Thread: Extraterrestrial Invasion

Ok, this is serious. I love science fiction, but I have a problem:

I have a hard time EVER accepting the premise that an advanced alien race would attack humans on Earth.

If any species had the technology to traverse the vast distances of space and time, couldn't they use that technology better than waging warfare against idiots like us?

And they always use the most irrational methods to kill humans. Giant Death Robots with lasers? Really?

My question is: Can this premise be pulled off in a method that is both entertaining AND believable? Or must we always check our logic at the saucer airlock door?

I'm not a science fiction fan or even an action movie fan, but I enjoyed the movie Independence Day. I don't recall that the reason the aliens were invading was ever revealed. Maybe the whole premise has been exhausted, but I think as long as it's somewhat plausible and the story is good, people will suspend their disbelief and it can fly. For people with any kind of imagination, suspending disbelief is different than checking logic at the door.

Originally Posted by JosephB

... but I enjoyed the movie Independence Day. I don't recall that the reason the aliens were invading was ever revealed....

In Independence Day, the President mentally links with an alien and they share thoughts. He learns that the aliens "move from planet to planet, stripping resources, like locust..."
Not buying that. I got one word for our alien brothers: TERRAFORMING! If they could develop all that whiz-bang stuff, I'm sure they could figure out how to seed some amino acids, and build some pressure domes on some planet.

I think some may have enjoyed that movie because of it's not-so-subtle indictment of our consumers society (remember Geoff Goldblum's rant about saving the planet?).

Anyway, why do we assume that any alien society would be remotely like us? If so, then why wouldn't they use similar tools to find a way to survive? Would global genocide be our best choice?

Since you find it all so implausible, don’t read books or watch movies that have to do with alien invasions -- and you’ll have no reason to complain. Problem solved.

Like all fiction science fiction demands a certain level of "suspension of disbelief". Even the best SF is implausable when compared to real life, so if we are going to watch/read it we need to allow for that. But, on the other hand, alien life forms would probably be so different from us that we would not understand their motivations, or they ours. In that case they might just want to remove us as a house cleaning exercise. If our own history is any indication, any interaction with a technologically advanced civilization would not bode well for us -- just ask the Native Americans.

I think a lot of the science fiction where aliens are wiping us out is still generally designed to stroke the ego.

"They are a million times more powerful than us, but they need us, so they enslave us."
"They are a million times more powerful than us, but they fear us, so they eradicate us."
"They are a million times more powerful than us, but... "

Generally if it did happen, it could break down into a couple worst-case scenarios:

They don't need us, and they don't want us. We represent a future threat they cannot countenance. Simple solution: grab a gigantic asteroid and rocket it at the planet. Variations could include firing biological weapons down, poisoning the atmosphere, or any number of options that precludes them from ever needing to get anywhere near the longest range of any of our weapons.

They need us, and are nasty about it. I agree with you I don't think three-legged-death-ray machines are the way to go. I'd suggest variations but anything I'd suggest would be from my own human perspective. Alien vehicles aren't... alien enough most times. I certainly think the BEM aspect would intrigue me. If I was a solar system hopping alien, I think I could cook up a better rover. And by rover I don't just mean vehicle! I'd have some pretty funky genetically engineered pets to hunt down my prey.

I don't think they'd need to take down the whole planet either. If we can handle test-tube growing of humans, I think the interstellar civilization can too. Kidnap a couple hundred men and women, start your own farm. Voila!

Anyway, as far as science fiction goes, aliens are generally presented as Achilles, and we magically find their heel before it's too late. The ego stroke is what sells, the quelling of the fear that there really would be no hope against them. You want the paycheque, your aliens better lose!

As far as plausibility, I agree with you. The distances and time/effort involved are too huge for our comprehending, and the traveling across those distances in less than the lifespan of our civilization is ridiculous with our current and currently foreseen technology.

For this to happen, there needs to be some advanced method of travel that makes teleportation/ftl/quantum tunneling/tesseracting/etc viable at a somewhat low cost of resources.

The possible reasons I can see for aliens to attack us when they arrive rather than befriend us:

1: they don't recognize us as intelligent life, but as a plague and are doing the planet a favor.
2: whether they see us as intelligent or not, they want us off the planet so they can colonize it.
3: we are spamming various frequencies of electromagnetic radiation into the cosmos -- perhaps this is bad, and they are stopping us.
4: they've seen our alien movies and assume that's what we'd do to them if we had the power.
5: they have a different values system than we do, and it promotes aggression/conquest.
6: they happen to be here, we happen to be here, and we happen to be consumables for them.

Originally Posted by j.w.olson

For this to happen, there needs to be some advanced method of travel that makes teleportation/ftl/quantum tunneling/tesseracting/etc viable at a somewhat low cost of resources.

The possible reasons I can see for aliens to attack us when they arrive rather than befriend us:

If I was to write out a "Alpha Centauri Attacks!" story, I would probably wind up with something like this:

Plagued by a planet that will no longer support their species, the Alpha Centaurans have located the nearest planet that will match their needs. They have discovered a way to transport their people to Sol, but at a terrible cost: there is no going back.

Upon arrival, the aliens realize they have made a horrible miscalculation: the conditions on Sol are hazardous to their health, and the terraforming they'd need to perform would wipe out the current habitants of the planet. With a ticking clock looming over them, the Centaurans must now decide between altering the planet to their needs and committing genocide or face the end of their species.

And then zaniness ensues!

Originally Posted by Capulet

Anyway, as far as science fiction goes, aliens are generally presented as Achilles, and we magically find their heel before it's too late.

The best example: Slim Whitman's amplified yodeling in "Mars Attacks!" -- probably the finest of the alien invasion movies.

Originally Posted by Terry D

If our own history is any indication, any interaction with a technologically advanced civilization would not bode well for us -- just ask the Native Americans.

Advanced technology played an important role in the near-extermination of the Native Americans, but it wasn't the main reason--Human greed was.

So if there are aliens whose characteristics differ from those of human beings, then maybe we ought not worry.

Originally Posted by Robinjazz

So if there are aliens whose characteristics differ from those of human beings, then maybe we ought not worry.

It certainly opens possibilities of different forms of interaction. We could run into a situation where greed or violent conflict could be anethema to the culture, or just straight up foreign as a concept. Hopefully we wouldn't teach them!

We could also wind up with aliens that form a symbiotic relationship, and we undergo an evolutionary jump through our interaction with them.

Or, we could wind up with aliens that are so far beyond us they view us like we view cockroaches. Treating us in the manner we treat bugs might not even register on their moral radar, however that radar might appear.

That's the beauty of science fiction, all these possibilities are still available to us! One of my major attractions to scifi is the boundless wealth of possibilities it allows writers and their readers.

I think it's the last truly free vehicle for the exploration of any ideas because of the freedom available in controlling every aspect of the environment, right down to the laws of physics!

Originally Posted by Winston

My question is: Can this premise be pulled off in a method that is both entertaining AND believable? Or must we always check our logic at the saucer airlock door?

I think the answer to this question is a hearty, "Yes". Two of Arthur C. Clarke's stories, Rendezvous with Rama, and The Sentinel (which later became 2001 A Space Odyssey) dealt with alien interaction in a believable way.

At least Clarke's aliens were alien, not just guys in funny suits. I agree that the answer is yes.
The public doesn't understand that alien invasion movies/tv shows are unrealistic in the extreme (and they lap up the bad stuff). The Andromeda Strain is another example of a more realistic encounter, as is Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space. Aliens don't have to be bipedal, bilaterally symmetrical, or oxygen-processing. They could be triffids or energy or gaseous. They probably wouldn't come for our water or our women.

Originally Posted by moderan

At least Clarke's aliens were alien, not just guys in funny suits. I agree that the answer is yes.
The public doesn't understand that alien invasion movies/tv shows are unrealistic in the extreme (and they lap up the bad stuff). The Andromeda Strain is another example of a more realistic encounter, as is Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space. Aliens don't have to be bipedal, bilaterally symmetrical, or oxygen-processing. They could be triffids or energy or gaseous. They probably wouldn't come for our water or our women.

That being said, the whole alien-invasion-as-adventure genre has made for some very cool reading and viewing. Even 'hard' SF writers like Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle have gotten into the act with a very good book -- Footfall.

I think they would come for ice cream. It's a proven fact no other galaxy has Ben & Jerry's.

Originally Posted by Terry D

That being said, the whole alien-invasion-as-adventure genre has made for some very cool reading and viewing. Even 'hard' SF writers like Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle have gotten into the act with a very good book -- Footfall.

I think they would come for ice cream. It's a proven fact no other galaxy has Ben & Jerry's.

Almost all of Niven's scifi is dominated by human-alien interaction, and they are generally at odds with them (like the Kzinti). Even humanity's interaction with the Pak is frequently confrontational, as we express our desire for self-determination and freedom from their "protection".

I think his brand of confrontation makes sense though, since his is more of agendas conflicting with each other rather than any inexplicable need to wipe each other out just for the sake of it. The problem with most serialized scifi that makes it onto television or movies is that there's insufficient time or interest in establishing why the conflict occurs. That money could be spent on more CGI!