capable of doing.
[[/folder]]

** The Old Ones were Sufficiently Advanced Aliens long before the C'tan decided to stop ignoring sentient races and start eating them. They seeded worlds with life, created safe realms within the Warp, and created the Eldar (who later ascended to this position themselves) and the Orks.

** ''ComicBook/MsMarvel1977'' gave this treatment to Hekate, who in Myth/ClassicalMythology was something of a SixthRanger; here, she identified herself as an extradimensional explorer whom ancient humans had mistaken for a goddess.

* It seems like ''Franchise/StarTrek'' had dozens of these buggers running around the edges of the Federation: The Cytherians; Trelane, the so-called "Squire of Gothos" (who later spin-off novels established as a rogue Q); the Organians; the Q; the Thasians, who reared Charlie "Charlie X" Evans; The Companion; Nagilum; the Caretaker; the Douwd (one of whom wiped out an expansionist empire in a fit of anger); Bajor's "Prophets" (even though they never came out of the wormhole); Apollo and the other Olympians; even Quetzalcoatl (in an episode of the animated series). It's implied that Wesley Crusher [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence became one]] when he was PutOnABus, as did Kes from ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.

* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', Kryptonians were this, with their powers under a yellow sun (though WordOfGod has hinted that the vast majority were 'only' at Asgardian level -* which still means that each is a PersonOfMassDestruction[=/=]OneManArmy -- on the grounds that the planet would not otherwise have survived any serious conflict), and their literally godlike technology, which made them the only equals of the [[PhysicalGod Asgardians]], despite being mortal.
** There are also the Celestials, and Galactus, neither of whom has made an appearance *- though both have been mentioned, the former as the force that made the gods largely stop meddling in humanity's destiny a millennium before until it could stand on its own (and prove, per Thor, that it was "ready for a higher form of war"), and the latter as, well, Galactus. Who once tried to eat Krypton. Plus, Galactus' herald, the Silver Surfer, is briefly glimpsed.

You know the type. Sooner or later one shows up on every SpaceOpera or WagonTrainToTheStars. They're the alien being that can do ''anything'' with the [[HandWave wave]] of a {{h|umanAliens}}and (or [[StarfishAliens tentacle]], or [[PlantAliens tendril]] of {{energy|Being}}). Sometimes they're hostile, sometimes they're benevolent, sometimes [[AboveGoodAndEvil above it all]] or just... [[BlueAndOrangeMorality different]], but regardless they can really cramp the style of a young, expanding race looking to make a name for itself on the galactic scene. Usually, though, they tend to just be omnipotent jackasses, looking for a cheap laugh. More often than not, they tend to be [[CantArgueWithElves egotistical and haughty, thinking little of]] [[PunyEarthlings humans and "lesser beings"]]. Sometimes you can exploit their sense of honor or fair play, or their desire for solitude, to make them go away. Or maybe you just have to wait for their parents to come and take them home. Unfortunately, you can't always get rid of them -- just ask [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Jean-Luc Picard]] (and don't even get his colleague [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Capt. Janeway]] ''started'').

[[caption-width-right:350:Now all it needs is some water[[note]]See that small figure with flaming hands? That's ''[[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]]''![[/note]].]]

-->--'''[[http://www.michaelshermer.com/2002/01/shermers-last-law/ Shermer's Last Law]]'''

* The Franchise/MarvelUniverse and Franchise/DCUniverse have ''tons'' of these. Creator/JackKirby personally created the Celestials and the ComicBook/NewGods and had a hand in creating the Watchers and ComicBook/{{Galactus}}. This trope seems to really have appealed to him.
** Probably the most famous is ComicBook/{{Galactus}}, [[PlanetEater planet-eating]] antagonist of the Comicbook/FantasticFour. He is a humanoid alien from the previous universe, [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended to the ranks of the Marvel cosmic hierarchy]] -- in a sense, he is this trope, but in another sense he is the actual AnthropomorphicPersonification of an abstract cosmic principle, and more than a little over-qualified.
** The Elders of the Universe are unusual in that their sufficient advancement comes from an individual (i.e., not common to their respective, mostly extinct, races) connection with "the Power Primordial". There does appear to be some inspiration from other examples in ''Star Trek''; Grandmaster's whole shtick resembles the recurring "powerful alien forces the heroes to fight against someone else" Trek plot.
** Runners-up would be the Watchers and the Celestials ''(pictured)'', who hate each other's guts, interestingly. The Watchers believe it's best not to interfere with the development of other worlds and races (the actions of Uatu, TheWatcher that frequently bends these rules, notwithstanding). The Celestials are all about interfering -- they guide the evolution of planets and destroy those that don't satisfy their standards. It's not a surprise that these two don't get along -- not that it really bothers the Celestials, since the Watchers' actions against them are limited to disapproving stares.
** Jonathan Hickman's ''Avengers'' and ''New Avengers'' series have introduced multiple races of seemingly god-like aliens that inhabit the multiverse. Most of these races in fact inhabit and regularly travel between multiple ''realities'', conquering (or destroying) not just planets but entire ''universes''. The Builders, an advanced race that took all the galactic powers of Earth-616 (the primary setting of Marvel comics) to barely defeat, are laughed off by an inter-dimensional traveler as "only" having influence in several thousand realities. Several more far more dangerous races such as the Black Priests, Ivory Kings, and Map Makers have since been introduced.
** In the ''ComicBook/EarthX'' trilogy (Earth X, Universe X, Paradise X), all the gods are sufficiently advanced aliens (evolution wise), it's a long story.
** ''Comicbook/MsMarvel'' gave this treatment to Hekate, who in Myth/ClassicalMythology was something of a SixthRanger; here, she identified herself as an extradimensional explorer whom ancient humans had mistaken for a goddess.

** Actually, his race the Nemesites turn out to be a subversion. They ''have'' the necessary tech to qualify for this trope, but [[SpaceAmish deliberately limit]] themselves to a HigherTechSpecies lifestyle [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/774 to avoid decadence.]] However, as a defense ''against'' this, they have the ability to generate [[TheSingularity Singularity-style]] A.I. beings called "[[Music/IronButterfly Butterflies of Iron]]" -- but they're leery of doing so because the entities are [[AIIsACrapShoot hard to control.]] Of ''course'' [[{{Hubris}} Galatea]] [[DontTouchItYouIdiot activates]] [[BigRedButton one]] [[https://bobadventures.thecomicseries.com/comics/848 as soon as she hears about it.]]

* The Souls from ''Literature/TheHost'' especially when it comes to medicine, which is almost ridiculously effective, ridding the body of infection, fever, cancer, whatever, pretty much instantly.

** The [[VestigialEmpire Fallen Empires]] used to be this, if the special production buildings on their homeworlds are any indication. [[AvertedTrope This is no longer the case]], despite all the posturing. Even if they awaken and begin to rebuild their fleets, the greatest wonders are still permanently lost to them.

** The [[VestigialEmpire Fallen Empires]] also count as this, being the remnants of advanced alien civilizations that once spanned the galaxy but have since fallen on hard times. They start the game with all technology already researched, multiple repeated tech bonuses, and have access to advanced Dark Matter tech that the regular empires can't even research.