The Predator franchise centers on recurring storylines in which human characters encounter a technologically advanced extraterrestrial species that hunts other lifeforms for sport. These extraterrestrials—credited as Predators in the films and alternatively named Yautja, Hish-Qu-Ten, and Skin Thieves in expanded universe media—serve as antagonists in largely self-contained narratives that blend military science fiction, action, and horror elements.