Aliens and Us: Why humano-centrism?
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Mass Effect (or at least Anderson) credited it to something along the lines of how it was probably the best form something could evolve to. Also, much easier to build a variety off of one skeleton.Kristian Fischer said:
It's easier to empathize with humanoid aliens. If you don't care about the characters in a story, the storyteller has (probably) failed. Therefore, if a writer chooses to present non-humanoid aliens as snything other than enemies, their efforts will be in vain.
Now, I'm stretching the definition of 'humanoid'. While reading this post, it is to be understood that a humanoid shares several characteristics with humans, which need not be entirely physical. A story could be written about a blob-like alien and still present said alien in such a way as to make it endearing to the reader. However, this would come at the expense of non-human motivations, emotions, thought processes, etc. So, you could make something look different but act the same or make something look the same but act differently, but you can't make something look and act differently and expect it to resonate with the target audience. Style versus substance.
One way someone could get away with making a bizarre-looking alien would be to give it some human-like traits, such as two human-like eyes with which to emote. Due to the way humans rely on non-verbal communication, a character's face is important, since expression says so much. The elcor in Mass Effect speak in monotone and as such, they all sound the same to us. To make matters worse, they share the same expression. To their own kind, they may be speaking in entirely different ways, using their species own unique methods of communication.
tl;dr Few people care about really weird aliens.
Now, I'm stretching the definition of 'humanoid'. While reading this post, it is to be understood that a humanoid shares several characteristics with humans, which need not be entirely physical. A story could be written about a blob-like alien and still present said alien in such a way as to make it endearing to the reader. However, this would come at the expense of non-human motivations, emotions, thought processes, etc. So, you could make something look different but act the same or make something look the same but act differently, but you can't make something look and act differently and expect it to resonate with the target audience. Style versus substance.
One way someone could get away with making a bizarre-looking alien would be to give it some human-like traits, such as two human-like eyes with which to emote. Due to the way humans rely on non-verbal communication, a character's face is important, since expression says so much. The elcor in Mass Effect speak in monotone and as such, they all sound the same to us. To make matters worse, they share the same expression. To their own kind, they may be speaking in entirely different ways, using their species own unique methods of communication.
tl;dr Few people care about really weird aliens.
Actually, it is because we can't. Well, sort of. The problem is that we don't know any other sentient race on our level. We can't really imagine something that is both sentient but has truly alien motives that we just can't comprehend. Hence why stuff that we imagine, aliens or otherwise, is always a reflection of the things we know of. Hence why alien minds at least will never truly be alien, we can't comprehend something truly alien.xPixelatedx said:
And when you apply that to aesthetics, humanoid forms fit with humanoid minds. If you'd make those panther things the Na'vi, it just wouldn't really 'click' with most people, they'd see a Disney-esque picture. Not that I not find it rather boring, it's why I like the Star Wars universe over the Star Trek universe; more variation in alien races, but still, it's understandable why it happens.
Ironically the fact that you attribute anthropomorphic qualities with being exclusively human only is a human-ist quality. Why do alien look like us? Why don't we look like them? Why do a head two arms and two legs make you "human like"?
Also, a reason aliens resemble humans is to make them make a stronger connection with the audience. Audience member identify with human like creatures or something they can recognize. Something completely alien is something we can't identify with and thus hurts a story.
Also, a reason aliens resemble humans is to make them make a stronger connection with the audience. Audience member identify with human like creatures or something they can recognize. Something completely alien is something we can't identify with and thus hurts a story.
*smacks forehead* I knew I should have been more specific. Of all the diverse body types on the Earth (of which there are a surprisingly large amount), only humans have had the right design to create and use complex tools, leading to and including space travel. Assuming other planets had a similar amount of diversity, it stands to reason that any species capable of creating interstellar travel (and thus getting out and meeting humanity) is likely at least somewhat humanoid in appearance, barring some quirk of nature like telekinesis or parasitism or their natural forms being able to survive travel in a vacuum or something like that. It's a self-centered view, but given the scope of the universe and our own miniscule POV, it's not an entirely uneducated one.NightmareLuna said:I know what you are saying but I still feel the need to say that it is not completly true... There are other species, like birds, octopuses and hell even dolphins use tools. However, that is not to say they create their own, but just take what is available in their vicinity and use them as tools.Ordinaryundone said:
A short google yields this, http://www.livescience.com/9761-10-animals-tools.html Quite interesting read actually.
Fingers, hands, and arms designed for manipulation. That's the key. And once you've got at least 2 arms and an upright torso you are more or less humanoid already. Having more arms or fewer fingers is irrelevant, so long as it looks like it can pick up and use things. Tentacles work in a pinch, but they raise a whole host of other issues that the bipedal form doesn't worry about.
TL;DR Every species on Earth had an equal shot at evolution, and humanity ended up on top. Since we are fully capable of leaving our planet, it implies that there is something evolutionarily advantageous about the humanoid form that is lacking in all others. It is likely arms and hands, which allow for the easiest manipulation of tools.
Don't forget that being an upright biped is a development of a 'choice' made as a species that gave us an edge rather than a physical evolution that forces us to adopt an upright position. The human body is designed to be a quadruped not a biped. Being an upright biped is mainly related to the simple fact that our best sensory organs as predators are situated in a way that upright walking gives us an edge in distance and perception over other creatures in the environment, we could see threats further away.Ordinaryundone said:
But I think in regards to alien portrayal in movies and media is best described by Gene Roddenberry:
"We'd love to have more aliens on Star Trek, but there are so few of them in the Screen Actors Guild."
limited special effect..and being able to relate to them
also font forget the volus, elcor and Krogan, they looked very different..even the turians I wouldnt classify as human-centric...without their voices you would probably imgagine them talking ans screetches and growels
also font forget the volus, elcor and Krogan, they looked very different..even the turians I wouldnt classify as human-centric...without their voices you would probably imgagine them talking ans screetches and growels
You said that we make aliens look human. But who are you to say that we don't look alien?
Maybe they are the older race and we look like them, not the other way around.
Maybe they are the older race and we look like them, not the other way around.
The Hanaar say hi. In that weird double voice thing they have. So do the Tyranids, and the Zerg (Korean Tyranids) and the Protoss, and the Hutts.