First Ancestral Race

The First Ancestral Race are mysterious, god-like progenitor aliens, never seen during the course of the series, who created the beings known as Seeds of Life to sow the galaxy with lifeforms. As the creators of Adam and Lilith (and many unseen others), the First Ancestral Race were the creators of the massive vessels dubbed "Moons"- on Earth, Adam's White Moon and Lilith's Black Moon, the latter of which would be known as the GeoFront.

The First Ancestral Race also created the artifacts known as the Spears of Longinus, awesomely powerful weapons built using their technology. A Spear was paired with each Moon to control the seed in case of any exigencies- such as when two Seeds occupy the same planet.

The First Ancestral Race are actually the true authors of the "Dead Sea Scrolls": the information was included in White or Black Moon transport vessels as a safeguard, along the Spears of Longinus. What became known as the "Dead Sea Scrolls" was essentially a manual the First Ancestral Race sent along with each Seed of Life, detailing how Seeds of Life and the Spears of Longinus work, as well as predictions about the future in the event that a Seed is awakened. If ever two Seeds landed on one planet, the inhabitants (most likely the progeny of Lilith-type Seeds due to their intelligence and use of science) would eventually find the manual-artifact that came along with a Seed, and use the instructions to put one of them back into dormancy (in the event that even the Spears of Longinus of both Seeds were disabled). However, the Scrolls eventually came into the possession of the mysterious Seele organization, which used the knowledge contained within the scrolls to further its own agenda.

Details about the First Ancestral Race, including their ultimate motives and aims in seeding the galaxy with life (if indeed they had any beyond simple altruism), remain almost totally unknown. They are described as a "humanoid species" and it is stated that they were "the first extraterrestrial intelligence". Whether this is simply referring to the fact that they existed before humans and Angels, or whether they were literally the first species to achieve sentience in our galaxy, is unclear. Although the First Ancestral Race was active four billion years ago when they spread the Seeds of Life through the galaxy, whether they still exist in the present day somewhere in outer space, have long since gone extinct, or if they have transcended to a higher level of existence, remains entirely unknown. However, the legacy the First Ancestral Race left is still present with Adam, Lilith, and the progeny of both; as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls, Spear of Longinus, and the GeoFronts (really, the White and Black Moons they created) which are described as being "nearly identical" and "clearly artificial". They are also briefly alluded to in Episode 20 when Gendo Ikari tells Fuyutsuki that an intelligence other than humans created the GeoFront.

The First Ancestral Race are the ultimate creators of humans as well as Angels, and from the perspective of both, could well be considered "gods".

Notes

• The First Ancestral Race is thematically similar to the "Firstborn" aliens from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the alien race that created the Monoliths. While the Firstborn did not outright create life, they were the first race in the galaxy to achieve sentience, and in their travels across space set up experiments to try to encourage the development of sentience on planets where they encountered life (i.e. with proto-human apes on prehistoric Earth).
• The First Ancestral Race was never directly mentioned on-screen, and all of the information regarding them, the Seeds of Life, and their role in the origin of the Angels comes from the "Classified Information files" (supposedly heavily based on private interviews with series creator Hideaki Anno). Various indications in the TV series aside, many fans familiar only with the aired TV series developed various elaborate explanations for where the Angels come from including theories based on esoterism. In fact, in the "Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal", produced a full two years before the series aired, the First Ancestral Race and their role in the origin of the Angels is clearly mentioned. Thus, while the First Ancestral Race and their role in the creation of the Angels is ambiguously stated on-screen and might not be very obvious to the casual viewer, it has been part of the series' internal mythology since early in the conception phase.