The difficult thing about creating a fictional alien species is that if they are too familiar, they seem inauthentic. Slap some bumps on the forehead and voilà : every Star Trek alien ever. And, the Star Trek franchise eventually had to explain this phenotypical homogeneity (ask a fan, but it’s in a Next Generation episode) to keep the credibility of the milieu intact.
On the other hand, to seem scientifically authentic aliens have to be … unfamiliar? Unrelatable? What’s a better word?
Alien.
However, if you take the creative process step-by-step, you can work outward from simple premises to alien species that are both inhuman yet believable and understandable. Continue reading
Now that director J. J. Abrams has moved on from his quasi-reboot of the Star Trek franchise to quasi-reboot the Star Wars franchise, I am inspired to speculate what his handling of the former presages for the latter.
to that place where it is received below. This method is also frequently used used by masons, in lifting up or letting down large stones, when they are employed in building; and from them it has probably been adopted by seamen.
