# What science fiction series have FTL travel but no intelligent alien life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074 "2011-11-25T19:36:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/61 "2011-11-29T14:25:47Z")
Does anyone know how far away LV-426 is? Cos the marines were expecting a rescue in 17 days, and I’m guessing that at sublight, that wouldn’t give you much of a range. …or do Aliens count as intelligent aliens? Ripley: How long after we’re declared overdue can we expect a rescue? Hicks: [pause] Seventeen days. Hudson: Seventeen _days?_ Hey man, I don’t wanna rain on your parade, but we’re not gonna last seventeen _hours!_ Those things are gonna come in here just like they did before. And they’re gonna come in here… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/62 "2011-11-29T14:37:10Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > Does anyone know how far away LV-426 is? Cos the marines were expecting a rescue in 17 days, and I’m guessing that at sublight, that wouldn’t give you much of a range. > > …or do Aliens count as intelligent aliens? Even if the xenomorphs were more on the lines of mindless predators, there’s still the Space Jockey. Whatever his species is, it has to be intelligent since they produce starships. And if you allow the Alien vs. Predator stuff into it, the Predators are obviously intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/63 "2011-11-29T14:43:11Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Since I see no restriction in the OP excluding _television_ series, the reimagined _Battlestar Galactica_ has no aliens Ehh…technically, it might. Big spoiler: [spoiler] In the last episode, they land on “our Earth,” and there are some form of “pre-man.” Not sure what they might officially be, but possibly a form of neanderthal, cro-magnon, or maybe _homo erectus_…eventually, it’s implied/said that the Colonials and Cylons bred with them, and the eventual genetic mess of Colonial, Cylon, and whatever they were produced _Homo Sapiens._ Although IIRC, it’s said that Hera, (the first Colonial/Cylon hybrid) was Mitochondrial Eve, so I have no idea if that means the pre-humans who were on ‘our Earth’ were actually in the mix or not…I’m not that well versed in genetics. But the point is, as far as we know, the “people” living on that/our planet were not part of the original batch of humans the Colonials were from, and they were intelligent. They had simple tools and villages, IIRC. So I’d say they qualify. Now, the argument could be made that they were made by ‘God’ (whether or not it wants to be called that,) at the same time as the Colonial humans, and are genetically identical, so in that case are they aliens just because they are on a different planet? [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/64 "2011-11-29T14:46:58Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > The Honor Harrington series comes close. > Treecats are revealed to be more intelligent than originally thought, and there are the natives in the 1st book. > > But there are no Spacefaring aliens (ok, a check here [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_alien\_species\_in\_the\_Honorverse](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alien_species_in_the_Honorverse) says the Alphanes were spacefaring) > > Brian FWIW, the Alphanes were only mentioned in David Drake’s “A Grand Tour”, in the first collection of Honorverse short stories. The Alphanes were a long extinct spacefaring species. The story has very little (i.e. nothing) to do with the main Honorverse story lines - it could easily have been rewritten as a freestanding story in its own universe. Drake said he wrote it as an experiment that led to his excellent Aubrey/Maturin inspired RCN novels. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/65 "2011-11-29T17:21:29Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Even if the xenomorphs were more on the lines of mindless predators, there’s still the Space Jockey. Whatever his species is, it has to be intelligent since they produce starships. > > And if you allow the Alien vs. Predator stuff into it, the Predators are obviously intelligent. We don’t know much about the space jockeys. For all we know, he was some kind of meat telescope. Maybe Prometheus will shed a bit of light on them. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/66 "2011-11-29T17:33:51Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > We don’t know much about the space jockeys. For all we know, he was some kind of meat telescope. Maybe Prometheus will shed a bit of light on them. _Somebody_ built the ship he was in. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/67 "2011-11-29T18:05:21Z")
He looked for things to make him go. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/68 "2011-11-29T18:25:47Z")
_Red Dwarf_ was the first thing that popped into my mind, too. The universe is _explicitly_ alienless (so say the creators). It’s an important piece of the humor. The fact that Rimmer doesn’t know this, and keeps thinking they might encounter aliens, frequently serves as the basis for the humour in some episodes (c.f. _Polymorph_ and _DNA_). It’s part of the setting’s bleakness that works hand-in-hand with the dark humor. Lister is probably the last human being alive, he’s perhaps millions of light-years from Earth with no way to get home, and there are no aliens out there to help him out or at least console him in his old age. > [@Bakhesh](#): > > We don’t know much about the space jockeys. For all we know, he was some kind of meat telescope. Maybe Prometheus will shed a bit of light on them. Space Jockeys and AvP notwithstanding (remember the trophy room on board the Predators’ ship in _Predator 2?_), there are other parts in the dialogue that strongly _imply_ that other alien races are known to exist. The marines’ banter over their first meal after defrosting suggests that there are even races we can interact with sexually, such as the Arcturians; the one Frost had was male, but he claims it doesn’t matter. Additionaly, the logo on the side of the dropship indicates Sgt. Apone’s unit _specializes_ in killing aliens. After all, if there weren’t any, why would Hudson be so disappointed that this outing was just another “bug hunt”? ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/69 "2011-11-29T19:10:33Z")
> [@psiekier](#): > > Space Jockeys and AvP notwithstanding (remember the trophy room on board the Predators’ ship in _Predator 2?_), there are other parts in the dialogue that strongly _imply_ that other alien races are known to exist. > > The marines’ banter over their first meal after defrosting suggests that there are even races we can interact with sexually, such as the Arcturians; the one Frost had was male, but he claims it doesn’t matter. > > Additionaly, the logo on the side of the dropship indicates Sgt. Apone’s unit _specializes_ in killing aliens. After all, if there weren’t any, why would Hudson be so disappointed that this outing was just another “bug hunt”? There was that line about "She’s supposed to be some kinda consultant. Apparently she saw an alien once. ", which I always thought implied they hadn’t encountered any before. Not sure now though ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/70 "2011-11-29T19:17:28Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > It may not be quite what the OP is after, but [Red Dwarf](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf) has FTL, and no alien intelligent life – in fact, practically no intelligent life of any kind at all. Does the “Cat race” count as alien? (I seem to recall one of the show’s creators saying that (except for the Cats) all life in the universe either evolved from humans or was developed by humans.) However, I don’t think they have FTL. They can jump into alternate universes, and the occasional wormhole, but technically that’s not FTL travel. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/71 "2011-11-29T19:41:18Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > There was that line about "She’s supposed to be some kinda consultant. Apparently she saw an alien once. ", which I always thought implied they hadn’t encountered any before. Not sure now though It could also be a type of verbal eye rolling, after all the Marines may have been shooting aliens in the face for quite some time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/72 "2011-11-29T19:47:44Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > However, I don’t think they have FTL. They can jump into alternate universes, and the occasional wormhole, but technically that’s not FTL travel. Y’know, that raises an odd little point: would a series that explicitly calls time travel “FTL travel” qualify? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/73 "2011-11-29T21:54:44Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > FWIW, the Alphanes were only mentioned in David Drake’s “A Grand Tour”, in the first collection of Honorverse short stories. The Alphanes were a long extinct spacefaring species. The story has very little (i.e. nothing) to do with the main Honorverse story lines - it could easily have been rewritten as a freestanding story in its own universe. And it is Weber’s Honorverse canon policy that only incidents/people mentioned in either his own short stories or one of the novels count as canon. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/74 "2011-11-29T23:46:38Z")
> [@](#): > > It could also be a type of verbal eye rolling, after all the Marines may have been shooting aliens in the face for quite some time. That’s how I took it. “Yeah, right, like just seeing an alien once qualifies you to wear some fancy ‘consultant’ label”. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/75 "2011-11-29T23:49:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That’s how I took it. “Yeah, right, like just seeing an alien once qualifies you to wear some fancy ‘consultant’ label”. I always thought it was more of a “yeah right, like she saw an alien” roll-eye ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/76 "2011-11-30T03:13:26Z")
The Patricia Hutchins series by Jack McDevitt has no aliens, except that there is evidence of previous races scattered throughout the galaxy. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/77 "2011-11-30T03:36:14Z")
I don’t know if this is official “canon” for the Alien movies or not, but [here](http://aliens.wikia.com/wiki/Mala%27kak) is a Wiki page on the Space Jockey. It wasn’t in any of the movies, but according to one writer of one of the Alien novels, the alien species is called “Mala’kak’.” How delightfully dumb. (Why is it that aliens _HAVE_ to have random apostrophes in their names, according to science-fiction writers?) The Star Wars comics and “extended universe” fiction is especially bad about this. Enough with the apostrophes! ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/78 "2011-11-30T03:37:02Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > That;s nitpicking – they cdertainly had the capability for FTL, if they still had the caution not to use it. Besides, _Number of the Beast_ and _The Cat Who Walked Through Walls_ (which definitely share characters with books squasrely in the Future History series) had space travel plus time travel, which adds up to FTL in any reasonable definition of same. I’m anal that way. When anybody talks about FTL my sphincter muscles undergo a Lorentz contraction. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/79 "2011-11-30T03:41:59Z")
Well, at the end of Piers Anthony’s _Bio of a Space-Tyrant_ series, which is completely alien-free, humanity has discovered a way to convert spaceships to light and somehow (the mechanics of this are somewhat glossed over, as are several other important aspects of the plot here and there) re-integrate themselves back into matter, so it’s light-speed travel, though not faster. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074/80 "2011-12-02T16:15:33Z")
> [@urban1a](#): > > The Patricia Hutchins series by Jack McDevitt has no aliens, except that there is evidence of previous races scattered throughout the galaxy. There are non-extinct intelligent aliens in the Academy series. There is mention of some race that they have found that is permanently locked in a lower-tech society (due to having burned up all their fossil fuels before discovering other technologies) that is constantly at war. Can’t remember the name of the race or which book they first get mentioned in, though they discuss having people there studying them. Most of the novel _Omega_ involves them trying to save an alien race from an Omega Cloud without revealing that they are there. By _Cauldron_ they’re landing on planets and randomly talking to aliens, though _Cauldron_ to me really felt like a “I hate this series and am killing it forever.” novel. His Alex Benedict novels had the “Mutes” in them from the beginning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-science-fiction-series-have-ftl-travel-but-no-intelligent-alien-life/604074.md?page=5)