Goal-Oriented Evolution: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:evolution super 6518.jpg|frame|The Evolution Of [[Superman|(Super)]] Man]]

A common subtrope of [[Hollywood Evolution]] that commonly shows up along with [[Evolutionary Levels]], evolution is depicted as, or believed by a character to be, being directed toward a goal, most commonly [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence|ascension]] or superpowered or [[Human Alien|humanoid]], rather than toward whatever is best adapted to the environment. Generally, things being described as "more evolved" is a very good indicator this trope is present.

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'': Advancement in the traditional evolutionary sense and digivolution are seen as the goal of the Sovereign Zhuqiaomon, his Devas and Impmon.

* ''[[Stardust Memories]]'': One theory is that evolutionary levels are contagious on a mass scale—if a world has primitive life, and it's visited by humans, that primitive life will rapidly evolve to fill all evolutionary niches required in order to produce human-like creatures. Unfortunately, [[Body Horror|it may hit an evolutionary dead end during the attempt]] . . .

* [[Marvel Comics]]:

** ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X Men]]'': Many characters (particularly the villains) believe that mutants are the next stage of humanity or its successor. In fact, it appears mutants, humans, Inhumans, and other species were experiments towards some vague goal set up by the Celestials.

*** In ''[[What If]] The Avengers Lost The Evolutionary War?'', all mutant and otherwise empowered superpeople have their powers enhanced in all kinds of ways (Cyclops can now control his blasts and doesn't need a visor; Spiderman grows four extra arms) while ordinary humans (including non-evolved heroes and villains such as Ironman and Doctor Doom) become bigbrained superintelligent psychics.

* The "Superman of the future" (100,000 years in the future) in Action Comics #256, [https://web.archive.org/web/20130829045547/http://superdickery.com/images/stories/science/vac_u_jack.jpg as seen on Superdickery]. Note that this is also a reference to the Ultra-Humanite, the earliest comic supervillain, more recognizable as having evolved into a large brained ''albino gorilla'' after [[Lex Luthor]] accidentally stole [[Bald of Evil|his look]].

== Films -- Live-Action ==

* In the 1986 film version of ''[[The Fly]]'', the afflicted remarks "I seem to be stricken by a disease with a purpose, wouldn't you say?"

* ''[[Mission to Mars]]'' heavily implies that the life that was seeded on Earth by the Martians was intended to go through the exact path that we saw in our history, complete with the destruction of the dinosaurs, the Ice Ages, and the ascent of humankind, complete with genes that are able to activate the technology that was sealed inside the Face.

== Literature ==

* Played with in the fiction portion of ''[[Discworld/The Science of Discworld|The Science of Discworld]]'', in which the native life forms of Roundworld keep evolving civilizations which the wizards hail as the pinnacle of creation, only to be wiped out to a crab/lizard/bear/whatever by cometary impacts and other catastrophes. So even if intelligence ''were'' something evolution was actively working towards, extinction couldn't care less.

* Averted in [[David Brin]]'s ''[[Uplift]]'' verse. Most clans believe that a species can't even develop sentience without genetic engineering (the exceptions being the mythical [[Precursors]] and maybe humanity).

== Live-Action TV ==

** ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'': The episode "The Omega Glory" also used the 'path evolution is supposed to take' idea in order to show a planet who ''evolved the American flag and Constitution in parallel to Earth''.

*** Spock explains:

'''Observer:''' Convenient? Why, our brains are fully functional from our bodies for up to fifty yards. }}

** Also referenced in the final host segment of the last episode of the Comedy Central years (a ''2001'' parody), when the SOL crew evolves into energy. They decide to regain their bodily forms at the beginning of the first episode of the Sci-Fi Channel years.

** Explicitly shown in one episode when Sheldon states Amy's science (neurobiology) is basically the same as Bernadette's (microbiology):

{{quote|'''Sheldon:''' Your doctorate is in neurobiology. I fail to see the distinction.

* ''[[Red Dwarf]]'': Over the course of 3 million years the inbred and irradiated descendents of Lister's cat somehow evolved into [http://media.photobucket.com/image/red%20dwarf%20cat/Smeghead/1-13l.jpg this].

* ''[[Babylon 5]]'': In one episode a super-powerful psychic has reached "the next stage" ahead of everyone else and evolves into an energy being. At the end of the series we're shown humans a million years down the line, who have all become beings of pure thought.

== Tabletop Games ==

* In the ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' card game, the Slivers seem to be an insectile species that have evolved the ability to evolve faster and share genetics through some sort of [[Hive Mind|psionic link]], resulting in not just momentary changes to genotype but also phenotype when two different varieties are in proximity. In addition, some flavor text references [[Evolutionary Levels]]. The Ghostflame Sliver, for example, seems to be a reference to the common misunderstanding of the punctuated equilibrium theory, as they are "on the cusp of evolution", but it's most notable in the Sliver Overlord, which declares it the ''end'' of evolution. Then again, the Slivers evolve so quickly partially by devouring other life forms and adapting their advantageous genes to their offspring, grow rapidly to adulthood, are semi-sentient, act in concert, and are almost virus-like in their ability to infest, consume, and spread rapidly, so it might just be an intimation that the Slivers will kill everything on the planet, halting evolution permanently.

* ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'': "Pages from the Mages" [[Played With]] this. The spell "Evolve" changes a normal animal into an intelligent and more or less human-like form. [[Don't Explain the Joke|The punchline]] is that glorified name aside, the spell just permanently transforms the target halfway to its caster (presumed to be a human smart enough to use a 8-level spell), using his own blood sample(!) as a component.

== Video Games ==

* ''[[Wild ARMs 3]]'': The Prophets describe five stages of evolution; they hope to evolve the world into its final stage. Even the characters who call out this notion as BS believe the dragons lived at their "evolutionary apex" before dying out. {{spoiler|The former statement is justified oddly in that the Prophets were under the coercion of the ego-maniacal Demons.}}

* ''[[Marathon Trilogy|Marathon]]'': [[Word of God]] has said that this is the inspiration for [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|Rampancy]] in [[The Verse]]. The concept that all life, and all evolution, strives upward towards [[Deus Est Machina|Godhood]].

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'': In an episode titled "Natural Selection", Martha Connors states that lizard DNA is more primitive than humans, to which Curt Connors, the unfortunate victim of his own experiment, responds: "I'm regressing."

* ''[[Ben 10: Ultimate Alien]]'': The titular [[Super Mode|Ultimate Forms]]. The 'fast' part is at least justified in that the entire series revolves around a piece of [[Imported Alien Phlebotinum]] that can spontaneously rewrite a person's DNA. [[Word of God]] claims that the Ultimate forms are actually the ''projected'' evolution of a species based off of a simulated planet-wide civil war lasting millions of years.

== Real Life ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Evolution Tropes]]

[[Category:Hollywood Science]]

[[Category:Transhuman Tropes]]