Greys

A Grey alien

Greys are the most common alien species, according to the Torchwood Archive, and are the most commonly sighted extra-terrestrial species and are often associated with alien abduction stories, ufology and New Age beliefs, not much is known about them despite mass research of them however it is believed they are not hostile and only become such when threatened or when someone interferes with their visits to Earth.

## Characteristics

Greys, in their true form, are slender humanoid aliens with grey skin, big eyes and an oval like head - the head itself can vary in shape and design depending on which sub-species of Grey is encountered, they seem to be very interested in humans and the Earth as a whole however they usually go unnoticed by humans - they are often docile however some stories say they are aggressive and can be very dangerous when threatened.

According to some however, Greys are extremely untrustworthy and lie to their allies in hopes of outsmarting them, this coupled with their often emotionless mannerisms make them strange and sinister in the eyes of many.

The Torchwood Archive claims that The Roswell Incident in New Mexico in 1947 is what lead the Greys to start coming to Earth due to their crashed landing in the desert, their true motives however remain mysterious.

## Powers and Abilities

* Advanced technology - Alien technology is said to be alot more advanced than humans, they can also hide it in plain sight, as seen in the episode "Believe" when they hide a secret room (complete with hand scanners for entry) at the back of a Lincoln City church.
* Shapeshifting - Greys can change their appearance to look human.
* Space travel - Greys, like other alien species, rely on spaceships to travel space and visit other planets.
* Telepathy - Greys can communicate with each other using their minds, this comes in handy to keep private information confidential.

Greys have no known vulnerabilities.

## Episodes

### 1.03: Believe

A religious preacher makes a deal with a pair of Greys (who are posing as humans) to keep a secret from the rest of humanity as it is revealed the Preacher himself has been kidnapping other alien species and placed them into a special room, created by the Greys, as he sees them all as "Hellspawn" however this alliance doesn't last long as, when the aliens are released into Lincoln City and Torchwood arrive to intervene, the two parties (The Preacher and the Greys) turn on each other despite the Greys claiming they were satisfied and were ready to leave which in turn upset The Preacher who denounced them for cutting the plan short, it is revealed that The Preacher tortured them to keep them in line however the Greys use their telepathy to stop the rampaging aliens in the city and take The Preacher with them aboard their awaiting ship, all whilst The Preacher continues to lambast them, the Greys then announce he will face justice for his crimes and the spaceship departs.

## In Myths and Folklore

Greys are also one of the theorized causes of the phenomena known as cattle mutilation and some also believe the Greys created (or helped to create) the supernatural creature, the Chupacabra.

Researchers of folklore have also noted a striking similarity to alien abduction stories and tales of night-time spirits such as Hags and Demons (now known to be the result of sleep paralysis). There is also a lot of similarities between alien abduction stories and those told in older eras involving Fairies, who would often abduct people during the night, only for victims to return some time later with altered memories (often known as "away with the fairies"). This has led some theorists to believe aliens are a modern-day telling of these older supernatural myths.