Which Scifi Alien Would You Rather Work With If You Had a Choice?

[Bab5space]

This is purely for fun, as it won't affect my plot direction whatsoever.

Which of my scifi created humanoid races would you prefer to work with and why? Which would you not want to and why? Based on their behavior only?

Race 1: Take a positive view most all the time of situations, but can still adopt a negative view... it just takes considerably more to get them there than it would a human. Usually by the time they get negative a human will be inclined to tell them, "It's about time!" These aliens are mortal and therefore have adopted a negative view of death, but cushion it with the philosophy of dying a better person than they were, or no worse than they feared. They also have longer than human lifespans

Race 2: Accept, support, and provide what is true. Everything that cannot be verfied is viewed as speculation or theory. They never assume anything, but still put their trust in others with the understanding that there will be consequences for failure to do as agreed upon via contracts. Contracts are sacred. They can theorize and speculate, but are incapable of lying. Rather than saying I can do this or that, they are more likely to show you awards they have received that can be verfied, or demonstrate their skill if they have the time. Lifespan is shorter than human, about that of a dogs. Which also means their bodies mature faster, but their minds mature at the same rate. So a 3 year old is actually in their late 20's. By the time they reach 16 human years they would be in their 80's.

Race 3: Naturally inclined to repay debts owed, and not doing so means they hate you. Lifespan is very long, longer than race 1. Tend to prefer warm environments, since they are cold blooded.

Race 4: View optimal physical fitness for ones occupation as the highest virtue. To do otherwise is considered sin. For example sumo wrestlers would be OK, since their job requires it, but anywhere else people that big would likely be frowned on or looked at with contempt. Indeed... that is actually a form of punishment... makng people fat in prison, which means they are will work hard to work out off upon release. Lifespan is human.

There you go... you may answer.

 

[jedishrfu]

Race 1 due to comparable lifespan and positive view of things although I’m not sure how these traits would be used in your stories.

Race 2 seems to be trustworthy but with a life span like a dog would be sad to know and then lose.

Race 1 seems more like humans.

 

[Bab5space]

Race 1 due to comparable lifespan and positive view of things although I’m not sure how these traits would be used in your stories.

Race 2 seems to be trustworthy but with a life span like a dog would be sad to know and then lose.

Race 1 seems more like humans.

Race 1 traits use? Pleny of ways. Human/race 1 interaction would be entertaining at times.

Race 1 crime and punishment: They do not have prisons. Rather, for most crimes criminals are allowed to stay in re-education cities. After they have been monitored and show enough improvement, they are released back into the rest of society.They are NOT allowed to leave prior to that.The government does have strict limits to their patience though... don't improve enough by a certain period as a criminal and they will be inclined to banish them to live with other aliens... selling them as slaves.

 

[256bits]

Everything that cannot be verfied

Not sure how that works? Seeing is believing, maybe, but this seems to be unworkable in the grand scheme of things. If I tell him that my pet died, does he believe me or does he actually have to witness the dead animal.
I think Race 2 would be extremely annoying.

 

[Bab5space]

Not sure how that works? Seeing is believing, maybe, but this seems to be unworkable in the grand scheme of things. If I tell him that my pet died, does he believe me or does he actually have to witness the dead animal.
I think Race 2 would be extremely annoying.

Whether your pet died or not is virtually irrelevan to them until verification. The feelings you give off though they can see, and do adjust their behavior based upon the emotional vibes they get from otgers just like humans do.

Sure... it might be really annoying for none of them to verbally acknowledge your dog died because the skeptical, but a caring one may still comfort you with a hug.

Paradoxically, one can fool these aliens via elings if they are a good enough actor, making them think you feel one way, even if they are skeptical over what you say.

Interestingly enough, in their society, to answer a question truthfully is one and the same as an apology. To not answer is considered a show of distrust or dislike.

 

[DEvens]

Um... These differences are pretty fluffy and superficial. What do they think of sumo wrestlers? What do they do about hypothetical statements? I have friends with more severe philosophical differences than that who are married to each other.

How about something important?

What kind of laptop computer do they use? Meaning, what level of tech are they at?

Where do they go for summer vacation? Meaning, what tech level do they have in travel, from walking to intergalactic warp drive?

What do they like to eat for dinner? Meaning, will they try to eat humans, me in particular? Do they go in for artificial food? Do they like to keep gardens?

How do they feel about inter-library loans? Meaning, will they share what they know with us barely-out-of-the-cave humans?

How do they feel about historical dramas? Meaning, when they find out what humans have been getting up to over the last roughly-10,000-years of history, are they going to be simply disgusted with us and quarantine us? Or will they want to give us our own TV show?

 

[Bab5space]

Um... These differences are pretty fluffy and superficial. What do they think of sumo wrestlers? What do they do about hypothetical statements? I have friends with more severe philosophical differences than that who are married to each other.

How about something important?

What kind of laptop computer do they use? Meaning, what level of tech are they at?

Where do they go for summer vacation? Meaning, what tech level do they have in travel, from walking to intergalactic warp drive?

What do they like to eat for dinner? Meaning, will they try to eat humans, me in particular? Do they go in for artificial food? Do they like to keep gardens?

How do they feel about inter-library loans? Meaning, will they share what they know with us barely-out-of-the-cave humans?

How do they feel about historical dramas? Meaning, when they find out what humans have been getting up to over the last roughly-10,000-years of history, are they going to be simply disgusted with us and quarantine us? Or will they want to give us our own TV show?

Race four's view on sumo wrestlers I already explained... they do have it as a very niche form of amusement, but it is not as popular there as on Earth.

Race two's view on hypothetical statements is to view them as theoretical or potentially true but needs verification at best, but they are not oblivious to potential dangers. They always have a plan B, although they may not have a plan C.

Food, tech and entertainment:

Race one has fruits and veggies that are all different shades of orange, so they utilize sucker plates on their palms and fingers (like an octopus) to smell and taste before eating to tell which is which. Unlike Earth fruits, rinds and fruit skins have flavors that can be readily licked off or tasted just by putting their sucker plates on them.

Race 2 has a diet not unlike that of humans.

Race 3 is more carnivorous, preferring meat, but has been known to eat other forms of protein too (beans).

Race 4: A human but diet that prioritizes optimum health above all else. Humans may take issue with this. But on the plus side, these guys and gals have a population that has zero issues with obesity epidemics.

Technology: Constant acceleration rocketry using quotonic metal that emits quotonic light-FTL light for thrust. Quotons share some properties with normal photons and differ in other ways... since an FTL photon based on Newtonian calculations would blow up stuff, but quotons do not. They are like coverless flashlights that produce thrust on par with rockets. Sound like them and will blow stuff like them... only with quotonic light. Hyperdrives: It takes days to reach across LY, but travelers in hyperspace experience only a min per LY traveled.

Weaponry: Mixing a small amount of quotonium with antimatter wil increase the yield of the antimatter a thousandfold. They have the biggatons.

Entertainment: Varies. Race one has those that enjoy salvaging negative or seemingly situations and turning them into a net positive for all involved. Such ones are revered as heroes and their movies reflect that. Less bold ones are more likely to concentrate their efforts on less challenging turnarounds.

Race 2 enjoys sports but really has no interest in fictional stories at all. They only speculate when they are working at theories for science or work, like detectives.

Race 3: Enjoy much the same stuff as us, although in their fiction, heroes always pay whayltever they owe, and bad guys also pay... acording to what they owe. Meaning some crimes do not warrant death, but others do. For that reason their villains at times may seem more merciful than human ones, as they only kill those they think owe them anyway.

Race 4 loves sports, or really any competition that depends largely on physical fitness. Politics are even decided this way, meaning leaders are often sports champions.

Extra: Zero g dodge ball inside a spaceship and many other space games occur at orbital leisure stations.

Sex: Although all the races (minus 3 which looks lizard-like) look humanoid and even sexually attractive... humans cannot expect to... you know with them.

Why? Their organs do not match ours, and even if we tried iy would not produce anything. Would actually injure a human male in the case of race 1.

So the only cross species romances that do occur are rare, and for those serious about it... race 3 does have goauld-like parastic animals that can transfer a mind into a new alien body different than the original. They sell them to those who are interested in cross species romance and other uses.

 

[BWV]

They all sound like different human cultures, which is a cliche of bad SF writing

 

[Bab5space]

They all sound like different human cultures, which is a cliche of bad SF writing

Bad and good scifi are viewpoints which makes them subjective rather than objective.What's bad to me is very likely good to you and so forth. Never did like scifi that is clearly just a stand-in for philosophizing or or promoting social issues.

I do not look to scifi to tell me the future, but some do, which is why they call some some scifi bad or good.

Scifi for me is just another entertainment medium that offers the most alien environment we have experienced yet. That's why I use it.

 

[sysprog]

(replying to the thread title) 7 of 9

 

[ryl3gol]

Personally I'd prefer 1 over the rest, then either 4 or 2. The concept seems really interesting, care to share more about them?

 

[Bab5space]

Personally I'd prefer 1 over the rest, then either 4 or 2. The concept seems really interesting, care to share more about them?

Sure... what would like to know? How each race actually looks?

One concept I find interesting is that of good and evil. Just because your an alien does not mean your bent on galactic domination and evil.

Even so, there is both good and evil in all races, and it parallels well with books of our past.

The greek gods were well... more or less evil, it's hard to call them goid when Zeus woukd get arrested for being a serial rapist among other things in our day.

Even biblical angels have good and bad ones.

So my scifi aliens follow this well known pattern of both good and evil existing in beings similar to us but different in other ways.

Example: A race one villain would be difficul if not impossible to convince them to quit, as they would stay positive regarding their schemes no matter the setbacks they faced. Until things get REALLY bad, but as I said, by the time these guys and gals go negative humans likely are like, "Now your upset? Finally?!"

Also, at times race one negativity can become lkje an epic meltdown on the level of the memetic hitler rants parodies.

Probably to make up for all the pent up negativity being released all at once when they are frustrated for the umpteenth time.

 

[stefan r]

Race one has fruits and veggies that are all different shades of orange, so they utilize sucker plates on their palms and fingers (like an octopus) to smell and taste before eating to tell which is which. Unlike Earth fruits, rinds and fruit skins have flavors that can be readily licked off or tasted just by putting their sucker plates on them...

...Sex: Although all the races (minus 3 which looks lizard-like) look humanoid and even sexually attractive... humans cannot expect to... you know with them.

Why? Their organs do not match ours, and even if we tried iy would not produce anything. Would actually injure a human male in the case of race 1.

You say they are "sexually attractive", they have fingers with "sucker plates", and they evolved to manipulate and taste fruit?
I bet that when these aliens were in the Garden of Eden they ate from the Tree Of Knowledge.

 

[Bab5space]

[.

So my scifi aliens to follow this well known pat

You say they are "sexually attractive", they have fingers with "sucker plates", and they evolved to manipulate and taste fruit?
I bet that when these aliens were in the Garden of Eden they ate from the Tree Of Knowledge.

You must be joking.

Either way, this is alternate history, Earth included, so although humans act the same, I am not using the same history you think.

For example, in this timeline there is no concept of Eden, nor other biblical notions since in this timeline is different for huma history as we know it.

 

[stefan r]

...

For example, in this timeline there is no concept of Eden, nor other biblical notions since in this timeline is different for huma history as we know it.

The aliens surely must have some sort of religion and creation story.

I do not think Genesis should be read as an "alternate history". There are a large number of scientists who believe in as well as lecture about evolutionary biology and/or modern cosmology but also consider themselves faithful members of some Judaeo-Christian tradition. "Tasting the Forbidden Fruit" is an abstraction that can independently arise in the minds of many intelligent species. Perhaps some aliens on some planet might not recognize the idea. However, having a Forbidden Fruit myth is far more likely than evolving to look like sexy humanoids.
Suppose the aliens have neither tasted the fruit nor heard the myth yet. Guess what happens when the sexy aliens spend some time living with the descendants of Adam and Eve.

 

[Bab5space]

The aliens surely must have some sort of religion and creation story.

I do not think Genesis should be read as an "alternate history". There are a large number of scientists who believe in as well as lecture about evolutionary biology and/or modern cosmology but also consider themselves faithful members of some Judaeo-Christian tradition. "Tasting the Forbidden Fruit" is an abstraction that can independently arise in the minds of many intelligent species. Perhaps some aliens on some planet might not recognize the idea. However, having a Forbidden Fruit myth is far more likely than evolving to look like sexy humanoids.
Suppose the aliens have neither tasted the fruit nor heard the myth yet. Guess what happens when the sexy aliens spend some time living with the descendants of Adam and Eve.

Let's be clear... what I meant is that they look humanoid enough (races 1, 2, and 4) that humans could be attracted to them sexually. I never implied that they all looked gorgeous, as that is impossible given the fact that all of them are mortal and degrade with age like humans do, just the timescales are longer or shorter depending on the race.

As for race 1 they do indeed have religion... and they have atheists too.

My approach to scifi aliens has been a modded humanity, with behavior that is different than humanity in general.

As for history, I use an alternate history for my story as it frees things up without me having to mess up IRL timelines.

For example, in the story timeline humans do not ask are we alone, since first contact happened a millenia ago.

 

[AndyY]

I'd probably have 1 as my first choice given their similarities to humans and then after that, either 2 or 4

 

[Bab5space]

Details on other races: Race two is bald but has rows of cones on the scalp that actually function like a kind of walkie talkie antenna.Shut their eyes while awake and they will involuntarily speak the same words as another of their race nearby within a certain radius of meters that varies by the person, although the max is about 100 meters. This abiliyy is used by professionally singers, since they can simply have average joed tune their voices to their own and actualky sound good. Anyone can be chorus so long you have one professional to to tune to.

Race 4: Have various feline abilities, such as hearing on par with cats, and smelling via the tail tip as good as a dog's sense scent. Which means by moving their tail tip close to the floir they xan track a scent so well they WILL know exactly where you went in a house even if you do not tell them. Also have retractable forefinger joint claws, so they virtually have no need of cardboard box cutters.