Science Fiction Trivia

[Disembodied]

There's an episode of Star Trek: Voyager called "False Profits" where some Ferengi use replicator technology to pose as messengers from the gods to the inhabitants of a primitive planet.

[ffutures]

OK, the summary seems to confirm that meets the terms of this round. Really surprised that nobody mentioned the series that put this idea into my head, Christopher Stasheff's Warlock series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warlo ... of_Himself and sequels.

As if by magic Disembodied is selected to ask the next question!

[Disembodied]

OK … name five intelligent alien species who are, on a human scale, very large. For the avoidance of doubt this means at least twice the height and/or mass of an adult human being, and by "intelligent" I mean able to hold conversations, discuss abstract ideas, etc. Bonus points if they're technological and spacefaring!

Edited to add: and they should be, by some reasonable definition, biological - i.e. not a machine intelligence, and not a living star/planet/etc.

[Commander_X]

OK … name five intelligent alien species who are, on a human scale, very large. For the avoidance of doubt this means at least twice the height and/or mass of an adult human being, and by "intelligent" I mean able to hold conversations, discuss abstract ideas, etc. Bonus points if they're technological and spacefaring!

Just a heads up, I'd guess you should specify "biological" [intelligent alien species], as some of the examples in the recent "stars are intelligent species" could be brought here (not to mention ffutures threat with planets in one of the responses on that thread )

[Disembodied]

Just a heads up, I'd guess you should specify "biological" [intelligent alien species], as some of the examples in the recent "stars are intelligent species" could be brought here (not to mention ffutures threat with planets in one of the responses on that thread )

Yes, good point, thanks! I've amended the question.

[gilhad]

Not sure, if Solariss would count (while highly inteligent it is so different, that "conversation" is the problem - but the "phantoms", it creates, at least can understand humans (even if that feelss somehow like "cheating" from Solaris side) )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(novel)

[spud42]

Psychlos stand up to 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and weigh up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg)
Battlefield Earth L.Ron Hubbard

[ffutures]

James White's Sector General series is full of them - but I'll go with Tralthans, who are described as being like six-legged elephants. If you want something really big the planet Drambo has "Strata beings", intelligent living tool-making organic continents, but they don't have space travel for fairly obvious reasons.

[Cody]

Talking of elephants: the Fithp from Footfall - do they qualify?

[Commander_X]

(Just re-reading:) Didonians referred to as Heesh (three entities, a sort of rhino, monkey, and bird -- krippo, noga, ruka - connected to form a higher intelligent entity than the sum of the parts) in The Rebel Worlds by Paul Anderson?
Jabba the Hutt ?

[Disembodied]

Not sure, if Solariss would count

Although it's a massive single entity, and undoubtedly intelligent, I think you're right: it's too utterly alien to have a conversation with.

Psychlos stand up to 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and weigh up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg)

A bit on the short side, but 450kg is well over twice the mass of the average human, so I'll allow it.

Tralthans, who are described as being like six-legged elephants.

That's two (the "Strata beings" are another Sector General species, so they would contravene the usual one-per-universe rule - which admittedly I didn't state at the outset, but I think it's pretty much established custom and practice now).

the Fithp from Footfall - do they qualify?

Described as being "man-sized", so alas - too small!

Didonians referred to as Heesh (three entities, a sort of rhino, monkey, and bird -- krippo, noga, ruka - connected to form a higher intelligent entity than the sum of the parts)

Not a single species, so I'd have to say no.

Jabba the Hutt ?

Jabba tops the scales at over a metric tonne, so yes. That makes three - two more for the prize!

[Cody]

No baby elephants, so I'll try the Kiint from the Night's Dawn trilogy?

[Disembodied]

No baby elephants, so I'll try the Kiint from the Night's Dawn trilogy?

9 metres long and 3 metres wide … the Kiint makes 4. One more to go!

[Disembodied]

If anyone's looking for a clue, Iain M. Banks always had a thing for the large-scale …

[Cmdr James]

What about the farscape Leviathan?