Space Elves: Difference between revisions

<small>''This is a [[Super-Trope]] discussing references to '''Space Elves''' in various tropes, including: [[Our Elves Are Better]], [[Proud Scholar Race Guy]] (Type II), [[The Fair Folk]] and/or [[The Greys]]. Examples of each type would also fall under such other tropes.''</small>

 

* The Abh in ''[[Crest of the Stars]]''.

* The Raalgons of ''[[Irresponsible Captain Tylor]]''.

 

* The Elves in ''[[Elf Quest]]''.

** The ''[[Elf Quest]]'' elves ironically didn't take on elf form [[Ancient Astronauts|until after]] they were stranded on Planet Abode, and didn't get back ''into'' space for about 20,000 years.

** And the [[New Jedi Order]]'s Yuuzhan Vong are what happens when the mindset of Space Dark Elves meets the appearance and brutality of Space Orcs.

 

* The Taredhel of (Feists [[The Riftwar Cycle|Demonwar Saga]]) were the first amongst slaves; magic users, lovers and diplomats of the Valheru. They eventually left to the stars conquering an empire of planets. Not nice.

* The [[Our Fairies Are Different|fairies (including elves)]] of the ''[[Artemis Fowl]]'' series are traditional, native-to-Earth fairies, with magic that does some things, but they're also very high-tech and in a distinctly sci-fi setting. A fairy space probe plays a part in "Atlantis Complex," among other things.

{{quote|He glanced up, smiling. "It's my Uncle Richard's fancy that Liadens are the 'little people' of Old Terra's legends. Thus, Arthur Galen, Johnny, Nora, and Annie Galen. And their foster brother, the king of Elfland."}}

 

* The Eldar in ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'', naturally.

** Also, their "Dark Kin", the Dark Eldar are Space Dark Elves, a particularly terrifying example of Dark Elves no less.

* The [[Our Elves Are Better|Elves]] of [[Pathfinder|Golarion]] are literally from a foreign planet in the same solar system.

 

* ''[[Jak]]'s'' race is another example - Jak strikes one as [[The Legend of Zelda|Link]] [[In Space]], and Link was constantly mistaken for an elf.

 

* The Loroi from the webcomic ''[[Outsider]]'' are Type I-B, blue space elves. Aside from being [[Blue Space Babe|mostly-female]] and psychic, they've got an explicit [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|"warrior elf"]] [http://well-of-souls.com/outsider/outsider050.html thing] [http://well-of-souls.com/outsider/outsider078.html going].

{{quote|'''Jardin:''' Ah, the old [[Good Cop, Bad Cop|"good elf, bad elf"]] routine. About ''fifty'' impertinent things to say raced through my mind...}}

* In the spanish webcomic [http://www.afrikislife.net/eagerscout/ Eager Scout], Carl is a space prince elf...who travels along the sister of the most feared [[Space Pirates]] in the universe.

 

::''See [[Proud Scholar Race]] (Type II) for more examples.''

* The Abh in ''[[Crest of the Stars]]'' are blatant type 2's, with a good helping of [[Can't Argue with Elves]]—they're world conquerors and we're supposed to ''sympathize'' with them.

 

* The Guardians of the Universe from ''[[Green Lantern]]''. Not tall at all, but immortal? Check. Has incredible powers? Check (the Green Light that empowers the Corps). [[The Spock|Aloof and distant]]? Check. ''[[Can't Argue with Elves|Can't Argue With 'Em]]? [[Screw You, Elves|They'd like to think so...]]

** Also, an all-female offshoot of the Guardians called the Zamarons falls well enough into the [[Blue Skinned Space Babe]] variety.

 

* The [[Avatar (film)|Na'vi]] are [[Our Elves Are Different|Wood Elves]]. Type II-B to boot: the most recent example.

 

* The chieri from [[Marion Zimmer Bradley|Marion Zimmer Bradley's]] ''[[Darkover]]'' series. Space Elves bordering on [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]], they possess lifespans reaching into thousands of years and extraordinary [[Psychic Powers|psionic abilities]]. They were once a spacefaring people, but have since gone into "retirement" on the titular planet. Can get somewhat pedantic when dealing with humans. The chieri are the ulimate in [[One-Gender Race|hermaphrodites]] with each individual able to physically shift from male to female (or remaining somewhere in the middle) depending on what is going on in their sex lives. However, this overly-complicated reproductive model (completing a gender switch in perfect sync with one's partner can be tricky in the heat of the moment) has resulted in a dwindling population problem that neither their powers nor their technology seemed able to fix. They have a [[Half-Human Hybrid|noticeably easier time procreating with humans]], and indeed the offspring of these unions often have some of their chieri parent's traits, notably atypically powerful (for humans) [[Psychic Powers|psionics]] and exceptional longevity. However, they may also manifest the chieri's gender-swapping trait, which has led to some families with chieri blood warning against homosexual relations because "If you lie down with a man, you may rise up as a woman!"

* In addition to the many live action TV examples from [[Star Trek]] (see below), the [[Star Trek Novel Verse]] portrays the Deltans as this - spiritual, emotionally controlled, older than humans and with a near-mystical sense of peace that comes with their "evolved" philosophies and [[Ethical Slut|sexualities]].

* Ythrians of [[Technic History]] are a downplayed style of this. It is not claimed that they are better then humans and in fact in some ways they are more cruel. However they have a lofty poetic nature and most of the things they do seems to have a bit of grandeur.

 

* The Minbari of ''[[Babylon 5]]'' like to see themselves as [[Our Elves Are Different|High Elves or Grey Elves]]. However when they think no one else is looking, they are not only highly arrogant and racist, but also extremely violent and brutal and start a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] for almost any offense. And their supposedly sacred rule of [[Ape Shall Never Kill Ape|Minbari Shall Never Kill Minbari]] gets ignored all the time. Think of Klingons that look like Vulcans.

* [[Star Trek|Spock and his Vulcan ilk]] are scholarly, long-lived, [[Pointy Ears|pointy-eared]], [[Four Humour Ensemble|phlegmatic]], and psychic.

** Vulcans are also vegetarian, and consider their way of life superior to humans'. There are already Vulcan examples in [[Can't Argue with Elves]]... because you can't.

*** And it doesn't stop there. Klingons are Space Orks and Ferengi are Space Goblins. In fact both are so similar to the [[World of Warcraft]] Orcs and Goblins one is tempted to think that they inspired them.

** The Metrons are also pictured as being elven: A tall, powerful but aloof race, with grey skin, white hair, shimmering silver clothing and gladiator-style shoes.

 

* The Fraal from ''[[Alternity]]'' explicitly ''are'' [[The Grays]], so they look like the stereotypical Type III, but their culture is actually Type II.

 

* There's also the asari from ''[[Mass Effect]]''. They also fit the scheme of Type II-B. Female, Blue, Space, Psychic, somewhat elfish.

** {{spoiler|The quarians might also qualify as far as looks and personality go, but they're not ''quite'' as mystical as the asari.}}

* The Numans/Newmans of the ''[[Phantasy Star]]'' series are often sardonically referred to as "space elves" due to their [[Flanderization]] as a race. Their role in ''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'' most closely fits the Space Elf Type II archetype, despite the fact they were still genetically-engineered by humans.

 

 

* Not from a matriarchy or a female-dominated race, but other than that, Mira Nova from ''[[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]]'' fits the bill of Type II-B perfectly.

 

::''See also [[The Greys]] for similar species.''

* ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'', given their habits toward humans.

* ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|E.T.]]'' and his people start out as this, but are revealed to be Type II and a [[Friend to All Living Things]] in the [[All There in the Manual|supplemental fiction]].

* The Water Beings from ''[[The Abyss]]''.

 

* [[The Greys|Mr. Grey]] and his enemy, from ''[[Dream Catcher]]'' by [[Stephen King]], masquerade as this [[Glamour|to deceive]] impressionable humans from their [[To Serve Man|true intentions]]... which means they fit the bill of Type III [[The Fair Folk|quite nicely]], [[Eldritch Abomination|come to]] [[Puppeteer Parasite|think of it]].

 

* The Asgard from ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''. At least [[The Greys|physically]]; their [[Proud Scholar Race|culture]] and [[Crystal Spires and Togas|aesthetics]] are more reminiscent of Type II.

 

* ''[[Changeling: The Lost]]'' explicitly notes the similarity of [[Alien Abduction]] to changeling tales. There are quite a few [[The Fair Folk|True Fae]] that imitate aliens, especially [[The Greys]], but only because they've been reading humanity's subconscious. Even they don't know if aliens are real.

 

* The Ariloulaleelay from ''[[Star Control]] 2'' would qualify as a Type III. They live in another dimension, are as old as dirt, and imply that performed experiments on humans in the past.