Non Humanoid, Corporal Aliens

[Harbinger]

I suppose if there was one problem I had with the Star Trek series in particular, it would be the abundance of humanoid aliens in the universe. I understand a lot of this has to do with budget. These shows are already expensive for television.

So I was wondering if we could go and name off some non-humanoid, corporal aliens. I mention corporal because I don't want to include energy beings or the like.

Some good examples I can think of off the top of my head include Species 8472, the extradimensional flying aliens from "Equinox", the Hanar-looking alien in "Think Tank", the Medusans (from the TOS) and Tholians. I think there were one or two species in the Xindi that were very alien in appearance but my memory of Enterprise if fuzzy.

 

[captcalhoun]

Xindi Aquatics
Horta

the books have done more, with the Irriol and the Syrath among others.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

A list at Memory Alpha is at http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Non-humanoid_species. It includes non-corporeal forms, but you should be able to easily sift through it; it's not that long.

However, just off the top of my head, it's definitely incomplete. For instance, as of right now, it's missing Vendorian. Another list of examples at http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Non-humanoid shows that Gomtuu is also missing. I'm sure there are quite a few others missing, as well.

 

[Harbinger]

Cool. I probably should have mentioned it should be canon, since I believe the animated series and novels aren't. But in that case, I think Elite Forces also had a few non-humanoid races. I still never got a chance to play that game.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Since its inclusion on the official Star Trek website at http://www.startrek.com/, the animated series is apparently in a gray area between canon and non-canon.

For example, on the page http://www.startrek.com/database_article_navigator/star-trek-the-animated-series, there is a category called Canon Info that includes, among other things, an Episodes list, with every TAS episode except The Magicks of Megas-Tu (though in that list there are clearly additional errors, such as the season number for season two episodes, and the inclusion of a VOY episode). Lucien does appear in the Characters list.

 

[BillJ]

The Gorn.
The Salt Vampire.

 

[Timo]

Both appear perfectly humanoid...

They even have pairs of eyes, just like humans, and unlike things like Excalbians or Sheliak.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[SchwEnt]

Sylvia and Korob. Do shapeshifters not count?

The flying neural parasites. Do they need to be sentient?

The space amoeba

The Gamesters of Triskelion

The Kelvans (unseen natural form)

The Melkots (or Melkotians)

Tholians

Horta

Excalbians

Lots more from TAS.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

What about the Guardian of Forever? Yes? No? Maybe?

 

[Shawnster]

The Medusans. But are they considered corporeal?

 

[Drago-Kazov]

What about people that can probably shift their shape like the Q?

 

[T'Girl]

The jelly pancake creatures from Operation Annihilate.

 

[Gojira]

I always felt that TOS had more non-Humanoid and Corporal Aliens than other shows in the franchise. Once They began for "forehead of the week alien" they became the standard.

 

[d'Anconia]

The Crystalline Entity is non humanoid, and appeared several times on TNG.

 

[Harbinger]

The Medusans. But are they considered corporeal?

Yes, I believe they are. In fact, they were described as so hideous they could drive a person mad. They seem to be almost Lovecraftian type aliens is my guess.

What about people that can probably shift their shape like the Q?

I'd consider them non-corporal. They're pretty much god like entities. I don't think they have a corporal form, at least not in this dimension.

 

[Gojira]

The Crystalline Entity is non humanoid, and appeared several times on TNG.

Several? I thought it appeared only twice?

 

[Timo]

...Well, several times in each episode.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Captain McBain]

Armus, Sheliak, Gomtuu.

 

[Garrovick]

The non-organic "living computer" beings from Velara III in "Home Soil.

The "space amoeba" from "The Immunity Symdrome".