Xenobiology: How to Make The Aliens in Your Science Fiction Stand Out

“It has to do with… biology.”

“What kind of biology?”

“Vulcan biology!”

“You mean the biology of Vulcans?”

-Mr. Spock & Captain Kirk, Amok Time, Star Trek: The Original Series

Do you know what trope I hate? The Planet of Hats!

The Planet of Hats is a notorious sci-fi trope in which an entire sentient species all rely heavily on a handful of character traits with little to no variation whatsoever in appearance or ideology.

The way this manifests itself the most commonly in Science Fiction is by giving an actor some weird bumps on their head and painting their skin a different color, ta-da an alien!

But, why have aliens if they’re not going to be alien?

I think a lot of world-builders struggle with accidentally creating monocultures because they start from the top down, creating the aesthetic and a single idea for an alien culture before getting down to what makes them alien.

My favorite way to create unique fleshed-out aliens (and their cultures) is starting from scratch.

We’re talking right down to the chromosome.

We’re talking Xenobiology.

Here are a few ideas on how to get inspired and get started!

What is Xenobiology?

Xenobiology is, so far, a theoretical field of biology that studies potential evolutions, genetics, and bio functions of hypothetical species that operate on different chemical processes than life on earth.

Some Examples of Well-Developed Aliens:

There are a handful of iconic, well-developed aliens we will be addressing are Vulcans (from Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek), The Na’vi (from James Cameron’s Avatar), and The Fremen (from Frank Herbert’s Dune)

Vulcans

Barring trope-y aliens “take us to your leader” crop circle carving Martians, Vulcans were the first alien race to smash through the pop-culture barrier thanks to the astronomical popularity of Mr. Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) from Star Trek: The Original Series. The actor was instrumental in the character and his race’s initial development and Vulcans are by far the most well-developed aliens biologically and culturally from the franchise.

The Na’vi

While their culture in film Avatar (2009) is unfortunately not much better than a “Noble Savage” stereotype, James Cameron, by virtue of his excellent special effects budget made the Na’vi an excellent example of humanoids that have notably different biology, more so than just being a different color with face bumps in a human template. From their stature and body language, from the tendrils in their ponytails that allowed symbiosis with other animals on the planet.

The Fremen

While technically human, Frank Herbert is notorious for his incredibly detailed world-building and understanding of ecology and evolution, the Fremen reflect that. They are practically alien as they have evolved and technologically adapted to their harsh desert environment, as well as being altered by the extraterrestrial forces that live on their homeworld, such as the Sand Worms and mind-altering Spice Melange.

Inspiration Gold-Mine: The Animal Kingdom

Animals are WEIRD, even the ones that you think you have a general understanding of can be incredibly strange. There are immortal jellyfish, turtles breathe through their butts, male Platypuses are poisonous, and there are deep sea creatures that don’t have eyes. That’s just surface level fun facts! Now imagine grafting those traits onto a species that is evolved enough to have their own civilizations! The possibilities are endless!

Building Blocks: Questions to Answer

What are things that shape our world and cultures even today?

1. Food

2. Growth

3. Reproduction

Food:

• What does your species eat? Are they carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, carrion-eaters, do they eat rocks? Volcanic chemical soup?

• What does your species do to acquire water (if they need it)?

• How do they eat & drink? How do they metabolize their food? Do they need mouths and teeth?

• Why do they need to eat it? What does their diet do for their biological needs? What does starvation or nutrient deficiency look like for them?

• How did they acquire food before they domesticated their food sources (if they have domesticated them)?

• Are there universal practical ways your species eats? What sort of tools do they use to eat, if any? Do dietary and consumption practices vary, how?

• Are there foods and substances that are poisonous and/or addictive to them that are not to humans? Are there foods they should not consume in excess?

Growth (The Life Cycle):

• What does a standard, healthy adult of your species look like, are their variances in gender (if they have gender) or ethnicity?

• What biological traits does an infant of your species have? What do they lose, and gain, as they grow? How long does childhood for your species last? How many distinct stages of childhood take place before adolescence?

• What changes does your species undergo during their adolescence? How do these changes vary in the biological genders of your species (if at all)? At what age is a member of your species considered to be an adult? How does that vary from culture to culture?

• What does middle age look like for your species? Do they cease being able to reproduce? What biological functions begin to decline?

• What does old age look like in your species? What terminal ailments are they most vulnerable to? How long can your species live to be?

• What biological breakdowns cause your species to die of old age? What universal necessities and practices are there for a body to be disposed of? What cultural and environmental variants are there to interning the dead?

Reproduction:

• How many genders does your species have? Two? Three? Dozens? None? What purpose does each gender serve in the reproduction process?

• What is your species fertility rate? Do their windows of opportunity occur more or less frequently than humans? How difficult is it to conceive offspring?

• How many children can your species conceive at once? Is it rare for multiple births to happen in the same pregnancy, or do they have children in broods or litters?

• How do the processes of pregnancy and birth affect the gender carrying the child biologically? What are the pregnancy’s phases, how long do they last? The immediate consequences of birth?

• What are the ecological consequences of your species birth rate? How does it affect the population and the environment around them?

• How do gender/sexuality non-conforming members of the species affect the population? How are they received sociologically?