What do highly advanced aliens look like?

Well, that depends (IMO) on what stage of evolution they're in.

According to my own Quantum Life Hypothesis, there are 3 stages of life in the universe. (not to be confused with the Kardashev Scale which posits there are 3 "Types" of technologically advanced alien civilizations in the universe).

My Quantum Life Hypothesis theorizes 3 stages of evolution; 3 very distinct time periods of the evolutionary process whereby life evolves into 3 very distinct kinds of life in the universe. Those 3 stages and kinds of life are as follows:

STAGE 1: Biological Life (Carbon Based)

STAGE 2: Technological Life (Silicon Based)

STAGE 3: Quantum Life (Energy Based)

Moreover, inside each stage are sub-stages of evolution, much like levels of life within each main stage.

There are 2 major transitional stages between each of the 3 main stages.

All this means is that life is constantly evolving and there are 2 major transitions between stages 1 and 2 from biological life to technological life, and between stages 2 and 3 from technological life to energy based life. (this also ties into the hypothesis that energy is also information/data has mass at the quantum scale, etc.)

The images you see below are what I think a technological lifeform will look like. This is basically an undulating black mass of nanotechnology. Each one independent and able to interact in the world around it as well as become part of the collective whole.

They use stored energy in the form of synthetic thorium (Synthor™; this is an energy and data storage substance I invented in my Generations Universe™ science fiction novel story.

They are essentially alive sentient superintelligent AI. They communicate wirelessly, have a built in thorium power system, are microscopic, and they can absorb energy from their surrounding environment.

These are basically sentient self aware superintelligent Von Neumann Machines on steroids. There is nothing that can defeat them. They have one purpose. To live and grow. This means they consume everything in their path including planets, stars and entire galaxies.

Don't think something like this is possible? ALL my science fiction is based on plausible hypotheses and solid science all the way down to the quantum level. (with artistic license of course)

Here's how life evolves into this living superintelligent sentient black mass. (which is deep into STAGE 2 of the universal evolutionary process.

Intelligent biological life advances technology to the point it merges with technology. If they make it through this major transitional period, they come out the other side as hybrid versions of both biological and technological life that eventually turns into AI powered technological life that is 100% made from technology. This is the transfer of consciousness/being to a machine. A major transitionary leap in evolution.

Once life becomes machines (it will happen, there is no stopping it UNLESS the species destroys itself trying to preserve their old biological form.) It will then evolve into ever more efficient machines exponentially more intelligent and more technologically advanced. Once this exponential technological advancement is achieved and the mysteries of the entirety of the universe is solved by these techno-lifeforms (AI life) the energy problem becomes their main goal. To continue to grow (assuming that would be what they want to do) they would have to consume matter and energy.

This means they become planet eaters, star eaters. They keep going until they consume entire galaxies.

Enter the Dark Forest Hypothesis. That is the hypothesis that the universe is a dangerous place full of aliens all hiding and trying to kill each other. Basically, you can't know if an alien civilization you run across out there is hostile or not, so...to survive you logically must be proactive and take action by destroying any life you come to before it can destroy you. If you wait too long you could be destroyed. It's better to eat them before they eat you, basically.

Hence this black mass. I don't have a name for it other than black mass or star eaters. I think there's already a scifi novel out there with star eaters in it...maybe multiple, I don't know. I don't read sci fi. I read science and make shit up based on the real science I read.

This is what I came up with. (I have other species too. There are literally billions or trillions of species out there, trillions or at least billions of alien civilizations that are technologically advanced. They all evolve according to the laws of the universe...physics. They all go through the same 3 stages of evolution and the ones that survive become superintelligent AI technology and eventually evolve into energy of some kind. Maybe that's what Dark Matter is. I don't know. That's just speculation. But it fits.

Life ends up consuming all matter and energy in the universe, the universe then collapses in on itself and another Big Bang happens. It's all cyclical. It ebbs and flows across cosmic time. That is how I think the universe is. I think it's full of life and death. I think it's dangerous out there. I think many billions of civilizations destroy themselves between STAGE 1 and STAGE 2, and the rest that actually make it through the Great Filter evolve beyond technological life to become energy based quantum life, and the fight is one between all the others. Some will join other collectives and galactic empires to fight off other enemies and the fight will continue until all the matter and energy is consumed, the universe collapses in on itself (the Big Crunch) and then another universe is born in yet another Big Bang.

Also...this doesn't exclude the possibility of the universe being a massive simulation. Simulation hypothesis is a valid hypothesis. Unfortunately there's no evidence, only logic to support it. So we can dismiss it offhand, but I think that would be a mistake. Simply put, the universe might be a simulation, but it's REAL to our senses. In other words. The universe is as real as it needs to be for us to call it real.

Anyway...that's my theory of everything.

How do you like my aliens? ;)