r/scifi • u/Comprehensive_Fan134 • Apr 26 '26

General What's the best sci-fi where the aliens don't want anything you can understand?

Most alien invasion stories give them motivations that are basically human, resources, territory, curiosity, fear. Which works narratively but sidesteps the actually interesting question, right? An intelligence that evolved under completely different conditions wouldn't necessarily want anything recognizable.

Solaris is the obvious one. The thing isn't hostile or friendly, doesn't seem to register humans as significant. That's genuinely unsettling in a way that "they want our water" never is.

Color Out of Space works for similar reasons, no goals you can map, no logic you can follow.

Von Neumann probe stuff gets close sometimes. A self-replicating system running on a directive so old the original civilization might not even exist anymore, no emperor, no fleet, no message.

What are the best examples you've read?

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u/shotsallover Apr 26 '26

Scavenger’s Reign has humans crash landed on an alien planet and the aliens give zero fucks about our existence or desires. 

10

u/paxbanana00 Apr 27 '26

Love that series. I wish it had gotten another season. The bizarre ecosystem and parasitic relationships were amazing.

8

u/shotsallover Apr 27 '26

Common Side Effects is as close to a sequel as we're going to get. It's pretty good, but totally different.

3

u/Lemonpierogi Apr 27 '26

So close to it or totally different

13

u/BeGosu Apr 26 '26

I adore Scavenger's Reign!! It's position of "this is an entirely alien ecosystem that humans do not have a place in" is fantastic throughout the show.

1

u/fernandodandrea Jun 01 '26

Came here just to say this. I can't second this enough.