Today’s topic comes from QSFer Michael Barnette:
“Aliens that are ‘just like us, maybe with cosmetic differences like skin color, or other minor differences. Take away the cosmetic appearance change and otherwise they’re just humans. Do you write aliens this way and why? Do you dislike this type of ‘alien’ and why?”
Coincidentally, Theo Fenraven posted this article on the FB page a couple days back:
http://www.veronicasicoe.com/blog/2015/04/humanoid-aliens-how-much-likeness-is-plausible/
Veronica breaks it down much better than I ever could.
This is something that always bothered me about Star Trek – how is it that 90% of the Star Trek aliens were bipedal with two eyes, a nose and a mouth in the “human” configuration?
What’s your take? Is it ok to assume a human form in sci fi aliens? Or should we challenge ourselves to move past it? And are the rules different for sci fi romance?