A quick list of the standard types of aliens that seems to be worked into every Space opera made since the beginning of the genre, given with examples from Star Trek and Babylon 5:

They're coming, you know. Are you ready? Will you know the Alien when it arrives in your small town, wearing your next door neighbor for a face? Will you fight for humanity, or will you succumb to their tawdry promises of unearthly riches and your neighbor's wife and teenaged daughter? We will be ready for them. We will fight them with every weapon at our disposal, and we will rid the Earth of these foreign monsters.

By these signs you may recognize the Alien. Study them closely. Our future depends on it.

THE LOST TRIBES

Aliens that are like ourselves, almost or exactly human, save for a superior technology and an interstellar government. While they may have some powers such as telepathy, teleportation or time travel, they are not all-powerful. These lost tribes are expected to be encountered in "peaceful" situations that emphasize the glorious destiny of the humans, or exalt the Earthman in some way, i.e. - the lost tribes come to Earth seeking refuge from some catastrophe in the latter case, or to admit Earth into the expanding Galactic Union. Beware men who buy suspicious numbers of white mice for pets, and women who are eager for sex.

THE GRAYS

We know them from the signs in our cornfields, from Uncle Jack's ultraviolet tattoos, from the lying truth of the government propaganda. They are everywhere, and they are studying us. They took Elvis, and now they know all our weaknesses. Almond eyes will show no mercy. They are the doctors of the Galaxy, always ready with dental drills and cranial implants. The Government knows.

THE GUARDIANS

They come on beams of light, in ghost transmissions from the cold heart of space, in dreams of savant children in dirt-poor Third World nations. They hold all the secrets worth holding, and they like puzzles. They will save us from ourselves, but only if we dismantle our nukes. Resistance is unwise.

THE LOCUSTS

In the ten thousand years of their history, they have moved from world to world, stopping only to rape each new planet, moving on when its resources have been extinguished. They crave our precious bodily fluids, our clean air, our fresh meat. Of all the offworlders, they are the most disdainful of human life, for it means nothing to them. Humans make bad slaves. Contact your local recruiting office.

THE RAPTORS

These are the ultimate human nightmares, the creatures like demonically misformed predators. They live to kill, acid saliva dripping from their clever jaws in anticipation of the human blood they have instinctively craved since the first of their species emerged from the fog on some faraway nightmare world. They are unintelligent, but frequently skillful hunters, often hunting in packs. They will be encountered on dead worlds, ghost ships, sunlit hells and rogue asteroids. They are best fought with fire, wielded by females.

Only you have been given this knowledge. Trust no one.


UPDATE - I feel so stupid. No sooner had I submitted this list, than I was /msged by Shoggoth, a brand-new noder who reminded me of the one alien I forgot - possibly the most important variety of all, and definitely one that our users should know about. So, thanks to Shoggoth, here are a few details on -

THE HAUNTERS

From hellish dimensions they come to our tiny world for souls and spirits. Their shapes are horrible to human eyes. Like primordial monsters they crawl gibbering out of colours that men were not meant to see, leaping from corners beyond Euclidean geometry, slithering in darkened forests half in our world, half in nameless Diluvian jungles. They and their human servants are everywhere. Beware silver boxes and inherited houses. Watch the sk - wait. What's that? What IS that, by Christ? Impossible. Defies logic. No, it can't be. It's horrible. It's coming this way. it knows me. calling my name, fear dripping off its teeth so many many teeth how can this be i've GOT TO SUBMIT THIS NOW, GOT TO TELL THE NODERS TELL THEM NOT TO LET SHOGGOTH BECOME AN ED - AAAAAAAAATHHHIHgjnriiiiiiiiiiikl./

If anyone knows how DejaMorgana can be contacted, please /msg a god. That sick fuck obviously needs to be hospitalized, but he seems to have left E2 for good. And, would everyone please extend a warm E2 welcome to Shoggoth, our newest god? Shoggoth is a very amiable Southern gentleman with an amazing South Seas tan and a truly remarkable library, and I'm sure he will enrich E2 greatly with his knowledge. Thank you, The Management.

Peregrin Toker of SD.Net created this comprehensive list and explanation of Alien Archetypes in Science Fiction. I felt it was worthy of posting and ought to be more easily accessible.
Disclaimer:It has been reproduced with permission from the author. I have edited it to make it better formatted for Everything2.

Note: I have now grouped the various archetypes in different categories based upon how the archetype is defined. I have done this because some aliens belong to one archetype because of their appearance, and another due to their behaviour.

Archetypes defined by appearance:

  1. Stereotypical Grey Aliens (SGAs) or just "The Greys." (Lovecraft would have called'em "The Grey Ones" and Groundskeeper Willie would call them "ye wee grey folk") Found in conspiracy theories as well as sci-fi, to many people the SGAs are the very definition of a space alien. The name comes from their (usually) bluish-grey complexion which together with their black eyes and narrow jawbones give SGAs a somewhat dolphin-like appearance. Some people consider SGAs cute for some reason, others find them ugly, creepy or just plain freakish. They probably don't need any further introduction, but if you don't know who I'm talking about, here's some examples: The Vree (Babylon 5), the Asgard (Stargate SG-1), the Sectoids (X-COM), Carl the Alien (South Park), the Selachees (Battlefield Earth), the unnamed aliens from "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind", the Arilou (Star Control) and the invaders from "Silent Warnings", the aptly-named Greys (GURPS Black Ops), Thomas from "Teen Girl Squad" (a Homestar Runner spinoff) ... and the NTIs from "The Abyss" kinda are the SGA equivalent of mermen and mermaids... "Mer-Greys" you could call them.
    -- Reason for their popularity: SGAs have a strange ability to appear fascinatingly cute and hideously creepy at the same time, which I haven't noticed in any other aliens. Also, they are the aliens most commonly reported by "abductees" - perhaps the Greys are some sort of avatars of our subconsciousness.
    --- Ugliness Rating: 8/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 7.5/10

    - Sub-Archetype: Tall Grey Aliens (TGAs). Whereas most "Greys" are less than 130cm tall, some are at least as tall as us. Due to the lack of musculature characterizing most Grey-type aliens, the lankiest TGAs also fit into the "Mantis-Man" archetype below. The best-known TGAs are the Kaminoans (SW:AOTC), the host-bodies of the aliens from "Dreamcatcher", the Apexais (SOTS) and the frozen alien on the cover of the Megadeth album "Rust In Peace". -- Reason for their popularity: It's well-known that some people find SGAs somewhat creepy, and I suppose they then get even creepier by becoming taller?
    --- Ugliness Rating: Varies again - the Kaminoans are at a 6/10 (they're more weird than ugly).
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 8/10 on average. (though aforementioned Kaminoans score an impressive 10/10 for not having any musculature)
    - Many shades of Grey. Something interesting about the SGA archetype is that the only things all aliens in this archetype have in common are the appearance. For example - when it comes to attitude toward humanity, Greys vary over stereotypically benevolent (eg. Asgard), amazingly indifferent (eg. Kaminoans) to Totally Fucking Evil (eg. Sectoids). Some "greys", such as the ones from CE3K, appear neither good nor evil but merely confuse the hell out of us. Whenever SGA genealogy is hinted towards, theories on their ancestry range from dolphins which have gone back on land (thus explaining the grey skin and black eyes) over evolved humans (some SGAs do look like caricatures of human fetuses) to non-scaly reptiles. (perhaps some sort of humanoid newts?) Usually theories on SGA evolution come from UFOlogists who consider SGAs just as real as humans. The only sci-fi SGAs which we IIRC have been offered evolutionary hints about are the Kaminoans, who are intended to look like they've evolved from long-necked seals, Battlefield Earth's Selachees, who are some sort of humanoid sharks, the GURPS greys who have evolved from telepathic dolphins while the Asgard of "Stargate SG-1" used to look like humans. (note that Greys often are of aquatic ancestry) When we suspend disbelief, it is kinda surprising that creatures so similar have such diverse ancestry.

    - A Grey Affair: The History of an Archetype. It's difficult to say when the first SGAs appeared in public consciousness. The first SGA-ish creatures identified from the start as extraterrestrial were the aliens from the 1934 novel If Tomorrow Comes by L.A. Reitmeister. However, creatures similar to SGAs have been "known" to humanity since before the dawn of the sci-fi genre. For example, both Queen Elizabeth I's court alchemist Dr. John Dee and occultist Aleister Crowley claimed both to have been contacted by some supernatural creatures called "the Enochian Angels". Crowley made a drawing of an Enochian Angel - the resemblance to a SGA was startling, to say the least (though it lacked the disproportionally big eyes). Others - among them fantasy author Terry Pratchett - speculate that the SGAs are nothing but a futuristic version of the Sidhe, a race of diminutive demigods from Celtic folklore. In 1964 an episode of The Outer Limits, "The Bellero Shield", featured an alien not entirely unlike a Grey and supposedly the first one to have the really big eyes... and ever since, practically all Greys have had awkwardly big eyes. I think that the Greys became widely known either with If Tomorrow Comes or the supposed abduction by Betty & Barney Hill in 1961 by aliens bearing a (IMO rather vague) resemblance to Greys. Some have noted that since the 1960s, Greys have became more and more alien and much less human-like... I'm not sure this can be applied to the archetype as a whole, though the Visitors from the 1987 book Communion IIRC possessed an inhuman, vaguely triangular skull structure which is now commonly displayed by lots of SGAs... and it's certain that the Kaminoans and the Asgard look much more alien than the CE3K greys. The slang-term "greys" was coined by the UFOlogist Paul Bennewitz.
    - Where's Gollum and Mr. Burns? I removed them for a reason: As much as they look like Greys, they aren't. If I had to include everything which even vaguely resembled a Grey, I'd also have to add the killer mutant child from It's Alive!, Gavin Capuchin from Monkey For President as well as Uma Thurman...
    - Where's the Visitors? They're not extraterrestrials per se. In fact, Whitley Strieber seems quite unsure what the fuck they are, he only knows that they look like Greys.

  2. Little Green Men. Considered by some to be VERY DISTANT "relatives" of the SGAs. They're small, green and (vaguely) humanoid, although they don't have to resemble SGAs exactly. Often found in 1930s and 1950s pulp sci-fi. Examples: The Saucer-Men (Invasion Of The Saucer-Men), the Grots (Warhammer 40K), Uncle Martin (My Favorite Martian), the Gedds (Animorphs) and the Martians once defeated by Santa Claus.
    -- Reason for their popularity: ???
    --- Ugliness Rating: 4/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 2/10
  3. Animal People From Outer Space. Members of this race greatly resemble Earth animals, usually right down to the characterizations and sounds associated with that animal. A staple of both Western and Japanese Sci-Fi (which are most often feline-based). Examples include the Mon Calamari (Star Wars), Wolfen (RIFTS Phase World), Kabarrans (Robotech II: the Sentinels), the Kilrathi (Wing Commander), the Garudans (Robotech II: The Sentinels), the Kzinti (Ringworld), the Deep Ones (Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos), the alien eels from "Deep Shock" and the Bragulans (SOTS). Most Evil Insects From Outer Space also figure into this.
    -- Reason for their popularity: When writing space opera, it can be easier to lift ideas from our Earth instead of thinking up something totally alien.
    --- Ugliness Rating: Varies - for example, the Deep Ones at a definate 7/10, Mon Calamari at a 5/10 and the Kilrathi at 3.5/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 1/10

    - Sub-Archetype: Squidheads. Exactly what the name suggests. (usually) Humanoid aliens with squid-like heads. Examples: The Star-Spawn of Cthulhu (Cthulhu Mythos), the Quarren (Star Wars), the Pak'Ma'Ra (Babylon 5), the Mindflayers (D&D), Dr. Zoidberg (Futurama), the Thermians (Galaxy Quest), the Oannes (Stargate SG-1) and an alien briefly seen in "The Last Starfighter." The Fanch (The Culture) don't qualify, nor do the Affront from the same 'verse - they're just giant squids.
    -- Reason for their popularity: The fact that this sub-archetype was invented by none other than H.P. Lovecraft?
    --- Ugliness Rating: 7/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 4/10

    - Sub-Archetype: Reptilian Humanoids. (Sometimes abbreviated to Reptilloids) Well, they're humanoid and they're also reptiles of some sort. Usually their behaviour is more alien than their appearance. Like SGAs, they're also found in conspiracy theories. Examples: The Trandoshans (Star Wars), the Ssi-Ruu (Truce At Bakura), the Slann (Warhammer 40K), the Cardassians (ST), the Voth (Star Trek Voyager), Sarris' henchmen (Galaxy Quest), Grig (The Last Starfighter) the Serpent-Folk (The Cthulhu Mythos), the Cobra-La (GI Joe: The Movie), the Silurians (Dr. Who), the Gorn (ST), The Visitors (V), the Drac (Enemy Mine), the Reptilian Xindi (Enterprise), the Scarrans (Farscape), the Drazi (B5), the Unas (Stargate SG1), the Posleen (Legacy of the Alldenata), the Sleestak/Altrusians (Land Of The Lost), the Zigonians (SOTS), Cayman (Battle Beyond The Stars) and perhaps also the Snake-Men. (X-COM)
    -- Reason for their popularity: They're reptiles. What more needs to be said?
    --- Ugliness Rating: 6/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 1/10

  4. Mantis-Men. This archetype is based more upon appearance than anything else, but I still include them. These are bipedal, vaguely humanoid aliens so lanky that their Body Mass Indices probably are measured in negative numbers - thus making them look like anthropomorphized praying mantises. Hence the word "mantis-men". Examples include: Many TGAs, the Air Caste Tau (Warhammer 40K) - not to mention Zorack (Space Ghost), N'Grath (B5) and the Thranx (Humanx) who actually are praying mantises.
    ---Reason for their popularity: ???
    --- Ugliness Rating: 7/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 8/10
  5. Amorphous Shapeless Abominations. Corporeal creatures who don't have any form as such, but just appear either as sentient blobs of goo, walking fur carpets or something far weirder. Some of them are shape-shifters, such as the possibly oldest example of this archetype - the Shoggoths from H.P. Lovecraft's "At The Mountains Of Madness". Aside from the Shoggoths, other examples include: The Blob (The Blob), The Creeping Terror (The Creeping Terror), the Dralasites (Star Frontiers), the Umgah (Star Control), the Horta (ST: TOS), Armus (ST: TNG), The Thing (John Carpenter's The Thing).
    -- Reason for their popularity: These are the very extrapolation of the fact that aliens will not look like us at all.
    --- Ugliness Rating: 9/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 11/10
  6. Concealed Aliens. Whatever they look like, they're always so covered in their garments/armour/whatever that we never have more than a few clues about their actual appearance. Examples: The Tusken Raiders (SW), the Breen (SW), the Daleks (Dr. Who), The Celestials (Silver Surfer comics) and the Vorlons (B5).
    -- Reason for their popularity: This way, you don't have to use any money on makeup for the actors - you only have to get some costumes which cover them completely. (of course, these costumes can be expensive as well)
    --- Ugliness Rating: ???
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 4/10

Archetypes defined primarly by the aliens' behaviour, ideology and/or culture:

  1. Angelic Space Brothers. (also called ASBs) They vary tremendously, but they're usually tall, beautiful humanoids which are very spiritually minded and therefore more "enlightened" than us humans. Strangely enough, the spirituality of the Angelic Space Brothers doesn't block their technological progress, as evidenced by the fact that most Angelic Space Brother aliens have technology better than almost anyone else in their respective sci-fi settings. They are usually benevolent but arrogant - in fact, they are benevolent because of their arrogance rather than in spite of it, since they occassionally feel obliged to help species they consider inferior... or maybe they just like to style themselves as "Saviours From The Stars". The Angelic Space Brothers claim to be "philosophers rather than warriors", and therefore often look down upon openly militaristic species with a strange mixture of loathing and pity. Though always polite and occasionally even cordial, they aren't always as peaceful as they appear, - most ASBs have weapons which are just as jaw-droppingly advanced as the rest of their technology, and if attacked they can be quite eager to retaliate. Other common characteristics of Angelic Space Brothers are psychic powers, an irrational-but-harmless tendency to design everything as works of art (explaining their preference for lowrider Cadillacs over other cars), prominent membership of confederations between various spacefaring civilizations as well as an occassionally annoying habit of spouting pseudophilosophical one-liners at the drop of a hat. Examples: the Vulcans (ST), the Protoss (Starcraft), the Minbari (B5), the Andalites (Animorphs), Klaatu (The Day The Earth Stood Still), the Neutralians (Futurama), the Bentusi (Homeworld), the Abh (Crest Of The Stars), the Eddorians (Lensman), the Arilou (Star Control), the Tok'ra (Stargate SG-1), the Tollans (Stargate SG-1), the Kaldorians (Space 1999) and the Siridar. (Universe Zero)
    -- Reason for their popularity: Their vague similarity to angels and other supposedly benevolent mythical beings.
    --- Typical behaviour: Crusin' around in lowrider Cadillacs (or the futuristic equivalent of lowrider Cadillacs), claiming moral superiority to everyone else in the galaxy, acting like self-styled "saviors from the sky" whenever they offer help, turning every interstellar negotiation into philosophical discussions over silly metaphysical babble completely irrelevant to the original subject.
    --- Favorite band(s): Enya, Loreena McKeennitt, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes. When cruising around in their lowrider Cadillacs, they usually have "Low Rider" by War playing at maximum volume.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive?{Editor's note: There was included with this a picture of a 70s era car with a Flying Saucer model on top with a cool paint job and a troop of Raelians following close behind}
    (Okay, I'm not sure whether this actually is a lowrider, but lowriders often have similar paintjobs)
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 2/10 (that's how they usually are, when attacked they can retaliate with a rage that scores an impressive 8/10)
    --- Arrogance Index: 10/10
    --- Typical quote: "We welcome you in our interstellar alliance and are eager to provide you with spiritual guidance as well as the occassional military assistance if you need it, as long as you will be very kind to do this and this and this for us because we think it will help you humans out of your ignorance - and after you're done with that, your ambassadors can feel free to join us for afternoon tea some day in order to have a passionate 5-hour discussion about the meaning of life."

    - Sub-Archetype: Wholesome Space Hippies. These folks are usually "in tune with nature", and because of this they live on isolated, idyllic planets and limit themselves to pre-industrial technology - often for religious reasons. Some Sci-fi writers have a tendency to draw connections between the Wholesome Space Hippies' disdain for technology and their high level of spiritual enlightenment. In other words, the Space Hippies are a Luddite version of the Angelic Space Brothers. One thing must be noted, however - when the Wholesome Space Hippies say that they are "philosophers not warriors" they actually mean it. Examples: The Ba'ku (Star Trek: Insurrection), the Exodites (Warhammer 40K), the Sawanese (The Night The Heads Came), the Nox (Stargate SG-1), the Ewoks (SW), the Garudans (Robotech II: The Sentinels), the Akira (Battle Beyond The Stars) and the Delvians (Farscape). The Kroot (Warhammer 40K) and the Tree-People (Flash Gordon) could also be shoehorned this category if it wasn't for their strong martial traditions, the unlikely mixture of medieval and Space Age technology which both use as well as the Kroot's well-documented cannibalism.
    -- Reason for their popularity: Sci-fi is a genre perfect for delivering political messages by means of allegories - and the "Noble Savage" archetype can apparently be shoehorned into practically every genre.
    --- Typical behaviour: Enjoying the simple life.
    --- Favorite band(s): mid-'70s Jethro Tull, Arlo Guthrie, Weird Al (if only for the "Amish Paradise" song).
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Wholesome Space Hippies rarely use anything which on Earth was invented after the 18th century.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 1/10 (see why the Kroot don't fit here?)
    --- Arrogance Index: 6/10
    --- Typical quote: "A machine cannot do the work of a man."

  2. Proud Warrior Thugs. They're big, muscular, ill-tempered and aggressive. And usually, they like fighting and have a strong concept of honour - in some cases a code of chivalry which they adhere to. Often, the Proud Warrior Thugs also have an entire religion focused upon war, thus making them religious fanatics as well. Contrary to popular belief, PWTs are not necessarily simpletons or lacking in the intelligence department - in fact, to assume so would be to underestimate them grossly. In appearance they vary, but usually they look every bit as tough as they are. PWTs always have a stressed relationship to everyone else, though the circumstances depend on how powerful the PWTs are. The less powerful PWTs are a minor nuisance and frequent troublemakers - the most powerful PWTs are the living incarnations of the rest of their respective sci-fi settings' worst nightmares, and frequently embark upon fiery rampages of destruction - cutting a bloody swathe through the stars, leaving nothing but chaos, death and disease in their wake. Grim. Examples: The Kilrathi (Wing Commander), the Vaygr (Homeworld 2), the Yautja (that's what the alien species from "The Predator" call themselves), the Bolbods (Battlefield Earth), the Hockners (Battlefield Earth), the Kzinti (Ringworld), the Yuuzhan Vong (New Jedi Order), the Idirans (The Culture), the Affront (The Culture), the Narn (B5), the Tharks (John Carter Of Mars), the Tusken Raiders (SW), the Moon-Beasts (Cthulhu Mythos), the Sontarans (Dr. Who), the Harika (Star Control), the Thraddash (Star Control), the Clairconctlar (Star Control), the Catarl-Catarl (Outlaw Star), the Andorians (ST), the Luxans (Farscape), the Hirogen (Voyager) the Orions (Starfire) and the Korath. (Universe Zero) (author's note: Help is appreciated in seperating the intelligent Proud Warrior Thugs from the Space Viking sub-archetype as I do not know much about many alien species mentioned on this list)
    -- Reason for their popularity: Varies upon how the PWTs are depicted. If they are presented as malicious jingoists, it could be some sort of instinctive prejudice about outsiders - or a way pacifistic sci-fi writers can warn humans of what we will become if we embrace militarism. If the PWTs are depicted in a positive light, however, they're probably militaristic sci-fi writers' vision of what humanity should be. Or something like that.
    --- Typical behaviour: Wreaking carnage and havoc to the left and to the right, generally making the galaxy a more dangerous place to be.
    --- Favorite band(s): Overkill.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 9/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 8/10
    --- Typical quote: "Guns don't kill people... we kill people."

    - Sub-Archetype: Space Vikings. In all aspects similar to ordinary PWTs, except that they are so obsessed with the codes-of-honour common among PWTs that their technology is space-age but their tactics and strategies are totally obsolete. It doesn't help that Space Vikings are extraordinarily aggressive even by PWT standards and thusly get into random wars for little apparent reason. Often they rely entirely on luck, superior numbers or sheer bad attitude to win a battle. Examples include the Orks (Warhammer 40K), the Klingons (ST) the Hawk-Men (Flash Gordon) and the Shofixti. (Star Control) The Asgard (Stargate SG1) are Space Vikings too, but in a different and much more literal way...
    --- Typical behaviour: Starting wars regardless of whether they have a valid reason (if they don't have an ancient bloodfeud to dig up), growling and sneering in a really ominous way while waving their swords around.
    --- Favorite band(s): Manowar.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Any old off-roader.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 10/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 8/10
    --- Typical quote: "Today is a good day to die!"

    - Sub-Archetype: Obedient Tough-Guy Henchmen. These differ from ordinary PWTs in that they are usually completely economically and politically dependent on another species - usually some sort of Space Nazis - whom they serve blindly as soldiers. They have often been genetically engineered for their purpose. Examples: Gamorreans (SW), The Jem'hadar (DS9), the Kroot (Warhammer 40K), the Turanic Raiders (Homeworld), the Taxxons and Hork-Bajirs (Animorphs), the Orgons (Dr. Who), the Jaffa (Stargate), the Medjel (The Culture), the Space Marines (Warhammer 40K - actually genetically engineered humans, but otherwise they fit the archetype perfectly), the Doogs and the Kohr-Ah. (Star Control) To some extent, the Vogons (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy) can be shoehorned into this category.
    --- Typical behaviour: Getting shot at, shooting at others.
    --- Favorite band(s): Stormtroopers Of Death.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? ???
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 9/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 4/10
    --- Typical quote: "BLOOD AND IRON! RRARRRGHHH!"

  3. Mysterious Star-Gods. More often than not these guys are elusive, ghost-like creatures with motivations that are shady and confusing at best. They all have various supernatural abilities which they use to their advantage - sometimes, they are so awe-inspiringly omnipotent that they practically are nothing less than Gods. By the way, when I say that they often are elusive, I mean ELUSIVE. In fact, some Mysterious Star-Gods are known only to exist from legend, or mysterious artifacts which they have left behind. They are found in all forms - some are shapeshifters, others look just like prettier versions of us, some are noncorporeal ghosts, other Mysterious Star-Gods look like something from a bad LSD trip and some aren't seen at all! Also, the Mysterious Star-Gods are often the only aliens whose technology is more astoundingly advanced than that of the ASBs or MMMs. Examples: The Vorlons and Shadows (B5), the Q (ST), the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods (Cthulhu Mythos), the C'Tan (Warhammer 40K), the Time Lords (Dr.Who), The Brains (The Brain From Planet Arous), the Krell (Forbidden Planet), the Ancients (Stargate), the Progenitors (Homeworld 2), the Whills (SW extended universe), the Gnosis (Xenosaga), the Eternals and the Precursors (Star Control), most of the aliens from Bal-Sagoth's lyrics, the Celestials (Marvel Comics), the Pah-Wraiths (DS9), the Prophets of the Bajorans (DS9), The Mice (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy), Zarn (Land of the Lost), the Core (Universe Zero), the Watchers (Universe Zero), the Xeelee (Xeelee series) and The Monolith-Builders (2001: A Space Odyssey).
    -- Reason for their popularity: Once upon a time, H.P. Lovecraft created a mythology where extraterrestrial life existed in the form of bizarre gods. Since then, other sci-fi writers probably picked up his ideas about aliens which were virtually indistinguishable from gods. There's also the whole Ancient Astronaut craze which started with Erich von Däniken, but that was probably Lovecraftian in nature, too.
    --- Typical behaviour: The Gods are unpredictable, but they rarely do more than confuse the hell out of humans and occassionally seem threatening. (unless they' happen to be EVIL... in which case they often are so EVIL that they are beyond our comprehension and thusly concern themselves with activities which supposedly are EVIL, but still seem confusing to outsiders) When they then seem threatening, it often turns out to be mere pranks.
    --- Favorite band(s): The Summoning, Demilich.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? What use does God have for a starship, let alone a car?
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 3/10 (when angered, their Angry-O-Meter hits a 11/10 as they wreak carnage and havoc to the left and right as only gods can do)
    --- Arrogance Index: 9/10
    --- Typical quote: "I'm sorry, but mere mortals can't comprehend such matters."

    - Sub-Archetype: God-Impersonators. These aliens, usually fitting into some other archetype than this niche as well, are nowhere as awe-inspiringly omnipotent as the Mysterious Star-Gods but still consider themselves to be deities or attempt to convince gullible low-tech civilizations that they are. What they look like is irrelevant to their worshippers, they usually find a way to dupe low-tech cultures. Examples: The Goa'uld (Stargate), the Asgard (Stargate SG1), the Olympians (Star Trek), the Founders Of The Dominion (DS9), the Osirians (Dr. Who) - in "Star Trek Voyager" two Ferengi also attempted to pull this off.
    --- Typical behaviour: Raving about how powerful they think they are, basking in the sunlight of the naïve worship they get from pre-industrial civilizations that they encounter, using their technology to impress or intimidate anyone with a lower tech-level than them.
    --- Favorite band(s): Pink Floyd.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? BMW 3-series.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 5/10 (when angered, 9/10)
    --- Arrogance Index: 11/10
    --- Typical quote: "Do you dare to underestimate our power?"

  4. Space Nazis. Either seen as fifth columnists operating with criminal gangs to prepare the way for invasion or your bog-standard Goose Steppers From The Vast Beyond, all of whom get their marching orders from the Great Leader. Sometimes seen in uniforms, sometimes in body-leotards with stocking hoods. Very common to Republic serials and the Japanese Starman series. Distantly related to the Proud Warrior Thug archetype, as both archetypes favour totalitarian government and are prone to political sabre-rattling. In fact - cultural evolution can often temper the fiery, belligerent Proud Warrior Thugs into coldly disciplined Space Nazis. (or vice versa, in case of the Klingons) Thusly, some aliens are included in both categories. Examples: the Dominion (DS9), the Taiidani (Homeworld), the Goa'uld (Stargate), the Puttiorans (Canopus In Argos), the Moon-Men (Commando Cody), the Zimarians (Evil Brain From Outer Space), the Ko-Dan (The Last Starfighter), the Peacekeepers (Farscape), The Covenant (Halo), the Idirans (The Culture), the K'tang (Star Control), the Visitors (V), the Tirolians (Robotech), the Scarrans (Farscape) and of course the Ekosians (the guys from ST who had patterned their entire culture upon The Third Reich).
    -- Reason for their popularity: If the story calls upon an alien menace and needs to explain why they're evil, it's quite easy to depict the aliens as similar to 20th century fascists. Alternatively, sci-fi writers critical of increasing governmental infringing upon privacy could express their opinions by depicting oppressive alien societies in a way that implies: "Should humanity become like them?"
    --- Typical behaviour: Plotting the deaths of quadrillions while enslaving trillions, fanning the flames of hatred.
    --- Favorite band(s): Burzum.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Anything that's a Tatra product and not a lorry.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 8/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 9/10
    -- Typical quote: "The ends always justify the means."

    - Sub-Archetype: Space Stalinists. Similar to ordinary Space Nazis, but with the difference that their ideology more closely resembles Stalinism/Maoism/whatever than Nazism. Examples include the Tau (WH40K), the Bragulans (SOTS), the Xril (The Wormhole War) and the Officians. (Rocky Jones: Space Ranger)
    --- Favorite band(s):: Henry Cow.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive?
    Their leaders would drive the venerable GAZ Volga, choice car of KGB agents. Most members of these alien species, however, are most likely found behind the wheel of a generic 1970s economy car.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 8/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 9/10
    --- Typical quote: "For the Greater Good... and For the Great Leader!"

  5. Red Menace From Outer Space. Infiltrating Earth by stealth and subverting human civilisation from within; can either be humanoid, a totally alien lifeform which "replaces" normal humans with pod duplicates - or something even weirder (eg. shapeshifters). These were most alien menaces seen in '50s scifi movies at the height of the McCarthyite paranoia sweeping America then. Ubiquitous to American films, this stereotype is virtually unknown in foreign SF of the period. Examples: The Yeerks (Animorphs), the Bodysnatchers (Invasion of the Bodysnatchers), the Venusian Turnip Monster (It Conquered The World), the Genestealer Hybrids (Warhammer 40K), the Goa'uld (Stargate), The Others (The Night The Heads Came), The Beast (Homeworld Cataclysm), the Flood (Halo), the Visitors (V), the Mi-Go (Lovecraft's "The Whisperer In Darkness"), Sil (Species) and the Deep Ones (The Cthulhu Mythos - okay, we don't know whether the Deep Ones actually are alien, or just a hitherto-undiscovered Terran species).
    -- Reason for their popularity: As mentioned before, sci-fi is one of those genres where it's easiest for the author to express his/her political opinions in the story without having the audience noticing.
    --- Typical behaviour: THEY are watching YOU!
    --- Favorite band(s): Whoever made the Stonecutters Song. (you know... "Who controls the british crown, who keeps the metric system down?")
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Anything with a black paintjob and dark windows.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 10/10 (though they're aggressive in a different way than, say, PWTs)
    --- Arrogance Index: ???
    --- Typical quote: "You cannot detect us... you cannot defeat us! Mwuahahaha!"
  6. The Subjugators. Aliens who come down to subjugate earth to their will. First they hammer the Humans into submission and then deliver an ultimatum. When featured in Japanese sci-fi, they're a direct reference to America's treatment of Japan in WW2. They often use "Super Weapons" to accomplish their goals. Examples: the Kilaaks (Destroy All Monsters), the X-Seijin (Godzilla vs. Monster Zero), The Black Hole Seijin (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla), the Baltan-Seijin (Ultraman), the title aliens of "The Mysterians" and the Scarrans. (Farscape).
    -- Reason for their popularity: As said under the entry for the Space Nazis, one of the easiest ways to have the audience loathe the aliens is by likening them to a menace from the 20th century. Because of this, alien invaders in Japanese sci-fi are often similar to the very same Americans who obliterated Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
    --- Typical behaviour: Throwing planet-killer weapons and giant monsters at humanity and enslaving everyone who gets in their way.
    --- Favorite band(s): ?
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? That heavily armed SUV somebody posted a link to.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 10/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 10/10
    --- Typical quote: "Kneel before us, puny earthlings, for we are the destroyers of worlds."
  7. The Just Stupid Aliens. Well the name says it all. Aliens that are so stupid that one wonders how they ever got into space in the first place (they might have gotten help). Examples: Pakled (ST), Thermians (Galaxy Quest), the aliens from "Signs", the Zoq-fot-pik (Star Control 2) and the Posleen. (Legacy of the Alldenata)
    -- Reason for their popularity: Two words - Comic Relief.
    --- Typical behaviour: Walking around in random fields. (well, that's what they did in "Signs")
    --- Favorite band(s): Barney The Purple Dinosaur.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Ford Pinto.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: Depends
    --- Arrogance Index: Depends
    --- Typical quote: "HAY GUYS HOW DO YOU FLY THIS SPACESHIP?"
  8. Interstellar Capitalists. They're greedy space traders with little regard for other civilizations on their own, their behaviour is modelled upon certain corporations. Often they exploit loopholes in the law whenever they can. The presence of this alien archetype in sci-fi is often an indicator of the author's political views. Examples: the Ferengi (ST), the Psychlos (Battlefield Earth), the Hutts (Star Wars), the Neimoidians (Star Wars prequels) and the Magratheans. (Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy) The Star Control games contain several of these - the Melnorme, the Ploxis and the Druuge.
    -- Reason for their popularity: See the similar explanation for the popularity of the Red Menace From Outer Space.
    --- Typical behaviour: Exploiting the foolish and the innocent.
    --- Favorite band(s): Max Rebo Band.:D
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Mercedes Benz S-Class (stretch version).
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 5/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 8/10
    --- Typical quote: "So... would you like to do business with us?"
  9. Uncaring aliens. This arch-type does not get itself involved with anyone else, and could personally care less about everybody else, unless they happen to get annoying. Usually, they also fit into some other archetype as well. (Usually the Angelic Space-Brother archetype) The most extreme example of Uncaring Aliens has to be the Kaminoans (SW: AOTC), who had nothing against all records of their homeworld being erased from the Jedi Archives. (to be honest, I don't think they even noticed it) Other uncaring aliens include the Sharu (SW extended universe), Pak'ma'ra (B5), the aptly named Neutralians from "Futurama" (also qualifying as Angelic Space Brothers) and the Eldar from WH40k (Angelic Space Brothers, too).
    -- Reason for their popularity: One of many opinions about real-life extraterrestrial civilizations are that they exist, but that they haven't contacted us due to sheer indifference - and that opinion is apparently also held by some sci-fi writers.
    --- Typical behaviour: Not doing anything.
    --- Favorite band(s): Björk.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Hyundai Pony or something equally boring.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 1/10
    --- Arrogance Index: Varies - the Kaminoans and (especially) the Eldar isolate themselves because they consider everyone else lesser than themselves, but other Uncaring Aliens want desperately to be "very very 'umble".
    --- Typical quote: "Please forget that we ever existed."
  10. Jinxed Villains. Really evil aliens, who despite their high amounts of firepower, resources and expertise, never can prevail over the heroes no matter how hard they try. Examples: The Zentraedi (Macross), H.G. Wells' Martians, Krang (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), the Saucer-Men (Invasion Of The Saucer-Men), the Rigelians (The Simpsons) and the aliens from "Independence Day."
    -- Reason for their popularity: The old story about victory against impossible odds apparently never dies, not even in sci-fi.
    --- Typical behaviour: Trying to do the same as the Space Nazis, Subjugators or Proud Warrior Thugs but failing due to sheer misfortune.
    --- Favorite band(s):] Impaled Northern Moonforest.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? AMC Gremlin.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 9/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 10/10
    --- Typical quote: "Those pesky humans keep thwarting our plans!"
  11. Messed Up Mirror Images. They act almost exactly human, with a few differences. Examples: Lizards (Turtledove's Worldwar), The Ducks (Howard The Duck), The titular rodents of "Biker-Mice From Mars" (author's note: Gotta love that title), the aliens from "Plan Nine From Outer Space", the Zeistians (Highlander 2), The Coneheads (Coneheads), Ray Bradbury's Martians and the Melmacians (ALF).
    -- Reason for their popularity: Some sci-fi writers want to say "aliens may look different, but at heart they are like us". Others just lack imagination.
    --- Favorite band(s): ???
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? ???
    --- Aggressiveness Index: ???
    --- Arrogance Index: ???
    --- Typical quote: ???

    - Sub-Archetype: Blast From The Past. An interesting variation on the Messed-Up Mirror Images. Whatever this race may look like (although they're usually human-like or very close), their most notable aspect is the fact that their civilization, for no apparent reason, bears a striking resemblance to a place and era of Earth's past. Often right down to the language. A lot of "Blast From The Past" aliens border on being caricatures of the cultures they're based upon, and most also fit into some other archetype, such as the Tirolians (Robotech/Macross), who also are Space Nazis. Some Blast From The Past Aliens are amalgams of several Earth cultures, such as the Kushan from "Homeworld" (Gaelic/Hebrew) and the Mongonians from "Flash Gordon" (Roman Empire/Medieval China). Other examples include the Centauri (Babylon 5), the Jurai (Tenchi Muyo), the Romulans (ST), the Bragulans (Soldiers of the Sovereignty), practically any alien from "Stargate SG1" as well as A LOT of ST:TOS aliens. (such as the Ekosians from "Patterns Of Force" who had deliberately changed their culture to resemble Nazi Germany)
    -- Reason for their popularity: There are those who, when describing aliens, devote a lot of attention to their culture... but don't have enough originality to "build" an entire culture up from scratch. Therefore, some sci-fi writers choose to model alien civilizations upon ones which existed in the past. Other sci-fi writers might be implying that human history has been influenced by aliens, by depicting aliens whose culture resembles a historical Terran one. And there's also the explanation for ST:TOS episodes such as "Breads and Circuses": Paramount probably just had a lot of sets and costumes from historical movies lying around, and didn't want'em to go to waste. And THEN we have the "Ancient Astronaut" crowd who are convinced that extraterrestrials brought culture to humanity.
    --- Favorite band(s): Depends on the culture they're based upon.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: See above.
    --- Arrogance Index: ???
    --- Typical quote: ???

  12. Intriguers. Distantly related to the Space Nazis, this is the archetype of aliens whose leadership is embroiled in constant power struggles. Somehow, their societies stay together in spite of the hatred their leaders have for each other. Many of these are former empires in decline, so they resemble space opera versions of the Roman Empire. Examples: The Centauri (B5), the Azadians (The Culture), the Romulans (ST) and to some extent the Goa'uld (Stargate). Some Intriguers also fit into some other archetype, such as the Klingons of ST (Space Vikings).
    -- Reason for their popularity: Like the Space Nazis, this alien archetype is an excellent way for the author to express his dissatisfaction with politicians.
    --- Typical behaviour: Plotting and scheming against each other.
    --- Favorite band(s): ???
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? ???
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 6/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 8/10
    --- Typical quote: "What's next, civil war?!?!?"

Archetypes defined by equal parts appearance and behaviour/culture:

  1. Evil Insects From Outer Space. Aside from the SGAs, one of the most common archetypes and also one of the most evil. The name says about everything about them. Thought to be related to the bug-eyed monsters from pulp-era sci-fi. By the way, most of them (not ALL of them) use organic technology. Occassionally, they're arachnid or vaguely reptilian rather than insectoid. Examples: The Tyranids (Warhammer 40K), the Bugs (Starship Troopers), Species 8472 (ST: Voyager), The Geonosians (SW: AoTC), the Nephilim (Wing Commander: Prophecy), the Spiders from "Lost In Space", the cockroaches from "Men In Black", the Zerg (Starcraft), the Vratix (SW extended universe), the Ilwrath (Star Control), the Invid (Robotech/Macross) the Arachnid Omnivoracity (Starfire), the Zerian (Universe Zero) and the Karlacks. (SOTS)
    -- Reason for their popularity: Humans often view insects as vermin as they can cause damage to our property (eg. termites) or be annoying (eg. flies, mosquiti)... therefore, the tendency to depict insectoid aliens as hostile.
    --- Typical behaviour: Generally being a blight upon the universe.
    --- Favorite band(s): Praying Mantis, The Locust.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? VW Beetle. (hur hur)
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 10/10
    --- Arrogance Index: Usually their mindset is too alien to be arrogant.
    --- Ugliness Rating: 7/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 3/10
    --- Typical quote: "(the sort of noise which bugs make)"
  2. Hentai Tentacle Demons. Like the Subjugators, almost exclusively found in Japanese sci-fi. They're usually slimy, have lots of tentacles and a fondness for teenage girls. You'll know'em when you see'em.
    -- Reason for their popularity: The fact that squid fetishists have been allowed to write sci-fi.
    --- Typical behaviour: As if I need to point that out.
    --- Favorite band(s): The Mentors
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Any early-'70s american-built luxury coupé, preferrably with a purple paintjob.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: ???
    --- Arrogance Index: ???
    --- Ugliness Rating: 8/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 9/10
    --- Typical quote: "I prefer... human girls."
  3. Mean Mechanical Mofos. (MMMs) They're robots and cyborgs and hell-bent on destroying humanity or, in some cases, all organic life. An interesting twist are the Yuuzhan Vong, who are the MMM archetype turned upside down - instead of being mechanical lifeforms with a hatred for organic life, they are organic beings with a hatred for everything mechanical. (although they don't belong in this category) Examples of MMMs are: The Cylons (Battlestar Galactica), the Borg (ST), the Cybermen (Dr. Who), Kronos (Kronos), the Decepticons (Transformers), the Necrons (Warhammer 40K), the Venusian Robots (Target Earth), the Daktaklakpak (Star Control), the Replicators (Stargate SG-1), the Arachnid Omnivoracity (Starfire) and the Wodan. (Universe Zero)
    -- Reason for their popularity: (sometimes justified) Technophobia.
    --- Typical behaviour: Assimilating or annihilating whatever lifeforms they deem unworthy of existence while awestriking everyone with how technologically advanced they are.
    --- Favorite band(s): Kraftwerk.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Not something that's in serial production right now, that's for certain...
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 10/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 10/10
    --- Ugliness Rating: 5/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 4/10
    --- Typical quote: "The flesh is weak, the steel is strong!"
  4. Malevolent Alien Of The Week. Almost unique to Star Trek, though they occassionally show up in Stargate SG1. They usually look like humans with weird bumps on their foreheads. Seems nice but almost invariably turns out to be evil or otherwise undesirable. Seen only once and never again. The Taresians from Star Trek: Voyager are a prime example of the Malevolent Alien Of The Week.
    -- Reason for their popularity: Star Trek writers running out of ideas.
    --- Favorite band(s): Not something that was big after 1950, that's for certain.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? ???
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 7/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 9/10
    --- Ugliness Rating: 2/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 1/10
    --- Typical quote: "Welcome, humans."
  5. The Confused Androgynous Humanoid Anime Invaders: This tends to be an almost uniquely Japanese staple - although the Eldar from Warhammer 40K (a British wargame) actually fit this archetype quite well. These aliens look just like handsome, elven versions of us, invading Earth for some random fruity philosophical reason. Poetic and vast in their power, they have many ships at their disposal and many more giant transforming robots that are never quite as good as the defenders robots. They are readily foiled by a single intrepid band of adventurers, but they are even more readily foiled by some stupid bullshit cop-out reason, like the heroine singing to them and showing them the true meaning of love. One wonders why the guys are any threat at all, but they DO tend to shoot lots and lots of missiles at one time. Also, they are invariably ready to fall in love with cute natives and willing to betray their people and mission for love. In short - a bizarre mixture of the Angelic Space Brother and Subjugator archetypes. Aside from the aforementioned Eldar, the Zentraedi (Macross) also spring to mind.
    -- Reason for their popularity: There's a certain appeal to the idea that every enemy is, at heart, a friend. --- Favorite band(s): Alanis Morisette.
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? mid-'90s Toyota Celica.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 8/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 10/10
    --- Ugliness Rating: 1/10
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 5/10
    --- Typical quote: ???
  6. Über-Pets. Aliens that are intelligent, Often Telepathic, incredibly CUTE, smaller than us, and furry. They look like Teddy Bears, Cats, Dogs, anything that brings back warm childhood memories: Fuzzy Sapians (Fuzzy Sapians), Treecats (Honorverse), Mungi (Dirty Pair), Ein (Cowboy Bebop), Sirians (Firesign Theater: Everything You Know Is Wrong), Ewoks (SW), Tribbles (ST), Cabbits (Tenchi Muyo), Lovecraft Universe Cats (by the rankings of the Lovecraft 'verse, Dreamlands cats are just below Outer Gods), Gary Seven's cat, the Vargr (Traveller) and Trumpy. (The Pod People)
    -- Reason for their popularity: Well, d'oh...
    --- Typical behaviour: Being good friends with humans, accomplishing goofy feats of stop-motion animation, doing Magic Things.
    --- Favorite band(s): Whoever plays The Official Magic Thing Music. (y'know, the music which plays in the background whenever Magic Things happen)
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? ???
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 1/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 1/10
    --- Ugliness Rating: Varies
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 3/10
    --- Typical quote: "E.T. Phone Home."
  7. Amazon Women In Space. For whatever reason, this race consists pretty much entirely of attractive humanoid women, most of whom could kick your ass. Typically, at least one of them will invariably fall in love with a human male, sometimes to the point of betraying her own people. Reproduction is either supposedly handled by cloning, or just ignored altogether. Also, they tend to have a rather repressed sex drive, at least in the absence of Human males. (Unless, of course... no, wait, you've probably all figured that out) Examples include the Amazons (Amazon Women on the Moon), Meltraedi (Macross/Robotech), Solnoids (Gall Force), Praxians (Robotech II: The Sentinels), The Venusians (Queen Of Outer Space) and the Syreen (Star Control).
    -- Reason for their popularity: (insert unintelligible quasi-Freudian ranting)
    --- Typical behaviour: Kicking ass and looking good while doing it.
    --- Favorite band(s): Hole, Bikini Kill, Female Chauvinist Pigs. (yep - there's a band called that!)
    --- Which car's futuristic equivalent would they drive? Subaru Forester or similar pseudo-SUVs.
    --- Aggressiveness Index: 7.5/10
    --- Arrogance Index: 7/10
    --- Ugliness Rating: 2/10.
    --- Bizzarity Factor: 3/10
    --- Typical quote: ???

There's also aliens who fit several archetypes and thusly have been placed in several different ones. The aliens from the Mexican wrestler-vehicle "El Santo vs. The Martian Invasion" are equal parts Angelic Space Brothers and Subjugators. The Daleks from "Dr. Who" have been interpretated by some as Space Nazis, by others as MMMs. Meanwhile, the Uglies from "They Live" are a most bizarre mixture of the Interstellar Capitalists and Red Menace From Outer Space - archetypes generally considered polar opposites. A similar bizarre archetype-mixture are the Nebari (Farscape), who are equal parts Space Nazi and Wholesome Space Hippies. As mentioned before, some archetypes are related to each other.


Thanks to: Gil Hamilton, Paladin, Patrick Degan, Majin Gojira, the Nomad, Beowulf, Stormbringer, SAMAS, Enlightenment, SirNitram, Sir Sirius, The Yosemite Bear, Sriad, Singular Quartet, Darth Fanboy, SyntaxVorlon, Dennis Toy, The_Nice_Guy, Shroom Man 777, TheFenix, Arrow Mk84, Illuminatus Primus, Tasoth, Bob McDob, Starship Titanic, 2000AD, Second Storm, CDiehl, Kuja, Symmetry, CaptainChewbacca, Sam Or I, Stofsk, technomage, ShakaZulu.

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