>>718764410 (OP)
Just because they evolved into a familiar, basic humanoid form for nature's (and the audience's) convenience doesn't mean they can't have exotic and/or bizarre things going on with their internal anatomy. Or a starkly different culture. One that, of course, inevitably speaks English but that's another topic I suppose.
Maybe the evolution of intelligent life (on solid-surface planets at least) just really, REALLY favors freed up arms and opposable thumbs? They've done wonders for us after all. I think the problem of "aliens are just humans with weird heads" is the opposite, actually: Assuming we are the path of least resistance for the development of an intelligent, tool using form of life, aliens would look even MORE like us with even less bullshit to separate them, at least on a surface level. Things like overall size and organs and filtration would seem more logical and subtle differences instead of extra heads and bio-tank treads or whatever
