Aliens in SciFi Lit

Bug-Eyed Monsters

In the beginning, there were the BEMs, as SciFi Lit's first aliens, the Bug-Eyed Monsters from Outer Space became to be affectionately called. If aliens were encountered, they were grotesque and probably malign. If not actively malign, then their goals and aims put them at odds with humanity; perhaps they need to eradicate mankind to make the earth useful to their own colonizing plans, for instance.

H.G. Wells popularized the Bug-Eyed Monster theme in sci-fi in War of the Worlds, in which 'Martians' invade Earth, only to be wiped out by Earth diseases for which they have no immunity. This invader downfall is reminiscent of the fate of many indigeous peoples of the New World, felled by Old World diseases brought by colonizers, only Wells turns it on its head. Why humans were not similarly effected by Mars-borne diseases only the author knows. (Well, it would have spoiled the story, is why.)

Aliens were unknowable BEMs well into science fiction's Golden Age.

Sentience From Elsewhere

Some Golden Agers ignore extra-terrestrial life altogether - Asimov's universe was completely alien-free until his 1972 novel, The Gods Themselves, introduced us to a well-thought-out sentient species of three genders living in a universe parallel to ours.

First-contact stories were popular for a time, with a theme of humanity blundering into contact with a species we are unable to understand being prevalent. This theme was fortunately soon exhausted and more lively extra-terrestrial interactions became the norm.

Aliens as Simply Foreigners

Mature Sci-Fi now can treat other sentient races not as sole plot device but as additional characters. Thus aliens become not unknowable, but simply foreign, and a human can come to know and understand them just as a European traveller of the eighteenth century could come to understand the native American tribes he travelled with.

Good science fiction writers populate their universe with a variety of species with interesting and different characteristics. One of the best examples of a diverse universe is Larry Niven's Known Space stories. Many of Niven's novels, short stories and novellas are set in this fictional universe, at various points along a timeline that controls how much humanity understands their universe.

His races vary considerably - the Outsiders verge on the unknowable other of earlier sci-fi, yet carry on a trade with the other sentient species. Their merchandise is information, and it is from the Outsiders that mankind gains the knowledge of faster-than-light travel.

The Kzin are cat-like creatures of a very warlike culture. They wage war with mankind whenever they have the population resources to do so; there is peace between humanity and Kzinkind whenever the Kzin need to breed up another generation of warriors.

The Piersons Puppeteers are Niven's most inventive creations; two-headed, three-legged creatures of a vast empire, whose culture is dominated by cowardice. Their ultimate ruler is known as Hindmost, short for He Who Leads from Behind, and running away is their first reaction to novel situations. Thus, puppeteers who actually have the bravery to risk space-travel are, by puppeteer standards, slightly mad. Humans have never met totally sane puppeteers, since allowing others to know the location of their homeworld strikes them as the ultimate foolhardiness.

Species Explosion

Television and movies launched a population explosion in sci-fi aliens, and now plots featuring alien characters have to rely on more than the alien-ness of the alien for its novelty - just being from another planet isn't enough to carry a story any more.