OK, saying earth-like planets wins you points there. Similar environmental pressures could yield similar results.

There are so many planets that are not earth-like, though. Even in our own solar system only 12.5% of the planets are Earth-like, and we're the go-to spot in the galaxy for Earth-like planets (citation needed).


I don't think it takes too much imagination to think up a crystal structure that grows and expands, and in doing so, its structure becomes complex in a way that it becomes self-aware. We know that matter and energy are interchangeable, so it is conceivable that this being could find a way to propel itself (or bits of itself) into space. If the bits grow to become like the previous whole under any circumstances, then this can be a cycle of life. Evolution is patient when it comes to time scales.


I think this is ultimately all that Dr. Tyson is trying to say. He is a playful guy, with a sense of humor, after all.

I think the greater problem is "selling" a believable science fiction character to a human audience. This is amplified in visual media and complicated by the drive of the narrative to engage the audience. If we can't sympathize with the antagonist at least a little bit, it makes the hero's struggle stagnate into a single theme (stop the evil).