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The Milky Way galaxy contains countless different species of organisms, both organic and artificial. However, while life in general is plentiful, sapient life is rare.[1] Only four sapient species have currently been identified: humans, Guardians with their Constructs, and Thargoids. The existence of the two other sapient species is implied by the Martian Relic, Soontill Relics and many more artefacts, sites or data. The Thargoids are even frequently encountered in fights in recent times.

Sapient Species

Sapient species are capable of higher thought and culture. It is the property of possessing or being able to possess wisdom.[2] This goes beyond mere practical wisdom and includes self-knowledge, interconnectedness, conditioned origination of mind-states and other deeper understandings of subjective experience.[3]

Name Description Image

Construct

The Constructs are a sentient, robotic species that were created by the Guardians millions of years ago. It is unknown whether they still exist.[4] Machine sentience is banned in Federal, Empire and Alliance space since it proved to be very dangerous when it was created on a few occasions. However, it is believed that one or two AI escaped into deep space.[5][6]

Guardian

The Guardians were an alien humanoid species who went extinct 1 to 2 million years ago following a devastating civil war.[7][8]

The Ancient Ruins were discovered in 3302 and the Guardian Structures in 3304. They used artificial intelligence, neural implants and the Monolith Network as the heart of the Guardians' society. The monolith network was used for practically all of their society's communication. The formal basis for the Guardians' communication behaviors was visual rather than verbal, a distinction that arose very early in their development. Their written language consisted of glyphs that evolved from a form of sign language that the Guardians developed while hunting to communicate stealthily.

Guardian-Structure-and-Planet

Guardian Structure

Human

Humans are the most well known species with a robust physiology. They are bipedal mammals and generally strong, fast and agile. They reach physical maturity at around 18 years old. Then they enter the workforce or continue their education for a profession. The average human lifespan is naturally about 79 years, but advanced biotechnology and cybernetics has substantially increased human lifespans. Humans primarily reside in a colonized region colloquially known as "the Bubble", which contains about 19,000 star systems. They originated from the single-star system Sol and the terrestrial planet Earth in the Orion-Cygnus Arm of the Milky Way.

As it has been throughout recorded history, mankind is not very prone to agreement over ethical, political, religious, and economic views. It remains this way today in the 34th Century, with the realm of human-colonized space held by numerous groups under various ideals, some benevolent and others not quite as much.

There are three major factions known as galactic superpowers and several Powers in human-colonized space. The Federation is based in Sol and is a representative-electing democracy. The Empire is based from the system of Achenar and is a hereditary monarchy. The Alliance is based from the system of Alioth and is a confederation of independent systems working cooperatively. Powers are powerful individuals or organizations who strive to control inhabited space for their own agendas in Powerplay. Each Power can control a vast amount of systems that is aligned to both major and minor factions. In addition to the three galactic superpowers and the powers, there are also many minor factions. The faction with the highest influence within the system will usually be the controlling faction of that system. System control falls on the faction that owns the controlling station. The government of a system is ruled by a controlling faction and if that faction is an anarchy no laws will apply in the system.

Human-Race-Male

Human Male

Human-Race-Female

Human Female

Thargoid

The Thargoids are an alien insectoid species who are said to originate outside of known space, perhaps existing in a parallel universe or spacial dimension. They are very hostile and aggressive and have not been interested in diplomatic relations to date. Not much information has been obtained about Thargoid society or culture. The only known fact is that the society is hive based, with no sense of close family. It is thought that the society is divided into colonies, possibly along the lines of ant colonies. On January 5, 3303, the first encounter with a Thargoid Interceptor was reported. These ships were determined to be of Thargoid origin by Professor Palin.[9] The Thargoid Scouts appeared in September. Scavengers are biomechanical workers who reside at Thargoid Surface Sites.
Thargoid-Concept-Art-Rumored

Thargoid concept art rumored

Non-Sapient Species

Non-sapient species are living beings without the capacity for higher thought and culture for survival. They are sentient with the capacity to feel, perceive or experience subjectively.[10][11] Any creature with a brain and nervous system is conscious no matter how tiny the brain. Some are self-aware and think about themselves as individuals with their own thoughts and personalities.

Name Description Image

Baltah'sine Vacuum Krill

Vacuum Krill are astonishing creatures. One of the few species to live in the hard vacuum of space, they are native to the ice rings around Baltah'sine 4b. Their eggs grow in vast numbers in tiny water pockets within the rocks - kept liquid by secretions from the mother when the eggs are first laid. When mature, they eventually burrow their way out, propelling themselves between rocks with tiny excretions of fluid, in search of a mate.[12]

Bell Mollusc

Bell Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like bells.
Bell-Mollusc

Bell Mollusc

Bulb Mollusc

Bulb Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like bulbs.
ED-Bulb-Mollusc

Bulb Mollusc

Bullet Mollusc

Bullet Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like bullets.
Bullet-Mollusc

Bullet Mollusc

Capsule Mollusc

Capsule Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like capsules.
Capsule-Mollusc-in-ED

Capsule Mollusc

Delines

Delines are rotund feline-like creatures with rich, black fur. They're indigenous to the Diso system.

Giant Irukama Snails

Giant Irukama Snails are a molluscoid species which resemble snails. They're native to Irukama and a food delicacy. The meat of one snail can fill several standard cargo canisters.[12]

Giant Verrix

The Giant Verrix is a hardy beast of burden now found throughout human space, especially on the emerging worlds of the outer rim, but naturally bred Verrix are very rare and highly prized.[12]

Globe Mollusc

Globe Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and have a spherical shape.
Globe Mollusc Cobalteum

Globe Mollusc

Gourd Mollusc

Gourd Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like gourds. They appear to communicate with each other using whale-like vocalizations, and shy away from any ships that approach them.
Space Squid

Gourd Mollusc

HIP Proto-Squid

HIP Proto-Squid are huge creatures of HIP 41181. They share many evolutionary similarities with the now extinct squid once found on ancient Earth.[12]

Itorilleta

Itorilleta are the most cunning and fiercest creatures of Biggs Colony in the Altair system. They look like a cross between a dinosaur, a spider and a scorpion of old Earth and crowned with a waving mass of sensitive tentacles. They were mentioned in Frontier: Elite II lore.[13]
Stories-of-Life-on-the-Frontier-Itorilleta-fierce-creature

Itorilleta

Karsuki Locusts

Karsuki Locusts are an insectoid species native to Karsuki Ti. They have a sweet flavor due to the native fungal parasites that infest their bodies.[12]

Ling Lang

The Ling Lang is a dangerous animal, a carnivorous life form from the Achenar system (most certainly Capitol).[14] Some people keep it as a pet such as the Imperial Prince Aristide de Lavigny.[15]

Mudlark

The planet Capitol in the Achenar system had alien sentient life known as mudlarks. The mudlarks unintentionally went extinct due to human colonists who brought bacteria to the planet in the middle of the 23rd century. The bacteria were deadly for the indigenous species. There was not much appreciation for alien sentient life at the time.[16]

Parasol Mollusc

Parasol Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like parasols.
ED-Parasol-Mollusc

Parasol Mollusc

Reel Mollusc

Reel Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like reels.
Reel-Mollusc-1

Reel Mollusc

Snake Sector species

The Snake Sector species is an unidentified species of insectoids native to an enclosed, underground ecosystem on the moon Snake Sector GW-W c1-1 AB 5 b.

Squid Mollusc

Squid Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and are shaped like squid.
ED-Roseum-Squid-Mollusc

Roseum Squid Mollusc

Torus Mollusc

Torus Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs and have ring-shaped shells.
Caeruleum Torus Mollusc

Torus Mollusc

Trumble

Trumble are small, round, rapidly breeding creatures. If too many breed within a ship, they can be culled by overheating the ship near a star.[17] They are currently only in the original Elite.
Trumble Elite C-64

Trumble

Umbrella Mollusc

Umbrella Molluscs are spacefaring creatures that resemble Earth-like molluscs with an exoskeleton. Their size is similar to a Krait Phantom.
Space-Jellyfish-2

Umbrella Mollusc

Warg

The warg is a deer-like creature with big eyes. It can be bred as a pet.[18]

Whispering Plants

Whispering Plants are alien carnivorous species from Quphieth. It has a thick, fairly short trunk, with a fringe of bright blue plumes sticking out horizontally for a distance about half the height of the trunk, then a mass of astonishing red fronds at least twice the length of the trunk topped the whole thing off. It's sessile, and uses colour, odour and sound to attract its prey. They were mentioned in Frontier: Elite II lore.[19]
Quphieth-Whispering-Plant-Species

Whispering Plant

Non-Sentient Species

These are species that are not self-aware. They cannot view themselves as individuals.

Name Description Image

Amphora Plant

Amphora Plants are a type of Fungal Life that resemble an amphora, a type of container used by humans on Earth during the Neolithic Period.
Amphora-Plant-in-Elite

Amphora Plant

Anemone

Anemones are a type of Fungal Life that resemble giant Earth-like pumpkins.
Alien-Anemones-and-SRV

Anemones

Aster Pod

An Aster Pod is a seed pod produced by an Aster Tree.
ED-Aster-Pod

Aster Pod

Aster Tree

An Aster Tree is a plant-like organic structure that produces Aster Pods.
ED-Aster-Tree

Aster Tree

Bark Mound

Bark Mounds are a type of Fungal Life that have been found at several locations around the galaxy.
Bark-Mounds-in-Witch Head Sector XE-Q B5-0 B 2

Bark Mounds

Brain Tree

Brain Trees are a type of Fungal Life found on several rocky and ice worlds.
Brain-Trees-in-Skaudai-JP-A-C29-5-3-A

Brain Trees

Cactoida

Cactoida are a species of alien organism found on planets and moons with thin atmospheres across the galaxy.
Cactoida Lapis

Cactoida

Calcite Plate

Calcite Plates are formations of calcium carbonate created by colonies of tiny, spacefaring polyp-like creatures.
Calcite-Plate-in-ED

Calcite Plate

Chalice Pod

A Chalice Pod is a type of seed pod found in space.
Chalice Pod Caeruleum

Chalice Pod

Clypeus

Clypeus are a species of alien organism found on planets and moons with thin atmospheres across the galaxy.
Clypeus Margaritus

Clypeus Margaritus

Collared Pod

A Collared Pod is a plant-like spacefaring organism with multiple bioluminescent spots on either side of its body.
Trifid-Leaf-alien-in-ED

Collared Pod

Concha

Concha are a species that thrives in atmospheres rich with carbon dioxide. The lip-like upper opening cracks apart to allow a vertical growth of spiky leaves and bright seeds to stretch upward.
ConchaRenibus

Concha Renibus

Crystalline Shard

A Crystalline Shard is a crystalline structure found on airless planets and moons.
Crystalline-Shards-and-SRV

Crystalline Shards

Electricae

Electricae are organisms found exclusively on extremely cold ice worlds in the vicinity of frozen lakes. The visible tips can be observed protruding from the ice, often near fissures where it is thinnest.
Electricae

Electricae

Fonticulua

Fonticulua are photosynthetic colony organisms found exclusively on ice worlds, where they have embraced the surrounding frozen material as a form of protection.
Fonticulua Digitos

Fonticulua

Frutexa

Frutexa are a plant-like species capable of producing seed pods.
Frutexa Flabellum

Frutexa Flabellum

Gyre Pod

A Gyre Pod is a seed pod produced by a Gyre Tree.
ED-Gyre-Pod

Gyre Pod

Gyre Tree

A Gyre Tree is a plant-like organic structure that produces Gyre Pods.
Stolon-Pods-alien-2

Gyre Tree

Ice Crystal

Ice Crystals are icicle-like crystalline structures produced by spacefaring microorganism colonies.
Ice-Crystals-space

Ice Crystals

Kachirigin Filter Leeches

Kachirigin Filter Leeches can painlessly filter impurities from the user's blood, so can be used as a cure-all for hangovers and the worst affects of certain addictions.[20]

Lattice Mineral Sphere

Lattice Mineral Spheres are mineral formations produced by colonies of spacefaring microorganisms.
Lattice-Mineral-Spheres-in-ED

Lattice mineral sphere

Metallic Crystal

Metallic Crystals are crystalline structures with a metallic cluster on their outer surface produced by spacefaring microorganism colonies.
Alien-Metallic-Crystals

Metallic Crystals

Mukusubii Chitin-Os

The Mukusubii Chitin-Os are chitinous native insects that are processed using industrial mining equipment, then re-constituted into convenient circles.

Mulachi Giant Fungus

The Mulachi Giant Fungus is a fungal life forms found in Mulachi can grow to occupy entire continents.

Octahedral Pod

An Octahedral Pod is a seed pod produced by the plant-like Void Heart structure.
Octahedral Pod Rubeum

Octahedral Pod

Osseus

The Osseus species grows a single thick stalk from which emerges a wide, broadly circular, pitted endoskeleton. This structure is designed to dramatically increase the surface area of the organism, facilitating chemical capture and chemosynthesis on its catalytically active surface.
Osseus Pumice

Osseus Pumice

Peduncle Pod

A Peduncle Pod is produced by the Peduncle Tree and carries its seeds. Peduncle Pods are capable of moving by expelling a kind of liquid or gas.[21]
Peduncle-Pod-in-ED

Peduncle Pod

Peduncle Tree

The Peduncle Tree is a space-based organism with some of the qualities of a terrestrial plant. It produces Peduncle Pods.[21]
Peduncle-Pods

Peduncle Tree

Quadripartite Pod

A Quadripartite Pod is a type of seed pod found in space.
Quadripartite-Pods

Quadripartite Pods

Radioplankton

Radioplankton are tiny, free-floating, carbon-based algae. These water-based life-forms live underneath the surface of gas giants.

Recepta

Recepta are a species of alien organism found on planets and moons with thin atmospheres across the galaxy.
Recepta Conditivus

Recepta

Rhizome Pod

A Rhizome Pod is a type of seed pod found in space.
ED-Rhizome-Pod

Rhizome Pods

Silicate Crystal

Silicate Crystals are crystalline structures composed of silicate minerals produced by spacefaring microorganism colonies.
Silicate Crystal

Silicate Crystal

Sinuous Tuber

Sinuous Tuber are vividly-colored, tubular organic structures with a superficial resemblance Earth tube worms.
Sinuous-Tuber-alien

Sinuous Tuber

Solid Mineral Sphere

Solid Mineral Spheres are mineral formations produced by colonies of spacefaring microorganisms.
ED-Solid-Mineral-Spheres

Solid Mineral Spheres

Stolon Pod

A Stolon Pod is a seed produced by a Stolon Tree.
ED-Stolon-Pod

Stolon Pod

Stolon Tree

A Stolon Tree is a plant-like organic structure that produces Stolon Pods.
Stolon-Tree

Stolon Tree

Stratum

Stratum are low-lying photosynthetic organisms that bond tightly to the surface of rocks. The body of the organism may be embedded in the rock subsurface to provide protection from the elements, leaving the tough photosynthetic proto-leaves exposed.
Stratum Laminamus - Lime

Stratum

Thargoid Barnacle

A Thargoid Barnacle is an organic Thargoid structure that extracts resources from a planet and converts them into Meta-Alloys, a key component in Thargoid ships and technologies.
Alien-Structure-Barnacle

Thargoid Barnacle

Tubus

Tubus are a species of alien organism found on planets and moons with thin atmospheres across the galaxy.
Tubus Compagibus

Tubus Compagibus

Tussock

Tussock are a species of alien organism found on planets and moons with thin atmospheres across the galaxy.
Tussock Ignis

Tussock Ignis

Uszaian Tree Grub

The Uszaian Tree Grub was introduced to the system from Lave, in an attempt to create a wildlife reserve for endangered species.

Void Heart

A Void Heart is a plant-like organic structure that resembles a tangle of thorns with a glowing core. Void Hearts produce Octahedral Pods to spread their seeds.
Void-Hearts

Void Heart

Alien Life and Relics

Alien Life

The first alien life was discovered on Tau Ceti 2 in the Tau Ceti system through observation from Sol which was confirmed by an interstellar probe in the early 22nd century.[22][23][24] The Tau Ceti colonists ignored Earth's policy of preserving indigenous life. At first, out of carelessness and for survival, then for exploitation and trade. After a scrutinisation, issuing additional ignored guidelines for life habitat conservation and imposition of trade sanctions, the old Federation sent a military task force which compelled the colonists of the newly renamed Taylor Colony to negotiations.[25][26][27] However, it did not manage to avert that the last remnants of the Tau Ceti aliens are now only in zoo enclosures for tourists.[22]

Futher discoveries of life were also concurrently made in the other prospective earliest human colonies in the Delta Pavonis, Altair and Beta Hydri systems. Unfortunately, life on Delta Pavonis 3 (now called Reagan's Legacy) was wiped out in a bacteriological accident in 2181.[28][29]

In 2242 after the military conflict on Taylor Colony, The Federation Accord was signed outlining certain independent rights and responsibilities to meet certain development goals for members, uniting many of the new colonies which were allready settled or were settled later.[30][27][29] One core principle of the new Federation transfered from the old one, was the respect for native alien life and ecological preservation.

Water-based life can be highly expected on Earth-like worlds and water worlds, albeit often not evolved much. Nevertheless extraterrestrial life does not necessarily need to use water as a solvent, ammonia is an alternative. It allows living in lower temperatures because of a lower melting point. Ammonia worlds are equivalents for Earth-like worlds with ammonia-based life.

Life in the universe does not even need a solid ground or a liquid ocean to arise and thrive. Water-based or ammonia-based lifeforms have been discovered in the water-cloud or ammonia-cloud layer of some gas giants.[12]

Space travellers can also come across lifeforms wandering in the vacuum of space.

Non-Human Relic

The first non-human relic was found buried on Mars in 2280. The relic is no bigger than a child's hand and still surrounded in secrecy, even in 3300. There's no public information about its properties and origin other than being non-human.[31]

Developers on Life in the Galaxy

David Braben said in a interview at PAX East 2017, "If you look at galactic history and life on Earth, as a percentage of time it has taken hundreds of millions of years to evolve and a small number of millions of years to evolve sentient intelligent life. By the 21st century humans are not a space faring race yet. So even by the 34th century it's still a tiny slice of time. You can imagine different populations spotting up and you wonder how long we will last which is slightly depressing, but you know we might go beyond. The point I'm trying to make is the chance of two races that are at the point of being able to interact whilst both are still alive is actually small. This is the basis for the story, because the beauty and interesting thing with things like artifacts and unknown probes is that it creates wonderful speculation and that great feeling of discovery. There's a lot of interesting things in the history of the game such as the Thargoids which are mysterious and very dangerous, that have been in previous games, even interacting with them and then suddenly disappeared. So there are a lot of interesting mysteries such as the alien ships with hyperdiction. In the previous games the Thargoids have been a very powerful race. We don't know whether the sightings are real or manufactured. We don't know how peaceful they are so we have to see how that pans out. This is perhaps the first story where millions people interact with the same story. Where people on all the different platforms are cooperating or competing with each other in the same servers and story. How the story unfolds is determined by how players react and what they do."[7]

Michael Brookes said in the Elite: Dangerous Fiction Diary #1, "Alien life in the galaxy is very plentiful. However, sentient life is very rare. So the various races and types of indigenous that was reported in the original elite are considered a dominant species of their planets, but they aren’t sentient species. As far as humans are concerned they’ve only encountered a small number of sentient species. There was a sentient race on Achenar which the people who later became the Imperials wiped out. There’s the alien artifact that was discovered in the solar system. That’s a mystery although we hope to reveal a little bit more about where that came from in the future. And, of course there’s the Thargoids" [1]

Notes

  • There were more sapient species in the original Elite which had their population on planets. They were named by various descriptive combinations of words like blue slimy frogs, black furry felines, weird lizards, green fat birds, fierce bony lobsters, harmless rodents, red horned humanoids and so on. They were even illustrated in the more graphical versions on Amiga, Atari ST and in the enhanced Elite Plus version on IBM PC DOS. These species never existed canonically in the Elite Dangerous lore and the universe is formed by humanity with Guardian legacy and Thargoid threat.

Videos

A summary of the alien story so far within Elite Dangerous, from the history of the Unknown Artefact to the discovery of the Barnacles.


Stellar Phenomena:

Gallery

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 YouTube: Elite: Dangerous Fiction Diary #1 (9:34)
  2. AskDefine: Define sapience
  3. Wikipedia: Wisdom#Sapience
  4. Canonn Research: Guardians Codex 6/28 : Civil War Log – Dawn of the Construct
  5. YouTube: Elite: Dangerous Fiction Diary #1 (8:31)
  6. Frontier Forums: Artificial Intelligence Why is it prohibited in Elite Universe
  7. 7.0 7.1 YouTube: Interview with David Braben - PAX East 2017 - Elite Dangerous
  8. Canonn Research: Guardians Codex 10/28 : Civil War Log – Annihilation
  9. GalNet: Galactic News: The Thargoids have Returned
  10. Merriam-Webster Dictionary: sentience
  11. Wikipedia: Sentience
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Gas Giant with Water-based Life and Gas Giant with Ammonia-based Life In-Game Description
  13. The Fiercest Creature on Altair, Stories Of Life On The Frontier by David Massey
  14. Elite Dangerous Knowledge Base > The Alliance > Society
  15. GalNet: Zemina Torval and Florence Lavigny Join Patreus’ Campaign
  16. GalNet: The Birth of an Empire
  17. The Elite Home Page: Elite FAQ
  18. GalNet: Federal Warships Bomb Farms
  19. When a Plan Works Well, Stories Of Life On The Frontier by David Massey
  20. In-Game Description
  21. 21.0 21.1 Codex In-Game Description
  22. 22.0 22.1 Tau Ceti In-Game Description
  23. Tourist Spot 0167, "First Interstellar Colony"
  24. Tourist Spot 0166, "Early Hyperspace"
  25. Tourist Spot 0169, "Ecological Loss"
  26. Tourist Spot 0173, "Alien Transgressions"
  27. 27.0 27.1 Tourist Spot 0174, "Federal Accord"
  28. Tourist Spot 0170, "Accidental Extinction"
  29. 29.0 29.1 Tourist Spot 0168, "Early Colonies"
  30. GalNet: The Founding of the Federation
  31. Tourist Spot 0175, "NonHuman Relic"
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