Alien

Aliens are a widely diverse demographic, comprised of multiple species from different planets. The first generation of aliens arrived during the Invasion of Hollywood, with subsequent generations mostly born, spawned, or cloned in Hollywood.

Varieties of alien

These are the currently recorded varieties of alien species present in Hollywood, discounting any individuals who are the sole representative of their species.

Gray

Gray aliens are synthetic organisms composed of biological material applied to a standard physical template. As a result, all grays look identical: a short, skinny, humanoid form lacking in features, with an oversized head and even more disproportionately large eyes. Each gray's mental and physical capabilities are defined by the source material used to make them, with substandard materials resulting in substandard grays.

Each gray is grown with a crystalline memory matrix embedded in the center of their brain, as a form of secure back-up in case of cellular degradation or untimely death. This highly durable object, around the size of a walnut, maintains an up-to-the-second recording of the gray's life experiences, including whatever personality may have developed over time. By using an existing memory matrix in the growing process, the resulting gray is essentially a perfect mental copy of the original. For this reason, grays are often seen as being "disposable" by other aliens.

Insectoid

Insectoid aliens are a species that have many features in common with insects, although at a much greater size. Quick and eager to reproduce, they served as the bulk of the failed invasion force's ground troops. There are numerous sub-types, with different abilities and physical features, operating in an informal hive structure. Unlike bees or ants, there are multiple queens, and all insectoids have a measure of independence and free will. There is no "hive mind", but insectoids do have an extensive gossip network transmitted through pheromone signals.

The insectoid life cycle begins as a sticky, semi-translucent egg slightly smaller than a golf ball, which hatches into a green larval form about a foot long. This form lasts for several months, growing in size the entire time, before wrapping itself in a cocoon and metamorphosing into its adult form. This final change takes around two weeks, depending on the size and complexity of its end form. It is only as an adult that the insectoid has any intelligence or personality.