Just some random thoughts about alien ecosystems

Recently, I’ve noticed loads of documentaries and videos that use real-world science to make predictions about how alien plant and animal life would evolve on other planets and environments. I say ‘loads’, I’ve seen two: a Netflix documentary and a Kurzgesagt video.

Admittedly, they’re not really ‘science’ documentaries, they’re speculative. It’s science fiction inspired by actual science (which makes them fair game for a blog about fiction). The types of life they come up with are often fantastical (lots of flying whales).

I could watch these to no end.

The story potential for alien ecosystems has always been substantial, and there’s a lot of Sci-Fi exploring it. But these speculative videos are, to my mind, even better.

There’s something about rooting a fictional ecosystem in actual biology and evolution (how evolutionary biology would actually react to changes in gravity and the atmosphere), and still having it be fantastical, which is deeply engrossing.

I’m a big fan of rooting even the most technologically out there and implausible Sci-Fi in actual science, at least partially. This isn’t strictly necessary to tell a good story, and liberties should be taken. But it’s cool regardless. Using real-life science can also create obstacles for the characters and provide a well of story ideas.

Basing even the alien ecosystem on actual science, even if it’s not that important to the story, is just really cool (I’m running out of ways to say I like the idea). It could also lead to some great world-building, which these documentaries and videos prove.

Is alien life just more interesting?

I’ve got to say, though, hearing about the evolutionary potential of other planets does make Earth’s biosphere seem pretty boring. I’m not trying to upset any biologists here. I’ve seen Planet Earth, there’s a lot of fascinating stuff on our planet: the Blue Whale, for instance. But these videos keep talking about flying whales, and we don’t have any of those.

This might just be perception. We know about life on Earth, so the potentially weird life of other planets is more exciting. The grass is always greener on an exo-planet, I guess.

But then again, there is some wild and exciting stuff in Earth’s evolutionary history. Dinosaurs are the obvious go-to here, but far from the only one. Millions of years ago, when the atmosphere’s oxygen content was higher, there were giant insects (which are obviously monsters).

Even several thousand years ago, we had a lot more mega-fauna: Giant Sloths, Mega Bears, Mammoths. Our ancestors hunted them to extinction, but they once existed.

To an extent, it seems like we live in an era where, due to the Earth’s climate and the actions of our prehistoric ancestors, evolution is currently being more modest than it would otherwise be (albeit with some big exceptions). Though again, this might be perception, we’re more familiar with it.

It’s conceivable that other planets would also go through cycles of having extreme mega-fauna and then other, more modest eras. (I assume every planet has mass extinction events).

Embrace the apparently accurate possibilities

But hey, if you’re going to use real-life evolutionary biology to design an alien ecosystem, why not go with the really out there stuff? Sure, it makes Earth seem a little boring, but that’s part of the appeal of Sci-Fi (some Sci-Fi anyway). If it’s scientifically possible for alien life to be fantastical, embrace it! Writers can even go all cosmic horror with it.

There’s an observed phenomenon on Earth called convergent evolution. A lot of species, completely unrelated to each other, have evolved similar traits. Spiders and Crabs both have eight legs, for instance. In fact, eight legs seems to be a very common evolutionary pattern.

A few people have speculated that alien animals could well be very spider-like.

The Planet of the Spiders sounds like an old B-movie plot. It’s a very Sci-Fi horror concept, and I’m sure that Classic Doctor Who has covered it more than once. In fact, there is a Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) story called Planet of the Spiders.

But as it turns out, there might actually be a Planet of the Spiders. Or lots of them (maybe I don’t want to go to space?).

The story’s potential for alien ecosystems was already substantial. But I think this gives it a boost, it shows that even fantastical alien ecosystems are plausible. It’s really emphasising the science of science fiction.

Final Thought

I spend a fair bit of my time coming up with fan theories and trying to find in-universe explanations for Sci-Fi and story issues and anachronisms.

It makes me endlessly happy to discover that even the most fantastical and out-there alien ecosystems could feasibly be rooted in actual science.

These documentaries and scientific speculations could be a huge source of inspiration and energy for science fiction writers and enthusiasts. They’re great in their own right, and it’ll be awesome to see what stories they lead to.

-Dexter