Spend too long in the “Star Trek” — or indeed “Star Wars” universes — and you might start believing that every alien species is a human being with a few prosthetics glued to their faces. But while this approach certainly makes life easier for filmmakers, it doesn’t quite live up to that old Vulcan maxim about “infinite diversity in infinite combinations”.
So we reckon Mr Spock would approve of Rocky, Ryan Gosling’s extra-terrestrial BFF in “Project Hail Mary“, whose five limbs and complete lack of a face make him a rather more unconventional co-star.
Article continues below
1. Eridians
As seen in: “Project Hail Mary”
It’s hard to tell whether Ryland Grace’s alien BFF Rocky — so-named for his stone-like complexion — has a front or back, seeing as his five multi-purpose limbs appear to have equal, well, footing.
Perhaps more importantly, Erid’s most famous son has no face and no eyes, meaning he instead “sees” the world via a form of echo-location. His mouth/anus can be found on his underside, in a set-up rather reminiscent of a starfish — as such, watching Rocky eat is not recommended for the squeamish.
Related: Sci-fi author Andy Weir explains the astrobiology behind ‘Project Hail Mary’ (interview)
2. Heptapods
As seen in: “Arrival“
This highly intelligent squid-like species has seven limbs, each containing seven “fingers”.
Ambassadors “Abbott” and “Costello” don’t appear to have any eyes, but communicate via unpronounceable sounds and a form of ink that creates linguistic pictograms. There’s more to their language than initially meets the eye, however, as speaking it can facilitate a non-linear perception of time in its speakers.
Beat that, Duolingo.
3. The 456
As seen in: “Torchwood: Children of Earth“
Named after the radio frequency they use to communicate with Earth, the so-called “456” only appear shrouded in thick mist.
As such, it’s hard to get a full handle on their physiology, but it’s clear they have three heads and a tendency for flailing around and ejecting extremely noxious green goo from their mouths (or whatever the hell they are).
Worst of all, they like to hook themselves up to human kids to give themselves a chemical high.
4. Medusans
As seen in: “Star Trek”
The super-intelligent Medusans have evolved into non-corporeal entities, formless beings who travel the cosmos as hive minds and can communicate via telepathy. Unfortunately, their appearance is so hideous to ordinary flesh-and-blood creatures that looking at a Medusan is liable to induce madness and death.
A young Medusan named Zero did, however, become part of the USS Protostar crew in “Star Trek: Prodigy“, giving themselves a physical presence by occupying a mechanical suit.
5. Starro
As seen in: “The Suicide Squad”
Seeing as it originated in space, it’s remarkable how similar Starro looks to a standard Earth-based starfish, albeit with a very big eye at its center. The species is capable of growing to kaiju-like proportions, which is rather problematic as “Starro the Conqueror” is also smart enough to bear a grudge.
As well as dishing out city-smashing destruction with its interchangeable legs, the creature’s spores are effectively baby versions of itself, capable of controlling — under Starro’s direction, of course — any human they attach themselves to.
6. Rigellians
As seen in: “The Simpsons”
Usually sighted around Halloween, the octopus-like residents of Rigel 7 (e.g Kang and Kodos) have five tentacles (which they use for location), a single giant eye and a mouth that leaks saliva at a disgustingly prodigious rate.
They speak English — or technically Rigellian, which, by coincidence, is identical to English — and require special breathing apparatus to respire on Earth. They can also exchange long protein strands by holding hands, which is a neat trick.
7. Mysterons
As seen in: “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons”
We’ve never seen the Mysterons’ actual form. Instead, this Mars-based threat to planet Earth reveals its presence by projecting two green rings of light, usually accompanied by that famous, ominous “this is the voice of the Mysterons” catchphrase.
Whatever they look like, the Mysterons do have the ability to “reverse matter” (essentially, they can rebuild anything that’s been killed or destroyed), which comes in handy any time you want to cause chaos by unleashing perfect human facsimiles on an unsuspecting world.
8. Spores
As seen in: “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”
Why go to the trouble of building spaceships when you can reach your destination by floating through the cosmos as spores? The Body Snatchers’ plan for invading/infesting Earth is elegant in its simplicity, as they simply grow replacement humans in seed pods.
As soon as the original model falls asleep, they’re replaced by a mindless pod person — and by the time anyone’s noticed something’s wrong, it’s way too late to do anything about it. Genius.
9. The Thing
As seen in: “The Thing“
Even the Thing itself probably gets a tad surprised when it looks in the mirror, seeing as opportunistic shapeshifting is its favorite hobby. The fact that every single cell can operate as an independent organism makes it notoriously difficult to kill, especially as it has an uncontrollable urge to survive and spread.
Its intelligence is unclear — did the spaceship that crashes in Antarctica at the beginning of the film belong to the Thing, or its unfortunate host? — though the alien seems to have a pretty coherent plan for world domination: consume and destroy.
10. Brain bug
As seen in: “Starship Troopers”
“Brain bugs? Frankly I find the idea of a bug that thinks offensive,” says a pundit on Federal Network TV, but he clearly has no idea what he’s on about.
Klendathu’s legions of arachnid drones and plasma-blasting giant beetles are all under the control of a species of giant arthropods that have somehow evolved into strategic masterminds.
The brain bug’s intrinsic ick factor is undeniably high, but using their proboscises to suck thoughts directly from the brains of their unfortunate victims is a pretty neat party trick.
11. Mulefa
As seen in: “His Dark Materials”
Okay, they’re not technically aliens — they hail from a parallel Earth much like our own — but the tapir-like Mulefa do fit our criteria of being both intelligent and distinctly non-human.
As well as inventing the wheel — they use seed pods to whiz around their homes — their eyes are capable of seeing dark matter (or Dust) — or as they call it, “Sraf”.
12. The Masters
As seen in: “The Tripods”
Three really is the magic number for these wannabe alien overlords — they have three legs, travel around in three-legged vehicles (the eponymous Tripods), and even hail from a planet called Trion.
Appearance-wise, they’re effectively heads on tree trunk-like legs, and thrive in hot, dense atmospheres and high gravitational fields.
13. Vashta Nerada
As seen in: “Doctor Who”
These microscopic creatures are pretty harmless on their own, but as soon as they swarm in their billions they’re the “piranhas” of the air”, and one of the best “Doctor Who” monsters.
Capable of stripping a human body to the bone in seconds — by the time you spot that telltale Vashta Nerada second shadow you’re already done for — they have the ability to both reanimate corpses and communicate via neural relays in spacesuits. In other words, they’re the tiny micro-organism that could.
14. Symbiotes
As seen in: “Venom“
Without a host, Marvel’s Symbiotes (who hail from the planet Klyntar) are little more than sentient oil slicks. But when they latch onto a human (or other animal species), these parasites become something much more.
The Symbiote gets a functioning body, while the pay-off for the host is an impressive smorgasbord of superpowers. That said, the associated drawbacks include a penchant for expressing your inner monologues as very public arguments, and an insatiable urge to eat heads.
15. Mimics
As seen in: “Edge of Tomorrow”
Mimics have the hard-to-pin-down, CG-heavy, tar-like appearance of “Venom”‘s Symbiotes, but without the quirky individuality. Instead, like the Arachnid society in “Starship Troopers”, the Mimics utilize a hive mind system of government, with the big decisions managed by the so-called Alphas.
The Mimics’ crucial USP, however, is that they’ve evolved the ability to transport themselves back in time, which is something of a cheat code in their ongoing war with humanity. It’s no match for the power of Tom Cruise, though.
16. The Long One
As seen in: “Slither”
The alien threat in Slither looks like a bloated earthworm, but pure malice lurks beneath that unassuming exterior.
Once it’s possessed the unfortunate Grant Grant, the “Long One” turns him into a vessel for propagating his offspring, who go on to infiltrate his fellow townsfolk, and forcibly welcome them into a hive mind with world domination on its mind. Weirdly, however, the worm/Grant hybrid remains dangerously obsessed with Grant’s wife, Starla.
17. B’omarr monks
As seen in: “Star Wars”
One of the weirdest creations ever to come out of George Lucas’s galaxy far, far away, these monks have voluntarily sacrificed their humanoid form in the name of their religion.
They believe that separating their minds from all physical sensation will bring them enlightenment, so they willingly have their brains removed and placed in nutrient jars. They’re carried around by giant mechanical spiders, sometimes seen scuttling through the bowels of Jabba’s Palace.
See Rocky is all his glory in “Project Hail Mary”, which is in theaters worldwide now.