Stories can be narrated, enacted or depicted. See Comics And Science Fiction. Thus, the three, and only three, story-telling media are narrative, drama and sequential art. An alien might be described by an author, enacted by an actor or depicted in sequential art, animation or CGI. Poul Anderson's Ythrians and Merseians require description or depiction but not enactment. However, some of Anderson's aliens could appear on Star Trek, e.g.: a Borthudian:
"The face was almost human, but hairless and tinged with blue; yellow eyes smoldered under the narrow forehead." (p. 121)
"The face was semihuman, though hairless and tinged with blue; yellow eyes smoldered under a narrow forehead." (p.162)
The Make-Up Department can handle that. In fact, Borthudians, like Klingons, Vulcans etc, are far too similar to human beings to count as credible end-products of extraterrestrial evolution.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I can't entirely agree. I believe it is possible that SOME non-human intelligent races will be humanoid, even very MUCH so. It would be MORE unlikely to think there will be no parallels or analogues to terrestrial life forms.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But the physiognomy of two eyes above a mouth is terrestroid and arbitrary.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I still disagree. I can see evolution on some planets moving along lines analogous to what we have seen on Earth, because they would be PRACTICAL. Keeping the information gained from senses like sight, hearing, odor, taste, near the brain. And I also think some races which began as quadrupeds would find it advantageous for the forelimbs to evolve into arms and hands, for many obviously practical reasons.
All this is only speculation, anyway, because we don't KNOW, as of now.
Ad astra! Sean
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