History Main / AliensNeverInventedDemocracy

* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'': Generally avoided with factions original to the game. The playable Romulan faction is the Romulan Republic, a successor state to the {{vestigial|Empire}} Star Empire. The Lukari and Kentari also have democratic societies (the Lukari are similar to the Federation, while the Kentari are a fairly transparent StrawmanPolitical of the present-day United States, complete with a [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Donald Trump stand-in]] for defense minister). The Iconians, however, are an ethnocracy very similar to the Dominion: a small circle of all-powerful rulers of one species, and several servitor species.

* Zig-zagged in ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}''. Overall, Amphibia as a country is ruled by an absolute monarchy, but mayors are democratically elected at the city level. That being said, the electoral system seems off its rocker, like having the candidates compete in [[TrialByOrdeal Trials by Ordeal]], or having the entire valley to vote for the mayor of one city.

*** In Pre-Crisis days, Krypton was run by the "Science Council" and described as a "technocracy". In practice, this seemed to be a sort of parliament where the representatives were picked for their ''scientific'' accomplishments. The odd implication that scientific prowess alone would be the best qualification for a good politician probably [[FridgeLogic wouldn't fly]] outside of the [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age,]] but it was established in the Fifties and the [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]] kept it until the [[Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] due to the GrandfatherClause.

* ''Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse'':

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Whilst the Earth government is essentially a carbon copy of the US presidential system, the rest of the species have:

* Not so for the [[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots GoBots]], though. The Guardians have a democracy. One prominent character, Zeemon, is explicitly a politician.

* Not so for the ''[[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots GoBots]],'' though. The Guardians have a democracy. One prominent character, Zeemon, is explicitly a politician.

* Not so for the ''WesternAnimation/GoBots,'' though. The Guardians have a democracy. One prominent character, Zeemon, is explicitly a politician.

Sometimes this is done because the writer wants to make the aliens truly alien in culture, thus having weird, even sometimes incomprehensible, political systems is a way. Due to Hollywood and WeAllLiveInAmerica, an absolute monarchy or dictatorship is foreign to most western pop culture, while not having to come up with truly non-human systems since MostWritersAreHuman. In some works it could be a way to present humanity's [[GoodRepublicEvilEmpire nice democratic system vs the aliens' evil Empire]], which is very common when TheFederation faces TheEmpire. (This is especially common in works made during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar for [[ScaryDogmaticAliens obvious reasons]].) Sometimes is just a matter of PlanetOfHats: some writers just can't think that a ProudWarriorRace can be democratic (despite the fact that we have many examples in our own world) because, well [[ArmiesAreEvil warriors are not democrats]], also in scenarios of AlienInvasion, having the invaders enjoying a democracy would feel kind of contradictory (despite, again, many examples in our history where democratic republics held vast, cruel empires and subjugated other peoples without considering this a contradiction).

Contrast with AliensNeverInventedTheWheel for the technical counterpart. See also FeudalFuture for when the humans don't have democracy any more either. Often overlaps with OneFederationLimit, with humans as the one democratic government.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Film/JohnCarter'': The Red Martian city-states of Zodanga and Helium are monarchies, while the Green Martians a.k.a. Tharks are a tribal clan structure whose choice of leaders are determined by AsskickingEqualsAuthority.

** The [[SpaceElves Eldritch]] and [[DraconicHumanoid Chatcaava]] from ''Literature/{{Paradox}}'' have feudal governments, though the Chatcaava place more importance on [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority strength]] than bloodline. Most governments run by humans and their [[TranshumanAliens Pelted]] creations are representative democracies, though there are some (like the Hinichi) that chose other forms of government.

** Between the collapse of the Goa'uld Empire and the Ori invasion, the Free Jaffa attempt to establish a nation of their own. Early on, there's a conflict between Teal'c, one of the main cast members and pro-democracy, and Gerak, who favors [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority representation based on military strength]]. [[spoiler:Gerak later has to make a HeroicSacrifice to end the Ori plague on Earth, and Teal'c and Bra'tac push the Free Jaffa Nation back to traditional representative democracy.]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': There are relatively few nonhuman-ruled nations on Golarion, and none are democracies. Elven Kyonin and the dwarven city-states in the Five Kings Mountains and elsewhere are monarchies (with the dwarf kings forming a larger alliance), while the orc lands of the Hold of Belkzen are an amorphous association of tribes that run on AsskickingEqualsAuthority. To be fair, however, there aren't many human democracies either, the only notable ones being Andoren (a staunchly anti-slavery parliamentary republic based on [[{{Eagleland}} an idealized vision of the United States]]), Galt ([[DemocracyIsFlawed effective mob rule]], inspired by [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution France at the height of the Terror]]), and Nirmathas (loose confederation of woodland settlements). The Kellid barbarians also elect their clan leaders by acclamation.

* ''Franchise/TheTransformers'': Played straight in pretty much every incarnation of the franchise. Autobot leaders are chosen by the Matrix of Leadership, Decepticon leaders by AsskickingEqualsAuthority and KlingonPromotion. The one major exception to this is ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'': when Optimus Prime decides that he can't be leader of the Autobots anymore, they hold an election for his replacement and choose Bumblebee. Later, after the Cybertronian Civil War ends and the Autobots, Decepticons, and unaligned Cybertrons reunite on Cybertron, an election is held for a new planetary leader. Thanks to the unaligned not knowing any better, they elected [[TheStarscream Starsceam]].

** With the Krogan their tribal society is built entirely upon AsskickingEqualsAuthority. You want your voice heard when the leader is being stubborn? Either impress the leader with your strength enough that he concedes the point, or '''force''' him out of power and take the reins yourself.

* Works of Creator/MCAHogarth
** The [[SpaceElves Eldritch]] and [[DraconicHumanoid Chatcaava]] of the ''Literature/ParadoxUniverse'' have feudal governments. Though the Chatcaava place more importance on [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority strength]] than bloodline. Most governments run by humans and their [[TranshumanAliens Pelted]] creations are representative democracies though there are some (like the Hinichi) that chose other forms of government.

* ''Literature/EndersGame'' gives us the Buggers, insectoid and telepathic aliens organized into hive minds each ruled by a queen. The story clarifies, however, that from the Buggers' point of view, this isn't a system of government because the hive is viewed as a single being, not a group of people whose society needs to be organized: the queen is effectively the "brain" of this being, while the other individuals are analogized to fingers or toes. Note that once the queen dies, so does everybody in the hive - they have no minds of their own telling them to eat or drink or save themselves.
* Creator/HGWells' story ''Literature/TheFirstMenInTheMoon'' has a civilization ''inside'' the Moon, ruled by the Grand Lunar, who holds that office by virtue of having the biggest brain. It is noted in-universe that Lunars conduct eugenics to produce Lunars specific to a societal purpose.
* The atevi of Creator/CJCherryh's ''Literature/Foreigner1994'' series cannot conceive of any other form of governance than monarchy.
* In ''Creator/RobertAHeinlein's '' ''Literature/GloryRoad'' Earth is an isolated backward planet. An interstellar anthropologist specializing in the place hears that the hero, Oscar, is from the U.S. and asks him if their 'noble experiment' is still going on. Oscar, thinking he means Prohibition, says it's been abandoned. The anthropologist says it was a silly idea anyway, and asks about their form of government now. Do they have a king? He meant democracy.

* [[LizardFolk The Race]] in Creator/HarryTurtledove's ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'' are ruled by an emperor, and have no concept that any other political system is viable or even possible. They initially believe that humanity works the same way, and think that the leaders of the various nations they encounter are each a hereditary emperor. Once they figure out that FDR, Stalin, and Hitler are not "emperors" despite being in charge, the only way they can think to describe them are as "not-emperors" who rule a "not-empire". Democracy is the most confusing to the Race, since at least Hitler and Stalin have the authority of an emperor, while the concept of working under the authority of the populace is even more alien. The name for democracy in their language is "snout-counting". Interestingly enough, The Race ''does'' have a procedure for removing someone from a position of power that's remarkably similar to an impeachment vote; one of them lampshades its resemblance to the "snout-counting" that they hold in contempt. They seem to justify it to themselves that they are counting the snouts of those who have the proper authority, not just the general public at random.