History Main / TheRightOfASuperiorSpecies

* Similar to the {{Avatar}} example, there's the not-well-received animation ''BattleForTerra'', where the human race stages an invasion of an alien planet. They justify this by the right of their superior technology, their view that the aliens aren't sapient, and that Earth was destroyed and they need to repopulate the species somewhere.

* The fal'Cie from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' are all over this trope like flies over jam. At one point, Lightning realizes that to them, humans are nothing but pets whom they keep for amusement and some housekeeping chores they don't care to do themselves. [[spoiler:It is eventually revealed that humans and fal'Cie are related species in the sense that both were created by the same creator deity but fal'Cie were made infinitely stronger but without the capacity for free will, so when the creator has left the building, things went south for the humans as the fal'Cie hijacked that free will to turn them into weapons.]]

* In the DungeonsAndDragons episode of {{Community}}, Britta tries to tell a Gnome waiter that he's just as good as they are. Abed (as dungeon-master) replies that according to the game rules, no, he's actually not, and the gang are justified in treating him however they want because of this trope.

* Similar to the {{Avatar}} example, there's the not-well-received animation ''{{Battle for Terra}}'', where the human race stages an invasion of an alien planet. They justify this by the right of their superior technology, their view that the aliens aren't sapient, and that Earth was destroyed and they need to repopulate the species somewhere.

* In ''[[{{Gor}} Priest Kings of Gor]]'', Sarm justifies the Priest-King practice of [[FantasyGunControl smiting humans who experiment with firearm technology]] by claiming that Priest-Kings are superior to humans in the same way that humans are superior to the animals they kill for food.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' adventure ''The Mark of the Rani'', the Rani compares the exploitation of lesser series with stepping on ants.

* It is shown that the aliens behave in a more honorable manner towards those whom they believe to be their equals or superiors. A race that treats everyone badly when they can get away with it may be simply evil.

* The Minbari of {{Babylon5}} believed that their status as the oldest Non-First One Space Faring Civilization gave them the right to exterminate the entire human race simply to avenge the death of their leader in a botched first contact that was as much their fault as it was the Humans.

Out in the reaches of space, an alien race exists that has developed far beyond any human civilization. Said aliens will believe they are justified in killing or enslaving humans due to their higher intelligence. They don't necessarily hate humans, they just believe that humans are so insignificant as to be unworthy of moral consideration. Bonus points if they draw parallels between the way they treat humans and the way humans treat other animals.

* In ''WickedCity'', Makea's ex-lover Jin tries to make her admit this by saying, "Human are lower-class creatures than us. They're only fit for slavery. ''That's'' their heritage."

* The fal'Cie from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' are all over this trope like flies over jam. At one point, Lightning realizes that to them, humans are nothing but pets whom they keep for amusement and some housekeeping chores they don't care to do themselves. [[spoiler:It is eventually revealed that humans and fal'Cie are related species in the sense that both were created by the same creator deity but fal'Cie were made infinitely stronger, so when the creator has left the building, things went south for the humans.]]

* ''OutOfTheDark'' by Simon Webber, is about a race of lizards who usually do this successfully but get way more than they bargained for with humanity.

* In the ''DoctorWho'' adventure "Mark of the Rani", the Rani compares the exploitation of lesser series with stepping on ants.

* This thought is enforced by the government schools of Alfard ("TheEmpire of the flame") in ''BatenKaitos''. Lyude the one heroic character from the country is revealed to have been homeschooled by a nanny.

* The fal'Cie from ''FinalFantasyXIII'' are all over this trope like flies over jam. At one point, Lightning realizes that to them, humans are nothing but pets whom they keep for amusement and some housekeeping chores they don't care to do themselves. [[spoiler:It is eventually revealed that humans and fal'Cie are related species in the sense that both were created by the same creator deity but fal'Cie were made infinitely stronger, so when the creator has left the building, things went south for the humans.]]

* The High Breed in the ''{{Ben 10}}'' verse breathe this trope.

* The High Breed in the ''{{Ben 10}}'' verse breath this trope.

* ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'''s [[CuteIsEvil Kyubee]] plays with this trope. [[spoiler: He turned vunerable teenage girls into magical girls in order to fight witches, but doesn't tell them that he does so by turning them into [[OurLichesAreDifferent Liches]]. Then the girls find out that if they don't keep their [[TransformationTrinket Soul Gem]] pure, they become witches too, and it '''then''' it turns out he's doing all this to collect energy to fight the Heat death of the universe. He justifies it by wanting to prevent said heat death, and by the fact that his kind has been assisting humanity since the stone age. All this while subtly implying that his race regards humanity the way humanity regards cattle. However, Kyubee doesn't have emotions, so he doesn't do this because he thinks he superior to humanity (or at least that's not the most important reason). He does it because they need to prevent the universe ending, and this is the most efficient way to do it.]]

* ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''\'s [[CuteIsEvil Kyubee]] plays with this trope. [[spoiler: He turned vunerable teenage girls into magical girls in order to fight witches, but doesn't tell them that he does so by turning them into [[OurLichesAreDifferent Liches]]. Then the girls find out that if they don't keep their [[TransformationTrinket Soul Gem]] pure, they become witches too, and it '''then''' it turns out he's doing all this to collect energy to fight the Heat death of the universe. He justifies it by wanting to prevent said heat death, and by the fact that his kind has been assisting humanity since the stone age. All this while subtly implying that his race regards humanity the way humanity regards cattle. However, Kyubee doesn't have emotions, so he doesn't do this because he thinks he superior to humanity (or at least that's not the most important reason). He does it because they need to prevent the universe ending, and this is the most efficient way to do it.]]

Not every alien species that victimizes humans fits this trope. As a guideline, please note that this trope applies if either:

A character in the work articulates this trope, such as the aliens explicitly stating that their superiority frees them from moral considerations.

--Or

It is shown that the aliens behave in a more honorable manner towards those whom they believe to be their equals or superiors. A race that treats everyone badly when they can get away with it may be simply evil.

* Similar to the {{Avatar}} example, there's the not-well-received animation {{Battle for Terra}}, where the human race stages an invasion of an alien planet. They justify this by the right of their superior technology, their view that the aliens aren't sapient, and that Earth was destroyed and they need to repopulate the species somewhere.

* The High Breed in the ''{{Ben 10}}'' verse breath this trope.

* ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'''s[[CuteIsEvil Kyubee]] plays with this trope. [[spoiler: He turned vunerable teenage girls into magical girls in order to fight witches, but doesn't tell them that he does so by turning them into [[OurLichesAreDifferent Liches]]. Then the girls find out that if they don't keep their [[TransformationTrinket Soul Gem]] pure, they become witches too, and it '''then''' it turns out he's doing all this to collect energy to fight the Heat death of the universe. He justifies it by wanting to prevent said heat death, and by the fact that his kind has been assisting humanity since the stone age. All this while subtly implying that his race regards humanity the way humanity regards cattle. However, Kyubee doesn't have emotions, so he doesn't do this because he thinks he superior to humanity (or at least that's not the most important reason). He does it because they need to prevent the universe ending, and this is the most efficient way to do it.]]

* Similar to the {{Avatar}} example, there's the not-well-received animation {{Battle for Terra}}, where the human race stages an invasion of an alien planet. They justify this by the right of their superior technology, their view that the aliens aren't sentient, and that Earth was destroyed and they need to repopulate the species somewhere.