The Asgard in Stargate and other mentor/precusor races

[pornomancer90]

The last SG-1 review where the Tok´ra showed, kinda reminded me how awesome the Asgard are, The Tok´ra while technologically superior to the Tau´ri at the time, were really unnecessarily arrogant, compare this to the Asgard, while there where light years ahead of most races in the galaxy, they never really acted that arrogant, they were cautious with giving out there technology, but understandably so, they also made sure their technology doesn´t fall into the wrong hands, after their demise. They also knew their weaknesses, when they needed help from the Tau´ri they asked for it, it was never the case that SG-1 had to accidentally stumble on them fucking up and saving them after they insist for half an episode that their assistance is not needed only to be proven wrong. They also were not perfect, they made mistakes and they paid for them in the end, but it were mistakes, that the humans also could easily make, in fact even have when it comes to the replicators, they were never bullshitting and they never withhold their motives for their actions.

So what alien races in other Sci-fi franchises, had similar roles and were just as well realized as the Asgard, or do disagree completely?

[SuccubusYuri]

Well if you're talking "benevolent big brother" races I think those tend to be pretty rare...and even those that are ambivalent, the story tends to side with "you're better off without em", because the little brother is, invariably, humanity, and self-determination at all costs, etc etc.

Though I think my favorite iteration are the Eldan from Wildstar. They absolutely manipulate for their own reasons and cock up royally, and suffer the consequences, but they DID uplift humanity, they DID give them weather control nets and practical FTL and almost unfettered access to their technology, to the point it didn't compromise their own interests. But, what good is withholding the cure for cancer? None, so just throw it on the pile. And unlike most stories where it's "Corrupting", their partnership with humanity is more, "Hey, I see this whole 'manifest destiny' thing your race has going on. I respect that. Wanna be partners? We have need of some labor and a right hand for our interstellar empire" and humanity was basically all on board to be their sidekick in the enterprise. It makes the Dominion story arc so much more engaging because they don't try to wipe their hands of the mess the Eldan left behind, like most stories would try to do in a "oh they used us! woe is we! Now we're left with the mess!" They take responsibility and try to undo what their masters couldn't solve, because that's their job now as "the half that survived".

I think the only example of a "good" precursor off the top of my head is the Idalons from Farscape. And even then they come off like the Vorlons in that they just kinda withdrew and left everything to go to hell. Which isn't saying much for the mex-machina race the endcap needed to solve the series xD

[Darth Wedgius]

It's quite a stretch, but the closest I could think of were Pierson's Puppeteers from Larry Niven's Known Space setting. They've helped humans a couple times, but few humans know about it. The first way in helping humans to get a faster-than-light drive while humanity was fighting -- and losing -- a war against a more technologically advanced species, the Kzinti. The second was in helping humans to be lucky by influencing childbirth laws (don't think too hard about that one).

It's important to know that they're very manipulative, and they did these because they thought it would help the Pierson's Puppeteers in the long run. They've also captured some humans and used them as slaves. On the whole, though, humanity has been far better off with the Pierson's Puppeteers around.

If your heroes are humans, it's hard to have another people waiting in the wings to call on for help.

[Robovski]

I'm on my phone and it's been a while but in David Brinn's Uplift series Humanity and it's children races have a sponsor alien race that protects humanity to some degree from galactic civilization.

[Madner Kami]

I'm on my phone and it's been a while but in David Brinn's Uplift series Humanity and it's children races have a sponsor alien race that protects humanity to some degree from galactic civilization.

Um, no. Earth specifically has no patron, which is one of the core points and core mysteries of the series. Humanity is a patron-species itself though, having uplifted Dolphins, as well as chimps and gorillas and prospecting the uplift of dogs and the Kiqui, a race they found on an isolated planet.