The Thin Men are loyal and extremely intelligent, but have no psionic ability (note the lack of a link between intelligence and psionic ability, and the fact that they list an extremely intelligent race as a failure.) The Chryssalids were insects before the Ethereals' interference, and continue to be insects (seriously, who thought giving bugs technology would work?
The Floaters couldn't improve their physical forms fast enough, and ended up replacing large chunks of themselves with machines, giving them the necessary physical aptitude but diminishing their mental capacity. The Cyberdisk/Drone combo is physically adept, but has no higher intellect The Sectoids have psionic abilities, but are physically frail and cruel (oddly, the Uber Ethereal lists personality traits as part of their failures, but never actually mentions it as part of its requirements for the 'perfect specimen'). the member of your team that activated the Gollop Chamber), and by extension the player, the list of failures that the Ethereals have made with other races: Throughout the mission, the Uber Ethereal also tells the New One (i.e. a being that is physically adept, and has psionic capabilities. In the final mission of XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Operation: Avenger, aka the Temple Ship Assault), the Uber Ethereal states that they're looking for the 'perfect specimen', i.e.
