Coolest aliens you have met with in fiction

[Krajzen]

Except Xenomorphs as they are very well known and obvious. May serve as an inspiration; images and videos welcome!

My personal favourite in a while are Mimics from Edge of Tomorrow (2014) - I very liked this movie and aliens. Well, they don't really communicate nor show complicated tactics but their design, movement and Secret Strategic Advantage I Won't Spoil are absolutely awesome. One of the most alien and believable alien creatures I have seen on the screen so far.

 

[Safehold]

Did you read All You need is Kill, a Japanese LN that the movie was loosely based on?

http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/27116/Alien Legacy.html

Back when I was playing that game, the freakiest aliens came from the gas giant. I kept wondering were their spaceships were coming from to attack me as they seemed to just teleport into existence, until I slowed down the simulation rate and saw that they were coming from a gas giant. That was pretty surprising, especially since they just swarmed over my stations and patrol ships.

 

[Enlil]

The Invaders from the TV show, The Invaders.

 

[Darsara]

The alien(s) from Blindsight*. For reasons that feel like spoilers to me, so I can't bring myself to explain here.


*Link is to a legal online copy of the book on the author's website.

 

[Jerree17]

I've always been partial to the Tholians from Star Trek, despite their limited appearances in the series.

http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Tholian

They're highly xenophobic crystalline aliens that require temperatures of 207*C for survival, they use technology that seems unique compared to the other species of the galaxy (energy webs/their affinity for screwing with interdimensional rifts), and it's implied that they're involved in the "Temporal Cold War."

I think it'd be neat if we got a future phenotype that covered silicon/mineral based species, I'd love to replicate them in Stellaris.

 

[Duke of Awesome]

I really love the Geth, from Mass Effect, although that might just be due to an infatuation with Legion. I love the voice, I love the idea, I love the hardware/robot bodies. I think the Geth are just a beautiful race.

 

[misterbean]

The Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. I have always found them so creepy, it's fantastic.

 

[opath]

Best aliens I remember from fiction are babyeaters and superhappies from three worlds collide.
They are just so strange that getting Along with humanity seems impossible although communication is possible.
A similar moral dilemma would be great for Stellaris - not just a - 20 opinion modifier for " they are strangers" but dir a morale cause like " they eat their own kind"

http://lesswrong.com/lw/y4/three_worlds_collide_08/

 

[Dutch Empire]

Turians from Mass Effect

 

[DeSean]

The Vorlons from Babylon5

 

[Gaussia]

Ramans!

 

[Vanhal]

Hmm. If the category is "coolest", that would obviously be:

Spoiler: The Ctarl-Ctarl of course:

On a side note, most of the "evil humans" from various newer military space-operas. The familiar feeling of dehumanizing bullshit propaganda is too strong to not arouse serious suspicions.

 

[Kuschelflummi]

The THUNDERCATS! Obvious!

 

[Krajzen]

I really love the Geth, from Mass Effect, although that might just be due to an infatuation with Legion. I love the voice, I love the idea, I love the hardware/robot bodies. I think the Geth are just a beautiful race.

Yeah, Geth are my favourite ME race next to Turians. A bit more than Krogans

 

[henzington]

The Borg at least before Voyager because the borg queen is so meh.

 

[misterbean]

The Borg at least before Voyager because the borg queen is so meh.

Yeah, but Seven Of Nine...ooh, boy

 

[Pyoro]

Theirs Not to Reason Why (which isn't particularly good) had some interesting alien traits, for a book - ones who always speak everything/all/always in threes, which worked quite well I think, and ones whose culture is based on non-sense (or was it insults? I forgot...). I think the protagonist got some military supplies in exchange for weird poetry and a teddy bear or something like that (a 4X game where trading between races is as weird as that would be interesting ;p ).

 

[Seon]

Yes, the Scramblers from Blindsight is pretty much the most unique and interesting aliens in fiction.

 

[Jerree17]

Oh, the Orz from Star Control are awesome, too. Though they're more of a single interdimensional being than a 'normal' species.

 

[Director]

Larry Niven's Puppeteers.