The Right of a Superior Species: Difference between revisions

Overlaps heavily with [[Social Darwinist]], type three. Contrast [[Alien Non-Interference Clause]]. See also [[Can't Argue with Elves]]. A species that practices this trope is probably '''not''' a [[Superior Species]].

{{examples}}

* In ''[[Wicked City]]'', Makie's ex-lover Jin tries to make her admit this by saying, "Human are lower-class creatures than us. They're only fit for slavery. ''That's'' their heritage."

* ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'''s [[Cute Is Evil|Kyubee]] plays with this trope. {{spoiler|He turned vunerable teenage girls into magical girls in order to fight witches, but doesn't tell them that he does so by turning them into [[Our Liches Are Different|Liches]]. Then the girls find out that if they don't keep their [[Transformation Trinket|Soul Gem]] pure, they become witches too, and it '''then''' it turns out he's doing all this to collect energy to fight the Heat death of the universe. He justifies it by wanting to prevent said heat death, and by the fact that his kind has been assisting humanity since the stone age. All this while subtly implying that his race regards humanity the way humanity regards cattle. However, Kyubee doesn't have emotions, so he doesn't do this because he thinks he superior to humanity (or at least that's not the most important reason). He does it because they need to prevent the universe ending, and this is the most efficient way to do it.}}

== [[Literature]] ==

* ''[[War of the Worlds]]'' by H.G. Wells. Unusual in that this is articulated by the human narrator at the beginning of the book. After reflecting on how much more advanced and intelligent the Martians are, he concludes:

* In ''[[Gor|Priest Kings of Gor]]'', Sarm justifies the Priest-King practice of [[Fantasy Gun Control|smiting humans who experiment with firearm technology]] by claiming that Priest-Kings are superior to humans in the same way that humans are superior to the animals they kill for food.

** Curiously, he claims that said animals are sentient, if not 'rational'. Of course only Priest-Kings are truly rational.

* In the ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' episode 'Pretense', a Goa'uld justifies the taking of human hosts by claiming superiority to humanity and comparing the practice to the hunting and fishing practiced by humans.

** When Daniel Jackson points out that nearly all Goa'uld technology has been stolen from other races, the Goa'uld merely shrugs and says it doesn't matter how it was acquired. The Goa'uld have the technology; the humans don't. It's as simple as that.

* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' adventure ''The Mark of the Rani'', the Rani compares the exploitation of lesser series with stepping on ants.

* The Minbari of [[Babylon 5]] believed that their status as the oldest Non-First One Space Faring Civilization gave them the right to exterminate the entire human race simply to avenge the death of their leader in a botched first contact that was as much their fault as it was the Humans.

* ''[[Star Trek Deep Space 9]]''- In the season 5 episode "Waltz", Captain Sisko and Gul Dukat discuss the Cardassion occupation of Bajor. The following exchange occurs:

[[Category:Older Than Radio]]

[[Category:Alien Tropes]]