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{{trope}}
{{quote|''{{smallcaps|[[
|{{spoiler|'''Sovereign'''}}, ''[[Mass Effect]]''}}
[[
'''Recursive Precursors''' occur when the concept of
Of course, having a long series [[
Naturally, this is a [[Sub-Trope]] of [[
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* In ''[[Gall Force]]: Eternal Story'', the {{spoiler|Solnoids}} are the precursors of {{spoiler|humanity}}; in ''[[Gall Force]]: Stardust War'' it's also revealed that the {{spoiler|Solnoids}} also have precursors. Finally, in ''[[Gall Force]]: New Era'', it's revealed that {{spoiler|due to a [[Stable Time Loop]], all the races in the story are each other's precursors}}.
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* Across the various universes that can be reached by magical gates in ''[[Desperately Seeking Ranma]]'' there are acknowledged to have been several generations of Precursors to Precursors to Precursors. The civilizations which engaged in the war that spawned the weaponized automated time machine which causes so much trouble in the story were one such; [[Sailor Moon|the Silence Glaive]] is known to be an artifact from an even earlier generation.
== [[Film]] ==
* In the ''[[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]'', there are multiple races of [[Precursors]], starting with the [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens|Celestials]], who created the hyperdrive triangle which makes galactic civilization possible. After them came the [[Abusive Precursors|Rakata]], who built a massive [[The Empire|Empire]], are the reason Tatooine is a desert, and left behind things such as [[Knights of the Old Republic|The Star Forge]].
== [[Literature]] ==
* In [[Carl Sagan]]'s novel ''[[Contact (Literature)|Contact]]'', when the humans make [[First Contact]] the [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]] who sent them the blueprints for the device used to access the setting's [[Portal Network]], they reveal that they were not the original creators of said [[Portal Network]]. It is also revealed that whatever being(s) did create the [[Portal Network]] had ''their own [[Precursor]](s) {{spoiler|the creator(s) of the universe-who may be [[God]]}}- left a message in the form of {{spoiler|the numerical sequence of [[Pi]].}}
* [[David Brin]]'s ''[[Uplift]]'' series. The original [[Precursors]], the Progenitors, existed a billion years ago. They uplifted non-sapient races into intelligent beings. The races they created themselves uplifted more species, and the process has continued to the present day.
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* In ''[[Planet of Adventure]]'', the humans of Tschai are broken down into groups based on which alien species they are associated with. Each group regards their masters as the "real" precursors, although an outsider can tell that this is ultimately not true.
== [[Live
* ''[[Babylon 5]]'': Lorien and the rest of his kind were this to the other [[
* ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'': The People of Kobol were [[Precursors]] to the {{spoiler|People of Earth}} and the 12 Colonies, but there was presumably no one before them {{spoiler|unless you count whatever "It" is that doesn't like being called "God" and the Head People.}}▼
▲* ''[[Babylon 5]]'': Lorien and the rest of his kind were this to the other [[The Precursors|First Ones]], like the Vorlons and the Shadows.
▲* ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'': The People of Kobol were [[Precursors]] to the {{spoiler|People of Earth}} and the 12 Colonies, but there was presumably no one before them {{spoiler|unless you count whatever "It" is that doesn't like being called "God" and the Head People.}}
* In ''[[Doctor Who]]'', we have [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens|the Eternals]], some of which were apparently the seldom mentioned [[Ancient Astronauts|gods of Gallifrey]]; [[Precursors]] to the Time Lords who are themselves [[Depending on the Writer|(sometimes)]] cited as the reason for there being so many races of [[Human Aliens]], [[Rubber Forehead Aliens]], and [[Humanoid Aliens]] in the [[Whoniverse]].
* In ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' it is speculated that all life in the universe originated on Earth, with humans acting as the [[
* In the [[Stargate Verse]], the Goa'uld were originally thought to be the ones who had built the Stargate network, come to Earth to find slaves, and built the Pyramids to land their spaceships. SG-1 quickly discovers that while the Goa'uld were indeed the ones on Earth thousands of years ago, the Stargates were actually built by ''their'' precursors, the Ancients, millions of years ago. ''[[Stargate Universe]]'' revealed that the Ancients had found signs of their own [[Precursors]] (or [[God]]), but the series ended before they could be revealed.
* The ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[Expanded Universe]] is full of these. There's all the [[Energy Being|uberpowerful noncorporeal life]], and the ancient humanoid preservers, and a hundred or so other ancient powerful empires.
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* In [[Greek Mythology]] the first major figures are Gaia and Uranus, whose children were the Titans, many monsters, and the Gold race of men who died out by not reproducing. Then Cronos, the leader of the Titans, castrated Uranus and overthrew him, then Cronos' kids overthrew him (yeah, they've kind of got a children killing their parents theme here). Also Zeus created the Silver race of men, but they were too warlike and he had to destroy them, so Prometheus made the Bronze race who were our ancestors.
* [[Norse Mythology]] is kind of similar, with Odin and his brothers killing the primeval giant Ymir, making the world out of his body, and instituting the rule of the Aesir.
== [[Video Games]] ==
*
* In ''[[Homeworld]]'', the
▲* [[The Precursors]] of the contemporary object of worship--"[[The Maker]]"—in the ''[[Dragon Age]]'' series were the seven [[Old Gods]] of Tevinter. Their [[The Precursors|Precursors]] were the nine Elven gods ("Creators"), and ''their'' precursors were the [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Forgotten Ones]].
▲* In ''[[Homeworld]]'', the anchient Hiigarans left their warp core to be discovered by the Kushans 3000 years later. But the Anchient Hiigarans never built the core, they found it. It was made by a still older race known only as the Precursors, who, according to legend, are said to have originated from beyond the galaxy.
* The ''[[Mass Effect]]'' universe has a bunch of these, one of which–a [[Eldritch Abomination|Reaper]] called {{spoiler|[[Big Bad|Sovereign]]}}–provides the page quotes. Of course, due to the [[Law of Conservation of Detail]], only two of these races–the [[Time Abyss|billion or so]] year old [[Deus Est Machina|mechanical]] [[Eldritch Abomination|Reapers]] and the 50,000 year old [[Benevolent Precursors|Protheans]], respectively the first and last in the line of Recursive Precursors–are relevant to the plot.
** The third game reveals {{spoiler|that the Protheans weren't as benevolent as originally thought, having united the Galaxy by expansionism and imperialism, with their belief that the strongest race should lead the Galaxy. If the Protheans lost, they would freely serve any race who managed to beat them. No-one did.}}
** {{spoiler|Javik reveals that the precursors to the Protheans were the Issuanon,
** Towards the end, it is even considered that the [[The Alliance|Citadel Races]] might become the Precursors for the next generation of galactic species.
* ''[[Halo]]'
* In the ''[[Star Control]]'' series, the first [[Precursors]] we know of is the race that left behind the massive battleship that the Ur-Quan use, who themselves [[Turned Against Their Masters|Turned Against]] their Dnyarri slavemasters, who themselves had killed their own [[Precursors]], the Sentient Milieu. The reason for the original [[Precursors]] not being around anymore was eventually revealed in [[Fanon Discontinuity|(the often-ignored)]] ''[[Star Control|Star Control III]]'' ; {{spoiler|they were wiped out by an [[Up to Eleven|Even More Advanced]] race, possibly their own Recursive Precursors.}}
* The ''[[Free Space]]'' series has some in-universe speculation on this. The Ancients were the Precursors to the modern-day Terrans and Vasudans, but they were wiped out by a total enigma of an advanced species called [[Precursor Killers|the Shivans]], who are now attacking the Terrans and Vasudans. One character speculates that the Shivans have been around for a ''really'' long time, and exterminating any civilization that evolves to a certain point like they did the Ancients, though there is no direct evidence that this is the case.
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* In ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'', [[Space Elves|Eldar]] are a borderline example of
* [[Forgotten Realms]] elves dominated Faerun before they torn both continent and their civilizations apart in Crown Wars, which left them weakened and gradually displaced by human expansion, all the while Dwarven and Giant kingdoms still fought each other. But the Elves in turn took the world from Dragons' claws. That's where we switch from merely mythical era to the [[Time Abyss]] of [http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Creator_race Creator Races] about whom little is known: Dragons [https://web.archive.org/web/20130531132751/http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd
▲* In ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'', [[Space Elves|Eldar]] are a borderline example of [[The Precursors|a Precursor Race]], in which case their creators, the Old Ones, would be Recursive Precursors as well, alongside the [[Abusive Precursors|Necrontyr/Necrons]], and the [[Eldritch Abomination|C'tan Star Gods.]]
▲* [[Forgotten Realms]] elves dominated Faerun before they torn both continent and their civilizations apart in Crown Wars, which left them weakened and gradually displaced by human expansion, all the while Dwarven and Giant kingdoms still fought each other. But the Elves in turn took the world from Dragons' claws. That's where we switch from merely mythical era to the [[Time Abyss]] of [http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Creator_race Creator Races] about whom little is known: Dragons [http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drrl/20071107a fought giants] after knocking birdlike Aearee out of Toril's sky... Aearee in turn spread when [[Frogs and Toads|Batrachi]] got themselves extinct, before ''their'' time there were [[Lizard Folk|Sarrukh]] and [[Fair Folk|Fey]], and so on. And before that was "[http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15988&whichpage=24#385780 Time of the Rauth]"—prehistorical era when something was going on too, but ''what'' is completely lost by now.
* [[Eberron]] has a long history of being ruled by demons, then dragons, then giants, then goblinoids (in Khorvaire), then finally the common races. Some of them are still around to some extent, from the [[Neglectful Precursors|Dragons of Argonessen]] to the [[Sealed Evil in a Can|Demon Wastes]] to whatever is happening in [[Dug Too Deep|the depths of Khyber]].
* The ''Gurps [[Traveller]]''
{{reflist}}
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