I think the meme is funny too, but it seems like it's becoming so divorced from its original context that some people actually believe that carcinisation is some kind of ideal endpoint of evolution. Just to clarify: this isn't true given how few, localized actual examples there are and the tradeoffs involved.
this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2025
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All the crabs on Earth: “Wait, we’re here!”
Meanwhile, the dolphins decided to sneak out the back.
... At least they thanked us for the fish.
We always tend to portray aliens in science fiction as humanoids. It's time to change that
Isaac Asimov, “Hostess” (1951):
There were four fingers but no thumb. Each finger had five independent ball-and-socket joints. In this way, the flexibility lost with the absence of the thumb was made up for by the almost tentacular properties of the fingers. What was even more interesting to her biologist’s eyes was the fact that each Hawkinsite finger ended in a vestigial hoof, very small and, to the layman, unidentifiable as such, but clearly adapted at one time to running, just as man’s had been to climbing.
[…]
“[…] Look, there are five intelligent races in the Galaxy. These have all developed independently, yet have managed to converge in remarkable fashion. It is as though, in the long run, intelligence requires a certain physical makeup to flourish. […]”
[…]
“Now when the differences among the intelligences are closely investigated, it is found over and over again that it is you Earthmen, more than any of the others, who are unique. For instance, it is only on Earth that life depends upon metal enzymes for respiration. Your people are the only ones which find hydrogen cyanide poisonous. Yours is the only form of intelligent life which is carnivorous. Yours is the only form of life which has not developed from a grazing animal. And, most interesting of all, yours is the only form of intelligent life known which stops growing upon reaching maturity.”
Adrian Tchaikovsky would like a word.
Can you recommend some of his work to start?
The main reason I mentioned him is the Children of Time series, it revolves around non-humanoid “aliens” a lot. Fantastic series, but I love almost any of his SciFi stories.
Cool, thank you, friend!
Children of Time
Almost “Username checks out” :)
iirc, in Star Trek the Klingons descend from a crab-like ancestor. I mean, yes, I understand what you’re getting at but I still think it’s kinda cool that Klingons are sort of humanoid crabs
Which canon? In TNG, they establish that humans/klingons/romulans/cardasians/etc all share the same progenitor race that seeded the stars based on their DNA.
I think I read it somewhere in a trivia thing on Memory Alpha, but I honestly donʻt remember. But the Progenitors seeded common ancestors with their DNA. Which means that species like the Xindi wouldʻve had Progenitor DNA even though they have a multi-facted evolution with reptillian, primate, and arboreal humanoids…
You're forgetting the three other Xindi species, that are much less humanoid. The Avians, who look much like a pterodactyl. The Insectoids, who look like praying mantis. And the coolest of them, the Aquatics, who have amazing spaceships full of water rather than air, which made for some awesome scenes!
Prador Moon literally has giant space crabs as the antagonists.
We may not actually be crabs, but we sure do act like a bunch of them in a bucket.
“They're made out of meat“
We will never crab fast enough. We are doomed.
I’ve been walking sideways instead of forwards for weeks now. My eyes feel stalkier and my pincers are the envy of all.
Take the crab pill and crabmaxx like me.
Badminton players are way ahead of you all.
Badminton players are crablike?
Nah but we crab walk/run/bounce to reach the ball faster when it is dropped near the net by the opponent. It's faster than alternatingly putting one foot in front of the other.
🦀💨
This is sort of the plot of Children of Time
Heavy emphasis on "sort of"
Fooking Proons!
Thanks for making me laugh!
Ray, when someone asks if you're a crab, you say YES!!!
HA!!! Great one!