# Why do we assume alien species as superior to us ?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 9, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036 "2009-02-09T11:08:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/1 "2009-02-09T11:08:32Z")
Inspired by the parallel thread .
Most movies portray them as having more powers ( technologically advanced ) than us . why so ??
Why are not humans shown as superior ? ( The movie won’t be interesting then ?)
Just curious 🙂
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### Author:  [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/2 "2009-02-09T11:14:53Z")
The fact that a species is capable of interstellar travel kinds implies that it’s more technologically advanced that a species that’s _not_ capable of interstellar travel.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/3 "2009-02-09T11:23:43Z")
Also, in a movie, if you’re going to show the natives as primitives then there’s no particular reason to make them be _alien_ primitives. You might as well just set it in modern day and send a group of Americans to the middle of the Brazilian rain forest or into the Appalachians or somesuch. You spare your special effects budget and get the same story.
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### Author:  [@Petrobey\_Mavromihalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrobey_Mavromihalis)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/4 "2009-02-09T11:40:24Z")
Plus there are an infinite number of levels that they could be superior to us on, but only a few ways they could be more primitive. If there _are_ lots of intelligent species out there, then I expect we’ll be fairly low on the development scale.
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### Author:  [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/5 "2009-02-09T11:55:03Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#):
>
> The fact that a species is capable of interstellar travel kinds implies that it’s more technologically advanced that a species that’s _not_ capable of interstellar travel.
True, interstellar travel ability would undoubtedly make them superior.
One reason they could have achived this instead of us is simply time. We have appeared relatively late in the Earth’s history to date, given that the Earth is ~4.5Bnyrs old and we have been around as modern man for less than 100k years, then it is safe to assume that there might be civilisations out there much older than us. Unless they met with some kind of disaster and assuming that it is possible to continue advancing almost indfinitely then any substantially older surviving civilisation would be more advanced than us.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/6 "2009-02-09T14:33:03Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#):
>
> True, interstellar travel ability would undoubtedly make them superior.
>
> One reason they could have achived this instead of us is simply time. We have appeared relatively late in the Earth’s history to date, given that the Earth is ~4.5Bnyrs old and we have been around as modern man for less than 100k years, then it is safe to assume that there might be civilisations out there much older than us. Unless they met with some kind of disaster and assuming that it is possible to continue advancing almost indfinitely then any substantially older surviving civilisation would be more advanced than us.
It’s quite sobering to think that there may be civilizations out there that have a couple of billion years’ head start on us.
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/7 "2009-02-09T14:38:10Z")
> [@indian](#):
>
> Most movies portray them as having more powers ( technologically advanced ) than us . why so ??
>
> Why are not humans shown as superior ? ( The movie won’t be interesting then ?)
You should also mention that in these movies, the “inferior” humans outwit the “advanced” aliens, and that morally / ethically the “inferior” humans are superior to the “advanced” aliens.
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### Author:  [@HolyFreakingMoly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HolyFreakingMoly)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/8 "2009-02-09T14:57:58Z")
They found us before we found them and let’s face it… We’re pretty much assholes!
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### Author:  [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/9 "2009-02-09T15:05:02Z")
If the majority of human history teaches us anything, it’s that technologically inferior aliens don’t matter.
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### Author:  [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/10 "2009-02-09T15:25:54Z")
In a similar vein, why do we assume they are the same size as us?
Why not an intelligent race of aliens that measure 1/2" in height? Or conversely a race of aliens that have feet a city block long?
Why do they have to be universally proportionate to humans?
And why do they have to be some variation of vertabrate (head atop a spinal column with paired bilateral sensory organs)?
Wouldn’t the vertabrate be indigenous to earth?
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### Author:  [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/11 "2009-02-09T15:45:02Z")
> [@HolyFreakingMoly](#):
>
> They found us before we found them and let’s face it… We’re pretty much assholes!
What he said
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/12 "2009-02-09T15:52:36Z")
What about Star Trek and Star Wars? And Stargate, Babylon 5, etc, if we include TV series. In all these the human race is portrayed as being comparable to other races, and superior in some aspects.
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### Author:  [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/13 "2009-02-09T15:59:13Z")
What about Jar Jar? Pretty much an asshole.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/14 "2009-02-09T16:02:30Z")
> [@Hampshire](#):
>
> In a similar vein, why do we assume they are the same size as us?
>
> Why not an intelligent race of aliens that measure 1/2" in height?
Traditional gray aliens are usually smaller than people.
> [@](#):
>
> Or conversely a race of aliens that have feet a city block long?
>
> Why do they have to be universally proportionate to humans?
>
> And why do they have to be some variation of vertabrate (head atop a spinal column with paired bilateral sensory organs)?
Because it saves money on special effects and is more practical since all our actors are, more or less, human.
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### Author:  [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/15 "2009-02-09T16:15:56Z")
It all depends whether the movie is depicting humans in the future or humans in the present. If it’s the present, then aliens have to be superior to us, since we’ve only able able to get to the moon so far.
In the future, then we’re often superior to many alien races, but at the same time there’s always a bigger fish. Some Sci Fi have humans as the most superior and numerous race, like Star Wars.
Also, conflict is important in fiction. If the aliens can’t put up a fight, technologically speaking, then there is no movie. And it’s always more interesting when we’re outgunned.
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### Author:  [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/16 "2009-02-09T16:20:44Z")
I recall a science fiction story once where the secret to interstellar travel was pretty basic, and we on earth had just missed it. There were space vikings traveling in primitive ships who were startled to see cities from space. They had no way to filter air and were stuck on the journey with what they had started. They were not superior really. I wish I could remember the title.
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/17 "2009-02-09T17:27:23Z")
Considering we have only managed air travel in about a century and very local space travel in the past 50 years, imagine how advanced an interstellar civilization would be.
Technology tends not to develop in isolation. Advances in one technology often lead to advances in others. Vikings could not develop space flight, even if they discovered rocketry because they would not have the knowledge of metalurgy or materials or HVAC and life support systems to build a viable spacecraft. A civilization that could harness the energy to travel the stars could probably also harness that energy and direct it towards a city or continent.
> [@Petrobey Mavromihalis](#):
>
> Plus there are an infinite number of levels that they could be superior to us on, but only a few ways they could be more primitive. If there are lots of intelligent species out there, then I expect we’ll be fairly low on the development scale.
I expect we would be middle of the bell curve. If and when we develop interstellar travel, I have to assume we would be low on the development scale relative to other interstellar civilizations, for obvious reasons.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/18 "2009-02-09T18:57:46Z")
> [@lee](#):
>
> I recall a science fiction story once where the secret to interstellar travel was pretty basic, and we on earth had just missed it. There were space vikings traveling in primitive ships who were startled to see cities from space. They had no way to filter air and were stuck on the journey with what they had started. They were not superior really. I wish I could remember the title.
I think you are thinking of [The Road Not Taken](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_(short_story))By Harry Turtledove. Not exactly how you described it but close. The wiki link is one big spoiler from top to bottom. I remember reading this when it was first published in Analog.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/19 "2009-02-09T19:07:26Z")
Their civilization survived the nuclear age. Too bad ours wont.
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### Author:  [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-assume-alien-species-as-superior-to-us/485036/20 "2009-02-09T19:12:12Z")
> [@Hampshire](#):
>
> In a similar vein, why do we assume they are the same size as us?
>
> Why not an intelligent race of aliens that measure 1/2" in height? Or conversely a race of aliens that have feet a city block long?
>
> Why do they have to be universally proportionate to humans?
>
> And why do they have to be some variation of vertabrate (head atop a spinal column with paired bilateral sensory organs)?
> Wouldn’t the vertabrate be indigenous to earth?
I forget what it was called, but there was some scientific theory in _Star Trek_ that stated that planets with similar environmental conditions are going to produce similar beings. Makes sense, and it’s a really good explanation of why Romulans, Klingons, etc. are similar to us in physiology.
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