Firstborn

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"Now they were Lords of the Galaxy, and could rove at will among the stars, or sink like a subtle mist
through the very interstices of space. Though they were freed at last from the tyranny of matter, they
had not wholly forgotten their origin, in the warm slime of a vanished sea. And their marvellous
instruments still continued to function, watching over the experiments started so many ages ago."

―3001: Final Odyssey prologue

The Firstborn are an unnamed alien race indirectly appearing in the Space Odyssey franchise. Much

about them is unknown, although it is known that they are an incredibly sophisticated noncorporeal
species, and one of the oldest in the known galaxy. They are essentially the reason that humans evolved
into a sentient race.

Contents

 Homeworld

 Biology

 History

 Notes

Homeworldedit | edit source

The homeworld of the Firstborn is almost completely unknown, although it is known that the planet lies
approximately 450 light-years from Earth. It would seem that in its early history the planet may have
been quite similar to Earth in its equivalent time, as the Firstborn are stated to have evolved from a
'warm slime' (primordial ooze). Over the course of millions of years, the Firstborn evolved into a
spacefaring civilisation and spread away from this planet into the cosmos. It is unknown what the planet
may look like today, or even back then.

Biologyedit | edit source

Little is known of Firstborn biology, especially since they have become noncorporeal entities. It has been
stated that in earlier times they were indeed beings of flesh and blood like humans, although their
appearance at this evolutionary stage has not been described.

Historyedit | edit source

Millions of years ago, the Firstborn evolved from a 'warm slime' on a strange, faraway planet. Several
million years later they had become a spacefaring civilisation and proceeded to expand out into and
explore the galaxy. They were disappointed to discover that although life was common, intelligent life
rarely successfully evolved. Using their incredible technology, the Firstborn catalysed the evolution of
intelligent life on many planets, including Earth. Once a potentially intelligent species was discovered,
they placed a strange artifact on the planet in question that would give a slight evolutionary 'nudge' to
the species, leading it towards sapience. Four million years ago, the Firstborn discovered Earth, and
upon it, the ancestors of the human race. After exploring the planet, the Firstborn left on Earth one of
these artefacts in the Great Rift Valley of Africa, and departed. One of these 'monoliths' was also left on
Earth's moon, Luna, in order to contact the Firstborn once humans had become a spacefaring
civilisation. The Firstborn continued to evolve, and eventually they found a way to integrate themselves
into the fabric of space itself, and become the noncorporeal entities they are today.

Notesedit | edit source

 According to The Lost Worlds of 2001, Arthur C. Clarke considered what the creators of the
Monolith to look like: "Apart from their unusual height - more than seven feet - the creatures
that looked down upon the world of Pliocene were strikingly human (...) With a little plastic
surgery, Clindar could have passed for a man. He was hairless...".