(Parts of this were originally posted on February 21, 2013)
Trope: (Green-Skinned) Space Babe
Description: The attractive alien with mostly human features so having sex with him or her isn't too squicky. While the fictional aliens of yore were mostly green, blue has been more common in recent years, though they can come in every color of the rainbow. Female space babes are more prevalent than the males, and they will frequently be large-chested and/or scantily clad.
Examples: The Asari from the Mass Effect series (plus, to a lesser extent, the Drell, or even the Quarians, based on that one picture of Tali), the Na'vi from Avatar, the trio of male aliens in Earth Girls Are Easy
Pros: Sometimes we've banged all there is to bang on this planet and need to expand our horizons. On a more serious note, an alien romance can add another layer of intrigue and complexity to any sci-fi story. As far as the intimate part of the relationship goes, you can keep it identical to what humans do, or...well, the sky's the limit here, I suppose. (Pun partially intended.) For maximum bonus points, throw in at least a conversation about how reproduction works.
Cons: Everyone's got their preferences when it comes to romance, and for many people, interspecies sex is a no-no. Care also has to be taken here when it comes to portraying one of the species (human or alien) as superior to the other as that can mirror real-life issues here on Earth, and you don't want to inadvertently stumble into something problematic.
Would/Did I Use It?: Once again, years after the original post, I have an entry for this trope! Originally, I was on the "not a fan" train, but I've come around. (Blame Mass Effect.) In Out of Orbit, Jasmine crash lands on a planet inhabited by a humanoid species and falls in love with their leader, Aras. I didn't go too crazy with the aliens here, as they look and behave very similar to humans. I didn't even pick one of the typical colors of green or blue; they have pearl gray/silvery skin. In the interests of full disclosure, if we're talking about video game inspiration, I think I'd been playing some Dragon Age: Inquisition before writing this one, and some of the features of my fictional species resemble those of the qunari in DAI (and DA2).
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