Designing Alien Species That Feel Truly Alien

One of the biggest mistakes in science fiction is creating aliens that are basically just humans in funny costumes.

They may have blue skin, extra arms, glowing eyes, or tentacles—but beneath the surface, they still think, talk, and behave exactly like people from Earth.

Truly memorable alien species feel different not because of how they look… but because of how alien their entire existence is.

So how do great writers and worldbuilders design aliens that genuinely feel otherworldly?

Start With Environment

Every species is shaped by the world it evolved on.

A creature from a high-gravity planet may be short, dense, and powerful.A species from a dark underground world may have huge eyes—or no eyes at all.Aliens from ocean planets may communicate through colour shifts, vibrations, or electric pulses rather than sound.

The best alien designs begin with one simple question:

“What kind of world created this lifeform?”

Think Beyond Human Psychology

Real alien intelligence may not think like us at all.

A hive-minded species may not understand individuality.A species that reproduces only once before death may have no concept of long-term planning.A race that shares thoughts telepathically may never have developed lying, privacy, or secrets.

The stranger the psychology, the more believable the alien feels.

Change Their Priorities

Humans are driven by survival, status, love, fear, and belonging.

But alien species may value completely different things.

Perhaps they care only about knowledge.Perhaps they worship mathematical perfection.Perhaps they believe individual suffering is meaningless compared to collective progress.

Giving aliens fundamentally different motivations instantly makes them more believable.

Make Communication Unfamiliar

Not every species would speak in neat verbal sentences.

They may communicate through:

• pheromones

• body posture

• colour changes

• vibrations

• electromagnetic pulses

• scent patterns

Communication methods shape culture—and make species feel distinct.

Rethink Beauty and Attraction

Humans often assume aliens will share our ideas of beauty, love, and relationships.

Why would they?

An alien species may find symmetry ugly.They may reproduce asexually.They may bond through combat instead of romance.They may have no concept of family at all.

These details make a species feel truly separate from humanity.

Avoid “Rubber Forehead Syndrome”

Many weak sci-fi designs simply create humans with one physical tweak:

• humans with pointy ears

• humans but green

• humans but taller

• humans but with forehead ridges

  
  

This works for practical TV budgets—but in written fiction or animation, your imagination should go much further.

Push yourself beyond cosmetic differences.

Final Thought

The best alien species don’t just challenge the heroes physically.

They challenge them philosophically.

A truly alien species should make readers ask:

“Could I even understand this being?”

Because the most fascinating thing about meeting alien life wouldn’t be discovering something that looks strange.

It would be discovering something that experiences reality in a way we can barely comprehend.

And that is what makes science fiction feel truly cosmic.

Keep imagining boldly and don't forget to check out our Storyplanet Youtube channel, for more on sci-fi and african foklore.

All my love,

Joanna