Elite Dangerous

Total Paid $156

18

Design a new Elite Dangerous alien species and tell us its lore!

$

80

Design a new Elite Dangerous alien species and tell us its lore!

Posted by Alex Sinclair in Elite Dangerous

Beyond the Guardians, beyond the Thargoids, beyond the strange flora discovered in the outer reaches, what other alien life might the galaxy of Elite Dangerous be hiding?

The challenge of this reward is to stay true to Elite Dangerous's established aesthetic while simultaneously creating a brand-new species to introduce to the galaxy. Your submission should contain two components:

The visual design of your new alien species. Include at least one original image/illustration or video. You're free to enhance your entry via the inclusion of additional images or video, potentially showing different ships, tech, structures, or creatures within that species.
The lore-based component of your new alien species. Why have they only just been discovered? Have they been hiding from humanity or lurking in the shadows waiting to strike? Do they have history with the Guardians or Thargoids? Are they ancient, advanced, benevolent, paranoid, superstitious? These questions and more should be answered in your submission, ideally within your images or video for shareability, though alternatively as supplementary text.

Suggested tags: #JustCreators, #EliteDangerous. Tag our social accounts too (details below)!

Important: Generative AI is strictly forbidden in this reward. To further prove the authenticity of your entry, we ask all entrants to include a secondary image showing their design being created. If you do not submit a work-in-progress image, there's a chance your illustration may be mistaken as AI and rejected.

Our thanks go to both CelestialFlea and Solaris104, who both suggested this reward idea!

Image credit: Frontier Developments and Matt G as seen in our Elite Dangerous alien screenshots reward

Remaining$44 / 200

This reward closed to entries at 4:08pm on July 8, 2025 but you can still reply, react, and join the conversation below! If you’d like to enter other rewards which are still open, click here.

Created at 10:06am, 9th April, 2025. Page last updated at 4:51pm, 12th July, 2025.
Deadline at 11:00pm, 7th July, 2025.

Submissions (7)

Tootkin7/5/2025

Won$40

Hello! Here's my entry for this reward.

That was a fun prompt, I decided to expand a little on the fauna surrounding gyre trees. I thought this ecosystem could well use some scavengers, so I did just that! For the fun of it I decided to present it as a lost page of a field study made by a space biologist who, for some unknown reasons, still uses paper, ink, and watercolor.

Verified

blurred background — Field notes of the Hermit Bunny

image description: A digital image reproducing a field note book with two colored sketches of a creatures that looks like a nudibranch mixed with a wormbag. one of the slug is green with big red patch — Field notes of the Hermit Bunny

blurred background — Mandatory anti-AI WIP

screenshot of the illustration in krita — Mandatory anti-AI WIP

image description: A digital image reproducing a field note book with two colored sketches of a creatures that looks like a nudibranch mixed with a wormbag. one of the slug is green with big red patches, the other is yellow with black and purple lines and spots. There's several pieces of text that reads:

"Hermit Bunny. This small creature of 10 to 30cm has been observed crawling on Gyre Trees and on several asteroids surrounding them. They seem to feed on micro-organism lining the surface of the Gyre Trees, but they have been reported to flock around dead organisms too. They might be opportunistic scavengers.

When approached, the Hermit Bunny retreat into its shell. The shell is made of various objects of their surroundings and seems to protect them from solar flares, as well as providing a camouflage that has fooled us for many years. While most specimens used tiny rockes for their shells, some have been observed using metal fragments from specaships or Gyre Tree bark. They rarely mix materials, hinting to a sense of aesthetics."

Several annotations around the sketches read: "floating between trees!", "ship hull fragments", and "extremely diverse colors and patterns... aposematism?"

Dydo7/7/2025

Won$4

REPORT - ULTRA CONFIDENTIAL

July 7, 3311

TO THE PILOTS' FEDERATION

December 18, 3310, marked yet another historic day for humanity. Greater than the discovery of atomic energy, and perhaps surpassing even that of hyperspace travel: the new and greatest victory over our most formidable enemies, besides ourselves, with the defeat of the Thargoid Titan Cocijo in the Sol system. Since then, celebrations have erupted across the occupied galaxy, and the news from Galnet, our primary communication channel, has been solely what follows a military triumph of this magnitude: looting of the Titan's remains and the reoccupation of the HIP 22460 system, held by the Thargoids since 3303.

However, this event seems to hold far more for us than merely the end of a war. At the galaxy's core, in the Eembaisk DG-O e6-2972 system, also known as Red and Green Glory, a solitary tourist beacon rests in orbit around planet 1A, waiting to be scanned by some commander. But this report concerns a curious phenomenon: instead of transmitting data, this beacon received data, and we, from the Event Horizon installation in the Stuemeae FG-Y d7561 system, near Sagittarius A*, during a routine sweep, appear to be the first to access it, as news of this nature would spread rapidly among humanity: an intelligent alien species has made contact with us. And they are pleading for help.

First and foremost, it must be noted that the transmission was received on July 4, 3311, apparently through gravitational waves, which, after extensive investigation into the anomaly of the wave patterns, were converted into radio wave format with an ease that seemed to be intentionally made, prompting deeper scrutiny. Without further ado, after this process, we received, in addition to the images at the end, the following text:

Come to us, humans, for you are the hope of an entire race.

We are the Resonari, and we have waged a silent battle against the Thargoids for thousands of years. When they came, we already had interstellar colonies. Billions of Resonari perished within months. Our only option was to submit to them.
You must understand: the Thargoids do not seek to be the only life in existence — they seek to be the greatest life in existence. As long as their hegemony remains unchallenged, there is no war. But the moment even the idea of that dominance is threatened... well, we believe you know what happens.
We did not submit without a plan.
Thargoid communication is based on biomechanical capabilities still unknown to us. They maintain a hive mind: what one individual knows, all others know. Yet their knowledge is limited by what they can sense. This, too, is why they often do not attack sentient beings in altered or low states of consciousness — there simply isn’t enough energy for them to detect.
Using our own biomechanical expertise — for the Resonari have always been attuned to electromagnetic communication — we made a painful choice. A large portion of our kin was sacrificed so the rest could vanish. We built a refuge: an asteroid, invisible to Thargoid sensors, where the few survivors could remain hidden.
You may judge us. But this decision was made by our ancestors millennia ago.
Since then, we have watched. We have endured. We have witnessed the minds of our people taken by the Thargoids, while we searched for the slightest hope to resist. We tried, again and again. We failed.
But you have succeeded.
We have monitored the Thargoid collective mind — it has expanded steadily since the earliest Resonari records. Until recently.
For the first time, we detected a decrease in its activity. A significant one. It took months of observation, but the cause became clear: the destruction of several entities you call Titans.
This changes everything.
And so we reach out to you — a peculiar species, lacking in biological or technological superiority, yet remarkably organized. And it is through this organization that you have accomplished what no other species has. Your technology may not dazzle, but what you’ve achieved with it is... unprecedented.
Perhaps we are the only ones to reach the interstellar stage after the Thargoids’ rise. And perhaps we will continue to be — if we stand together.
That is why we ask for your help.
Teach us, and we will teach you all we know. A new transmission will arrive in one month, with information on how to respond. We are eager. We are desperate. And we are hopeful.
We also wish to introduce ourselves properly. Enclosed is an image — a depiction of what the Resonari are. We cannot offer further explanation now, as this communication method was developed specifically for this message, and remains unstable.
It is with great gratitude that we send this message, speaking for all Resonari who remain free — and for the hope you have ignited, after millennia of utter darkness.

The attachment to the message is a 3D model — not a live transmission, but a visual representation. It depicts two beings who appear far more recognizable to us than the Thargoids ever have.

Verified

Naturally, we must consider the possibility that this is a deception: a trap set by the Thargoids themselves, or perhaps an operation engineered by one of the human Galactic Powers, aiming to sow confusion and unrest. Yet we must also consider a more profound possibility — that this may be one of humanity’s most significant moments: first contact with communicative, peaceful alien life.

For this reason, we submit this report.

Beyond immediate guidance on how to proceed while we await the next scheduled transmission — expected to arrive on August 4, 3311 — we urgently request additional resources. We believe crucial information may have been overlooked in the initial rush to comprehend what the beacon transmitted.

Furthermore, we request more scientific personnel, as the complexity of the received data is unlike anything previously encountered. Strangely, despite this complexity, the message was easily deciphered, arriving fully structured in a universally intelligible human language.

Perhaps the Resonari know more about us than we can imagine.

SCIENTIFIC TEAM OF EVENT HORIZON

END OF REPORT

Some prints of the creation process:

Verified

KiwiMecha7/7/2025

Won$4

Verified

A migrating species of alien that travels in small groups called "pods". Not only are they migratory, but their primary method of travel is through witch space, leading many to give them the name "Witches". Some even refer to the pods as a "coven"

On their journey through space they will find themselves accruing quite a bit of space debris and must therefore stop for a bit of grooming, conducted with their many jelly-like tendrils.

Having traveled to and from such unfathomable distances, the debris collected on their shell is often quite rare. Some commanders have taken to mining the material, which is a win win. The Witches get assisted in grooming, and commanders get rare materials in exchange. It appears their shells withstand known weaponry, and their jelly-like tendrils are equally unaffected, leaving no risk of harming the Witch in the process. When the shell has been scrubbed, Witches give off a spray of color through the unblocked ventilation ports in their shell, something some commanders have taken to be a sign of gratitude.

There is a rumor that inside a Witches mouth is a wormhole, and if you fly inside you'll come out somewhere else. Wise commanders tell another rumor that that somewhere else is the butt.

B

Beetlejude7/6/2025

Won$20

Verified

blurred background — here's my first ideas sheet thinking about more familiar animals and elements I like

here's my first ideas sheet thinking about more familiar animals and elements I like

blurred background — my second sheet I thought a bit about existing animals and elite and had a doodle

my second sheet I thought a bit about existing animals and elite and had a doodle

blurred background — II like the strange alien ness of aquatic creatures - I thought of different shapes and types of life there could be

II like the strange alien ness of aquatic creatures - I thought of different shapes and types of life there could be

blurred background — I was planning on using the idea of the coelocanth as it's sort of mid evolve

I was planning on using the idea of the coelocanth as it's sort of mid evolve

blurred background — but then I thought that was too ordinary so I drew and eyeball monster

but then I thought that was too ordinary so I drew and eyeball monster

blurred background — I chatted to my son about a drop bear type creature that would possibly collect insects or nectar using a long stretchy tail to quickly harvest and then retract to safety

I chatted to my son about a drop bear type creature that would possibly collect insects or nectar using a long stretchy tail to quickly harvest and then retract to safety

blurred background — I thought about a kind of aquatic pangolin type affair

I thought about a kind of aquatic pangolin type affair

blurred background — I've done some composites of elite alien life before - I love the brain trees and the molluscs

I've done some composites of elite alien life before - I love the brain trees and the molluscs

blurred background — here's cmdr vingtetuns concept of Deuringas truffles I drew him the truffle boars that he imagined and the truffles with their tools and the pig dig harness

here's cmdr vingtetuns concept of Deuringas truffles I drew him the truffle boars that he imagined and the truffles with their tools and the pig dig harness

blurred background — I enjoyed thinking about the irukama land snails. I like the big huge shells.

I enjoyed thinking about the irukama land snails. I like the big huge shells.

here's the in game description for the Irucama snail - "Despite appearances, the species discovered on Irukama are not strictly snails. These indigenous creatures almost destroyed Irukama's native habitat after their sole predator was culled, due to the threat it posed to human settlers. Now actively managed, the surplus stock is sold on as a delicacy. The meat from a single snail can easily fill several standard-size cargo canisters"

blurred background — I love a tarach spice beetle I can't leave them out

I love a tarach spice beetle I can't leave them out

I have thought a lot about the nature of the spice beetle living on the swamps of Hanandroo in Tarach Tor.

blurred background — in the end I settled on this little fella - he's a Shellvole. he's a scaley shore dwelling shell adapted beast, feeds on hill prawns (you can see them off in the distance) and small insects.

in the end I settled on this little fella - he's a Shellvole. he's a scaley shore dwelling shell adapted beast, feeds on hill prawns (you can see them off in the distance) and small insects.

The unusual orange and green of an ammonia atmosphere seems a funny place for the shellvole to live and I wonder what they breathe to look so familiar to us. He's not really a vole - I imagine that people have cast about for the most familiar connection. he's certainly not a hermit crab. I imagine the liquid he's sucking through his curly tongue might well not be potable for a human either. He's got big eyes for his size, they seem almost prawnlike in themselves - maybe there's some distant primordial link to the hill prawns. it's not a long day on this planet. The amber light is as bright as it gets , then it fades to dull red then dark sepia. The voles hide in their shells and fix onto rocks to withstand the harsh nights. They are neither medicinal nor edible nor especially pretty but they have a humble kind of charm I think.

Limal7/6/2025

Won$4

Verified

This evening I dived into fantasy with my kids, and we used plasticine to model a new species.

They called them Chitin Dragons, so I checked some Latin vocabulary and came up with a name: Chitodracus.

There are three of them. They look different, but I’m pretty sure they all come from the same tribe.

Lore. Log Entry BZ-YC-126-0705

We found them near HIP 36601 A 1 – a scorched, airless rock with strange mineral deposits scattered across. A field team stumbled onto a cave system crowned with old Guardian ruins. Inside those tunnels, sensors picked up movement. Deeper scans revealed something unexpected. Creatures, weird-looking ones.

About 2 to 3 meters tall, compact, hunched, with layered exoshells in chaotic colors, like a child’s drawing brought to life. One was curled up like a coral serpent. Another moved like a 8-legged brute. The third stood tall, with stiff antennae and branching claws. None of them showed aggression, but they made clicking, rusty sounds. Might be a form of communication.

They’re organic, but there’s something underneath. Chitin-like plating over what could be tech—maybe synthetic nerves, maybe hollow. The team couldn’t get a clear scan through the outer layers.

Some scientists think they’re Thargoid offshoots, forgotten subspecies, abandoned ages ago. Others say they’re constructs, built to mimic life and seeded across moons like probes or sentries. There’s even a fringe theory they were once pets, domesticated and later left to survive on their own.

Whatever they are, they haven’t left the caves. They just patrol. Slow, circular paths, always along the same lines. Like they’re waiting.

For a signal. For orders.Or maybe... for someone to come back.